Since the Bible is God’s inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word, it holds the highest authority over us so that when the Bible speaks to us, it is in fact, God is speaking to us. Or to say it another way: God through His Word stands over us, rules us, commands us, we do not stand over Him or His Word as if we were the judge of Him or it.

To say the Bible is authoritative is to say it imposes requirements on those who hear it. When God commands, we’re to obey. When God promises, we’re to trust. When God declares, we’re to believe Him. This is illustrated all throughout Scripture. Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Israel, and the prophets all experienced God exercising His authority over them by His Word. God then sends Jesus, His incarnate Word, who exercised God’s authority in His teaching (Matt 7:28-29, ‘Now I say to you’). Jesus sent out the apostles in His name as ambassadors to exercise this very authority. Now, through the writing of the apostles the same authority is exercised over you and over me.

Throughout all of redemptive history God has, is, and will exercise His authority over His creation through His Word. Therefore to disregard the Bible as if it had no authority over our lives, is to disregard God Himself.