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Wayne A. Grudem devotes a whole chapter answering the question of how and why we know the Bible is the Word of God. He offers four explanations as to why Christians believe the Bible to be authoritative. First, the Bible frequently claims and argues for its own authority from Genesis to Revelation. “Thus, says the LORD” is the introductory refrain preceding the oracles of the prophets. God is said to speak through the means of the prophets in such a way that their words are his words. In the New Testament, inspiration is clearly articulated in such classic texts as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter. 1:21. Within the Gospels and Acts, Old Testament passages are quoted as, “God said”. The New Testament also consciously affirms its own authority alongside that of the Old Testament in various places (2 Pet. 3:16; 1 Tim. 5:18).

Second, Grudem argues we are convinced of the Bible’s claims to be God’s Word as we read the Bible.[1] The Holy Spirit speaks in and through the words of Scripture attesting to its veracity and authority. Reflecting upon such key passages as 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 and Romans 8, Dr. Grudem writes, “Apart from the work of the Spirit of God, a person will not receive spiritual truths and in particular will not receive or accept the truth that the words of Scripture are in fact the words of God.”[2] He notes that this witnessing work happens not apart from Scripture but as one reads, meditates, and reflects upon it.

Third, Grudem notes that other evidence exists for the Bible’s authority but recognizes that it is unconvincing by itself. He writes:

It is helpful for us to learn that the Bible is historically accurate, that it is internally consistent, that it contains prophecies that have been fulfilled hundreds of years later, that it has influenced the course of human history more than any other book , that it has continued changing the lives of millions of individuals throughout its history, that through it people come to find salvation, that it has a majestic beauty and a profound depth of teaching unmatched by any other book, and that it claims hundreds of times over to be God’s very words. All of these arguments and others are useful to us and remove obstacles that might otherwise come in the way of our believing Scripture. But all of these arguments taken individually or together cannot finally be convincing.[3]

Dr. Grudem likely believes they are finally unconvincing given human nature and its ability and lack thereof after the fall. Sinful man will find ways to avoid the truthfulness and authority of the Bible when presented with the evidence.

Fourth and finally, Grudem contends that the Bible is self-attesting and needs no outside substantiation. The problem with going outside of the Bible to further confirms its authority is such a task would then assume there exists a greater standard for appeal than God himself. The theologian writes, “For if an appeal to some higher authority (say, historical accuracy or logical consistency) were used to prove the Bible is God’s Word, then the Bible itself would not be our highest or absolute authority: it would be subordinate in authority to the thing to which we appealed to prove it to be God’s Word.”[4] There is not standard of authority higher than the existence of God himself.

Some would charge Grudem’s view as being unduly circular and therefore assuming what one is attempting to prove: we believe the Bible is the Word of God because it says the Bible is the Word of God. He answers such a charge in various ways. First, the problem with such a notion is that when ultimate issues are discussed, there will always be a level of circularity. Because no other standard higher exists, one has to appeal to the Bible itself. Second, appeals to ultimacy abound whether the standard is logic, reason, human sensory data/experience, science, or individuals themselves. Circularity is unavoidable and pervasive. Third, the Bible will commend and persuade itself when obeyed and believed better than other intellectual constructions (e.g. logic, human reason, sense experience, etc.) and other books (e.g. the Book of Mormon or the Koran). Experience will confirm its reliability and stability once tested and tried.

[1] Grudem, 77.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 78.

[4] Ibid.