Authority of Scripture in Christianity Essay

According to Christians, the scripture is supreme and has high authority. Whatever is written in the scripture remains compelling to the ears of Christians. It is not just the case for the modern generation of Christians but this also affirmed in the Bible. In both Old and New Testaments, many instances prove that scripture is supreme. Even Jesus Christ had many cases whereby He supported the supreme authority of the scripture. Liberals attacked and exposed the authority of scripture, but Jesus stood firm and criticized the liberals. That does not mean that Christ was mistaken; Jesus came to affirm the power of the scripture, and this tells why in many instances, He referred His followers to the holy inscriptions. According to the Christian, what is written in the scripture is a reflection of what God says to them. Then this shows how the scripture is respected among the Christians.

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Bernard Ramm in "The Pattern of Religious Authority" excerpt characterizes influence which in this case is an authority uniquely. He describes it as "the right or power to command action or compliance, or to determine belief or custom, expecting obedience from those under authority, and in turn giving responsible account for the claim to right or power." In this line of understanding, the authority of the Scripture connotes that God's power as manifested in the Scripture. As an illustration of this, John 1:1 KJV informs that in the beginning when there was no anything else even the universe, there was a word, this word was God. Thus, it is now possible to understand how the words written in the scripture embody the voice of God. If this is then the case, it is sensible to affirm the authority of the scripture. Primarily, God's interlink with the scripture can be termed as permanent, ultimate, exclusive, consequential, unalterable, obligatory, and original.

For authority to become acceptable by a group of people, it ought to be originating from a powerful and influential figure. Notably, this is the same case with the scripture whose origin can be attributable to God. God's sovereignty is exhibited right from the creation. "In the beginning, God created ...;" and this is manifested in Gen 1:1. As a consequence, this is an assurance that God is ultimately in charge of all beginning of creation on earth and over the heavens and above. All Scripture is thus God-breathed and has its source as God. "All Scripture is God-breathed (2Tim. 3:16a NIV), and, "God's Word is living and powerful (Heb. 4:12a NIV). The scripture came from God and was authored by different authors through divine inspiration and thus possess this ultimate authority.

The scripture is to be preached with authority and obeyed as it provides a blueprint for living in decency. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness" (2Timothy 3:16) KJV. Predominantly, Authors of the Scripture communicate and reveal God's authority. Those who obey the scripture will be rewarded while those who disobey or disregard it will be condemned. Undoubtedly, this Authority is told through scripture declarations, both mention, and display of God's prerogatives and those of nature in the scripture.

Everyone is subject to the authority of the scripture. God invests this authority into human agents. As enshrined in Rom 13:1-2, every person is supposed to be subject to the governing body. As well, this verse affirms that there is no authority except God, and God has instituted those that exist. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities refuses to go along with what God has appointed, and those who defy will incur judgment. According to 2Tim 4:2, the man of God's work is to provide teachings and declarations from the scripture. These declarations are a manifestation of God's authority as entrenched in the Scripture.

Ps 19:7 tells that the scripture as now humanmade, but God's job through the chosen people who wrote it. Many people have disregarded the scripture citing that some people declared themselves holy and wrote some books of authority to influence others. However, these claims are wrong, and scripture remains God's work. For that reason, people cannot separate authority of Scripture from the influence of God. In actual sense, what God affirms or denies is inscribed in the Bible since this is the platform that He uses to communicate to his subjects. Given this, the scripture is a powerful tool which embodies the power and influence of God over his creation. By the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the scripture could come into being. In essence, that Holy Spirit was sent by God to certain people, and this was aimed to bring light into the world.

Marriage and Family

Richard A. Hunt defines in context of Christian marriage as, "a union of a woman and a man in holy matrimony, as partners who promise, covenant and betroth themselves to each other as spouses. This provides both the human and divine aspects of matrimony. Additionally, Dallas Theological Seminary describes marriage as an institution that is exclusive, conjugal, permanent, and comprehensive. According to Gen 1:27-28, conjugal implies that there is a bodily union between a man and woman. It was an institution that was established by God with a motive to procreate, and this is the basis of family life. In support of family life, God saw that the inclusivity of mother, father, and children would be suitable. All this was for public good, promotion of morals and keeping the extended human race.

Marriage can be found from the Book of Genesis when God created Adam, and later Eve, to act as "his helper" with instructions that they should "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion" Gen 1:28. According to Gen 2:24, a man and woman should both leave their parents' homes in a bid to form the critical institution of marriage. At this point, they become one flesh. In the same vein, they become sexually active and procreate, thus, leading to the establishment of a family. In that case, the Bible endorses marriage between a man and women to create a family which is then blessed with children. Given this, marriage between people of the same gender is not endorsed by the Bible. In the modern world, there are so many instances of same-sex marriage which does not find any support from the Bible. In essence, God created a situation whereby procreation can only be possible if a man and woman engage in a sexual affair and this should strictly be within a marriage institution. It also explains that a wife should act as a "helper" and thus should be submissive to the husband. A marital union founded under a covenant perpetuates the creation of God through procreation. As revealed in Deut 5:16, the teachings of Christ also signifies that children should be submissive and comply with their parents' expectations.

The scripture teaches that marriage is not a mere human institution but divine union designed to bring forth some off springs. The sanctity of marriage is protected in the Bible as seen in the instance of Mat 19:6. In this case, God is regarded as the being that joins a man and woman for marriage. Due to His effort, He forbids any person from causing harm to such union. Developing a marriage involves a husband, a wife, and God. In doing the establishment, a man and woman in the union agree that they will keep fidelity and loyalty to each other until death separates them. Death is supposed to be caused by God; hence, He separates them when He deems it right. The level of faithfulness between the man and woman keeps the union work. Thus, marriage is a convention between the two participants who are to support each other in devotion, have a family and continue God's works of creation.

Gender and Sexuality

Gender and sexuality aspects are canvassed in the Biblical scripture from the onset of creation. The dictionary defines gender a biological state of being. Sexuality, on the other hand, is defined as the ability, orientation, preference, and sexual activity. There is a close interplay between gender and sexuality as one emanates from the other. In the creation of Adam and later his "helper" Eve, provides an onset of gender and sexuality. Adam and Eve were given the instructions to multiply and subdue the earth. Their bodies allowed them, to fulfill that task of baby bearing as a result of their gender identities.

Innately, Gen 1:26-28, presents that God created man with an understanding of both sexuality and gender. Man is a resemblance of God. It will be a show of defiance for a man to disregard what God created by trying to do some modification. Ideally, it is wrong for people to think about changing their biological sex as this will compel them to change their physical appearance. They should not disagree with how they appear.

On the other hand, the issue of gender roles is manifested in the creation narrative through the woman's submissive responsibility (Gen. 2:18-20). The woman was created to be a helper (Genesis 2:20-24). The man, on the other hand, would act as the head of the house and the provider. As per (Ephesians 5:21-24; Ephesians 5:21-24), the presence of these roles in creation indicates God's design and purpose for gender and sexuality. Col 3:19 affirms that the responsibility of the man starts with leadership to provision and protection. Man is required to also provide companionship to the woman (Ephesians 5:25-33). The Bible talks about physical and emotional intimacy where both men and women are needed to fulfill each others' needs. In 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, there is a need for natural attraction between persons of the opposite sex (Gen. 2:24).

The scripture affirms the needs to have a reciprocal opposite-sex relationship and encourage people to resist same-sex attractions and same-sex sexual conducts because they are intrinsically disorderly. Indeed, this is because they go against God's purpose of procreation and subduing the earth. Breeding cannot be made possible by engaging in homosexuality. Homosexuality can never fulfill the natural meaning of marriage. For marriage purposes, "A man [masculine] shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife [feminine], and the two shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24). Given this, marriage is reserved for opposite sex. Moreover, people are forbidden from committing to incidences of adultery. In Exodus 20:14, adultery act is foolish and dangerous to the participants. It is approval of spiritual unfaithfulness. God is faithful to human species, and the same is expected from them. They embody God's image and should commit to doing what is required of them. If one rejects own model and does some modification to alter appearance, then this is not different from defying God. From the perspective of God's commandments, people ought to stand strong even in the moments of temptation, and this resembles the instances of altering own image. It is sinful and immoral to reject one's sexuality and gender.

Bibliography

Culver, Robert D. "Does recent scientific researches overturn the claims of radical feminism and support the biblical norms of human sexuality." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 30, no. 1 (March 1987): 39-47. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost. Accessed March 3, 2018.

Gangel, Kenneth O. "Toward a biblical theology of marriage and family: pt. 1: Pentateuch and historical books; pt. 2: poetical and prophetic books." Journal of Psychology & Theology 5, no. 2 (1977 1977): 150-162. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost. Accessed March 3, 2018.

Hamilton, James M. Jr. "What is Biblical Theology?" Illinois: Crossway, 2001.

Hunt, Richard A. "Marriage as dramatizing theology." The Journal of Pastoral Care 41, no. 2 (June 1987): 119-131. ATLA Religion...