The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.
The Scriptures have their origin from God. As Paul declares in 2 Timothy 3:16, they are literally "breathed out" (theopneustos) by God. R. C. Sproul has observed that a more accurate word than "inspiration" to explain the origin of Scripture would be "expiration." The Holy Spirit superintended the writing of these books such that they are, in fact, God speaking to us even though God did not dictate them to the human writers, nor did the Scriptures descend from heaven in finished form.
We do not look to men individually or redeemed men corporately in the church as the basis for the authority of the Scriptures but to God who is their author. God is truth; "thy word is truth." Because they are the Word of God, they have ultimate authority. We submit to them just as we would words spoken directly to us by the Father or the Lord Jesus. It is important to remember that the word of God made the church and not the other way around.
Tomorrow: Proving the character of Scripture.
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