Did Jesus treat Scripture as the final authority?
Yes. At every decisive moment Jesus answered with Scripture: He met temptation three times with 'It is written,' He charged religious leaders with voiding God's word by their traditions, and He settled disputes by appealing to writings that 'can't be broken.' What held final authority for Jesus holds final authority for everyone who follows Him.
This question arose from studying Can I trust the Bible?.
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What the Scripture says
Every answer begins with 'It is written'
In the wilderness Jesus did not answer the tempter from His own authority as God the Son, though He had it. He answered as man, from Scripture: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' Three times the sword came out, and each time it was the written word of God. If Jesus settled questions that way, His people have their pattern.
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me,Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
He humbled you, and allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know; that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s mouth.
Tradition never outranks the word of God
The Pharisees had built a body of tradition alongside Scripture, and Jesus judged it unsparingly: 'You set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men,' making the word of God void by the tradition they handed down. Whatever honors it claims, any teaching layered over Scripture must yield to Scripture or be condemned by it.
“For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”
He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;
Scripture cannot be broken
When His enemies disputed who He was, Jesus ended the argument by quoting a psalm and observing that 'the Scripture can't be broken': what is written stands, down to the smallest stroke. He prayed, 'Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth,' and said heaven and earth would sooner pass away than its least letter fail.
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken),
Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letteror one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
Even apostles are measured by it
This final authority extends over every teacher, including the apostles themselves. The Berean Jews were called more noble than others precisely because they took Paul's preaching and examined the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were so. Paul himself wished an angel from heaven accursed if he preached another gospel than the one already given.
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.
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Verses to meditate on
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken),
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
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