The Bible is the final authority. Many want to appeal to uninspired creeds, church tradition, prophets or the purported voice of God Himself. Once again, the Bible is the final authority. The problem with uninspired creeds is the very fact that they are uninspired. It does not matter how old they are, they hold no authority when it comes to matters of faith. Many hold to the church’s traditional interpretation to the Bible over what the Bible actually says; this is simply an invitation for eisegesis (making the Bible say what you want it to say). Some hold to prophets, but the problem is that there are no more prophets, and there have not been any since, at the very latest, the very beginning of the second century. What about those who hear God speaking to them? I’ve learned that you can’t tell people they don’t hear something, so the real question is, “How can you be sure that it is really God speaking?” The only way to know is to verify it with what is written. If God is really speaking to you, He won’t contradict Himself; otherwise that would make Him a liar and the author of confusion. Also, once the Bible is read to verify what is ‘heard,’ you’ll find that God no longer communicates to us in that fashion, but only through the Bible. Let us rest on the authority of the Bible, and not go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6).
