God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
The Bible is the authority and divine blueprint by which all of life is to be lived. It is the benchmark by which all decisions should be made.
If you and I are going to advance God’s kingdom agenda in history, we must recognize and submit to the divine authority of His Word. What was the first thing Satan got Adam and Eve to do in the garden? He got them to question the authority of God’s Word. Satan specifically said, “Hath God said . . . ?” Satan knew that if he could get Adam and Eve to question, doubt, and ultimately change God’s revealed word to them, he could get them to disobey.
The Bible is not the Word of God emeritus. It is the manual of authority in God’s kingdom, the book from which our kingdom agenda is drawn. To the degree that you honor, respect, and obey the Word, you will live the abundant life Christ came to give. To the degree that you don’t, you won’t.
You may have what appears to be a successful life to the outside world, but the abundant life is about so much more than outer appearances. It is the presence of peace coupled with the power of divine purpose.
The reason we need the Scripture as an authoritative document is found in Isaiah 55:8. God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” God doesn’t act the way we act. He doesn’t think like we think. He is totally distinct from and above His creation.
So if God did not reveal His will and His standard to us, we could never figure it out on our own.