It is wholly accurate to say that the idea of biblical authority is a very complex issue.

Traditionally the idea of authority has been intertwined with thoughts of inspiration and inerrancy. Thompson (2011), however, provides some clarity to the idea of authority by tying it with the idea of function as opposed to conceptual (2). This move toward functionality provides an avenue by which we can help the members of our churches grasp the intricate concept of biblical authority. As a pastor, I would emphasize three important concepts that would, hopefully, promote ongoing engagement with Scripture. The first idea I would put across is that ultimately we must see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Scriptures and we, through Spirit enablement, are brought into His story (cf. Jenson 2003, 30-34). Given the multitude of interpretations that can properly be drawn from Scripture, we look to Jesus as the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). Thus Christ becomes the central helix around which all interpretations hang and are measured (Jenson 2003, 35). And it is through our salvific relationship with Christ that the Spirit reveals our place in the story of the Bible. ODay (2006) reminds us that the Spirit was present in Christs preaching enabling Him to make the old story new (361). Similarly, we who have been indwelt by the Spirit because of Christs work are also assisted to do the same. The Holy Spirits assistance to help us hear and respond is the same motivator urging us to rise up and proclaim. It is our response to this urgent function that demonstrates the Scriptures authority operating in our lives. A second proposal I would bring to the church is borrowed from Green about the Bible (2007), that is, we are not as concerned with mastering its data as we are being mastered by its message (157). Green (2007) calling upon Wuthnows study of the good Samaritan effect reminds us that it is not the ability to recite a parable that brings authority but the performance of its principle(s) (145). This seems to suggest that even those who are not Christian can, and often do, come under the authority of Scripture without awareness. It

also implies that Christians who quote biblical passages but fail to perform them do, whether conscious of it or not, sidestep the authority of Scripture. It is the moment of doing that the authority of the Scripture takes its proper place whether or not people are cognizant of it. The Christian should, however, be fully aware of the movement from the page to performance because he or she has been motivated by the Spirit to act. Since the Spirit indwells us we are able to hear the Scripture speak within our context. Because we hear we should also speak. However, in our speech we also hear again, and, as such, the Scriptures are recreated enabling us to hear and discern again the voice of the Spirit (ODay 2006, 362). This generative effect has multiple results. The chief result being that instead of merely reciting a biblical data, our human spirits and intellects are infused (by the Holy Spirit) with the performance principle(s) exampled in Scripture to be performed in our place and time. Lastly, I would encourage the congregation to remember that the points detailed above do not come from an apathetic walk with Christ. On the contrary, the Spirit functions to enable the reader to both hear and perform Scripture but the conversation only begins when the person becomes a reader. Put differently, if we are to bring biblical authority to life it will require the hard task of disciplined reading and learning to listen. Westpahl (2009) refers to this as lectio divina or, if my three years of Latin lessons do not fail me, reading the divine (144-145). If we are to read the divine it will be done as we consistently and prayerfully engage Scripture and listen for the voice of the Spirit and of the community that surrounds us and is waiting on us to act on what we have heard.

References Green, Joel B. Seized by Truth: Reading the Bible as Scripture. Nashville: Abingdon, 2007. Jenson, Robert W. Scriptures Authority in the Church. In The Art of Reading Scripture. Edited by Ellen F. Davis and Richard B. Hays. Pages 27-37. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. ODay, Gail R. Today this word is fulfilled in your hearing: A Scriptural Hermeneutic of Biblical Authority. Word and World 26.4 (Fall 2006): 357-64. Thompson, R. (2011). Authority means something happens. Unpublished manuscript, Graduate Theological Online Education, Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID. Retrieved from https://online.nnu.edu/section/default.asp?id=GS11_BIBL6540_2L Westphal, Merold. Whose Community? Which Interpretation? Philosophical Hermeneutics for the Church. The Church and Postmodern Culture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.