What Do Adventists Believe About the Authority of the Bible?

Authority can be an uncomfortable word.

It may make you feel intimidated or frustrated. You might think of a church leader who seemed to kill all your fun as a kid, or a boss who micromanages your every move at work…or maybe you have an elderly family member who used Bible verses to guilt-trip people.

With these connotations, the idea of the Bible having authority over you might not seem so positive. But what if well-meaning people have misrepresented what it means for the Bible to have authority?

So let’s explore its true meaning.

Seventh-day Adventists uphold the authority of the Bible—but not as a simplistic rulebook of dos and don’ts. Instead, it gives us profound, timeless guiding principles for our lives on spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional levels. Those principles act as guardrails for our decisions without micromanaging our lives.

The Bible is so important to the Adventist faith that our first Fundamental Belief says:

“The Holy Scriptures are the supreme, authoritative, and the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the definitive revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history.”

Let’s get into some more detail on what that looks like. Here’s what you can expect to learn:

• What the Bible says about its own authority
• How the Bible is the authority for Adventists
• Why the Bible is our authority
• How to test things by the Bible’s authority

What the Bible says about its own authority

As a book of many books, the Bible doesn’t contain a statement that says, “This book has [this much] authority.” But the words within the Bible, from multiple authors during different time periods, tell us of the One who inspired its words.

The words of the Bible are just that—words on a page. They don’t have inherent authority, but they carry with them the authority of God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

He is the One whose “dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. … He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 4:34-35, NKJV).

This God, by the Holy Spirit, inspired the messages (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21) that the Bible writers wrote down for us (Jeremiah 30:2; 1 Corinthians 11:23; 15:3).

Jesus Christ Himself believed in this authority of the Word of God (which was just the Old Testament at that time).

When He taught the people, He often pointed to it as the basis for His teachings (Luke 10:26). And when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus turned to the Word of God to resist those temptations (Matthew 4:3-10). The Words of Scripture held weight for Him because He was committed to their Author (John 5:19).

We follow His example in the way we uphold the Bible.

How the Bible is the ultimate authority for Adventists

Adventists accept what the Bible teaches about itself—that it’s inspired by God (“God-breathed,” as it says in 2 Timothy 3:16) and authoritative for our lives.

In fact, that’s a big reason the Advent Movement began in the 1800s.

We embrace the Protestant Christian concept of sola scriptura, which teaches that the Bible has the final say in our decisions. Not only does it guide us in spiritual things, but it also gives us principles of right and wrong for our day-to-day living.

Notice the word principles.

This is different than every single counsel or command. After all, the Bible was written within a specific historical and cultural context to express the story of God’s workings. It’s not meant to be a rulebook but rather a narrative of who God is and how He’s restoring His people from sin.

Yes, some of God’s commands are absolute and timeless (for example, the Ten Commandments or the command to love our enemies). But we have to discern when He was giving specific instructions for a specific context.

For example, when the Israelites came out of Egypt, God gave them many civil laws, which were not on the same level of authority as the Ten Commandments. These civil laws guided the people as a nation since they had been in slavery for so long.

Though many of the principles behind the commands can still benefit us, the specifics may not be prescriptive or applicable to people in the technologically-advanced 21st century.

How, then, do we know what is for us and what isn’t?

How do Adventists interpret the Bible?

Adventists interpret the Bible by first seeking to understand what the original authors intended. Once we find the underlying principle, we can apply it to our lives.

Part of understanding the original authors’ intent involves studying the Bible within its various contexts:

• Historical context
• Cultural context
• Linguistic context (mostly Hebrew and Greek)
• Context of a passage/chapter
• Context of an author’s writings
• Context of the biblical narrative

And that last one is especially important. The Bible isn’t an instruction manual, a list of rules, or even a volume of doctrines. It’s a story from Genesis to Revelation, showing how God created us and this world to be and how He’s restoring human beings to that beautiful, sinless reality. This story shapes everything we find in the Bible.

Once we understand these different levels of context, we’re better equipped to discern the timeless principles for our lives. The Bible is an ancient document, but it also offers so much for the present and gives us insight into the future!

Also, Adventists seek to read translations of the Bible that best communicate the message of the original text. But we don’t limit ourselves to one version of the Bible—we believe many translations of the Bible can provide us with greater insights into what God was trying to communicate to us.

Does sola scriptura mean we can’t get advice or guidance from any other source?

Accepting the Bible as our authority doesn’t mean we never read other books or seek counsel from others.

Far from it! Instead, the Bible provides the framework to filter all other inputs.

So, when we read other books or a trusted mentor gives us advice, we compare it to the Bible’s principles. The New Testament shows us what this looks like when it describes a group of people who heard Paul preaching about Jesus:

“They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11, ESV).

They turned to biblical truth to check what they were learning.

At the same time, though God’s Word guides us (2 Timothy 3:16), it’s not an exhaustive encyclopedia on everything in life. We still have to read and study other books to learn about specific topics.

For example, the Bible teaches us that God created all living things on earth, but it doesn’t go into all the intricacies of those organisms. In those cases, it’s helpful to turn to a biology textbook or talk with a biologist.

The Bible also gives us some important principles for dealing with others, but we may need specific help from a therapist at times.

And though God provides us with some dietary guidelines, you’ll probably turn to a cookbook or Pinterest for help whipping up some pesto pasta tonight.

The Bible doesn’t speak to every specific experience, but it gives us guardrails to live within.

However, you might be wondering, why the Bible? Why not another book?

Why the Bible is the authority for Adventists

The Adventist movement is rooted in Scripture, and all our beliefs come from it because we see it as God’s message to us. We believe there is much evidence for this and for accepting the Bible as trustworthy and accurate. Here are the most important ones:

Its internal consistency

Think about it—if 40 human authors over a span of 1,500 years wrote 66 books in three different languages, what are the chances that the messages of each book would be consistent with one another?

It’s nearly impossible!

And yet they are.

The seeming impossibility of this feat speaks to the divine origins of the Bible. The Holy Spirit had to be guiding each writer.

Seventh-day Adventist apologist and speaker Subodh Pandit, MD, agrees:

“No work of fiction can maintain a single story, while being written in the manner the Bible was written—by scores of writers, over such an extended period—unless it was supervised and directed from beginning to end.”¹

History and archeological evidence

The Bible has repeatedly been verified as a historically authentic document. It discusses nations, rulers, and cultures that secular historians refer to and archaeologists have discovered the remains for.

For example, for a long time, historians objected to the idea that the nation of the Hittites (mentioned in the Bible) existed in antiquity—until, in 1906, archeologists uncovered Hatussa, the Hittite capital. And within six more years, they found 10,000 Hittite clay tablets, again supporting the Bible’s account.²

Another archeological discovery confirmed the existence of King Cyrus of Persia, ruler over the Medo-Persian Empire (Ezra 1).³

And Jesus Himself is a historical figure, written about by the secular Jewish historian Josephus.⁴

Prophecy

The Bible foretold many future events, sometimes hundreds of years before they occurred. Many of these are prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament that became a reality in the New Testament:

• Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4; Matthew 2:1-6)
• His anointing to ministry (Daniel 9:24-27; Luke 3:1, 21-22)
• His pierced hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; John 19:37)
• None of His bones were broken (Exodus 12:46; John 19:33, 36)
• Resurrection from the dead (Isaiah 53:10; Mark 16:6)

And then, there are prophecies like the statue of Daniel 2, which prophesied with astounding accuracy the world empires that would arise down through history: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

These fulfilled prophecies are self-authenticating evidence for the Bible.

Its endurance

Christians have experienced severe persecution over the past couple of millennia, and during those times, the Bible was often suppressed, banned, or even burned. Despite attempts to stamp out the Bible, it has endured and remains the #1 bestseller in the world today.

And faithful people have preserved it through the ages so that it comes to us with hardly any changes at all.

The Bible today is consistent with much earlier copies, as evidenced by discoveries like that of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. Some of those scrolls dated back to the second century BC, and yet, 95% of the content matched our Bibles today, with the other 5% being minor errors rather than differences in the actual message.⁵

Adventists see this endurance as evidence of supernatural protection over this book.

Changed lives

The Bible is not just any book. It has impacted countless lives from every culture and time imaginable in history.

Whole tribes of cannibals have become humble and gentle.⁶

Bitter people have found the healing power of forgiveness.

Others have discovered their life purpose in serving and helping others because of what they read in the Bible.

Of course, not all people who claim to follow the Bible have lived out these principles. After all, anyone can misuse anything. But when the Bible’s teachings are understood within their context and followed, they look so different from the selfishness, power, and control that societies have often promoted.

They look like the character of God Himself. Selfless, sacrificial love. Peace. Patience. Integrity. Innocence.

There’s something different about the teachings of the Bible. And when we allow it to be the final authority in our lives, it makes us into something different, too.

How to test things by the Bible’s authority

Living by the authority of Scripture can start with a simple question: What does the Bible say?

More specifically:

• What does the Bible say about this situation?
• Do my beliefs and thoughts align with its principles?
• Is saying this or acting in this way consistent with biblical principles?

Sometimes, the answer will be simple.

The Bible gives us clear guidance on how to treat one another—with love, respect, courtesy, humility, and more.

But it may not give you exact steps to choose your life calling or make a major financial decision. That’s when you may have to pray, spend time with God, and wrestle with biblical principles to understand how they apply to your situation.

If you don’t find answers right away, don’t be discouraged.

Sometimes, it’ll take time and deep Bible study to understand God’s principles for a specific situation. And that’s okay. They won’t always be black and white. But God wants us to use the wisdom and intellect He’s given us to figure these things out.

And He’s promised that as you seek it, He’ll give you wisdom and lead you to the truth (John 16:13; James 1:5).

Ready to study the Bible this way and find its guidance for your life?