APR 12

John 8:14-18
Memorise John 8:18
“I am the one that bear witness of myself…”

Because of its self-authenticating nature, we can rely on the Bible to prove itself to be true. That is why the Bible alone is our supreme authority and guide in all matters of faith. Self-authentication simply means that something proclaims itself to be true. If we have a document that needs to be authenticated, we would need to bring it to a higher authority to have it certified as genuine. Since there is no higher authority than the Word of God, it therefore reasonably follows that only the Word itself can prove itself to be true. We see this principle at work in John 8:18 where Jesus bears witness of Himself because He is perfectly unbiased, absolutely truthful and is the supreme divine Authority.

This being the case, we can therefore understand that this unique quality of the Holy Scriptures means that we can refer to one part of it, perhaps a passage that is simpler to understand, and use it to interpret another more difficult passage. Indeed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed, and the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed. Passages from the Old Testament and New Testament are often used to verify and interpret each other. Since the Holy Spirit is not only the author of the Bible but also the one who illuminates sinful man, He interprets His own Word. Hence, Scripture interprets Scripture.

We may make the mistake of relying heavily on extra-Biblical resources such as devotionals (including this one!), commentaries etc. in our daily devotion or in studying the Bible. Of course, these can be very useful tools in helping us to understand certain passages, and we should certainly make use of these wonderful resources. However, we must not forget in the inherent value of the Word of God itself. As diligent students of God’s Word, we must always go back to the Word itself as the final, sole supreme authority of our faith.

Thought: Only a wise God with no beginning and no end can be the source of a self-authenticating and self-interpreting book.
Prayer: Give me the faith, O Lord, to remain steadfast, always holding Your Word in highest regard.