And now Warren's conclusion based on these excellent points:
To say that the Bible is inspired is to say that the words of the Bible are the words of God (cf. I Cor. 2:9-13; II Pet. 1:20,21). To say that the words of the Bible are the words of God is to say that everything the Bible teaches is true and can be trusted completely. This is the case because God cannot lie (cf. Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:13-20). God's word cannot be broken (cf. Matt. 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35)--the word of God abides forever (cf. I Pet. 1:22-25). Because God cannot tell that which is not true, the Bible cannot tell that which is not true. To say that God can be trusted completely is to say that the Bible can be trusted completely! Since this is the case, then it is also the case that whatever the Bible teaches to be true actually is true.
The apostles laid hands on other men, that they might receive miraculous power from the Holy Spirit, thus becoming prophets, with the power to reveal the word of God by inspiration (cf. Eph. 3:5; I Cor. 2:12-14; Acts 8). For a time, the word of God was in inspired men, who were able to infallibly preach the gospel of Christ. With the passing of time, these men (the apostles and prophets) wrote the various books of the New Testament. The word of God was then in the inspired book (cf. Eph. 3:5; II Tim. 3:16,17).
Today, there are no inspired men: there is no one who has any miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit. Today, we have the inspired book, the Bible, and no religious act is pleasing to God which is not authorized by that book (cf. II John 9-11; Rev. 22:18,19). This truth was recognized as authoritative by the early church. They obeyed this truth in becoming Christians (e.g., Acts 2). They then lived their daily lives in harmony with that truth. They recognized that any action not authorized by that truth was sinful (cf. Gal. 1:6-9).
Not only is the Bible authoritative; it is also sufficient (cf. II Tim. 3:16,17; James 1:25; I Cor. 13:10). There is thus no need for any further revelation (cf. Jude 3; Rev. 22:18,19). Men must learn not to go beyond the things which are written (cf. I Cor. 4:6). Among other things, the Bible is sufficient to teach man: (1) what to do to become a Christian, and (2) how to live the Christian life, including all Christian work and worship.
Since no man can be pleasing to God unless he does what the Bible authorizes (whether it be a matter which is obligatory or is merely optional) another important question is, how does the Bible authorize?
Due to the author's desire to be brief in this lesson, the technical details as to how the Bible authorizes will not be discussed here. [The interested student is encouraged to explore this theme on Audio Evangelism's CD set entitled: Interpretation & Authority].
The crucial thing to note here is: (1) to reject Biblical authority is to reject Christianity, (2) to reject Christianity is to reject Jesus Christ, and (3) to reject Jesus Christ is to reject the only way of salvation from sin which exists (cf. Acts 4:12; John 3:3-5; II Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:10-15, 22:18,19, II John 9-11). No man who rejects the inspiration, the inerrancy, the all-sufficiency, and the authority of the Bible can be regarded rightly as a faithful child of God, no matter how sincere and religious he may be (cf. Matt. 7:13-23).
The Bible is the word of God, and Christianity is the religion of Biblical authority.