Every serious reflection on the Bible’s inspiration and authority must engage with its self-attesting nature as the Word of God.
To say that Scripture is self-attesting is to affirm that it testifies to its own divine authority; it does not derive validity from human institutions or philosophical arguments. Its truth is rooted in its very nature as the utterance of God Himself.
This concept finds vivid expression in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The Greek term translated as “inspiration” literally means “breathed out.” Scripture is, metaphorically, the outflow of God’s creative breath — originating with Him and containing His very words. This truth is echoed in 2 Peter 1:21: “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit moved human writers, making their words truly His.
These apostolic claims regarding biblical inspiration mirror the conviction of the Old Testament prophets, who regularly declared: “The word of the Lord came to me, saying … .” These repeated assertions reflect the prophets’ understanding that their message originated not in human will, but in divine revelation.
Circular Reasoning?
While the Bible declares its divine authority, that declaration is not what makes it authoritative. Its authority comes from God, not from itself. Scripture does not originate its own authority; it simply bears witness to the authority that God has already granted it.
Critics often argue that saying “the Bible is the Word of God because it says so” is an example of circular reasoning. In their view, this argument depends entirely on the Bible’s own claim to divine authority as proof of that authority, without offering any independent evidence. This is similar to saying, “Fred is trustworthy because he always tells the truth, and we know he always tells the truth because he is trustworthy.” In both cases, the conclusion merely repeats the initial claim without offering proof. Therefore, the statement “the Bible is the Word of God because it says so” is unhelpful, as it is simply an assertion made without any supporting evidence.
Although circular reasoning typically is considered a fatal flaw to any argument, Christians have good reason not to be troubled by the Bible’s self-authentication. Two key considerations make this claim distinct from ordinary circular arguments.
First, the problem of circular reasoning is not exclusive to Christianity because every claim to ultimate authority inevitably involves circular reasoning. Anyone who defends their highest source of truth must appeal to that very source to justify itself. For example, if someone considers sense experience to be their ultimate authority, they must use sense experience itself to validate that belief. That kind of justification is necessarily circular, but not flawed, because circularity is an unavoidable feature of any claim to ultimate or absolute authority. That the Bible being self-authenticating involves circular reasoning is interesting, but it does not invalidate the Bible’s claim to its own inspiration.
Second, Christians need not worry that the Bible’s claim about its own authority is “circular” because strong supporting evidence for its inspiration exists. Thousands of ancient manuscripts confirm the Bible’s textual accuracy. Historical data and archaeological findings support many of its recorded events. Fulfilled prophecies require a supernatural source. And the Bible’s unity and coherence — written over 1,500 years by more than 40 authors — further testify to divine influence. These evidences do not give the Bible its authority; they testify to the authority it already possesses.
What About Other “Sacred Texts”?
Some critics challenge the Bible’s claim to its own authority by noting that similar claims are made in the sacred documents of other religions. These documents challenge the Bible’s exclusive claims. A little reflection reveals that this isn’t a valid objection to the Bible’s claim to its own inspiration. The existence of competing revelation claims (e.g., Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Book of Mormon) does not refute the Bible’s claim to ultimate authority. The existence of competing claims does not, in itself, disprove the truth of the original claim.
For example, over the years, several women have claimed to be the Russian princess Anastasia. These rival claims may have caused confusion, but they did nothing to change the fact that there was only one true Anastasia. In the same way, the existence of other books claiming divine inspiration does not disprove the Bible’s exclusive claim to be the Word of God. Rather, such competing claims call for an examination of the evidence to determine which revelation is genuine.
Protestant theologians generally agree that while rational and historical arguments for the Bible are useful, true assurance that it is God’s Word comes only through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit opens the heart and mind to receive Scripture with full conviction and saving faith (Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 2:10–14).
This work of the Spirit does not ignore human reason but illuminates it, enabling a person to recognize the truth of God’s Word. John Calvin expressed it this way: “The same Spirit, therefore, who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets, must penetrate our hearts to convince us that they faithfully proclaimed what had been divinely commanded.”
Be Confident: God Has Spoken
There are many challenges to the Bible’s claim of divine inspiration, but none successfully refutes the Bible’s own testimony. As Christians read the Bible, they can be confident that God has spoken. Being the very Word of God, the Bible holds the authority to determine what is to be believed and how life is to be lived.
— Walter Johnson is a recently retired dean of the College of Christian Studies at North Greenville University, where he taught and served for 32 years.