Scriptures selfattesting authority question doctrine truthfulness Scriptures

7
The Authority of the Apostles
Since the formation of the New Testament canon was largely a recognition
of the reality of what the New Testament claimed for itself—and
what it proved to be by God’s inspiration—we have already dealt significantly
with this theme, in chapter 3 on the canon of the New Testament.
But there is more to see. What I try to answer in this chapter is,
What claims did the apostolic writings make for themselves?
The Authority of the Apostles Comes from Jesus
The first and most important thing to say is that apart from the supreme
authority of Jesus Christ, the apostolic writings claim nothing for themselves.
All their authority is self-consciously derivative. Jesus Christ is
the one who has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18).
He is the one
to whom alone the Father has given “authority over all flesh” (John
17:2);
who alone claimed, “All things have been handed over to me by
my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no
one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son
chooses to reveal him” (Matt. 11:27);
who alone could say, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”
(John 14:6);