Martin Luther on Biblical Authority         

                                                                                                                   Vol. IX, No.6, June/July 1996

     This selection is from p 135 of Inerrancy and the Church, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984. it summarizes Martin Luther's position on biblical authority.

     "Luther's view of the truthfulness, or inerrancy (to use a later term), of Scripture is a very clear and straightforward one. He simply believed in the truthfulness of the assertions of the biblical text. He wrote, 'You must follow straight after Scripture and accept it and speak not one syllable against it, for it is God's mouth.' And what will be the result when you follow such a procedure. You will find that 'the Scriptures have never erred,' that 'the Scriptures cannot err,' that 'it is certain that the Scripture cannot disagree with itself,' that 'it is impossible that Scripture should contradict itself; it only appears so to senseless and obstinate hypocrites' 'for it is established by God's Word that God does not lie, nor does his Word lie.' No, 'it is cursed unbelief and the odious flesh which would not permit us to see and know that God speaks to us in Scripture and that it is God's Word, but tells us that it is the word merely of Isaiah, Paul, or some other man, who has not created heaven and earth.' We are not all apostles, Luther insisted; they were infallible teachers sent by God, but not we; they were unable 'to err or be mistaken in the faith.’”