The reason why evangelicals treat Scripture as their supreme authority is because it is the word of God. In other words, evangelicals believe in what is traditionally called the “inspiration” of Scripture.
Today, the word “inspiration” can be a little misleading, as if Moses, Paul, and Luke simply felt enthused one day and started scribbling. That is not at all what is meant! By inspiration is meant what Paul teaches Timothy when he writes of how “from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings … All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:15-17).
That is, all the “writings” of all of Scripture are “breathed out by God”. They are exhaled by God. It is not merely some parts of Scripture that are God-breathed; it is not merely the big ideas of Scripture: all of it, in every part and in every word, is God-breathed.
What’s in a word?
I love words. Not only are some of them inherently beautiful, but I’m fascinated by the way we create sounds …