Short Essay on Inerrancy and Inspiration There are many people in the world today who are uncertain whether they should believe in the Bible as an authoritative book or just another “good book” or “fairy tale.” Since my salvation, it has been a passion of mine to learn as much as I can about the Bible so I can help others see and understand the importance and the authoritative message in Scripture. There are a few things that I would address to help individuals see the big picture of Scripture when it comes to being the authoritative Word of God. We first need to understand when picking up the Bible that it is not an ordinary book, but a book claimed to be written by God through 44 men over a 1500-1600 year span. Then we must ask, is the Bible authoritative? Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge (American Heritage Dictionary 1979, 89). The Scriptures speak many times about the Bible having authority. We can first look at Jesus who taught with authority that was bestowed upon Him. Matthew 21:23 says, and when He entered the temple the chief priest and the elders of the people came up to Him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Also Jesus commands with “authority and power” to the unclean spirits, and they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Who gives Jesus this authority? God the Father is the one who bestows this authority upon Jesus; it is not Jesus who speaks on His own initiative (John 14:10), the words are given to Jesus by God (John 17:8). Many times in the Old Testament, the prophets would say, “this is what the Lord says,” giving proof that the words of Scripture are not mans but God’s, inspired by the