This is the weekly Q & A blog post by our Research Professor in Philosophy, Dr. William Lane Craig.

Question

Dr Craig,

In your answer to Question #626 you say, "But once one becomes a Christian, then one submits to the teaching of the Lord Jesus. When we see how Jesus regarded the Old Testament, we perceive that he taught it to be the inspired and wholly reliable Word of God. So as his disciples, we should, too. We believe in the Bible because we believe in him." Surely to know what Jesus believed about the OT you must first assume that the NT record of his teachings is inspired and wholly reliable? If belief in the inspiration of the OT depends, at least in part, on what Jesus said about it then you need to show that the record of what Jesus said is inspired and wholly reliable. It does not appear to me that you have shown that.

PJ

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Dr. William Lane Craig's Response

Dr. William Lane Craig

Oh, no, PJ, that’s incorrect. In order to determine how Jesus viewed the Old Testament, we don’t need an inspired and inerrant record of his teachings. All you need is a generally reliable account of his teachings. Among the sayings of Jesus determined by New Testament scholars to be authentic, are there sayings that show that he regarded the Old Testament as the inspired and wholly reliable Word of God? Such an attitude on Jesus’ part is contextually plausible and unlikely to be a Christian development. It is, moreover, widely attested in the Gospels. Although I myself have not undertaken to show this, see John Wenham’s book Christ and the Bible (IVP, 1972).

This Q&A and other resources are available on Dr. William Lane Craig's website.