The authority of scripture refers to the conviction that:
the Bible is inspired by God and is therefore true and relevant
I learn from it and am committed to obeying it.
In other words, the Bible has authority over me. I do not sit in judgement of it deciding, what I will believe and obey and what I will not.
It is important to distinguish between the Bible and my understanding of the Bible. The Bible is authoritative; my interpretation of it might not be. I might have to revise my thinking. However, rightly understood, the Bible is God's word and has authority.
That makes the task of understanding the Bible hugely important. The technical terms for interpreting is hermeneutics and there is helpful material here.
It is no secret that the Bible is dismissed frequently. Attacks centre on:
perceived errors (e.g. inconsistencies or unscientific statements)
miracles and other spiritual issues that do not ring true to the critic.
Continue to watch the material below and decide for yourself whether there are compelling answers.
The Authority of the Bible - David S. Dockery (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
The Reliability and Authority of the Bible - In Whan Kim
Authority of the Bible - Pat Zukeran (LeaderU)
The Authority of Scripture - John S. Feinberg (Crossway)
The Authority of Scripture - Richard L. Mayhue (The Master's Seminary Journal)
The Authority of the Bible - Jonathan Rice (InterVarsity)
How Can The Bible Be Authoritative? - N.T. Wright
The Authority of the Bible - (Bible.org)
By Scripture Alone - Groundworks (part of the Salvation: Five Insights From The Reformation series)
The Four Boldest Claims Of The Bible - Steve Green (BibleGateway) - What The Bible Says About Itself
God Actually Spoke To Me - Tim Challies, reflecting on an article by john Piper
The Sufficiency Of Scripture