All our ideas should conform to a biblical worldview, whether we cite or allude to the Bible or not. Paul speaks of “taking every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and that we should be “transformed through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:20). Our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to love God with all our being, including our minds (Matthew 22:37-40).

I have been affixing text references to my writing—whether in books, articles, reviews, lecture outlines, or personal, hand-written cards—for nearly fifty years. Christians often use proof texts in their speaking and writing to show that their ideas are based on the Bible, thus showing that these claims are true and important. Christians should want to be biblical, so these Scriptural texts are desired. (How many readers actually look up these texts to see if they are appropriate is another matter.) Consider Martin Luther’s great confession at the Diet of Worms in 1521.

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason, for I do not trust either in the Pope or in counsels alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradict themselves. I’m bound to the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot, and I will not retract anything since it is neither safe nor right to go against my conscience. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. May God help me. Amen.

As Protestants, we believe in sola scriptura, which gives Scripture primacy and the final word on all to which it speaks. Thus, we should treat it reverently and use it carefully.¹

We extend the mission of God in the world to make his ways known, to redeem individuals, and to be salt and light in the world in myriad ways. A significant mode of that kind of engagement is writing and speaking. We are not divinely inspired as were the biblical writers, but we can speak and write in ways consonant with that revealed message. The world needs the truth of God as made known in the Bible. As Hosea proclaimed, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). So how might we invoke the Bible in our speaking and writing? (I will leave aside preaching, since that is a different matter of expositing the Bible, explaining, and exhorting based on the message.)²

A proof text is a passage of Scripture cited to intellectually support an idea. Such a text is akin to a biblical footnote. The proof text might be the basic location of a text, as in, “Jesus claimed to be one with the Father” (John 10:10). This is a simple pointer offered after a biblical passage is summarized. Other proof texts are more involved and not as straightforward, such as “God is a Trinity, one God in three persons”

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