Inerrancy

This entry to “Professor’s Corner” is on biblical inerrancy. Inerrancy means correct, containing no mistake. It is recommended that before you read this blog, it would be advantageous to read last week’s blog entitled “Inspiration,” as inerrancy and inerrancy could rightly be termed sister doctrines; they are like two sides of the same coin. Both have to do with the trustworthiness of the Bible. While it must be admitted at the beginning, unlike inspiration, which is clearly stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, there is no one verse that simply says inerrancy is a doctrine of Scripture. The word “inerrancy” is not found in ether the Old or New Testament. One first arrives at holding to inerrancy as a key doctrine of the Bible by logic, that is, sound reason and lucid judgment based on study of the Scripture. If the Bible is inspired by God, it follows that it must be inerrant.

Roy B. Zuck (Biblical Interpretation) concurs: “The Bible is from God. The affirmation, ‘The Bible is a divine book,’ is clearly an axiom, a self-evident truth. From this axiom stem four corollaries, which Bible interpreters should recognize as they approach the Scriptures.

1. The Bible, being a divine book, is inerrant. The logical inference from the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of the Scriptures is that they are inerrant, that is, without error in their original writings. There should be no problem in understanding that the manuscripts were inerrant, when inspiration is understood as the Holy Spirit’s work of guarding and guiding the writers to write what He wanted recorded, word for word.

1. The Bible, being a divine book, is authoritative. As the Word of God, the Bible is trustworthy and authoritative. This behooves us to be reverent and diligent in our approach to understanding the Scriptures. (Consider the implications of these words. If the Bible is not considered inerrant, and therefore authoritative, the individual becomes free of divine correction. Conversely, when the Bible is considered divinely free of error, trustworthy, and authoritative, that person is compelled to obey the Bible’s commands. – TAR)

1. The Bible, being a divine book, has unity. Though recorded by approximately 40 human authors, the Bible is the work of God Himself. Thus it can be expected to possess unity. This suggests several matters: the Bible will not contradict itself; the Scriptures are coherent and consistent.

1. The Bible, being a divine book, has mystery. It must be recognized that the Bible contains many things that are hard to understand. Bible students must acknowledge that they cannot always ascertain what a given passage means. The Bible is mysterious in four areas: inerrancy, prophecy, miracles, and difficult doctrines such as the Trinity.”

I once was in attendance at a seminar given by Norman Geisler. In response to a question on the reliability of the doctrine of inerrancy, Geisler asked the person, “Do you believe in God?” The person replied in the affirmative. “Do you believe He is perfect?” Again the person said “yes.” “Do you believe He wrote the Bible?” was the next question Geisler posed. Once more the person enthusiastically answered affirmatively. Geisler smiled and said, “You have your answer.” Some may consider Geisler’s approach simplistic or evasive, but I do not. I submit this logic is biblical and therefore quite sound and convincing.

The theologian R. C. Sproul wrote the Foreword for John MacArthur’s book The Inerrant Word and in it penned these trenchant words:

“The Bible is the Word of God, which errs.” From the advent of neoorthodox theology in the early twentieth century, this assertion has become a mantra among those who want to have a high view of Scripture while avoiding the academic liability of asserting biblical infallibility and inerrancy. But this statement represents the classic case of having one’s cake and eating it too. It is the quintessential oxymoron. Let us look again at this untenable theological formula. If we eliminate the first part, “The Bible is” we get “The Word of God, which errs.” If we parse it further and scratch out “the Word of” and “which,” we reach the bottom line: “God errs.” The idea that God errs in any way, in any place, or on any endeavor is repugnant to the mind as well as the soul. Here, biblical criticism reaches the nadir of biblical vandalism. How could any sentient creature conceive of a formula that speaks of the Word of God as errant?

Also at the onset, and as was included in the last week’s study, it is important to state that the words “inerrancy” or “infallibility” (synonymous terms meaning the same thing), “inspiration,” and “illumination,” as well as the authority implicit in each, must be understood as relating to Scripture only in its original languages, and neither to ancient copies nor modern translations.

After concluding a section on inspiration is his classic work on biblical interpretation, Living by the Book, in which he wrote, “The text of the Bible is not the musing of men but a supernatural product, the very Word of God,” Howard Hendricks stated several uncompromising facts regarding inerrancy. Hendricks said, “In order to be authoritative, the Bible must be true, that is, without error.” A Bible that is not trustworthy is nothing more than another history book, one that has no special hold on our lives. From the same paragraph in Hendricks’ book, these unambiguous and provocative words: “Either the Bible is without error in all, or it is not without error at all.” I believe these words should cause us all to pause and consider: do we really believe the Bible we hold in our hands is the inerrant Word of God, exercising authority over our lives in practically every meaningful mater, having supernatural power to guide and even judge us as if God Himself was speaking to us, or do we not? As Hendricks points out, there is no middle ground. “A partially inerrant Bible is an errant Bible.”

“The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,” a noteworthy and very influential document on the doctrine of inerrancy, formulated in 1978 by a group of conservative theologians and church leaders, and signed by the likes of Geisler, MacArthur, Piper, and Sproul, is something every Christian should read carefully and think through. Because this document is so thorough and forceful, Pastors Matt and Paul have it permanently on the Barabbas Rd. website. Below is a summary excerpt:

1. God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to Himself.

2. Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms, obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.

3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture’s divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives. 

5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible’s own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

Although it is true, as has been stated above and in last week’s blog on inspiration, that defending the authenticity and authority of the Scriptures is not without problems, these human errors are surprisingly few. The great Greek scholar A.T. Robertson is on record saying that the real concern of textual criticism is of a “thousandth part of the entire work.”
The Bible bears witness to its own inerrancy. Surely, one of the most powerful passages to do this is Matthew 4:1-11, the temptation of the Lord Jesus by Satan in the wilderness. One cannot help but notice the prominence given the revealed Word of God. That it is herein assumed by both the Lord and Satan to be inerrant and authoritative is beyond question.

NAS  Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2  And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3  And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'” 5  Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give His angels charge concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'” 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

As has been said above, there is no biblical verse that unambiguously proves inerrancy. However, that truth is strongly argued by Matthew 4:1-11, where powerful testimony is given by the Lord Jesus Himself, as well as is evident from the verses to immediately follow.

NAS Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.

In formidable fashion, Jesus here, as Hendricks say, “extends the absolute reliability of the text all the way to individual letters, and even the parts of the letters.” The “parts” of the letters to which Hendricks refers are tiny, almost indiscernible marks about a sixteenth of an inch in length.

ESV  Matthew 12:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Here we see Jesus validating the reliability, i.e., inerrancy of the Old Testament. I have chosen only a few passages from but one book of the Bible as examples, but if you were to carefully read through the Gospels and record every direct and indirect reference to the Scriptures that Jesus made, you would see there is not the slightest hint He regarded God’s Word as anything less than true, reliable, and authoritative. That fact alone should be enough to convince all but those cynics following their own agendas. Two more from the Gospels:

ESV John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

NAS John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

Consider also these germane verses from the N.T.:

NAS Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.

If the Bible is not inerrant, how could we trust the promises of God?

The two main verses proving inspiration from last week’s study (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21) also strongly support if not prove the doctrine of inerrancy:

NAS 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

NAS 2 Peter 1:20-21 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

And these following relevant verses from the O.T. lend further support to the legitimacy to inerrancy. The Bible stands or falls as a whole. The Bible’s message must be taken as a whole. These two conditions would soon be seen as condemnations of the Bible if inerrancy were not its reality.

ESV Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

NLT Psalm 19:7-8 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

ESV Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

It is easily seen, is it not, that the Bible itself claims to be perfect, true, pure, inerrant.

I have had the privilege of being a pastor and a seminary teacher for a long time. As you might imagine, I have had numerous opportunities to defend the doctrine of inerrancy, although I must tell you that those opportunities have been far fewer than you might at first think. I believe the reason that is true is because not that many people have a problem accepting the inerrancy of the Bible.

If you believe the God of the Bible, it only stands to reason that you believe the Bible. In order to believe the Bible meaningfully and not casually, you must believe it is without error. The importance of the doctrine of inerrancy cannot be overstated for many reasons, but perhaps foremost of those reasons is the fact that the question reflects no less on the very character of God Himself. As gotquestions.com has rightly said, “The issue is not simply ‘Does the Bible have a mistake?’ but ‘Can God make a mistake?’”

If you go to the Barabbas Road website and look at the church’s Statement of Faith: “What We Believe,” you will find the first subject is the Bible. This is appropriate since everything else comes from the Bible. If the Bible is not inspired by God and inerrant, all the other beliefs are really meaningless.

To sum up these the two blogs in defense of Scripture, all things considered, in the end it all boils down to faith. Even though we persist in trying to, it is simply not God’s will we have all the answers on inerrancy and practically every other doctrine. Think about it: if it was somehow possible for us to answer completely every little doubt we might have, then there would be no need for faith. When we don’t have all the answers, we must trust Him, and that pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6).

ESV Romans 9:20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

NAS Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

All I am saying and all the Bible is saying does not mean, of course, that we should not study and use our minds to find answers for our questions; quite the opposite:

NAS 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

Inerrancy is based on no less than the character of God (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; 13::8). The apostles who wrote most of the N.T. certainly believed the Scriptures were inerrant. Inerrancy has always been the orthodox position of the church throughout the centuries. I recognize I have not answered every problematic question about inerrancy, but surely what has been put forth in this writing is more than sufficient to make an overwhelming strong case for this most important doctrine. Without inerrancy we have no reliable way of knowing God or how we should respond to His revelation of Himself. Without belief in inerrancy, in spite of our zeal and confidence in personal experience, we are left to dance in the theological darkness.

– Professor Thomas A. Rohm