The Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy
Does What We Believe Matter?
If God has the ability to create the heavens and the earth, and He made us in His image, would He not maintain complete authority and control over every word of the Bible?
We Live in a Postmodern World
Postmodernism is a late 20th century movement in our culture that essentially claims that many, if not most truth claims are relative. Someone may say to you that if you believe in God and that is your truth, that is okay, but it does not apply to them! Can that statement possibly be true (Matthew 10:28)? What are the implications if we all approached life that way? If you don’t believe the sun is harmful, and I ask you to prove it to me by staring at it for five minutes. What will happen to you?
Anyone who is immersed in postmodern thinking will tend to approach something that they read and say, “this is what that means to me.” They are not trying to understand what the author intended to communicate. This creates chaos, as everyone has now declared their own truth regarding the objective reality around them. To take it to an extreme, Hitler’s actions against the Jewish people would be justified, since he would be entitled to his own reality of right and wrong.
Does What We Believe Matter?
If God has the ability to create the heavens and the earth, and He made us in His image, would He not maintain complete authority and control over every word of the Bible?
We Live in a Postmodern World
Postmodernism is a late 20th century movement in our culture that essentially claims that many, if not most truth claims are relative. Someone may say to you that if you believe in God and that is your truth, that is okay, but it does not apply to them! Can that statement possibly be true (Matthew 10:28)? What are the implications if we all approached life that way? If you don’t believe the sun is harmful, and I ask you to prove it to me by staring at it for five minutes. What will happen to you?
Anyone who is immersed in postmodern thinking will tend to approach something that they read and say, “this is what that means to me.” They are not trying to understand what the author intended to communicate. This creates chaos, as everyone has now declared their own truth regarding the objective reality around them. To take it to an extreme, Hitler’s actions against the Jewish people would be justified, since he would be entitled to his own reality of right and wrong.
The Bible is the Inerrant Word of God
I have several people in my life who have said that they believe that the Bible has been altered by man. Each of them said this without any equivocation. If that is consistent with your line of thinking, I have put this section in the website just for you.
My immediate questions for any Christian with this view of the Bible would be to ask them which verses they feel were altered? If so, why? If I look at those verses myself and disagree, who is correct on the matter? Perhaps this Christian has been influenced by postmodern thinking? What books have they read that they trust as accurate, and why do they feel they are worthy of being held in higher esteem than other Scriptures?
Maybe the most important question I can ask right now is: WHO IS GOD TO YOU? What are His attributes? How can knowing His attributes bring us to a more accurate view of His Word?
The Attributes of God
Omnipresent
God has no size or shape and is present in all places with His entire being.
Omnipotent
God is able to do all His holy will (Sovereignty).
Truthfulness
God is the true God whose knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth.
Holiness
God is separated from sin and He is committed to seeking His own honor.
Righteousness
God is the final standard of what is right and he always acts in accordance with what is right.
Mercy
God is good to those in misery and distress and He is good to those who deserve punishment.
Love
God eternally gives of Himself to others.
Peace
God, in His being and actions, is separate from all confusion and disorder.
Why Can We Trust that the Bible is Inspired, Inerrant & Authoritative?
The way we understand our salvation and who God is, comes from the Scriptures. It is the primary means by which He has chosen to reveal Himself to us. The Old Testament states the phrase “thus says the Lord” over 400 times, clearly revealing that it was God’s Word, spoken through the prophets and writers, to the people. It is a revelation of the living God. The New Testament also makes similar claims of itself.
EXODUS 34:27: Moses' Records
Moses himself in the Old Testament reveals that God spoke to him and he wrote it down.
2 TIMOTHY 3:16: Inspired By God
New Testament scripture claiming it is inspired by God, for the people.
2 PETER 3:15-16: Peter Confirms Paul's Testimony
Peter is claiming that which is written by Paul was scripture.
DEUTERONOMY 18:14-20: God Spoke Through the Prophets
It is clear, when God spoke to the people through His prophet, they were expected to obey. There was implication there for His people that if they didn’t obey, they had sinned and would get His judgement.
REVELATION 22:18-19: A Statement of Authority
Here is a clear statement of the authority of New Testament scriptures from Revelation.
Sovereign Over All Things
What gives scripture its authority is that it is inspired by God. If the scriptures have their source in God Himself, then they are authoritative because He is the ultimate authority in the universe, which He created.
Being the inspired Word of God, the Old Testament and the New Testament both claim authority as seen in various scriptures. The Bible clearly claims authority for itself and states that if it was not obeyed, the people would receive God’s judgement.
In summation, God is the Sovereign of the universe and everything in it. The Bible itself claims to be the inspired Word of God. Jesus Himself was spoken of in the Scriptures as the Living Word. The Bible itself can claim its own authority because God himself is the author of it.
When we look at the attributes of God in the prior section, and we accept His Word as inspired, inerrant and authoritative, what can we know for sure?
No Contradictions
1. God is omnipresent and omnipotent. His Holy Spirit moved in the men who partnered in writing the scriptures (doctrine of superintending). Since God is immutable (never changing), He has remained present everywhere and with unlimited power over His creation since it was written. You can rest assured that human beings have never had the ability to alter the Scriptures through which God has chosen to reveal Himself to His people.
2. There are no false statements nor contradictions anywhere in His Word. If there were, God would be a liar and the author of confusion. The Bible clearly declares His holiness, righteousness, goodness, truthfulness and peacefulness!
3. He is a God of agape love and mercy, which has been clearly revealed.
God of Agape Love & Mercy
ROMANS 5:8: He Came To Sacrifice
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
MARK 10:45: He Came To Serve
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
JOHN 15:13: He Came To Lay Down His Life For Us
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.