Biblical Inerrancy

This is a tough one.  When we read the Bible and realize that the Word is alive… we often don’t have a hard time saying, “I believe the Bible to be inerrant.”  Which, by the way, is a statement that I wholeheartedly agree with.

However, the opposition would vehemently disagree, citing mistakes and contradictions within the text to discredit, or in their minds discredit the Bible.

So how do we go about delivering a statement on inerrancy that we can back up?  First, I think, we need to look at the commonly held definition and then see what the Bible has to say.  Then we can put out a simple, useful definition of the teaching that will have the opposition needing to read the Bible and put it use before they can say it is not inerrant.

A commonly held definition of inerrancy is given by Wayne Grudem in Systematic Theology: “The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.” (Zondervan, 1994. P.67)

There are other definitions out there and they typically will include some form of the phrase around the original manuscripts.  Why this angers the opponents of the doctrine (and somewhat rightly I might add) is that is cannot be proven false since we do not have the originally penned manuscripts.  While I believe this statement to be true, I like to present something that an opponent would have to research to challenge.  And by “research” I mean look into and try.  Which they are often not willing to do.

I have another definition for the doctrine of inerrancy and it comes from John10:35 and Mark 12:24; specifically the two phrases “the scripture cannot be broken” and “do ye not therefor err?”

While it would be a bit long to get into now, I put it as a page on the blog.  However, the definition I want you to consider is this:

The Doctrine of Inerrancy is the teaching that the Bible when interpreted correctly cannot lead anyone away from righteousness.

Regardless of translation used, or mistakes or minor contradictions that might be found… so long as the Bible you are using tells you that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that you need to believe on Him to be saved… it cannot lead you away from righteousness.

Now for the critic, they would have to read the Bible and put it to use before they could say that it lead them astray.  And wrongly interpreting it, like our friend Harold Camping, actually does lead you away… but that is another story altogether.

So go ahead and read your Bible with confidence, knowing that it cannot lead you away from righteousness.

SDG