Inerrancy is a word which describes the concept of the
complete accuracy and truthfulness of the Bible as the Word of
God. When we say that the Bible is "inerrant", we mean
that the Bible is wholly true, that it was given by God to the
original authors in such a way that it is without error and is
free from untruth.
The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian church
in this age, as it has been in every age. Christian believers
are called upon to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly
and faithfully obeying God's written Word. Therefore, recognition
of the total trustworthiness of Scripture is essential to a full
and adequate confession of its authority.
There is a continuous attack on the Word of God and its place
as the authoritative representation of the mind of God on earth.
This attack is orchestrated by Satan himself as part of the spiritual
conflict. The following paragraphs state the position of fundamental
believers on the question of the authority of the Bible.
The Holy Bible is to be received as the The Bible does not receive its authority
authoritative Word of God. from the Church, from tradition, or from
any other human source.
The Bible is the supreme written norm by Church creeds, councils, or declarations
which God binds the conscience; and the do not have authority greater than or
authority of the Church is subordinate to equal to the authority of the Bible.
that of Scripture.
The written Word in its entirety is The Bible is not merely a witness to
revelation given by God. revelation, does not become revelation
in encounter, does not depend on the
responses of men for its validity.
The written Word was completed with the There is no later revelation which
New Testament. corrects or contradicts the Bible. No
normative revelation has been given
since the completion of the New
Testament.
God, who made mankind in His image, used Human language is not inadequate as a
language as a means of revelation. vehicle for divine revelation. And
human language and culture have not
suffered a corruption through sin which
somehow thwart God's work of inspiration.
The whole of Scripture and all of its The inspiration of Scripture cannot be
parts, down to the very words of the rightly affirmed of the whole without
original, were given by divine the parts, or of some parts but not the
inspiration. whole.
Inspiration was the work in which God, by Inspiration cannot be reduced to human
His Spirit, through human writers, gave insight or to heightened states of
us His Word. The origin of Scripture is consciousness of any kind.
divine.
God, in His work of inspiration, used the God did not override the writers'
distinctive personalities and literary personalities in using the words that He
styles of the writers whom He had chosen chose.
and prepared.
Inspiration, while not conferring The fallen natures or finiteness of the
omniscience on the authors, guaranteed authors did not, by necessity or
true and trustworthy utterance on all otherwise, introduce distortion or
matters of which they were moved to write. falsehood into God's Word.
The Scripture in its entirety is Infallibility is not limited to
inerrant, free from all falsehood, spiritual, religious, or redemptive
deceit, or fraud. themes, exclusive of assertions in the
fields of history and science.
Inspiration, strictly speaking, applies No essential element of the Christian
only to the original writings of the faith is affected by the absence of the
authors which in the providence of God original autographs. This absence does
can be ascertained from available not, moreover, render the assertion of
manuscripts with great accuracy. Copies Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.
and translations of Scripture are the
Word of God to the extent that they
faithfully represent the original.
It is proper to use the term "inerrancy" It is not proper to evaluate Scripture
as a theological term with reference to according to standards of truth and
the complete truthfulness of Scripture. error that are alien to its usage and
purpose. Inerrancy is not negated by
Biblical phenomena such as a lack of
modern technical precision,
irregularities of grammar or spelling,
observational descriptions of nature,
the reporting of falsehoods, the use of
hyperbole and round numbers, the topical
arrangement of material, variant
selections of material in parallel
accounts, or the use of free citations.
The Scriptures are unified and consistent Alleged errors and discrepancies which
internally. have not yet been resolved do not
vitiate the truth claims of the Bible.
The doctrine of Inerrancy has been Inerrancy is not a doctrine invented by
integral to the Christian Church's faith Scholastic Protestantism; and it is not
throughout its history. a reactionary position postulated in
response to negative higher criticism.
The Holy Spirit bears witness to the The witness of the Holy Spirit does not
Scriptures, assuring believers of the operate in isolation from or against
truthfulness of God's written Word. Scripture.
The text of Scripture is to be Any treatment of the text, or quest for
interpreted by grammatical and historical sources lying behind it, that leads to
exegesis, taking into account its relativizing, de-historicizing, or
literary forms and devices; and Scripture rejecting its claims to authorship, is
is to be used to interpret Scripture. not legitimate.
Confession of the full authority, Confession of inerrancy is not necessary
infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture for salvation. However, inerrancy can
is vital to a sound understanding of the be rejected only with serious
whole of Christian faith. Such consequences, both to the individual and
confession should lead to increasing to the Church.
conformity to the image of Christ.