Inerrancy of Scripture

Why is it so important for God’s word to be inerrant?

If the bible has mistakes, everything about Christianity comes into question. If the bible is able to be wrong, then everything we know about God and what it means to be saved comes from people and their opinions, which are prone to error.

Remember, the bible makes claims to…

• inerrancy
• authorship from God
• completeness

…so if we find fault in it, it undermines it’s entire message.

What does ‘inerrant’ mean?

Inerrant plainly means that something is ‘incapable of being wrong’.

Why is the bible ‘inerrant’, instead of just ‘without error’?

The key difference, but the one that makes a world of difference, is capability. God is not just a deity that has been perfect so far, but He is a deity that will always be perfect. God isn’t just free from errors and mistakes in that He hasn’t made one yet, He is absolutely unable in any capacity to make a mistake or error at any point in time.

This is important, because if we believe that God is the author of the bible in it’s entirety, and that God is incapable of making mistakes, we must also believe that the bible He gave us is free from mistakes as well.

Do you really mean that the bible has zero mistakes at all?

Yes

What about the passages that contradict each other?

While there can be passages that appear to contradict each other, under careful study it becomes apparent that they are not actual contradictions.

Some common sources of apparent contradictions are:

• Passages taken out of context. Make sure to read and understand the whole passage and/or book.
• Cultural references that were meant as illustrations to the author’s intended audience
• Wise sayings and ‘truisms’ being compared to factual statements.

What about…

• …factual errors?
• …historical errors?
• …passages that have been proven wrong by science?
• …typos and mistakes by the scribes when copying the early parchments?

The short answer, is that there are zero errors in these areas as well. The long answer is…well, it’s really long. This is where it’s good to dive into apologetics and how they’ve addressed these issues and more.

Two solid, yet approachable books that will address these types of questions and more are:

• Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
• The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Memory Verses

• 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
  • Why you should care: The origin of all scripture is God, who can not make mistakes or lie. For God to be perfect, His statements in scripture have to be perfect as well.
• John 10:35-36 “If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”
  • Why you should care: Jesus is plainly saying here that the holy word of God that the Jews received still hasn’t, and will never be, shown to have error or be broken
• Deuteronomy 4:2 “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.”
  • Why you should care: God views His word as complete. So not only is it without technical error, but it also is without error in it’s form or purpose.

Important Considerations

• While modern translations can be very accurate, they are still written by fallible men that are not under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
  • Find translations that strive to be precise to the original meaning (e.g. NKJV, NASB, ESV), and read multiple to have a clear understanding.
  • Looser translations (e.g. The Message, NLT) can feel infinitely more approachable, but are meant to paraphrase passages with the intent of being easier to read. This makes for easier reading, but can cause confusion if you use them for studying.
• The bible will have passages that seem to fantastical to be true. When reading, make sure to understand the author’s intent of the passage, and if it’s meant to be taken literally you should take it literally. Always remember that the bible is the story of the God that created and sustains every aspect of the universe, nothing is outside of His abilities.
• Your heart is deceitful and wicked beyond all measure (Jeremiah 17:9). There will be times when you really want the bible to be wrong, because it is pointing out an area of sin you don’t want to let go to. A sinful heart will seek opportunities to justify it’s sin, don’t give a foothold to this thought process.