I.
INTRODUCTION
The
Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is the ultimate source and
authority of what truth faith in Christianity comes about. Since the day of
Reformation with Martin Luther and John Calvin emphasizing the self-authenticity
of Scripture, many have accepted the sole and absolute authority of the Bible
as the Word of God. Evangelical and protestant Christians believe in the “Doctrine
of Inerrancy” of the Bible to be truthful and testifying to their belief and
faith. They claim that the entire bible is God’s inspired word for mankind and
is totally free from any errors.
Yet
during eighteen century with the rise of the age of Enlightenment, reason
serves to be the base or test for every claim of truth. The “Doctrine of Inerrancy”
of the Bible was hence greatly challenged by philosophers with mind reasoning and
even theologians with biblical criticism approaches. With the increasing
influences of New Age movement and Post-Modernism of this age, the “Doctrine of
Inerrancy” remains as an argumentative contemporary issue.
The
following pages will help us in understanding and gaining confidence of the
inerrancy of the Bible, the importance of Bible being inerrant and how the
“Doctrine of Inerrancy” reflects the characters of God and the implications it
has on the Christian faith.
II.
THE
DEFINITION AND IMPORTANCE OF THE “DOCTRINE OF INERRANCY”
The Definition of
“Doctrine of Inerrancy”
The
Lausanne Covenant made in 1974 clearly affirms the inerrancy of the Bible by
stating that the Word of God found in Scripture is without error in all that it
affirms. Inerrancy thus means Scripture in its original autographs is divine truth
of God and all its assertions are completely trustworthy and reliable without
errors.[1] We are advised to read the
Scripture in accordance to the biblical culture and setting, and to understand
from the perspectives and worldview of those ancient audiences whom the Word
was given and to draw from within Bible all principles available for our
current applications. We are never advised to read into the Bible and try to
understand with our modern mind and thinking pattern neither are we going to measure
the Scripture with our contemporary practices or cultures.
The
Scripture we are holding now is the product that has been going through periods
of transition and transmission. The translations or transcriptions of Scripture
throughout human history definitely have caused some disagreements or
discrepancies which many have found today within the Scriptures. But the “Doctrine
of Inerrancy” of the Bible affirms that Scripture as a whole does not err in
the things, the history, the meanings and the messages that God wants to
communicate to the world. His salvation purpose for the mankind is consistently
revealed in the Scripture and it speaks throughout all generations. The
language and the culture of biblical times when the Scripture was transcribed
explain the disagreements or discrepancies found in Scripture today and assure
us the possibility of Bible being inerrant. In a sense the Bible as the Word of
God is without failure and mistakes in conveying the truth of God.
The Importance of “Doctrine
of Inerrancy”
To
discover and say that the Bible contains errors will be a detriment to many for
their personal walk with God. Believers’ foundation of faith is usually built
upon the absolute self-sufficiency of the Scripture. If Bible is proven to
contain errors, the absolute truth which is claimed in the Word of God itself
is vulnerable, shaky and self-contradicting. If Bible does have falsehood found
within its text, there is a possibility and opportunity for Christian faith to be
eventually proven wrong or disqualified.
Many
arguments against the inerrancy of the Bible are mainly caused by the problem
of human beings’ autonomy. The autonomous men with our sinful nature and being
independence from God try to understand and interpret God’s unfailing and
eternal Word through our own tainted or corrupted mind and lenses[2]. In the age of Post-Modernism
when men see things through our in-built perspectives and acceptable values,
Bible being the absolute authority of the Word of God is often questioned by
many of its authenticity. Some have suggested that the Bible as propositional
revelation of God is even errant and there needs to be a reevaluation towards
the Scripture.[3]
Thus
believing Bible to be inerrant, to be totally free from errors is an important
ground for Christians to hold on. It gives us confidence that what we believe
and obey is truly the Word of God. Throughout theological history, we have seen
theologians like B.B. Warfield arguing for the “Doctrine of Inerrancy and Infallibility”
of the Bible as biblical apologetics for the truth.
III.
THE
“DOCTRINE OF INERRANCY” AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE CHARACTERS OF GOD AND
CHRISTIAN FAITH
The
“Doctrine of Inerrancy” conveys to us indirectly about the image, the nature
and the character etc of God as He is the Author of Scripture. His
self-revelation to mankind through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about His
truth makes clear to us who He is. We can confidently conclude, and in
agreement with the facts found in the Bible, that God is:
(a) Truthful
and Trustworthy
The
“Doctrine of Inerrancy” implies that God does not err nor does He lie. He is
the Truth, the Way and the Life as He asserts in the Bible. If God is what He
says He is, a faithful and loving God who cares and loves His people and keeps
His covenant with those He chooses and those who choose to turn to Him, we can
be assured of our salvation and our future. We can be confident that what He
says He will fulfill and what He has promised He will make sure they will come
to pass.
When
God is truth and He is to be trusted, our faith and belief thus have firm and
true foundation and we have something to hold on and to be assured of. Paul
exhorted the believers in the Colossians 2:6-7 to be rooted in and built up in
Christ and to be strengthened in their faith. If Bible is true and inerrant,
what it says is true and God is true as He is the origin of all Scriptures and
He is what all the Scriptures referred to. Our faith will not be in vain but we
have a hope that is certain and to be realized.
(b)
Eternal and Unchanging
The
Scripture though is written to some particular groups of biblical audience of their
times, never cease to speak to all generations throughout human history. The
Word of God is eternal and Jesus firmly attests that even the heaven and earth
will pass away but His Word will never pass away (Matthew 24:35NIV). What He
says in the ancient days speaks to us too and His Word has eternal principles
for all men to obey and follow. What were applied to the past are applicable at
the present and also for the future.
The
truth of God is unchanging and it portrays for us an eternal God with His
unchanging agenda and purpose for mankind as well as His eternal and unchanging
love and compassion towards the lost and the needy. His is omniscient,
omnipotent and omnipresent. Whoever He is and whatever He does, is the same
yesterday, today and tomorrow. What He promises for us is an eternal life which
is exclusively found in Him and Him alone.
(c)
Sovereign & Mighty
The
God we discover in the Bible is sovereign, above all things and above all
kingdoms and heavens. In the process of revealing Himself and His inspiration upon
the biblical authors and releasing of His works among the nations or His chosen
vessels, God has proven Himself to be a mighty God in the course of history. He
determines the happenings in the history and actively involved Himself in the
History. He is not the Creator who leaves the world to revolve by itself but He
works through men and women to fulfill His very purposes for the world.
God in His sovereignty directs the path
of mankind and preserve His people for His glory. He shows Himself through His
mighty works released in the Bible and directs the worship of nations towards a
sovereign God who claims Himself to be the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. Apart from Him there is no history and apart from Him nothing can
exist or find its value and purpose.
The
sovereignty and the mighty acts of God assure us that nothing is too difficult for
Him and nothing is impossible for Him (Psalm 33:9; Matthew 19:26). We can
depend on Him for miracles in the midst of impossibilities and we can hope for
His mighty acts of deliverance for our life in a sinful world. We are assured
that He will act and rescue out of His love, His compassion, His justice and
His righteousness.
(d)
United and Consistent
The
Scripture talks about the Triune God who wills, who fulfills and who acts in
perfect unity for the salvation of all men. The Scripture is inerrant in expressing
the core purpose of God for the mankind since the beginning to the end. The
Father wills for the salvation of all men, the Son comes and fulfills the will
of the Father and the Holy Spirit acts upon the will of the Father through the
obedience of the Son (John 4:34; John 16:14).
There
is clear unity found in the essence of the Scripture for the purpose of God and
the Trinity has consistently carried it out along the entire Bible. We who are
baptized in the Spirit of God are called to do the will of the Father and to be
empowered by the Spirit with authority to witness to the world about the
Savior. We can be united with God and with His purpose if we choose to obey
Him. The inerrancy of the Bible enables us to stand fearlessly with a certain faith
we find in the God of Bible. He is consistent and in accordance with our
personal experience and the inner witness of the Spirit in us. This motivates
us to be united with Him to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
These
characters of God in relation to the “Doctrine of Inerrancy” help us to
understand the One we trust and the evidence of our faith. It helps us to be
confident of who God is and who we are in Him, without any fears that the Bible
will turn out to be something inconsistent and unreliable. It helps us also to
agree that Bible is truly the Word of God and it carries the authority of God.
IV.
THE
AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE
Authority
is defined as the right or power which demands of obedience and it lies solely
with God who is the source of all authorities.[4] The authority of the Bible
is claimed by its Authorship. Scripture is not the work of men but the work of
God through chosen men.
In
order to recognize the authority of the Bible, we need firstly to understand
that apart from the self-revelatory of God through His word and His work, men
have no way to know God. Secondly we know that the Holy Scripture is the
inspired Word of God through the work of the Holy Spirit upon the biblical
writers. Thirdly we see that tradition serves to verify the authenticity of the
biblical records, especially when the Scripture was produced in the age when
people relied majorly on the oral information passing down or passing over to
them. Fourthly we realize that Scripture is self-sufficiency as well as
self-interpretative and the Spirit is both the Author and Interpreter. Fifthly
we hear of the witnesses of the church and believers throughout generations
about the authenticity of the Scripture and lastly Jesus’ testimony towards the
Old Testament as the Word of God.
These
points support to the authority of the Bible are further elaborated below:
(a)
Revelation of God
The revelation of God comes in the forms of general revelation through His work and special revelation through His Word[5]. According to Mano Emmanuel, general revelation is God revealing Himself through the nature, creation, history or conscience, while special revelation is God revealing Himself through His living Word, the incarnation of Jesus and the direct or inner voices speaking to the peoples.[6]
In
the process of revelation, it is God who takes initiative to make known to
human beings who He is, His nature, His characters, His power, His glory and
His purposes etc. Without that self-revelatory from God, human beings will be
in vain in searching the path of the truth. Men’s effort in finding God is in
vain unless God chooses to let Himself be known and seen. The revelation of God
speaks of His sovereignty and His authority over human beings. Therefore the
Bible which is the revelation of God’s truth is absolute of God and from God. There
is no need for any human reasons to prove it right or wrong. Human beings are
merely recipients of the truth and have no right over the authority of the
Bible given directly by God.
(b)
Inspiration of the Holy
Spirit
Bible
is believed to be the Word written by different biblical authors during their
days with diversity of cultural backgrounds under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. Many theologians have based their understanding of the word
“inspiration” on the two verses found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:19-21.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17
NIV)All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Peter 1:19-21NIV) We also have the prophetic message as
something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as
to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that
no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of
things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human
will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by
the Holy Spirit.
The Holy
Spirit is recognized as the ultimate Author of all Scriptures. God chose
individual writers along the history to be His vessels to communicate His ideas
and intention for His people and even the whole world. The biblical writers
carried along by the wind of the Spirit expressed and conveyed the very heart,
mind and thought of God using their own writing styles and languages. Though
the writers have their own choices for words and literary genres used, it is
commonly believed that they are guided by the Spirit and the entire Scripture
is without error and complete in terms of doctrine, fact, thought and judgment.[7]
The plenary inspiration of Scripture gives the Bible full authority to be the
complete revelation or the Word of God for mankind. Since Scripture represents
the authority of God, we are to receive and obey every word that is written for
us to follow. Readers of Scripture too are inspired by the Holy Spirit to
comprehend the heartbeats of God.
(c)
Tradition and
Transmission of Scripture
The
oral teaching was highly valued during the Early Church times before the canon
was completed and closed. The Early Church took what were taught by Jesus and
the apostles to be the very Word of God. The teachings were preserved and passed
down to the disciples and these were considered by them as sources of
revelation too from God.
The
Church, especially the Early Fathers and the Church Councils, serves as the
community to verify the authority and authenticity of the canon. Whatever was
accepted by them is considered even until now as the accepted truth of God
which is to pass on to future generations.
(d)
Spirit’s Interpretation
and Scriptures’ Self-Interpretation
The
Holy Spirit is not only the Author of Scripture, He is the Witness and Interpreter
of Scripture (1John 2:20-21, 27; 1John 5:6-10). The Holy Spirit is sent to be
our teacher and He will reveal to us what Jesus has spoken to us. The
regenerated men and women who receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are
able to read the Bible with understanding and in agreement with the biblical
truth. The Holy Spirit gives revelation and illumination about the Truth of God
so that the believers can have insight and understanding. Those who are not
born again find it hard to understand the Word and even harder to agree with
the Word.
Scripture
can also witness its authority through other portions of Scripture. The Bible as
a whole is consistent in its theme and message. We can find internal or literal
evidences within the Bible itself. What is true of a principle in one portion
of Scripture is always true in other portions of Scripture. The sola scriptura claims that Bible or
Scripture is self-interpretive without any needs of external reasons to prove
its authenticity.
(e)
Witnessing of the
Church and the Saints
Augustine
said that the historical evidences of prophecies and miracles happened are
found in the realm of authority with personal experiences. Thomas Aquinas
agreed too that God provides signs of miracles and prophecies to vindicate the truth
of faith. Both of them were fully convinced that the whole Bible is the truth
of God and with complete authority of God.[8]
All
over the world and down through the centuries, the Church continues to be the
primary witness for the truth of God. The authority of the Bible is confirmed
by the witnesses and testimonies of all the churches and believers of Christ.
It will be very impossible for the Bible to be untrue when the followers of
Christ are royal and faithful in holding the authenticity of the Bible. They
are without wavering even during times of great persecution or suffering from
the danger of losing their lives.
(f)
Jesus’ Testimony of
Scripture
Jesus
quotes extensively from the Old Testament and he agrees what he has quoted are
Scriptures carried with the authority of God. He testifies of the divine nature
of the Old Testament as the Word of God which surpasses all authorities on
earth. He uses the Scripture in an authoritative manner and He speaks with
great authority summoning sinners to obey the Word of God. Scripture is
sovereign in nature and God’s revelation in the teachings and sayings of Jesus
will definitely be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18; Matthew 15:3; Luke 4:18-19).
V.
CONCLUSION
The
argument of “Doctrine of Inerrancy” is still going on with different
perspectives and concepts adding on or subtracting from its content, yet the
inner witness of the Holy Spirit who is the Author of the Scripture through the
testimonies of the writers and the readers or believers is undeniable and
should not be ignored. Faith is reasonable yet sometimes it works beyond human
reasoning. Christian faith demands a responsive heart for understanding and
insight.
The
authority of the Bible is undeniable too as the Church continues to witness
Christ or the Gospel with the power and anointing from God. What comes from God
the Almighty and the Creator of all things, inspired by the Spirit who works
through the regenerated believers along the history all over the world, is
worth to be affirmed and held as eternal truth and inerrant.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Craig,
William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian
Truth and Apologetics. Illinois:
Crossway Books,
2008.
Dunzweiler,
Robert J. Understanding the Bible: Essays
in Theology and Apologetics.
Pennsylvania:
Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 2000.
Emmanuel,
Mano. To Faith Add Understanding: An
Introduction to Christian
Doctrine. Kohuwela:
Colombo Theological Seminary, 2009.
Erickson,
Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids:
Baker Academic, 1998.
Groothuis, Douglas. Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against The Challenges of
Postmodernism. Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Helm,
Paul. “B.B. Warfield’s Path to Inerrancy: An Attempt to Correct Some Serious
Misunderstandings.”
The Westminster Theological Journal 72 (Spring 2010): 42-23.
Johnson,
Alan E. and Robert E. Webber. What
Christians Believe: A Biblical
Historical Summary. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.Milne, Bruce. Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief. Nottingham:
Inter-Varsity Press, 1998.
Riches, John. “Trends and Directions in Contemporary Theology: An Introduction.”
The Expository Times 122 (Oct 2010): 3-1.
Van Til, Cornelius. A Christian Theory of Knowledge. USA: Presbysterian and
Reformed Publishing Company, 1990.
[1] Mano Emmanuel, To Faith Add Understanding: An Introduction
to Christian Doctrine (Kohuwela: Colombo Theological Seminary, 2009), 49-51.
[2] Cornelius Van
Til, A Christian Theory of Knowledge
(USA: Presbysterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1990), 52.
[3] Douglas Groothuis,
Truth Decay: Defending Christianity
Against The Challenges of Postmodernism (Leicester: InterVarsity Press,
2000), 111.
[4] Bruce Milne, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian
Belief (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 1998), 26.
[5] Robert J.
Dunzweiler, Understanding the Bible:
Essays in Theology and Apologetics (Pennsylvania: Interdisciplinary
Biblical Research Institute, 2000), 16.
[6] Mano
Emmanuel, To Faith Add Understanding: An
Introduction to Christian Doctrine (Kohuwela: Colombo Theological Seminary,
2009), 37-40.
[7] Robert
J. Dunzweiler, Understanding the Bible:
Essays in Theology and Apologetics (Pennsylvania: Interdisciplinary
Biblical Research Institute, 2000), 17-19 & 49.
[8] William Lane
Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth
and Apologetics (Illinois : Crossway Books, 2008), 30-33.
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