16All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3: 16 -17 HCSB
Fourth, Scripture uses Scripture in a way that supports its inerrancy. At times an entire argument rests on a single word (e.g., John 10:34 – 35 and “God” in Ps. 82:6), the tense of a verb (e.g., the present tense in Matt. 22:32), and the difference between a singular and a plural noun (e.g., “seed” in Gal. 3:16). If the Bible’s inerrancy does not extend to every detail, these arguments lose their force. The use of any word may be a matter of whim and may even be an error. It might be objected that the NT does not always cite OT texts with precision, that as a matter of fact precision is the exception rather than the rule. This is a fair response, and an adequate answer requires more space than is available here. A careful study of the way in which the OT is used in the NT, however, demonstrates that the NT writers quoted the OT not cavalierly but quite carefully.
Finally, inerrancy follows from what the Bible says about God’s character. Repeatedly, the Scriptures teach that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). If, then, the Bible is from God and his character is behind it, it must be inerrant and infallible.
A second argument for biblical inerrancy is that this has been the view of the church throughout its history. One must remember that if inerrancy was part of the corpus of orthodox doctrine, then in many discussions it was assumed rather than defended. Further, the term “inerrancy” may be a more modern way of expressing the belief in the English language. Nevertheless, in each period of the church’s history one can cite clear examples of those who affirm inerrancy.
In the early church Augustine writes, “I have learned to yield this respect and honor only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error.”
The two great Reformers, Luther and Calvin, bear testimony to biblical infallibility. Luther says, “But everyone, indeed, knows that at times they (the fathers) have erred as men will; therefore I am ready to trust them only when they prove their opinions from Scripture, which has never erred.” While Calvin does not use the phrase “without error,” there can be little question that he embraced inerrancy. Of the writers of the Gospels he comments, “The Spirit of God . . . appears purposely to have regulated their style in such a manner, that they all wrote one and the same history, with the most perfect agreement, but in different ways.”
In modern times one could cite the works of Princeton theologians Archibald Alexander, Charles Hodge, A A Hodge, and B B Warfield as modern formulators and defenders of the full inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture.
Because epistemologies differ, this argument has been formulated in at least two very different ways. For some, knowledge claims must, to be justified, be indubitable or incorrigible. It is not enough that a belief is true and is believed on good grounds. It must be beyond doubt and question. For such an epistemology inerrancy is essential. Inerrancy guarantees the incorrigibility of every statement of Scripture. Therefore, the contents of Scripture can be objects of knowledge.
Epistemologies that do not require such a high standard of certitude result in this argument for inerrancy: If the Bible is not inerrant, then any claim it makes may be false. This means not that all claims are false, but that some might be. But so much of the Bible is beyond direct verification. Thus, only its inerrancy assures the knower that his or her claim is justified.
When discussing inerrancy we must also remember that if we take either side out of the equation (God or Man) it messes it up.
How are we to live out our lives concerning Scripture if we believe what this doctrine teaches is the difficult matter? We must first fully understand what scripture teaches about are fallen state. Romans 6:23 says 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. [1] Here in this verse we find what we deserve and we also see a glimpse of what God has done for us. We find it said in another way in Romans 5:8 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.[2] The Bible tells us in I Corinthians 6: 19-20 You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.[3] The early Christ followers would have understood this relationship somewhat better than their modern counterparts. See the practice of slavery was very much a part of society and once a slave was purchased they no longer had any rights of their own. We as Christ followers need to understand the same thing. We no longer have opinions on the matters of the world. When people ask us we just simply need to reply with what the Bible has to say about that topic. Paul often times referred to himself as the slave or bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Our entire lives need to hinge on the absolute authority of the scriptures in our lives. The Bible teaches of its own authority. Jesus spoke of its authority (Matthew 5:17-20 and John 10: 34-35) and says the Bible is indestructible. Something that contains errors cannot be our absolute authority in life.
I believe the reason many Christians don’t live out their faith is they have never fully surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus. We are taught a very important principle in Galatians 2: 20 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.* It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [4] When we understand that when we accept by faith the payment Christ has provided we also need to understand the Father no longer sees us, but sees His Son instead. The Bible teaches in Hebrew 8: 25 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save* those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. [5] When we have someone who has given so much for us shouldn’t we be diligent about wanting to obey everything that they command us to do. Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will obey Him (John 14:5). It stands to reason then if we truly love Jesus as we profess with our mouth that our actions would show. If you are a Christ Follower, then people should be able to look for and find fruit in your life. Why? Because a disciple of Jesus will produce spiritual fruit. Jesus said in John 15:8 “8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. [6]”
So in closing, for us to believe scripture is inspired and inerrant and not to obey it fully in our everyday lives would cause one to sue his brain for non-support.
Thoughts from Pastor Toney 