Inerrancy of Scripture
The scriptures are the inspired[1], inerrant[2] and authoritative Word of God. God revealed the scriptures within the Old and New Testaments[3] through select individuals throughout history from Moses[4] to the Apostles. The scriptures contain all that is needed for salvation[5] and godly living for every people and nation[6].
The revelation of the scriptures has total authority for the believer in all matters of faith[7]. Neither man nor any ecclesiastic body can dictate authority to the scriptures, add to the canon[8], or determine the veracity of its truth. Nor do we believe that the historical, literary, or doctrinal truths within scriptures lose their relevancy with the passage of time and changing of social norms in society. “We further deny that any normative revelation has been given since the completion of the New Testament writings.”[9]
Christ Jesus is the incarnate[10] Word who is central[11] to all inspired scripture. Rejecting the centrality of Christ[12] and his work depicted in scriptures or denying its inerrancy opens the door for misinterpretation and confusion that further leads to the mishandling of truth and emergence of heretical errors.
The Scriptures must be acknowledged as fully inspired and inerrant or completely rejected; there is no middle ground. The very character of the eternal Triune God is contradicted if His revelation is not inerrant[13]. Thus, the scriptures are consistent[14] and the truth, which it proclaims, is without error[15]. What God has proclaimed through the scripture is all-together true, complete, and absolute[16].
[1] 2 Timothy 3:16- Apart from the recognition that the scriptures are truly inspired there is only a conglomerate of ideas and writers with no purpose.
[2] Inerrancy is defined as: Full truthfulness of inspired Scripture, emphasizing its inability to speak falsely in anything it affirms to be true. Viewed as a clear implication of the doctrine of inspiration. (Holsteen, Nathan D., Svigel, Michael J. Exploring Christian Theology: Vol.1. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House 2014
[3] 2 Peter 1:21
[4] Deuteronomy 31:24-26
[5] John 5:39
[6] Romans 16:25-26
[7] 1 Corinthians 10:11
[8] Revelation 22:18-19
[9] Article V: Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
[10] John 1:1-14
[11] “Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is the Word made flesh, our Prophet, Priest and King, is the ultimate Mediator of God’s communication to man…As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus Christ is the central theme of Scripture. The Old Testament looked ahead to Him; the New Testament looks back to His first coming and on to His second. Canonical Scripture is the divinely inspired and therefore normative witness to Christ. No hermeneutic, therefore, of which the historical Christ is not the focal point is acceptable. Holy Scripture must be treated as what it essentially is—the witness of the Father to the incarnate Son.”- Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
[12] Acts 26:22-23
[13] Numbers 23:19
[14] Luke 24:25-27
[15] Psalm 119:140- All Biblical truth hinges on the inerrancy of scripture; remove that and nothing else can stand.
[16] Psalm 119:89