[Sndbox] 16. If the Bible is God inspired, can it contain error? Explain your answer.

[Charles]

15.   If the Bible is God inspired, can it contain error?  Explain your answer.   Biblical inerrancy is a foundation of any systematic study of theology.  To say that the Bible is God inspired means different things to many people, but for this purpose we wil use an alternate term to define it, “God breathed”.  Part of the rationale for using this phrase comes from II Timothy 3:16-17:   16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.   Inerrant means to be wholly true without any mixture of mistake or error.  The Bible itself speaks to its inerrant nature in numerous passages, we will note some of them here.   2 Samuel 7 28 O Sovereign LORD , you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.   Psalm 19 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.   John 17 17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.   James 1 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.   Revelation 21 5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."     John C. Whitcomb calls attention to the monumental importance of the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy when he writes: “The inerrancy of Scripture is absolutely essential to Christianity. This is true for at least two reasons. First, Christ and the apostles taught this doctrine. Therefore, if the Bible is not what they said it is, then they either lied or were mistaken---and in either case the entire foundation of Christianity collapses. In the second place, a Bible that is not completely inerrant is hopelessly untrustworthy because no one could be sure that what he reads in the Bible is an inerrant portion. One would have to be omniscient to know which words are correct and which are not correct. Only if all Scripture is true can it be confidently read and obeyed.” The original Hebrew and Greek autograph copies of the Bible were inerrant. Certainly the copies of copies which have come down to us contain errors common to the craft of the copyist as do all English versions. However, with diligent study, we can ascertain the original words of the inspired writers. Consequently, the doctrine of inerrancy applies to the biblical text in our day as well--insofar as the Bible has been accurately translated. Inerrancy is fundamental to the doctrine of biblical authority. Packer wrote, "Only truth can be authoritative; only an inerrant Bible can be used... in the way that God means Scripture to be used." [1] If the Bible contains mistakes, then it is unreliable as a true guide to matters of salvation. If mistakes exist in one part, mistakes may just as easily exist in another part. If the Bible is a mixture of truth and error, then it is like any other book and simply not deserving of any special attention. [1] J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958), p. 20.   Charles Mims http://www.the-sandbox.org     [1] J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958), p. 20.

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