Is the Bible Inerrant? What does that even mean? In this episode we dive into the controversy of inerrancy as well as how this applies to church politics.
Biblical Inerrancy
What is meant when you are asked if you believe the Bible is inerrant? In the debate over inerrancy, is it required for a Christian to take a firm stance and if so, then where should they stand?
Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.
– 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NET)
So what is Paul telling Timothy regarding scripture? Is he talking about every letter or just talking about the message contained in the scripture? How would we apply this statement to different parts of the Bible, the New Testament, or our various translations thereof? Does inspiration equate to God taking over the writers and penning each word, or does inspiration simply guiding the heart of the writer who is still writing in his own personal style?
How does this impact how we read and interpret scripture? This can affect many aspects of Bible study. Many times we can mistake Biblical inerrancy with interpretive inerrancy. It can impact our hermeneutics because we can impress our own traditions onto the text, then see that as the very inspiration of God.
Join us in examining these questions and please understand that we have the highest view of scripture. Our goal is to understand what people mean by arguing on one side or the other. The topic on the surface sounds simple because we Christians see the scripture as the true, reliable, and trustworthy word of God… and therefore perfectly inerrant. However, following all the logic of each side of the arguments reveals the complexity and semantical trappings of the argument.