Why is it important to believe in biblical inerrancy? | GotQuestions.org

Today's question is, why is it important to believe in biblical inerrancy? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective.

Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. We live in a time that tends to shrug its shoulders when confronted with error.

Instead of asking, like Pilate, what is truth, postmodern man says, nothing is truth.

Or perhaps there is truth, but we cannot know it. We've grown accustomed to being lied to, and many people seem comfortable with the false notion that the

Bible, too, contains errors. The doctrine of biblical inerrancy is an extremely important one because the truth does matter.

This issue reflects on the character of God and is foundational to our understanding of everything the

Bible teaches. Here are some reasons why we should absolutely believe in biblical inerrancy.

First, the Bible itself claims to be perfect, and the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay purified seven times.

Psalm 12, verse 6. The law of the Lord is perfect. Psalm 19, verse 7.

Every word of God is pure. Proverbs 30, verse 5. These claims of purity and perfection are absolute statements.

Note that it doesn't say God's Word is mostly pure or Scripture is nearly perfect. The Bible argues for complete perfection, leaving no room for partial perfection theories.

Second, the Bible stands or falls as a whole. If a major newspaper were routinely discovered to contain errors, it would be quickly discredited.

It would make no difference to say, all the errors are confined to page 3. For a paper to be reliable in any of its parts, it must be factual throughout.

In the same way, if the Bible is inaccurate when it speaks of geology, why should its theology be trusted?

It is either a trustworthy document or it is not. Third, the Bible is a reflection of its author.

All books are. The Bible was written by God Himself as He worked through human authors in a process called inspiration.

All Scripture is God -breathed. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. See also 2 Peter 1, verse 21 and Jeremiah 1, verse 2.

We believe that the God who created the universe is capable of writing a book, and the God who is perfect is capable of writing a perfect book.

The issue is not simply, does the Bible have a mistake, but can God make a mistake?

If the Bible contains factual errors, then God is not omniscient and is capable of making errors

Himself. If the Bible contains misinformation, then God is not truthful but is instead a liar.

If the Bible contains contradictions, then God is the author of confusion. In other words, if biblical inerrancy is not true, then

God is not God. Fourth, the Bible judges us, not vice versa. For the

Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4, verse 12.

Notice the relationship between the heart and the Word. The Word examines, the heart is being examined.

To discount parts of the Word for any reason is to reverse this process. We become the examiners, and the

Word must submit to our superior insight. Yet God says, but who are you, O man, to talk back to God?

Romans 9, verse 20. Fifth, the Bible's message must be taken as a whole.

It is not a mixture of doctrine that we are free to select from. Many people like the verses that say

God loves them, but they dislike the verses that say God will judge sinners. But we simply cannot pick and choose what we like about the

Bible and throw away the rest. If the Bible is wrong about hell, for example, then who is to say it is right about heaven or anything else?

If the Bible cannot get the details right about creation, then maybe the details about salvation cannot be trusted either.

If the story of Jonah is a myth, then perhaps so is the story of Jesus. On the contrary,

God has said what He has said, and the Bible presents us a full picture of who God is.

Your word, O Lord, is eternal. It stands firm in the heavens. Psalm 119, verse 89.

Sixth, the Bible is our only rule for faith and practice. If it is not reliable, then on what do we base our beliefs?

Jesus asks for our trust, and that includes trust in what He says in His Word. In John 6, verses 67 -69, is a beautiful passage.

Jesus had just witnessed the departure of many who had claimed to follow Him. Then He turns to the twelve apostles and asks,

You do not want to leave too, do you? At this, Peter speaks for the rest when he says, Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life. May we have the same trust in the Lord and in His words of life.

None of what we have presented here should be taken as a rejection of true scholarship. Biblical inanity does not mean that we are to stop using our minds or accept what the

Bible says blindly. We are commanded to study the Word, 2 Timothy 2, verse 15, and those who search it out are commended,

Acts 17, verse 11. Also, we recognize that there are difficult passages in the

Bible, as well as sincere disagreements over interpretation. Our goal is to approach

Scripture reverently and prayerfully, and when we find something that we do not understand, we pray harder, study more, and if the answer still eludes us, humbly acknowledge our own limitations in the face of the perfect Word of God.

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