8/10/2019 A Short Discussion on Biblical Inerrancy

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Biblical Inerrancyby David Beatty

Many churches' Statement of Faith declares The Bible is Gods inspired and inerrant ord!" #uste$actly %hat is meant by inspired and inerrant ord&"

Inerrant means %ithout error! I believe that because the Bible is God's inspired ord it is %ithout errorbecause God is perfect and cannot err! ven thou(h the human hands that ori(inally put God's ord to

paper %ere human )and thus susceptible to error*+ they %ere inspired by God to %rite truthfully and

correctly! God %ould not permit ,is ori(inal ord to be recorded in error!

hile the n(lish %ord inerrant" does not e$ist in Scripture )since it %as %ritten in Gree-+ .ramaic

and ,ebre%*+ there are at least t%o instances %here the ,ebre% %ord for %ithout fla%" is applied to

the ord of God!

/ Samuel //012 3 .s for God+ ,is %ay is perfect4 the %ord of the 5ord is fla%less!" )6I7*

8roverbs 190: 3 very %ord of God is fla%less4 ,e is a shield to those %ho ta-e refu(e in ,im!" )6I7*

The ,ebre% %ord the 6I7 translates as fla%less" in both verses is tsaraph)Stron('s ;are must be e$ercised %hen relyin( upon a

sin(le translation!

I believe the Bible to be truthful+ trust%orthy and %ithout error! The Bible is inerrant! For me+ as for

Martin 5uther+ this is not ne(otiable!

8/10/2019 A Short Discussion on Biblical Inerrancy

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The Lutheran Confessions and Biblical Inerrancy

Do our 5utheran >onfessions teach that the Scriptures are inerrant& .nd do they interpret the Scrip3

tures in such a li(ht& There has been much debate on this issue lately+ and therefore %e must (ive the?uestion our attention!

hen %e call Scripture inerrant %e are usin( a relatively modern %ord to e$press the utter reliabilityand truthfulness of Scripture and of all its assertions! The term %e use may be some%hat modern+ but the

conviction it e$presses is as old as Scripture itself! The Scriptures teach and assume every%here their ut3

ter truthfulness+ and so do our 5utheran >onfessions!

hen our >onfessions ta-e for (ranted the divine ori(in of Scripture+ they li-e%ise ta-e for (ranted its

reliability and inerrancy! In our >onfessions the Bible is called Cthe ,oly Scripture of GodC )F> SD+ 7+

1*+ Cthe clear Scripture of the ,oly SpiritC ).p+ 8reface+ A*! .(ain and a(ain CGod's ordC and C,olyScriptureC are used interchan(eably in our >onfessions! This assurance concernin( the divine ori(in and

nature of Scripture is fundamental to a proper readin( and approach to Scripture! The 5utheran >onfes3

sions consistently read Scripture as God's ord+ carryin( %ith it God's authority+ God's po%er+ God'struthfulness!

In other %ords+ the inerrancy+ or truthfulness+ of Scripture is a definite result of its divine ori(in! .nd soour 5utheran >onfessions spea- of Scripture as Cthe eternal truthC )F> SD+ @ule and 6orm+ 21*! They

ur(e us to believe the Scriptures+ for Cthey %ill not lie to youC )5>+ 7+ ;4 cf! I7+ :* and cannot be

Cfalse or deceitfulC )F> SD+ 7II+ A;*! .nd %hy& Because God+ %ho is eternal Truth+ cannot contradict

,imself in Scripture )F> SD+ EI+ 1:*! It is ,is Cpure+ infallible+ and unalterable ordC )8reface to theBoo- of >oncord+ p! onfessions as they confidently (oabout the business of citin( and interpretin( and applyin( the Scripture to the (reat issues of their day!

The po%er of our >onfessions rests in (reat measure on their oyful and total submission to the divine

ord!"

Source0 Getting into the Theology of Concordby @obert D! 8reus)St! 5ouis0 >oncordia 8ublishin(

,ouse+ 2A*+ p(s! 3/A!

What Lutherans Believe

e spea- of it the BibleH as the inspired ord of God+ because this Boo- %as %ritten by holy men as

they %ere moved to %rite by the Spirit of God! In (ivin( us this sacred volume+ God made use of

human minds and human hands+ but ,e enli(htened those minds and ,e (uided those hands to -eepthem free from error and to impel them to record ,is messa(e to men!"

Source0 What Lutherans Believeby !! Schramm ).u(sbur( 8ublishin( ,ouse+ 2A=;*+ p(!

Martin Luther on Biblical Inerrancy:

It is impossible that Scripture should contradict itself4 it only appears so to senseless and obstinate

hypocrites!"

veryone -no%s that at times they the fathersH have erred as men %ill4 therefore+ I am ready to trustthem only %hen they prove their opinions from Scripture+ %hich has never erred!"

Source0Lessons from Luther on the Inerrancy of Holy Writby #ohn ar%ic- Mont(omery+%%%!mtio!comarticlesbissar1!htm

http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar37.htmhttp://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar37.htm