The Inerrant Word of God

Introduction:

Why should the Bible be trusted?  Very simply the answer is because its author is Jehovah God!  (II Timothy 3:16) We know that the Bible is “inspired”, “God breathed.”  How much of the Scripture is inspired?  All Scripture and every Scripture is a product of God.

Scripture was then delivered to us through the Biblical writers who were instruments of God.  They were borne along by God’s Spirit.  (II Peter 1:20-21)

Inerrancy results from inspiration.  Inerrancy is “the claim that when all facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be without error in all that they affirm to the degree of precision intended, whether that affirmation relates to doctrine, history, science, geography, geology, etc.”  Feinberg

Holland presents four reasons that uphold Biblical inerrancy.

Body:

I.  The Bible’s Portrayal of God

· God’s character is beyond reproach.  He cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2)  Therefore, everything that He says is true.  It must be true!

· God doesn’t change.  (Malachi 3:6)  His qualities and characteristics have been the same forever.

· His Word is true.  (John 17:17)  His word is trustworthy because God is trustworthy.

II. The Bible’s claim of Its Truthfulness

· Jesus affirmed that every jot and tittle would be fulfilled.  (Matthew 5:18)

· He also said that Scripture cannot be broken.  (John 10:35)

· The Psalmist also affirmed the truthfulness of the Word.  (Psalm 119:160, Psalm 119:96)  All of God’s Word, down to the smallest detail, is accurate.

III. The Bible’s Use of Itself

· Jesus based arguments upon single words. (Matthew 22:41-45 – Lord, Psalm 1, John 10:34-36, Psalm 82:6)

· Jesus used the tense of a verb to construct an argument.  (Matthew 22:31-32, Exodus 3:6)

· Paul based an argument on the singular form of a word as opposed to the plural.  (Galatians 3:16 – seed, Genesis 3:15 – seed)

IV. The Bible’s Criteria for Its Messengers

· Moses establishes three criteria for the true messenger of God.

1.  He must speak only in the name of God. (I Peter 4:11, Deuteronomy 18:20)
He must speak as the oracles of God.
2.  He must not speak what is not true.  (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, II Peter 2:1-2) 
3.  He must speak only that which comes to pass.  (Deuteronomy 18:22

Conclusion:

We can trust our Bible because it is completely reliable.  Inerrancy upholds the Bible’s claim that John 3:16 is true.

Bobby Stafford

January 6, 2013