Convictions: The Inerrancy of Scripture
Convictions. What do you believe? What are the fundamental truths that guide your life? It’s a joy to be able to dig a bit deeper into the crucial topics Randall will be teaching for the next eight weeks. The first week helped us establish the foundation of the series, giving insight into the source that should guide the convictions in your life: the Bible. Let us take a quick look into the authority of this living document that has shaped the lives of millions and continues to do so.
The Christian community today seems to be sliding down a slippery slope, with churches straying farther and farther from the truth. Every little step away from the truth is sometimes intentional, sometimes subconscious, and always tragic. The human mind has a fascinating ability to rationalize nearly anything in order to achieve its desires, and it would seem that truth is sacrificed for the desires of the mind on a daily basis throughout the world. This selfish ability opens the floodgates for the improper application of Scripture, the diminishing of Scripture’s authority, and the twisting of God’s Word to suit earthly ambitions.
The Scriptures self-attest to its authority and inerrancy and we, as believers, should treat it as such. It’s critical that the entirety of Scripture is included with regards to how we treat it, not just the portions singled out when it is convenient or matches up with the ideologies you want to believe. Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” All Scripture. Not some. Not most. All.
Scripture is not just a book of historical records, genealogies, and stories designed to tickle the ear. These are all “inspired by God,” or God-breathed. These are the words of God to His creation. Just as any author carefully crafts a story, so God has crafted the Bible for us. Everything in it is intentional and nothing is by accident. Just as Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed…” There are several things about Scripture that make its existence remarkable and an attestation to it being the true Word of God.
Scripture has proven itself through prophecies. Throughout the entire Old Testament, there are prophecies that consistently are fulfilled. This isn’t a mere coincidence. The Old Testament’s prophecies of Jesus were written down hundreds of years before Jesus came. The gospel of Matthew is constantly showing the reader that Jesus is the foretold Messiah, referencing the prophets of the Old Testament time and time again.
Scripture is honest. Think about your favorite book or film. Look at the main cast of characters. Take Star Wars for example. Our main cast is a do-good young man Luke Skywalker, the morally-strong rebel Princess Leia, and a slightly-shady-but-deep-down-good man Han Solo. Look at another example, the classic Wizard of Oz. There, our main character is a good-hearted girl, Dorothy. The cast of characters she meets along the way are all strange creatures, but all are good. Even the Wizard, at the end of the film, is merely ‘misunderstood,’ and he too is good at heart. The Bible does something different. The people described in biblical narratives are not good. They are corrupt and fallen, just like us. King David was a murderous adulterer. Jonah was a coward. Rahab was a prostitute. Paul was a zealous murderer. The point of the Bible is redemption and changed hearts, which we see in all of these individuals.
Scripture’s historical survival and archaeological continuity. Throughout the past two thousand years, people have been seeking to destroy the Bible, its writings, and its teachings. Despite many attempts to destroy it, starting as far back as the Roman Empire, the Bible has survived. Time and time again, Bibles were seized and burned, banned from the general populous, and yet, it survived. Not only that but with the modern text we have today, we have had the amazing opportunity to observe ancient manuscripts that have survived these attacks, safely hidden and stored away all over the world. These biblical fragments, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, have nearly word-for-word accuracy and some of the earliest manuscripts found are dated to 100 B.C. In addition to historical consistency in the text itself, we see consistently that Scripture lines up with archaeological discoveries of the ancient world. As theologian Balthasar Hubmaier stated, “Truth is immortal.”
The unity within the Scriptures. With 66 books within Scripture, written by 40 individuals over nearly 1,500 years, we see a beautifully consistent theme throughout all of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, the theme is this: man is fallen and is in need of a Savior. In the Old Testament, the prophets foretell of His coming and in the New Testament, we see the beautiful fulfillment of these prophecies while not losing the idea that all of mankind is sinful and lost without the Messiah.
The ability to change lives. I love to compare the Bible, in a sense, to books and films. Think of your favorite book or movie. How has it changed your life? Think J.R.R. Tolkien’s series, The Lord of the Rings, which not only changed the fantasy genre entirely, but influenced one of the highest-grossing film series in the world, and created an enormous following of individuals who love everything about these stories and live out bits of these stories in costume or movie marathons or Lord of the Rings feasts. This is a work written by a man. Unlike Scripture, The Lord of the Rings is not God-breathed. How much more should the Bible, a book withstanding thousands of years of persecution, maintaining a consistent theme of fallenness and redemption, and written by men inspired by God Himself change your life? I would venture to say that this living document has more than likely changed your life in some way or another, both in big ways and small.
Now that we understand the absolute truth that is Scripture, we must understand its sufficiency. Biblical sufficiency. What is that? As James Draper stated so eloquently, it is the ability of Scripture to address every area of human existence. Let me better explain this. I love books. My grandmother gave me her cookbook several years ago. It was published in 1941. In the foreword of this cookbook, it says, “the book is designed to be helpful to the young as well as the experienced homemakers.” While this book, in its youth, was probably an excellent addition to the kitchen, never in my life have I considered making a “prune pie” or “Beef Stock Gelatin Salad.” The book is outdated and while the instructions can still be followed, I am far more apt to open my Pinterest app and pin customized recipes. That is not the case with Scripture. It has withstood centuries of human invention and the rise and fall of empires and still is perfectly applicable to every human situation. Though verses on how to handle child abuse or cyberbullying may not be explicitly stated, the Scriptures are full of principles, teachings, and the framework with how to handle any situation that may confront us.
Believers have access to the written Word of God and still, our fallen minds do whatever we can to rationalize putting aside its importance. The evidence is there. Scripture is true. Scripture is God-breathed. And, as Paul said, all of it is useful for every good work. As believers, it is crucial that we follow the framework laid out in Scripture, apply it to our actions, and allow the Scriptures to transform our minds. Scripture is indeed sufficient and in a world where truth is said to be subjective, we must cling to the absolute truths in Scripture that apply to all mankind.