Inerrancy Debate

by ephesiansfour12

Must the Bible be accurate in every detail in order to be true?

“We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice.” (The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine 2010, p. 1)

“Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 1, Section 1, Chapter 2, Article 3, II. – Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture)

“The Uniting Church acknowledges that the Church has received the books of the Old and New Testaments as unique prophetic and apostolic testimony, in which it hears the Word of God and by which its faith and obedience are nourished and regulated.” (Uniting Church in Australia, Basis of Union, 5. – The Biblical Witnesses)

“We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our every day lives.” (Australian Christian Churches, Assemblies of God in Australia, What We Believe)

“We believe the Bible to be God’s inspired word for us. We look to the Bible to discover the mind of God and therefore our life values.” (Australian Baptist Ministries, What We Value)

From the above statements of belief, representing various mainstream churches in Australia, it is clear that the Scriptures have a central place in Christian faith and practice. They are viewed as the inspired Word of God, revealing God’s divine nature and are upheld as the authoritative standard for Christian living. This elevated view of a collection of writings compiled nearly two thousand years ago, has left the Bible open to scrutiny, misinterpretation, and scepticism throughout the history of the Church. Yet, within the pages of the Bible it affirms itself as being divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) and as God’s self-revelation, containing the message of salvation for all humankind through Jesus Christ (John 20:31). It is described as a spiritual weapon (Ephesians 6:17), a source of power (Romans 1:16), useful for teaching and instruction (2 Timothy 3:16), a giver of hope (Romans 15:4) and a guide towards knowledge of eternal life (1 John 5:13). From this standpoint the Church recognises the authority contained within the written word, “accepting the authority of the Bible as the ultimate deciding factor on issues of true Christian belief and discipleship, and placing itself in submission to it” (The Salvation Army 2010, p. 6). With an established biblical and historical foundation of truth and trustworthiness, the Bible has become “foundational for believers in every generation in that it provides the interpretive framework for the Christian community” (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed.) and is “authoritative in that it is the vehicle through which the Spirit chooses to speak” (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed.).

With such importance placed in Scripture by the Church, how vital is its accuracy? Does this foundation of truth and authority become vulnerable if details contained within Scripture don’t agree? Does it really matter? To even attempt to answer these questions and maintain a level of confidence in what has been established as the foundation of authority in the Church we must understand what the Bible is and is not.

1. What the Bible isn’t: The Bible is not, as some would reduce it to, merely a historical text book. While it does record historical events, it wasn’t written as a history book. Wright concludes that suggesting the Bible is something it isn’t “is a low doctrine of inspiration” (Wright 1991). Neither is the Bible a scientific text book. The Bible teaches us much about the world that God created, but doesn’t endeavour to explain the ‘how’ as much as it describes the ‘why’. Even with a literal understanding of the Creation story in Genesis, one must concede that the purpose of the Creation story was not to provide scientific answers, but “an expression of God’s creativity and love, which calls for a response from us of love and worship” (Lecture Notes 8.3). Finally, we need to be cautious of bibliolatry, where the Bible itself becomes an object of worship. While it is the inspired word of God, as a document it cannot save us, but points us to the One who can. Inspiration comes from God and revelation leads to God, making the Bible a means through which God communicates His divine love and purpose for humankind. In recognising what the Bible isn’t we come to an understanding that the “Bible is a vehicle, not just for stating truths, but also for creating spiritual connection and growth” (Boyd & Eddy 2009, p. 22).

2. What the Bible is: The previous quote from Boyd & Eddy leads us into a correct understanding of the purpose of Scripture which transcends truth to transformation: “God intended that the Bible go beyond truthful information to achieve spiritual transformation. God’s purpose for the Bible is that we not only connect with ideas about him but also connect with him” (Boyd & Eddy 2009, p.22). The Bible records God’s interaction with humanity so that He may become known and that our lives may be transformed by that knowledge. The gospel writer John makes this clear at the end of his record of the life of Jesus by stating that “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Grenz places the purpose of the Bible in the context of community, “providing the foundation for the life we share as believers, that is, for our identity as the Christian community” (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed.). Based on this idea, the Bible not only enables us to have an understanding of the Triune nature of God, but helps us to understand the community in which it was written, allowing us to apply that knowledge across historical, cultural and religious contexts to the community of believers today. Grenz quotes Paul Achtemeier who concurs with this understanding:

“The major difference of the Bible is not that it is a book, but rather that it reflects the life of the community of Israel and the primitive church, as those communities sought to come to terms with the central reality that God was present with them in ways that regularly outran their ability to understand or cope” (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed.).

As the “book of the community” it became more important to early believers that Scripture “lays hold of the life of the reader and calls that life into divine service” than the truths it claimed (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed.). Thus, affirming that the ultimate goal of studying the Scripture is spiritual transformation. “Through Scripture the Spirit shapes our identity as the community of Christ and as individual members of that community” (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed.). Rick Warren, church leader and author, also communicates this transforming understanding of the Bible in the context of community in his popular book, The Purpose Driven Life – “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives” (Warren 2002, p. 192)

By establishing what the Bible is and isn’t lays the foundation for answering the original question, “must the Bible be accurate in every detail in order to be true?” If the Bible was intended to be an historical and scientific textbook, then accuracy of every detail would be necessary for its integrity. However, having made the case for the Bible being a transformational book of the community with the purpose of pointing people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, then it can be argued that accuracy in every detail is not the point of the revealed word of God. The inerrancy debate presented by Boyd & Eddy highlights how argument over accuracy “tends to shift the focus of faith away from Jesus Christ and toward the accuracy of the Bible” (Boyd & Eddy 2009, p. 30). They present the view and I agree that “according to the Bible itself, faith should rest on Jesus Christ, not on one’s opinion about the degree of accuracy of the Bible” (Boyd & Eddy 2009, p. 30). God’s intention is for the salvation of humankind and the restoration of the community that He created in His image. It seems to me that the preoccupation with the accuracy of Scripture runs the risk of dividing that which God intended to reconcile. The irony of this debate is that the means through which God seeks to unite becomes the source of division. This is often the problem when human beings superimpose their agenda over God’s divine purpose.

The accuracy or inerrancy of Scripture therefore lies in whether it effectively communicates the author’s original intent, not whether it aligns with the reader’s culturally conditioned interpretations. As God’s primary source of revelation giving testimony to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ; the Prophets prepared the way for Christ, the Gospels provided a faithful witness to the mission of Christ and the Epistles affirm the transforming power of Christ by His ongoing mission through the community of believers called the Church. Even today, the Bible continues to fulfil God’s original purpose of transforming lives as “the Spirit [speaks] through the Bible [to] orient our present both on the basis of the past and in accordance with a vision of the future” (Grenz 2000, Kindle ed).