Have you ever heard someone say that the Bible is inerrant? Have you ever wondered what they meant when they said that? The word ‘inerrant’ is a both a technical and a theological term. It is good for us to take a moment to understand what it means because our understanding of the nature of Scripture is foundational to how we live out our faith. Inerrancy is the Christian doctrine which claims that the entire Bible does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact in the original manuscripts.[1] It might come as a shock to you that not every Christian believes in this doctrine—in fact, it stands as a very divisive doctrine in Christendom. Yet, because of its divisiveness, we must properly understand it, as well as its implications and consequences.

There are numerous verses which attest to the inerrancy of God’s word. Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God proves true…” 2 Samuel 7:28 says, “And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true…” John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” These are just some of the verses that attest to God’s inerrant word but there are many more (e.g. Psalm 119:42; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; Numbers 23:19; 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Isaiah 8:20; etc.). 

In our definition above, you will notice that we avoided the use of the term ‘error’ in the definition. This is because error is too broad of a category. Rather, we frame the argument in terms of truth. In the original manuscripts, the Bible does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact, that is, anything that is not true. By doing this, we avoid getting caught up in petty arguments about spelling and punctuation. The Doctrine of the Inspiration of Scripture tells us that God used the various writers of Scripture, making full use of their personalities, quirks and even their limitations, to write the words of Scripture, the final result being the fully authoritative word of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:21). Therefore, when God used various writers to pen the Scriptures, he allowed their unique spelling and grammatical constructions even if those things might not be the standard or most elegant way of expression. For example, two writers of the New Testament who were equally inspired by the Holy Spirit may have used different spellings for the same words and different grammatical phrases for the same types of thoughts—this does not negate the inerrancy of Scripture because we still affirm that what those writers wrote was true and what that was written was exactly what God intended to be written.

You will also notice in our definition above that there is also a caveat that says, “in the original manuscripts.” The doctrine of inerrancy does not protect the Scriptures from mistakes in copying or in mistakes of translation. (Properly speaking, that is dealt with in the Doctrine of the Preservation of Scripture—a doctrine is even more contentious than Inerrancy.) So, technically speaking, the Doctrine of Inerrancy specifically applies only to the original documents—the handwritten autographs—not to the book we may hold today.  However, it would not be misleading to say that the nature of the message we have received today through the words of Scripture is inerrant and that an overall characteristic of Scripture is that it is inerrant.

As much as inerrancy speaks of Scripture, it by consequence also affirms an important characteristic of God—that He is perfect. Since He is perfect it must follow that His inspired, revealed word is perfect. If we were to claim that the original word that God revealed to mankind was not entirely truthful then we would be as much claiming that God Himself is not entirely truthful—such a proposition would be contrary to the nature of God.

If you were to look at the doctrinal statement of your church, Bible school, seminary, or ministry organization, would you find the word “inerrant” in it as it refers to Scripture? You might, however, many Christians prefer to avoid the controversial subject entirely. Furthermore, you ought to be aware of terminology that avoids asserting the full inerrancy of Scripture. Some of the terms you might find instead are “infallible” and “authoritative.” Both of those terms correctly characterize the nature of Scripture, but each term is too limited in its definition and neither term goes far enough in asserting the full character of the word of God. It is possible that some people use the term “infallible” when what they mean is “inerrant,” but infallibility generally is limited to issues of faith and practice. Therefore, issues such as science, reason, and historical fact do not usually fall under the definition of infallibility. That is a limitation that inerrancy does not make. The term “authoritative” is even more limiting than “infallibility” and fails entirely to assert the perfect nature of the revealed word of God, preferring to affirm that God’s word is useful and practical only for matters related to faith. The term authoritative leaves the door wide open to speculation that God’s word may not be reliable in scientific or historical matters. Of course, one may wonder if Scripture is not reliable in one matter, what else has God not reliably revealed? Neither “infallibility” nor “authority” go far enough in proclaiming the divine character of the word of God.

It becomes immediately obvious the importance of inerrancy when we consider the individuals, organizations, and ministries which have embraced a position that affirms less than the full inerrancy of Scripture. Such individuals and organizations have drifted from the word of God, they have embraced humanism and secularism over and against the revealed words of God and can now be considered theologically liberal. Theological liberalism is the attempt to conform the teachings of Christianity to the standards of the world. Romans 12:2 warns believers, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect…” We are repeatedly warned in Scripture to flee the temptation to compromise with the world—yet this is what theological liberalism does when it abandons a high view of the nature of Scripture.

In 1978, a coalition of evangelical leaders formulated the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.[2] They did this because they saw the creeping influence of theological liberalism among the church, something that almost always begins with a low view of Scripture. Today, Western Society is embracing ever more quickly a rejection of divine authority and, sadly, many Christians have sheepishly followed suit. What happens in the West often is exported to other parts of the globe. So, in the years to come, we can expect the battle lines to be drawn even more clearly among those who affirm the inerrancy of Scripture and those who take a lesser, more humanistic view of it. Today is the time to decide whether you will embrace the full inerrancy of God’s word or whether you will try to compromise God’s word in favor of the world’s acceptance. May we be men and women who echo David when he wrote Psalm 19 and say, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple…” (Psalm 19:7). Thank you, Lord, for giving us your perfect word!

[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 91. Compare also, Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume One, (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2002), 248-249.

[2] For the full statement, see: The Chicago Statement on Bblical Inerrancy, International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, Online: https://library.dts.edu/Pages/TL/Special/ICBI_1.pdf . Or see the Short Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, online at: https://www.moodybible.org/beliefs/the-chicago-statement-on-biblical-inerrancy/