Bible Inspiration and Inerrancy

What does the Bible means when it says it is inspired? It is not simply saying that it is encouraging which of course it is; Biblical inspiration means God through the agency of the Holy Spirit is the author of scripture. Man did not write the Bible. This is where most people will disagree and say, man did write the Bible! No, man recorded what God commanded them to write. The word of God is NOT the invention of man. Even those who recorded the scripture will attest to that.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God of may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The word inspired in the Greek language is the word theopneustos which means God-breathed. God placed His words in the mouths of the Biblical writers so that they only recorded what the Lord commanded. Paul who wrote 2 Timothy did not take credit for what He wrote. In fact in I Corinthians 14:37 Paul said what I write to you are the commandments of the Lord (italics mine).

Jesus Himself said the words He spoke were not of His own authority (John 14:10b). Although Jesus was/is God in the flesh, He humbled himself while on earth did and spoke only what His Father commanded Him (John 8:29).

In Jeremiah 1:9 it says, “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, behold I have put my words in your mouth.” (Italics mine). This ordination of Jeremiah by the Lord gave the prophet divine authority to speak in the name of the Lord.

Peter recorded these words in his second letter, “ For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God as they were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

In the Old Testament we read these words, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:7-9).

Notice within these three verses the writers refer to the law, testimony, statues, commandments as the Lord’s, not men. If one reads the entire 119^th Psalm, the writer celebrates God’s word in an acrostic using the entire 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

In Proverbs 30:5-6 we read, Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

Here the writer affirms the truthfulness of God’s word and warns severely those who would tamper with it. God’s words are perfect so no editing of any kind is ever necessary. What God originally said is what He meant. It is our responsibility to understand and relay the truth as He originally transmitted to the writers of scripture; Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, Paul, James, John, et al.

One of the proofs of the inerrancy and inspiration of God’s word is fulfilled prophecy. It has been reported that about 27 percent of God’s word is prophetic. There are over 300 prophecies that have been fulfilled regarding Christ’s first coming. These prophecies were not written after the events occurred. Scientific dating proves this from the manuscript evidence that has been discovered.

Another proof that the Bible is God’s word is the unity the scriptures. The Bible was written from approximately 1400 B.C.-100 A.D. A period of least 1500 years, penned by around 40 different authors on three continents from various walks of life. Moses was a lawyer and judge, Joshua a military leader, David a shepherd, a psalmist, a musician and then a king. Daniel a prophet and exile in Babylon and Persia, Matthew a tax collector. Peter and John fisherman, Luke a doctor, Paul a Pharisee and tentmaker.

Their words never contradicted each other, Why? Because the original author was God the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). God is of course incapable of error. Since He is perfect, anything He does is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

Another proof for the inspiration and inerrancy of scripture is the overwhelming manuscript evidence. There are over 24,000 manuscripts on the New Testament alone in existence! Just by way of comparison, the next closest manuscript evidence for any other literature dug up through archaeology is Homer’s Iliad written around 900 B.C. There are 643 copies in existence which are 95% accurate. The time between when the original was written and the first copy discovered was about 500 years. Compare that with the New Testament which was written from around A.D. 50-100 A.D. (James being the first book and Revelation being the last), and the first copy being discovered around 130 A.D. A period of less than 100 years!

What this tells us is that the copies we have in our hands are trustworthy and accurate for the copies are not far removed from the originals (in time difference) which most likely no longer exist. The copies are 99.5% accurate which is amazing! The amount in question comprises only one half of 1% of the N.T. text![1]

Because we have so many copies, it makes the process of textual criticism that much more effective in determining what the Bible writers said.

Non biblical writings also support the scriptures. A Jewish historian by the name of Flavius Josephus who was not a Christian lived during the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 wrote in his antiquities regarding Jesus, “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man [if indeed one ought to refer to him as a man]. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people who received the truth with pleasure. And he gained a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. [He was the Messiah-Christ.] And when Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so. [For on the third day he appeared to them again alive, just as the divine prophets had spoken about these and countless other marvelous things about him.] And up until this very day the tribe of Christians, named after him, has not died out.” [2]

There are those that will insist despite all the mountains of evidence proving the existence of the Bible with all the manuscript evidence, its internal and external evidence that is not God’s word. One would need even more evidence to disprove the Bible claims and to date no one has done so and no one will be ever able to do so. If critics want to contest the accuracy of the scriptures then they MUST also contest the accuracy of the writings of Homer, Julius Caesar, Plato and Aristotle. Since critics accept those non-biblical documents regardless of whether they are accurate or not, then it’s only fair they trust in the reliability of the Biblical documents based on the methods of textual criticism.  The word of God has far more documents to cross reference for accuracy than any other ancient writing. God’s word will abide forever for God Himself is everlasting.

The Bible is God’s word. First God Himself said His word is true. Secondly, archeology supports its historicity and reliability. Thirdly Its internal witness proves it among the various authors. Fourthly, non-biblical evidence supports it. Fifthly, textual criticism confirms it. Sixthly, fulfilled prophecy proves the Bible is God’s word.

 

 

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[1] Only the original autographs are inspired and inerrant. However the Bible translations

We have are trustworthy and accurate. Variants from the original have to do with spelling, word

Order, punctuation. No essential doctrine of the Bible has been effected through the copying process.

[2] Antiquities of the Jews (18:63–64)

Did Jesus die for every Sin?

Seems like a silly question? It is not and I will explain why. There are those that believe Jesus died for all sin except the sin of unbelief. If that is true then sin abounded greater than grace which is the antithesis of what Romans 5:20 says, “where sin abounded grace abounded all the more”.

This passage and so many others lets us know that Jesus died for every sin we will ever commit including the sin of unbelief. Logically speaking if Jesus didn't die for our unbelief, then we have to 1) conclude that unbelief is not sinful. Or 2) we have to believe that Jesus died for only some of the sins of men.  

            

       These two arguments present an interesting dilemma.

If Jesus did not die for someone’s unbelief that means that none of that person’s sins has been atoned for by Jesus. What good would it do for a person to have all their sins forgiven and still die in unbelief? He (Jesus) either died for all of yours sins or none of them, no middle ground. If all of a person’s sins have not been forgiven, then that individual is on her or his way to hell until they repent of their evil ways.

It would have been illogical for God the Father to send Jesus to the earth to die for only some sins and not all of them.

The argument presented by many would be, Christ did die for all the sins of all men. Christ died for the whole world right? So why are not all men saved? The reply would be, because not all men believe! Is not unbelief a sin Christ died for as well? Why do some believe Christ covered all sin under the blood except unbelief? Makes no sense.

So we are back at the original argument, why don’t some men believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Answer, because their sins have not been forgiven – none of them!

                                              Who sins have been forgiven?

The Bible answers that question. In Matthew 1:21 it says Jesus came to die for the sins of His people (italics mine).

In John 10:28 Jesus says He gives eternal life to His sheep (italics mine). In this same chapter in vs. 25-26 He tells the Jews that they do not believe in Him because they are not part of His flock.

In John 17:2 Jesus declares He grants eternal life to all those who the Father gave to Him.

In Ephesians 5:25 says that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her. In verse 30 of the same chapter it says the Church is the body of Christ.

It is crystal clear that Christ came to die for all the sins of His elect, the chosen by God the Father to the Son.

The way this is done is that when Jesus died for the sins of the elect, they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and drawn to the Son by the will of the Father (John 6:44).

It is all of grace by God to save the elect. The unwilling chosen sinner will becoming willing by the power of God (John 1:12-13).

The harsh reality one must face is that those who believe that all men sins have been paid for are sadly mistaken. If all sins have been paid then all would believe and everyone would go to heaven.

What this means is that those who will never believe have chosen not to believe and will eternally perish. I must reiterate, none of their sins are forgiven. They are under God’s wrath (John 3:36).

In the final analysis it goes like this, those who refuse to believe and repent PROVE that none of their sins were atoned for.

Those who believe PROVE that all of their sins were atoned for.

What is Bible Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation. The word hermeneutics comes from the Greek word hermeneuō means to translate or interpret the message. A derivative of this word is also in Greek mythology. One of the Greek gods was named Hermes the messenger of the gods with the winged feet. In Roman mythology the god is Mercury. The DC comic book character "The Flash" was birthed through these two gods.

When applying hermeneutics certain laws have to be followed in order to come to the correct meaning of the biblical text.

The first method of interpretation is the literal method. The Bible is like any other book. When reading it, we are to read it literally. We should never spiritualize or allegorize any text thinking there is some hidden meaning.[1] Of course the Bible deals with symbolism that is representative of something or someone else, but by in large we are to take the Bible literally. It means what it says, and says what it means.

The second method is the historical, grammatical, and contextual method of interpretation.      

To get to the meaning of text often times require knowing the history of the time in which we read in scripture. We should never interpret scripture to fit modern times. The Bible is an ancient collection of books so we have to transport ourselves back in Bibles times. If we can discover what was happening during the particular time in which we are reading, it will aid us in coming to a right conclusion regarding a book and the matter(s) under discussion. Some resources that will support us in our efforts would be like a Bible Almanac and/or a Bible dictionary that gives us insight into the culture and background of ancient Biblical times.

To better understand the grammar of the Bible it is good to have a Hebrew and Greek expository dictionary and lexicons to give us meaning of words. What a word means in English may not mean the same thing in the Hebrew and Greek. It is also important to know the different tenses, moods, participles and proper voice modes when reading a text.

Context is absolutely critical to understanding God’s word. Often times to understand one verse, we need to read the verses before it which leads to reading the chapter and ultimately reading the entire book to get the flow of thought the writer is conveying to his audience.

A third method of interpretation I would suggest to use would be the synthesis method or the internal method.            

What I mean is that the whole of scripture is a parallelism. The best interpreter of scripture is scripture. The scripture is its own internal witness.  Since the Holy Spirit is the invisible author of all of it (2 Peter 1:21), He saw fit to record numerous OT prophecies with NT fulfillments showing a beautiful woven synergism between the two testaments and their authors. One would be in Zechariah 13:7 which say, “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Matt 26:31 and Mark 14:27 when the disciples forsook the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane upon His arrest.

The passage of scripture that perfectly describes hermeneutics is 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study [be diligent] to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

In summation here are the three steps to proper hermeneutics:

           

            Read the text

            Explain the text (i.e. Exegesis)

            Apply the text

A failure to practice these methods in your approach to scripture will leave you lacking, and will have you ashamed because you failed to rightly handle God’s holy word.

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[1] When someone divorces a verse or thought from its proper meaning

and inserts a foreign meaning it is called Eisegesis