Inerrancy/Authority of the Bible

The plenary and verbal inspiration of the Bible, has two implications: the Bible possesses God’s authority, and it is inerrant.[1] After explaining Biblical authority, we will study why the Bible is inerrant, the importance of this doctrine, how to understand it correctly given apparent discrepancies in scripture and different existing views of inerrancy.

Authority is the right to command belief or action.[2] Being the Supreme Being, and the source of all truth, God possesses authority inherently. Because all scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim.3:16), it is the authentic embodiment of God’s self-disclosure, possessing his authority.[3]

Many reasons lead us to believe the Bible is inerrant. God cannot lie (Tit.1:2), therefore, his inspired words are without error (Ps.12:6).[4] Prevailing against the attacks of modern science, the accuracy of the Bible has only become more evident.[5] Inerrancy is an essential doctrine. Theologically, if God is omniscient and omnipotent, he is able to produce a Bible without errors. Being good, he does not lead us into error. Historically, this is normally the first doctrine to fall, before heading for liberalism. Epistemologically, if the Bible is not true or only partly true, how can we know anything?[6]

Though we hold the inerrancy of scripture, many discrepancies can be found. For example the parallel accounts in the Gospels do not always seem to concur. Some theologians ignore the discrepancies, others, abandon the doctrine of inerrancy, while others try to explain and harmonize everything. According to Erickson, we can harmonize when it is sensible, try to explain what we can, and admit we don't have all the answers, while maintaining the inerrancy of the Bible.[7]

The inerrancy of the Bible has been viewed in different ways. Those holding the absolute inerrancy of scripture believe the Bible can be used for science and history as well as religion. Given 2 Chronicles 4:2, it seems weak. Another extreme is to limit the inerrancy of the Bible to matters of faith and practice alone, meaning the Bible can contain mistakes on other matters. Who then choses what is true and was is not? There is a middle view: full inerrancy. The Bible, when interpreted in light of the culture, the means of communication, the time and its purposes, is fully truthful in all that it affirms. It should not be taken as a history or science text book, but what it says about those topics are true, knowing that things are reported as they appear, and approximations are be given.[8] The Bible’s main purpose is to place humanity in a right position to God. Scripture is not limited to religion, it teaches about everything – humanity, the world, nature, history, their origin and their destination. From this point of view the scripture is authoritative[9]

Inspiring the writings of manuscripts, God has produced the Biblical text which is inerrant. The Bible commands obedience of belief and practice. The Doctrine of full inerrancy is essential to the Christian faith. It affirms the Bible is true in everything that it communicates for its intended purpose.




[1] Howard Marshall, Biblical Inspiration, 1st ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans I. Publishing Company, 1982), 51.


[2] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 153.


[3] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 1998), 270-1.


[4] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: an Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 90.


[5] Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1999), 61.


[6] Erickson, Christian Theology, 251-3.


[7] Erickson, Christian Theology, 256-7.


[8] Erickson, Christian Theology, 248.


[9] Donald K. McKim, ed., The Authoritative Word: Essays On the Nature of Scripture (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), 185-6.