There are believers who claim to believe that the Bible is infallible but not inerrant. The question then becomes threefold. First, we must answer the question, “What errors specifically?” If someone rejects inerrancy they must do so because they are convinced that there are errors in the Bible. I would like to know what they deem as errors. Who decides what is erroneous? Secondly, if the Bible is viewed then as infallible, what is it infallible about? Is it only infallible about salvation? Who makes that decision that what it says about salvation is correct but other things are in error? Thirdly, how can you preach with conviction to the lost that God will save them from their sins if in fact you don’t have full confidence that the Bible that you evangelize with is without error? How do you pray the promises of God such as John 14:13-14 or 1 John 5:14-15 if in fact those passages might be errors? How do you read Revelation 21:1-4 and teach others that heaven is a real place if in fact its possible that Revelation 21:1-4 is not part of the original text? How do you read John 1:14 and know that is truthful?
I believe that the answers for those who reject inerrancy would have to lean toward the neo-orthodox position that the Spirit reveals the Word to you and then the Scriptures become the Word of God. The person reading the Bible who believes that it has errors (but without warrant for that belief) must then hold that the Bible becomes the Word of God as the Spirit reveals it to them. So John 3:16 might be true for them but could be not part of the original Word of God. The miracles of Jesus or the creation of the world in Genesis 1-2 might not have happened but one can believe that if they want to so long as the Spirit makes it real. This is the position of Karl Barth and must be the position of the person who rejects inerrancy without warrant.
For this lowly disciple of Jesus, its enough for me to believe that God is so powerful that He can create the world in six days and that He is so powerful that He can cause a world-wide flood if He wants to and He is so powerful that He can call Abram out of Er and promise him children despite his old age and the barrenness of his wife. I believe that Yahweh is so powerful that He can bring millions of Israelites out of Egypt to settle in the promise land that He promised Abraham and Isaac and Israel and Joseph. I believe that God is so powerful that He could do mighty miracles for the Israelites as they roamed the wilderness such as parting the Red Sea or giving them manna to eat. I believe that God can do all these things and that He came down to earth as a man and did many miracles (John 21:25; Acts 10:38; Hebrews 2:4). I believe that God is so powerful that nothing happened to Jesus apart from His sovereign will being done (Acts 2:23) and that Jesus rose from the dead by the power of God (Romans 1:3-4). I believe that every miracle, every event in the Bible, every person mentioned, every prophecy – all these are all true. And why do I believe this? Because I believe in an all-powerful God who controls all things and is sovereign enough to reveal it to us in His Word, the Bible.
But what do those who reject inerrancy believe about God? Do they believe He is this kind of God? Do they believe that He is sovereign? Do they believe that every miracle in the Bible is true? Most would say they do but on what basis?
Inerrancy and infallibility go hand in hand.
© 2011, Matt. All rights reserved.
