LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Inerrancy of Scripture: Cornerstone of Faith
Submitted to Dr. Christopher Bosson
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the completion of the course
THEO 525
Systematic Theology 1
by
Anissa Chambers
April 5, 2019
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1
Inerrancy Defined..........................................................................................................................1
Meaning of Error
Meaning of Infallibility
Meaning of Inspiration
Meaning of Inerrancy
Overview of the Inerrancy Debate ..............................................................................................5
Errantists
Inerrantists
Cornerstone Beliefs........................................................................................................................9
Jesus
Forgiveness of Sins
Eternity
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................10
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................11
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Introduction
The Christian faith has its foundation built on the authority of the Scripture. The Bible
explains the creation of mankind all the way to the end of the world and eternity. It gives men
purpose, mission and how to live their lives. It explains how to overcome their weaknesses and
how to receive forgiveness of sin. In order to walk out the Christian faith a believer will read
and study their Bibles. In order for this written word of God to impact their lives there must be a
firm belief that the Bible is true, and that God is the author. A person would not want to willing
base their life on a lie or untruths, it would be devastating. If the Bible were found to be untrue
or to have errors in it the church would be invalidated and Christianity along with God himself
would prove to be another man-made religion with no hope or reality of truth. This paper will
endeavor to show that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and that this position is the
cornerstone of our Christian walk of Faith.
Inerrancy Defined
In order for us to have a better understanding of inerrancy we need to clarify some basic
definitions so we can better determine what it truly means for the Bible to be defined as inerrant.
Meaning of Error
Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists several meanings for error with the first being “an act
or condition of ignorant or imprudent deviation from a code of behavior” or “an unintentional
deviation from truth or accuracy” The second definition was “the quality or state of erring” or
“an instance of false belief.” The last one we will look at is “something produced by mistake.”
In order for the Bible to have errors it would have to be developed as a deviation from truth and
inaccurate, made by mistake or possibly just a false belief. Which would mean that a mistake
has been passed down thousands of years through many generations of people, fought over, died
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for and yet still remains and inspires people from all walks of life in almost every corner of the
earth and getting very close to every tribe, nation and tongue.
Meaning of Infallibility
Merriam-Webster defines infallible as “incapable of error, not liable to mislead, deceive,
or disappoint” or “incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals.” This
definition explains that if the Bible is infallible then it cannot mislead people or have errors, nor
can it deceive. The Bible is trustworthy, and the text does not attempt or intend to deceive the
reader.
Meaning of Inspiration
The idea of inspiration regarding the Bible is that God influenced the authors so that
when they were writing the scriptures it would be free of errors. Merriam-Webster defines it as
“divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and
communicate sacred revelation,” goes on to say, “an inspiring agent or influence.” The Bible
itself says that “All Scripture is inspired by God,” (2 Tim 3:16) other translations
Meaning of Inerrancy
Overview of Inerrancy Debate
Through the decades the debate over water baptism has raged, divided churches and
caused church splits. The act of baptism according the Luke is the outward expression of a
changed heart from the inward faith in Jesus. Churches do have a common ground to stand on
and it is Jesus. There are four main interpretations of Acts 2:38 that we are going to discuss.
Again, these are based on the interpretation of the word “for” found in this scripture.
Baptism – A Requirement for Salvation
The first interpretation of Acts 2:38 is that baptism is a requirement or a condition for
salvation. In other words, you must be baptized in order to be saved or you will not receive
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eternal life. The ones who hold this belief interpret “eis” as for, which means that you must be
baptized to be saved. According to the Bible, those that believe this way are contrary to the
teachings in the Bible which teaches that salvation is only by faith. Compton explains that that
the “prepositional phrase ‘for the forgiveness of sins’ modifies both the commands for repent and
be baptized…..Peter’s statement must be interpreted in harmony with what is taught elsewhere in
the Scripture about salvation.” There are two categories that Compton places the people who
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believe that baptism is required for salvation. The first one is the normative group; they are the
ones that believes that God gives grace of for salvation which allows the baptism to cause
regeneration; they also believe that obedience combined with faith is what is necessary to gain
salvation. Then we have the second group is the not normative group and these people are the
ultra-dispensationalists and they accept baptism as the as a condition for salvation, but it only
applies to the first century Jews who lived between Jesus’ ministry and the start of the church.
You also have the traditionalist dispensationalists who take it a step farther believing it only
applies to the Jews who were familiar with John the Baptist and his ministry. Several people
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who believe this use the scriptures such as Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Mark
16:15-16 and 1 Peter 3:20-21 but in the process of using these scriptures they do not
acknowledge the passages in Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 10:9-10 which explains salvation
comes through faith. When looking at this interpretation, it is important to look at all the verses
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in the Bible and understand that the Bible cannot contradict itself. God is not a God of confusion
but a God of purpose.
Baptism – Not Related to Salvation
1 Compton, 1999.
2 Ibid.
3 J.C. Davis, “Another Look at the Relationship between Baptism and Forgiveness of Sins in Acts 2:38”
Restoration Quarterly 24 (1981): 80-88. Accessed October 15, 2018
http://kingstonnychurchofchrist.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Baptism_238.113145643.pdf
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This view of Baptism argues that the verb “repent” and the word “your” from the phrase
forgiveness of your sins are both in the plural form and the phrase “be baptized” is singular
which allows them to connect forgiveness of your sins with repenting and not with be baptized.
As a result, it would be set off from the rest of the sentence parenthetically which we then allow
the verse to be read: “Repent (and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ) for
the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Compton goes on to
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explains that it is a parenthetical remark so being baptized does not even belong between
repentance and forgiveness. The problem with this idea is that repentance is what leads to the
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baptism and because of this our sins are forgiven because of being baptized. However, we know
that baptism is a result of accepting God’s forgiveness and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior
not because we were baptized.
Baptism – A Result of Salvation
The idea from this is that Baptism is works because it is an act of obedience rather than a
result of faith in Jesus. This is the idea that when Peter told everyone that they needed to be
baptized they were because of works rather than faith according to some people’s interpretation.
James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. So, some people take this idea to the extreme
in claiming, grace through faith plus works is what brings salvation, rather than grace through
faith brings salvation and works happens because of what Jesus did in their hearts, rather than the
motivating factor. Works becomes the reason for salvation rather than salvation being a gift from
Jesus. When Peter told everyone that they needed to be baptized in Acts 2:38, it was because
their sins had been forgiven not because their act of obedience gave them forgiveness. A great
4 Compton, 1999.
5 Ibid.
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example is when Jesus was on the cross and the thief was told he would be with Jesus in
paradise, the thief did not have to get baptized in order to be with Jesus in paradise, it was
through faith.
Baptism – A Response to Salvation
The last interpretation we will discuss is that baptism is a response to salvation and is a
sign of true repentance. Bruce explains it so well, he says “Paul, who had learned so clearly the
religious inadequacy of the old circumstances, was not the man to ascribe ex opera operato
efficacy to another external rite.” In other words salvation is not dependent on something you
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do, but rather an act of faith. Salvation is a result of faith in Jesus, repentance of sin and then in
recognition of what Jesus has done baptism. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” In Romans 5:15 says, “But
the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much
more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the
many.” So, baptism is the public declaration of one’s faith in Jesus, that they have repented and
accepted by faith with saving work of the cross. Mark 16:16 says, “He who has believed and has
been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” When you read
this verse, we understand that you must first believe and then as an indication of the belief you
should be baptized. It takes it a step farther when it says when someone does not believe they
are condemned. Grudem and Thoennes says, “The pattern revealed at several places in the new
Testament is the only those who give a believable profession of faith should be baptized. This
view is often called ‘believers’ baptism,” since it holds that only those who have themselves
believed in Christ (or more precisely, those who have given reasonable evidence of believing in
6 F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company,
2000). 165.
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Christ) should be baptized. This is because baptism, which is a symbol of beginning the
Christian life, should only be given to those who have in fact begun the Christian life.” .......
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Water baptism is important and should not be considered as not necessary, it is just not a
requirement for salvation. Armstrong and Engle explain that although it is about faith, a sign of
repentance and conversion to Jesus; it in no way takes away from the importance of being
obedient to Jesus through the sign of water baptism.8
Cornerstone Beliefs
The Christian faith strongly believes in the doctrines taught in the Bible. Beliefs such as
creation, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins and hope for life after
death are just a few. This paper is only going to go through a few of them to show that without
the Bible being without errors, Christianity would have not ground to stand on and therefore
would be like any other religion, hopeless and void of truth.
Jesus Christ
Found in the Scripture, Jesus proclaimed himself to be the long-awaited Messiah, the Son
of God. In Luke 24:44 Jesus says, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still
with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and
the Psalms must be fulfilled.” People who heard Jesus’ teachings “were gripped by the authority
with which he spoke” because His message was not like any others they had heard but fresh and
engaging which “resulted in listening and acceptance.” We understand that Jesus did not come
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to create an earthly kingdom; he came to die and pay the price of his life for the sins of all
7 Wayne A. Grudem, and K. Erik Thoennes. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine.
(Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 1994), Kindle.
8 John H. Armstrong, and Paul E Engle. Understanding Four Views on Baptism. (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2007) Kindle.
9 David Alan Black and Thomas D. Lea The New Testament Its Background and Message. Nashville, TN:
Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003, 91. Accessed October 13,2018 Kindle.
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mankind. If Jesus was not who he said he was, we could be like the Muslims who believe that
Jesus was a pure spirit and not the son of God, just a prophet. The says in 19:30 “Qur’an [Jesus]
said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a
prophet.”10 Islam does not believe that he was the Son of God and deny his divinity or him being
the messiah. They put their hope in a man who died, had no authority with God at all and was a
sinner just like the rest of the world. He offered no hope just death. Mohammad wanted to “
replace idolatry with monotheism; to replace tribal differences with Arab unity; and to replace
tribal rules with a central state”11 and considered himself not just a prophet but also a ruler. Yet
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Jesus came to give his life for others and not enslave them to a religion.
Forgiveness of Sin and Salvation
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” It is only through the
giving of His (Jesus) life and the shedding of his blood that we can have forgiveness of our sins.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” There is no
way that someone can be saved and forgiven of their sins except that because it is not based on
works. This is a hope that Christianity offers, other religions is based on works and being good
enough. Mankind longs to control their own destiny so salvation by any other means other than
dependence on our good outweighing our bad is difficult to grasp. Therefore, most other
religions depend on being kind and acting good to receive a good afterlife or next life. Hinduism
10 Unless otherwise noted the passages from the Qur’an are from The Noble Qur’an (2016) Accessed on
October 8, 2018 https://quran.com/
11 Kazem Almandari, “Religion and Development Revisited: Comparing Islam and Christianity with
Reference to the Case of Iran.” Journal of Developing Societies 20, no. 1-2 (June 2004)124-144, Accessed October
12, 2018 http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0169796X04048307.
12 Ibid.
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believes in an infinite number of gods and goddesses and one must know yourself and work
toward spiritual perfection. New Age believers think they are god; therefore, they create their
own reality. Buddhism believes in no god but must work to gain Nirvana. All of this shows that
mankind’s pride and desire to be in control causes a creation of religions that require works for
any type of salvation.
Eternity
Christianity believes that mankind has a spirit and if one receives Jesus as their lord and
savior, they will be given eternal life in heaven and if not, they will be condemned to hell. So,
every human being will have an eternity it is their choice on earth as to where that eternity will
be. Jesus said in Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.”
Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but
rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” This belief again relies on the
Bible to be true. Buddhism believes in rebirth until you reach a perfectly purified heart. Islam
believes that based on their faithfulness to all their duties they hope they will be granted access
to paradise otherwise they are condemned to hell. Hinduism believes that they hope they can
eventually through works and self-awareness escape Karama and continues reincarnation so they
can enter into their rest.
The cornerstone of understand who God is and what He has done is found in one place
the Bible, without the Word of God Christianity has not ground to stand on and would crumble
with such devastation that it would change the world in a bad way. Our laws are founded on the
Bible found in the ten commandments, many of our beliefs on morality come from the Bible,
even though many try to ignore it.
Conclusion
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The debate over the Bible has been going on for generations and outside of the
theological discourse without any consensus among theologians. Erickson explains that the bible
is a compendium of God’s word written by man under the inspiration of God. The Bible itself
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explains in 2 Timothy 3:16 which says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” In the world where we live
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our Christian faith in under fire, made fun of, ignored and criticized on a regular basis. One of
the biggest threats is the claim that the Bible is just an old book of nice stories and not truly
inspired by God. Yet Christ has called Christians to be His witness to the earth. If the Word of
God was proven to have errors, what would believers stand on? To find errors in the Bible
would be to discredit the church, Christianity the and the one who created the earth and mankind,
God himself. It is vital for Christians everywhere to understand the Word of God is our anchor,
our cornerstone to build on. It is the place where we begin our walk with Jesus and where faith
starts. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of
Christ.” If one thing is not true in the Word of God, it would disrupt the church to its very core
and cause such chaos as to destroy what God has created. It is vital to the contemporary church,
for all peoples of every nations, and every generation for the Bible to be authentic and true.
Bibliography
Alamdari, Kazem. “Religion and Development Revisited: Comparing Islam and Christianity
with Reference to the Case of Iran.” Journal of Developing Societies 20, no. 1-2 (June
2004): 125-144. Accessed October 12, 2018.
http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0169796X04048307
13 Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 2015, 248-263.
14 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New American Standard Bible
(Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2008).
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Black, David Alan and Thomas D. Lea. The New Testament Its Background and Message.
Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003. Accessed October 13,2018
Kindle.
Erickson, Millard J. . Grand Rapids, IL, 2013.Christian Theology
Grindheim, Siguard. “Biblical Authority: What is It Good For? Why the Apostles Insisted on a
High View of Scripture.” , no 4 (Dec Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59
2016): 791-803.
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