Christian Doctrines

Christian Doctrines What We Believe and Why

Challenges to Inerrancy • Bible authoritative only for matters of “faith and practice” • Inerrancy is a “poor” term • No inerrant manuscripts extant • Human authors “accommodated” their message for their audience

Challenges to Inerrancy • Inerrancy overemphasizes divine authorship • Clear errors exits in Scripture

“Faith and Practice” Only • Bible true only when passage is directly related to religious faith or ethical conduct • Bible not necessarily true when addressing facts of science, history, etc. • Responses • Bible is profitable/sufficient for teaching

“Faith and Practice” Only 2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

“Faith and Practice” Only • As God’s words, Bible is pure, perfect, and tested/true Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. Psalm 119:96 I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

“Faith and Practice” Only Proverb 30:5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. (ESV: “Every word of God proves true”)

“Faith and Practice” Only • Bible does not restrict the content to which these apply (profitable, pure, perfect, true) • Bible applies them to God’s word—all of it • Other passages affirm all Scripture is reliable

“Faith and Practice” Only Acts 24:14 “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets;

“Faith and Practice” Only Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

“Faith and Practice” Only • New Testament affirms historicity of facts, and applies them to faith and practice

“Faith and Practice” Only Matthew 12:3-4 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?

“Faith and Practice” Only Romans 4:10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

“Faith and Practice” Only 2 Peter 2:6-7 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men

“Faith and Practice” Only • If some facts apply to faith and practice, all apply • If some facts untrue, all facts suspect, including passages directly addressing faith & practice

Inerrancy is a “Poor” Term • It implies absolute scientific and historical precision • Term “inerrancy” is not used in Scripture

Inerrancy is a “Poor” Term • Responses • For decades scholars understood inerrancy allowed for literary variety(cf. previous study) • There are many common theological terms used that are not in the Bible • Incarnation • Trinity

Christian Doctrines