Read Psalm 119:89-96, The Bible is God’s Word (3)

Today we are thinking about necessary conclusions of the doctrine of inspiration.  If an all-knowing, all-wise, Creator has given us a Book that is His communication to us, what would you expect to be true of that book?  In todays post we will give three short answers that will be developed further in the days to come.  Then we will close with a quote that relates to the application of these doctrines.

1.     The results or implications of inspiration.

a.     Inerrancy: The Bible is without error, in every part and in its entirety, in the original writings.  Supporting scriptures for this include John 10:35; 17:17; and Psalm 119:160.  The connection between the character of the Creator and Author of Scripture and the nature of the Bible itself is seen in passages like Psalm 18:30: As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.  The reference to the “original writings” leads to another doctrine, commonly called the doctrine of preservation which states that if God communicated His word and will to men to record, He would also do what is necessary to insure those words are accurately passed on from generation to generation.

b.     Infallibility: The Bible cannot fail to accomplish its purpose.  Many Scriptures confirm both that the Bible has a practical and active purpose and that that purpose is always fulfilled.  These include Psalm 33:11; Prov. 19:21; 21:30; Isa. 14:24; 25:1; 46:9-11; 55:11; Mt. 5:17-18; Lk. 24:44; Heb. 6:17.

c.     Authority: The Bible is the final word on faith (doctrine: what we believe) and life (practice: what we do).  2 Tim. 3:16-17 declares this but so does the tenor of the entirety of Scripture.  The frequent prophetic introduction Thus says the LORD as well as the prophetic practice of referring to their writings as the word of the LORD show this.

The quote is from Harold Lindsell in a book out of the 1970’s entitled “The Battle for the Bible.”  In the book he spoke of the successful battle fought in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church and of the need for the battle to be fought in his own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention.  He died in 1998 in the midst of that battle which was ultimately won.  Here is what Lindsell said:

Inspiration may be defined as the inward work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of chosen men who then wrote the Scriptures so that God got written what He wanted.  The Bible in all of its parts constitutes the written Word of God to man.  This Word is free from all error in its original autographs.  It is wholly trustworthy in matters of history and doctrine.  However limited may have been their knowledge, and however much they may have erred when they were not writing sacred Scripture, the authors of Scripture, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, were preserved from making factual, historical, scientific or other errors.  The Bible does not purport to be a textbook of history, science or math; yet when the writers of Scripture spoke of matters embraced in these disciplines, they did not indite error; they wrote what was true.