Premium Essay

The Arguments for and Against the Inerrancy of the Bible

In: Religion Topics

Submitted By dchellecarr7
Words 750
Pages 3
The Arguments For And Against The Inerrancy of The Bible
D’Angela Carr
Liberty University
Professor Long
Theology 201

The Arguments For And Against The Inerrancy of The Bible
The Bible is a collection of writings which consist of sixty six books. These books are divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Testament refers to the covenant between God and his people. 39 of the books are the Old Testament and 27 of them are the New Testament. The Bible also has multiple authors that composed their writings in different time frames. It took over 1500 hundred years to put the final writings together to compose what we know as the finished Bible. The Bible is one of the oldest religious text that date back over 3000 years ago. Around 1450 BC Moses authored the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Leviticus. These first five books are called the Torah or Pentateuch. Around 95 AD, John authored Revelation which is the last book of the Bible. Approximately 1,545 years passed between the first writings and the last. The validity or inerrancy of the Bible is expressed by its ability to withstand the test of time, hold up to extreme scrutiny and ability to predict the future. Test of time Unlike other books or authoritative texts the Bible has multiple authors that wrote in different eras but maintained a continuous theme. Moses and Isaiah both prophesied the coming of the Messiah and were both dead before the arrival of the Messiah. We have proof that Christ arrived, spread the gospel and was crucified just like the previous text predicted. Unfortunately these authors did not have an opportunity to consort with one another before they wrote their portion of scripture. After Christ was crucified Christians were under heavy persecution, and the Roman government tried to totally eradicate the

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Journal Article Critque

...Stephen L. “Biblical Inerrancy.” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 08, no. 1 (January 2002): 2-21. THEO 525-B04 LUO (fall 2013) Systematic Theology I Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Jennifer C. Wood (ID# L25703677) September 1, 2013 Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Brief Summary…………………………………………………………………………………….1 Critical Interaction………………………………………………………………………………...2 Conclusion Selected Bibliography Introduction This paper is a critical examination of Stephen Andrew’s “Biblical Inerrancy” as published January of 2002 in the Chafer Theological Seminary Journal. Andrew writes the article as a graduate student at Fuller Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology. In the exposition he presents a historical overview of the biblical inerrancy debate and reviews arguments concerning inerrancy of the bible as relevant to modern evangelicalism. Due to spatial limitations, Andrew restricts his focus to examining the views in support of and against inerrancy from four major perspectives: the slippery slope, epistemological, historical, and biblical arguments. Brief Summary The article is written as an exhortation for the promotion and defense of the inerrancy doctrine while warning against a universal acceptance of all supporting arguments. Andrew opens by defining inerrancy according to Paul D. Feinberg1, as well as Article XII of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy2; and “limited inerrancy” using a description...

Words: 1046 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Inerrancy and Inspiration

...Inerrancy and Inspiration Morgan Sikes Liberty University THEO 201-B18 Inerrancy and Inspiration Although, contrary to some who believe otherwise, the Bible is an all-authoritative book. As Christians we believe, that scripture is God breathed and because it is from God, it is accurate and authoritative. The Bible is directly from God, written through his disciples. Since the authority belongs to God, our command as Christ followers is to follow Jesus’ example of how he lived in the Bible. According to the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge.” In respect to the Bible, this means that because it is authoritative, we must follow the laws given by its word. This empowerment belongs to God, and to God alone. Matthew 21:23-24 states, that Jesus’ authority came from God his Father, the one who sent him to Earth. The Bible’s authority, comes from God, but was not written by God, or Jesus themselves. The people chosen to write the books of the Bible were chosen specifically by God, and were inspired through the work of the Holy Spirit. Along with authority and inspiration, comes the discussion of inerrancy. Inerrancy is the view that the entire Bible is completely accurate and true. There are four arguments for inerrancy, including The Biblical Argument. This argument states that if God has authority over the Bible, then it has to be inerrant because God is truth. The Bible is...

Words: 758 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

1 Peter 3: 15: Four Arguments For Inerrancy

...foundational topics such as biblical authority, inspiration, and inerrancy. This essay will deal with such topics and give implications for how a Christian is to live their life based on these concepts. To begin, biblical authority must be defined. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine,...

Words: 764 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Theology Essay 1

...LUO Short Essay on Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible The Bible. Is it authoritative? Is it inerrant? Is it inspired? These are two questions that have plagued the Church since there was a Church. People have continually fought against even the idea of the Bible even being partially inspired, let alone the whole entirety of it, although they still claim that it is still a strong moral authority. In recent years there have even been mutterings from people inside the church questioning the authoritativeness, the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible, and even the need of it being so. In Theology for Today Elmer Towns quotes Dr. Robert Bratcher with saying, “To invest the Bible with qualities of inerrancy and infallibility is to idolatrize it, to transform it into a false God.” It seems however that since the Bible claims to be the Word of God and God can never sin and so can never lie, that it is paramount for it to be authoritative, inerrant, and inspired. We see in 2 Peter 1:3 and Joshua 1:8, the use of the word “everything”, and “all”. Most people want structure in their lives, something to give them direction. The average of major changes in college is 3; this shows us that when kids step away from the lifestyle that is usually dictated to them by their parents, and are now without any semblance of direction in their lives they are lost. People want direction; they need it, and where is the best place to find it? The Bible of course. It is what should direct our...

Words: 927 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Bibliography

...On its own it simply means the study of the bible. With it come the ideas of inspirations and inerrancy. The Bible is both and can be seen in its content. Being a once three time born-again Catholic, did all the steps while living with my parents, I can relate to having to be confident that what the bible says is true to its nature. The authority of the Bible comes from the Bible itself. We must begin with the beginning. Like it says in the Bible the beginning of all is with God. So with this we must begin with God himself. This is evident in Exodus 4:22 (New American Standard Bible), ‘…Thus says the Lord,’ and many other verses just like it. This happens numerous times in the bible that no one can take away anything different than that. Also, it says in Hebrews 6:13, ‘for when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.’ This is what makes God authority over everything. This direct quote explains who God really is and where he gets his authority from. Thus the Bible being the spoken words of God this also makes the Bible have authority. Inspiration as defined by Towns(Theology for Today, 897) is, ‘the supernatural guidance of the writers of Scripture by the Spirit of God, whereby what they wrote became the divine Word of God, transcribed accurately, reliably and without error in the original manuscripts (impetus behind, superintendence over).’ As stated before the Bible has numerous places that it states its own...

Words: 911 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Journal Article Critique

...CRITIQUE Of Moises Silva “Old Princeton, Westminister, and Inerrancy” Westminister Theological Journal 50(1988) 65-80 THEO 525 B10 LUO (Spring 2014) Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Thomas O. Elder24618510 Lynchburg, Virginia 25 March, 2014 I Contents Introduction 2 Summary 2 Interaction 3 Conclusion 4 Bibliography 5 2 Introduction The occasion of the Journal article’s content is the inauguration of the speaker’s call as “…professor of New Testament at Westminister Theological Seminary. The date is February 19, 1985.” The purpose of the speech and hence the article is to make a command statement for all time to any who will hear the speech or read the article that the professor is publicly, fully committed to the argument that “…The scriptures are truly God’s very breath.” Summary...

Words: 870 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Short Essay on Inerrancy and Ispiration

...Short Essay on Inerrancy and Inspiration There are many people in the world today who are uncertain whether they should believe in the Bible as an authoritative book or just another “good book” or “fairy tale.” Since my salvation, it has been a passion of mine to learn as much as I can about the Bible so I can help others see and understand the importance and the authoritative message in Scripture. There are a few things that I would address to help individuals see the big picture of Scripture when it comes to being the authoritative Word of God. We first need to understand when picking up the Bible that it is not an ordinary book, but a book claimed to be written by God through 44 men over a 1500-1600 year span. Then we must ask, is the Bible authoritative? Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge (American Heritage Dictionary 1979, 89). The Scriptures speak many times about the Bible having authority. We can first look at Jesus who taught with authority that was bestowed upon Him. Matthew 21:23 says, and when He entered the temple the chief priest and the elders of the people came up to Him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Also Jesus commands with “authority and power” to the unclean spirits, and they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and...

Words: 1012 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Theological Critique: Four Views on Hell

...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUE: FOUR VIEWS ON HELL A THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUE SUBMITTED TO DR. ROBERT WETMORE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE THEO 530 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY PETER J. FILIPIAK SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1 SUMMARY.............................................................................................................1 CRITICAL INTERACTION...................................................................................2 The Literal View...........................................................................................2 The Metaphorical View................................................................................4 The Purgatorial View....................................................................................5 The Conditional View..................................................................................6 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................7 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................9 Introduction Four Views on Hell is a book edited by William Crockett in which...

Words: 2461 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Theology 104

...Christianity (textbook): Chapter 2 1. What does dual authorship mean? It means both God & Man were writing the Bible at the same time. 2. What was the Old Testament written on? Vellum or Parchments that were sewn together and rolled into a scroll. 3. What are the three divisions of the Old Testament? Law of Moses, Prophets, and Psalms 4. What did the Psalms scroll contain? The Major Prophets 5. What is a codex? The first title for the books ( New Testament) 6. Where does the name “Bible” come from? Ta Biblia – Latin for “the book”, later translated to Bible in English 7. Where does the term “Scripture” come from? Scriptus which is the act of producing writing. 8. What are three ways the Bible can influence its reader? It’s convicting, convincing, converting power to all who honestly accept its message and believe in Jesus Christ. B. Theology for Today (online excerpts) Arguments that the Bible is the Word of God 1. What three arguments form the basis for arguments from revelation? (1) that the Bible is consistent with itself, (2) that the Bible corresponds with reality, and (3) that the Bible’s claims can be scientifically demonstrated. We shall examine the Bible’s claim that it is the Word of God. 2. What empirical evidence sets Christianity apart from other belief systems? 1. Unique revelation of the Jesus Christ 2. The Bible is from God 3. Fulfillment of Prophecy 4. Convicting, Convincing, Converting power of the message 5. Infinity...

Words: 2130 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Inspiration and Inerrancy

...Inspiration and Inerrancy (Turabian-Bibliography) Terrell Harrison Student # 23479051 Theology 201 William D. Aleshire Liberty University Online, February 24th,2014 Contents Introduction 1 How does the World see the Word 2 Five Questions kinds of Research Questions 2-5 a. The authority of the Bible and where it came from? b. Inspiration and Biblical Support. c. The validity of the Arguments of Inerrancy with Biblical Support. d. The relationship between inspiration and inerrancy. e. Living as what I proclaim to be. Conclusion Introduction Millions of people in the world today are looking for something. Some have an idea where to find it, yet others question the very validity of God’s word. During my walk with Christ this question has been asked more than once and sometimes not nearly enough.”What does it mean to say that the Bible has “Authority, and how do we know for sure where the Authority of the Bible came?” The interesting thing is when you do explain the truth of God’s word to today’s society; society is still inept to believe Hollywood before it understands the authority of God’s word. Let’s consider the Atheist beliefs. Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is...

Words: 1100 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Theo201 Test Answers

...crediblity -The Bible has a transforming power to change the lives of individuals                     3 Name two sources that establish an early date of scripture. -Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls p49                     4 What is the unified theme of the Bible? Redemption of God?                     5 What are the four qualities of inspiration? -Inspired guidance by the Holy Spirit -Inspried personality of the authors -Inspired words -Inspired text p60       6 T/F: Inspiration incorporates the personality of the writer into the final product? TRUE p60                     7 According to conceptual inspiration, what was inspired? Ø God inspired theideas of Scripture, yet failed to direct the authors to record specific times Ø It is not thethoughts of the Bible that were inspired but the men who wrote the Bible whowere inspired. p62                     8 What does Partial Inspiration state? -God inspired parts of Scripture -failed to identify which parts of Scripture were inspired p62                     9 What does Limited Inspiration state? -God inspired parts of Scripture -Identified which parts of Scripture were inspired p63                     10 What are the 5 arguments for inspiration/inerrancy? -The Bible teaches that it is inspired inerrancy -Jesus affirmed inspiraton/inerrancy -Churhc fathers recognized inspiration/inerrancy -Argument from the...

Words: 2921 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Theo 104 Study Guide

...Study Guide Module/Week 1: Introduction to Theology Textbook Readings: Towns: Introduction & Ch. 1 Introduction 1. How did the term “Christian” originate? 2. Who was this book written for? 3. Why do some have mistaken ideas about Christianity? Chapter 1 1. What year was Jesus born? 2. When was Christianity made Rome’s national religion? 3. What is the Incarnation? 4. Does the Bible states that Jesus was the creator of the world? 5. Did Jesus claim to have supernatural origins? 6. Who baptized Jesus? 7. Did Jesus allow people to worship him? Etzel & Gutierrez: Introduction & Chs. 1–5 1. Why does the author say that everyone is a theologian? 2. What areas of our lives are influenced by the way we see God? 3. How did Jesus show that he is worthy of our faith? 4. Do Christians need to ignore intellect and reason in order to have faith in Jesus? 5. What does Jesus teach about truth? Online Excerpts: “Understanding the Faith” 1. What is more important than the sincerity of your belief? 2. What are the six types of faith that describe the believer's relationship to God? “Prolegomena to Theology”—Pg. 18–24 1. What are the four tools for accurately arranging a systematic theology? 2. What four questions must we ask about faith? 3. What 5 factors can limit our theology? “The Names of Christ” – Pg. 160–173 1. What chapter of the New Testament...

Words: 4384 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Violence Against Buddhsim

...A Study on Violence Against Buddhism by Korean Protestantism: Centering on the Wonmyeong Temple and Bongeun Temple Incidents Introduction: Violent Attacks on Buddhism by Protestants In the past, there have been numerous incidents where extremist Korean Protestants have damaged statues of the Buddha or Buddhist temples. Such incidents pose serious risks to society as these examples of destruction do not only disregard a certain religion, but are also highly violent in nature. Many high-profile cases have been reported: Arson of the Daejeokgwangjeon of Geumsansa Temple in 1986; the destruction of a stone pagoda and lantern of Okcheonam Temple in Hongeun-dong in 1989; the damaging of the Tangible Cultural Asset No. 17 stone-carved Buddha Statue in 1989; the enclosing of a shrine and burning of a Buddha statue by an army officer in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do in 1993; the arrest of a pastor and his fellows by local police officers for destroying a Buddha statue in Thailand in 1994; a Buddhist accidently killed while he was trying to prevent a Christian from intruding into a Buddhist monastery to distribute Christian missionary materials in 1996; the destruction, damage of 750 Buddha statues in Jeju by a Christian (named Kim) in his attempt to transform Wonmyeong Temple into a church in 1998; the damaging of the Buddha statue at Dongguk University in 2000; and the frenzy over a video clip about missionary students doing a performance involving stepping on the Bongeun Temple site...

Words: 7933 - Pages: 32

Premium Essay

Christianity

...order to grant eternal life to those who believe in him and trust in him for the remission of their sins. The creeds further maintain that Jesus bodily ascended into heaven, where he reigns with God the Father. Most Christian denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge everybody, living and dead, and to grant eternal life to his followers. He is considered the model of a virtuous life. His ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection are often referred to as "the gospel", meaning "good news" (a loan translation of the Greek: εὐαγγέλιον euangélion). The term gospel also refers to written accounts of Jesus's life and teaching, four of which – the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – are considered canonical and included in Christian Bibles. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion that began as a Jewish sect in the mid-1st century. Originating in the Levant region of the Middle East, it quickly spread to Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. It grew in size and influence over a few centuries, and by the end of the 4th...

Words: 12460 - Pages: 50

Free Essay

Socrates

...Attainment JOSEPH O. BAKER Department of Sociology and Anthropology East Tennessee State University Public acceptance of evolution remains low in the United States relative to other Western countries. Although advocates for the scientific community often highlight the need for improved education to change public opinion, analyses of data from a national sample of American adults indicate that the effects of educational attainment on attitudes toward evolution and creationism are uneven and contingent upon religious identity. Consequently, higher education will only shift public attitudes toward evolution and away from support for teaching creationism in public schools for those who take non-“literalist” interpretive stances on the Bible, or to the extent that it leads to fewer people with literalist religious identities. Keywords: evolution, creationism, religious identity, education, science and religion, public policy. INTRODUCTION Acceptance of evolution and support for creationism has been publicly debated since the initial diffusion of Darwin’s theory about the origin of species, particularly in the United States (Numbers 1998, 2006). From before the infamous Scopes Trial (see Larson 1997) to the present, many Americans have resisted ideas about evolution, leading to a relatively low global ranking on public acceptance of the theory (Miller, Scott, and Okamoto 2006). Although the scientific community and legal decisions in U.S. courts have repeatedly favored...

Words: 7196 - Pages: 29