By: T. J. Gentry, D.Min., Ph.D. | November 5, 2023
(This article was prompted by questions submitted to the Bellator Christi site after my recent interview with Dr. Brian Chilton discussing the importance of inerrancy. Here, I offer a pastoral reflection on inerrancy.)
I am a pastor and an academic, but my academic training in Scripture and other areas is for the sake of my pastoral ministry, primarily. My formal education was undertaken and continues to be used for the sake of serving the church in its mission of evangelism and discipleship. Thus, when I consider an important topic like the inerrancy of Scripture, I do so because it is important to the people of God and those they are called to reach.
While very few of the Christians in the churches I have served and the one I serve now have ever attended Bible college or seminary, all of them are called to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18, NKJV). Further, as a pastor-teacher my calling is “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). With this in mind, I offer the following pastoral reflection on the inerrancy of Scripture. In this brief reflection, I will answer two questions:
- What is inerrancy?
- Is belief in inerrancy essential to salvation?
A Pastoral Reflection: What is Inerrancy?
As it relates to the Bible, inerrancy means that because of its divine inspiration all of Scripture is without error, “free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.”[1] Inerrancy does not mean that the human authors of Scripture never made errors in matters outside their writing of Scripture. Inerrancy does not mean that God overrode the personality and will of the authors. Rather, inerrancy means that God used each author’s knowledge, personality, and distinctive characteristics to write a divine message without error. As 2 Peter 1:20-21 states, “[N]o prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Inerrancy Does Not Mean that the Writers Never Erred in Anything
Does this mean that those receiving divine inspiration to write Scripture were without error in all things? No. Inerrancy does not mean the Bible’s human author never erred, only that when writing the text of Scripture God superintended the outcome to produce an inerrant written message. Further, when the human authors wrote Scripture, what they wrote was inspired by God even when what they wrote described their own actions in a way that showed personal weaknesses and failings. For example, John wrote the inerrant text of Revelation under divine inspiration and in it describes his own missteps in twice prostrating himself in worship before an angel (see Rev 19:10; 22:8).
Why I Believe in Biblical Inerrancy
Still, why do I believe the Bible is inerrant? I believe it based on the convergence of three lines of inquiry: 1) the evidence from history and archaeology, 2) the reasonableness of answers given to alleged contradictions and errors in the Bible, and 3) the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. Notice that the first two lines of inquiry are objective and derive from rational investigation that anyone could undertake, Christian or non-Christian. The third line of inquiry is subjective, and something that only a Christian can claim since only Christians have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit as a seal of their salvation (see Eph 1:13). This means that my journey in coming to accept that Scripture is inerrant began with reason and was strengthened and confirmed by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Does this mean that those who reject inerrancy are unreasonable? Certainly not. I am well aware of the arguments used to deny inerrancy, and many of them are reasonable. Yet, I find it more reasonable to follow the lines of evidence to a conclusion of inerrancy. I find there is ample evidence to support the claim of biblical inerrancy. Also, I find that the weight of evidence in favor of inerrancy is more than sufficient to make inerrancy the most likely explanation to describe the Bible’s content. I do recognize, though, that when one chooses to believe the Bible is inerrant, they are taking a step of faith – but not without good evidence. Remember, biblical faith is based on evidence (see Heb 11:1-3). Biblical faith is not blind or contrary to reason, properly understood. This is why I conclude that inerrancy is the most reasonable conclusion I can draw.
Why Do People Reject Biblical Inerrancy?
In my experience, when a person denies inerrancy there is usually a hindrance to taking the step of faith it requires. The hindrance is not the evidence, since I am looking at the same evidence they are. Rather, the hindrance is how the evidence is received, and to what destination the evidence points. When someone decides to believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, they are making a moral decision. I suppose it is possible that someone could affirm inerrancy but decide not to follow what they accept as the Bible’s inerrant teachings about God, man, salvation, and a host of other matters. Still, in such an instance the issue is not the inerrancy of the Bible but the condition of the heart of the person.
John Calvin’s insight on the relationship between the heart and Scripture is helpful. He writes, “The same Spirit, therefore, who spoke by the mouth of the prophets, must penetrate our hearts, in order to convince us that they faithfully delivered the message with which they were divinely entrusted. . . . Let it therefore be held as fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly in Scripture.”[2] Perhaps you disagree with Calvin—I certainly do on other points—but I think he is correct about the need for a heart change wrought by the Holy Spirit in relation to fully affirming Scripture’s inerrancy.
A Pastoral Reflection: Is Belief in Inerrancy Essential to Salvation?
At this point, you may wonder if I conclude that belief in inerrancy is essential to salvation. My answer is yes and no. To explain myself, I’ll borrow from Norman Geisler’s thought on the inspiration of Scripture, what he calls the “fundamental of the fundamentals.”[3] When Geisler speaks of inspiration (and when I speak of it), it entails inerrancy. Some may not see the two as related, at least not necessarily related, but I do. Perhaps in a future article I can detail that connection, but for the sake of brevity I affirm what most Christians have over the centuries: because the Bible is inspired by God, and God cannot err, the Bible is inerrant. How, though, does this relate to an essential of salvation? Again, Geisler’s words are helpful here:
[T]o be saved, it is necessary to believe in one God, that Christ is His Son, that we are sinners in need of God’s grace, and that Christ died and rose from the dead for our sins. . . . There is another kind of essential—one that deals with the source of knowledge that makes us aware of [what is necessary to be] saved. This doctrine is not, as such, necessary to believe in order to be saved. But it is the necessary God-ordained source for our knowing about the salvation essentials one must believe to be saved. The revelation essential is the inspiration of Scripture. . . . Thus, while inspiration and inerrancy are not part of the plan of salvation one must believe to be saved, they are part of the foundation that makes that divine plan of salvation knowable.[4]
Belief in the Teachings of God’s Word is Essential
To be clear, belief in inerrancy is not essential to salvation, but belief based on the teachings of God’s word concerning the essentials is necessary to be saved. Inerrancy doesn’t save me, Jesus does. The Jesus who saves me is the same Jesus found on the pages of Scripture; a book God gave through human authors to make known His perfect plan of salvation. That plan is perfect, and I trust the book that makes that plan known. The evidence builds my trust. The Holy Spirit bears witness to that evidence and to God’s divine inspiration of the Bible, assuring me that my trust is well placed. My trust is in the one true God, the good God whose Word to me—to all of us—is inerrant.
About the Author
Dr. Thomas J. Gentry (aka., TJ Gentry) serves as the pastor of First Christian Church of West Frankfort, Illinois, the Assistant Vice President of Publishing and Communications, and the Assistant Editor of Bellator Christi Ministries. He formerly served as the Executive Editor of MoralApologetics.com. Dr. Gentry is a world-class scholar holding 5 doctorate degrees and 6 masters degrees. Additionally, he is a prolific writer as he has published 7 books including Pulpit Apologist, Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord, and You Shall Be My Witnesses: Reflections on Sharing the Gospel. Be on the lookout for two additional books that he will soon publish. In addition to his impressive resume, Dr. Gentry proudly served his country as an officer in the United States Army and serves as a martial arts instructor.
Notes
[1] https://www.alliancenet.org/the-chicago-statement-on-biblical-inerrancy, Article XII. Accessed November 3, 2023.
[2] https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.viii.html, Chapter 7, Sections 4-5. Accessed November 3, 2023.
[3] Norman L. Geisler, Essentials of the Christian Faith: Sixteen Essential Doctrines from the Bible and the Ancient Christian Creeds (Indian Trail, NC: Norm Geisler International Ministries, 2020), 188.
[4] Geisler, Essentials of the Christian Faith, 7-8. Emphasis in original.
To hear Dr. Gentry’s interview on the Bellator Christi Podcast, click the following link: https://bellatorchristi.com/2023/10/26/s7e8-inerrancy-does-it-matter/
(c) 2023. Bellator Christi.
