Is the Bible Inerrant?
Yes, as it was originally given to the prophets, the Bible
contains no errors. This is because it is the inspired word of God (2 Timothy
3:16), and God does not make mistakes, and He always tells the truth (Titus
1:3). Now, that doesn’t mean that in its being copied throughout the thousands
of years by fallible human hands, that some textual errors have not slipped
into the Bible. A few have. However, this simply reinforces the integrity of
the scriptures, since we know where those errors have occurred through study of
the ancient texts. The certainty of the text of the Bible is sure despite human
error.
Some say that the Bible
has contradictions in it. This is false. A contradiction is the affirmation of
both the truth and falsehood of the same precisely stated statement. Some look
at two statements in the Bible that discuss two different things and conclude a
contradiction. The statements “Moses was a Hebrew,” and “Moses was an Egyptian”
are not contradictory because both are true. The statements “Moses was a
Hebrew, and Moses was not a Hebrew” are contradictory. This is the difficulty
with proving a contradiction. There are plenty of books devoted to explaining
alleged Bible contradictions, and they are worth reading.
More importantly, however,
the content of the Bible is inerrant. This means that when we study it, we are
reading actual history, understanding truth about God, and learning correct
morality. As 2 Timothy 2:16-17 make clear, the scriptures are “profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This
means that there is no other source of information we need to be completed
person of God.
God bless you, and I love
you.
Kevin Cauley