The late R.C. Sproul led the joint effort to bring clarity and potency to the contemporary church’s bibliology. With the encouragement of Harold Lindsell, then-editor of Christianity Today, Sproul helped assemble a team of fundamentalist scholars, eventually known as The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy. James Montgomery Boice, Norman Geisler, Harold Hoehner, and Roger Nicole were among several who joined the council.[1]

At a summit meeting in Chicago, the council brought evangelical leaders together to formulate an official statement defending the inerrancy of Scripture. Nearly 300 evangelical leaders met to craft the extended statement, along with a series of affirmations and denials. Gleason Archer, Edmund Clowney, John Feinberg, Carl Henry, Walter Kaiser, D. James Kennedy, John MacArthur, Charles Ryrie, and Francis Schaeffer were notable signers.

This Chicago Statement was a landmark moment in the contemporary fight for God’s Word, which was initiated by previous fundamentalists in their response to the modernist movement decades prior. Westminster scholars Ned Stonehouse, Edward J. Young, and J. Gresham Machen, along with dispensational influencers R.A. Torrey, W.H. Griffith Thomas, and Lewis Sperry Chafer were no longer living to sign the statement they would have gladly affirmed.

Of course, biblical inerrancy was not invented in the twentieth century. The Church of the twentieth century and beyond exists downstream from B.B. Warfield, Charles Spurgeon, John Nelson Darby, Jonathan Edwards, the Puritans, the Reformers, the early Church Fathers, and the apostles and prophets. Ultimately, the entire Church is downstream from her Head and Builder, Jesus Christ; and, as the result of His work, the Lord’s people are commissioned to “speak the truth in love” and “grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,” (Eph 4:15). In this effort, Christians will avoid being tossed around by every wind of doctrine, by man’s craftiness and deceit (v. 14). Therefore, in seeking to establish a robust view of the Bible, the Church must continually look to her Head and conform herself to His view of Scripture.

 

 Christ’s View of Scripture

Any fair reading of the Gospels will lead the reader to understand that Jesus considered the Old Testament to be authoritative and inerrant. No part of Jesus’ teachings ever so much as hinted at a perceived deficiency in Scripture. John Wenham rightly summarized, “Christ held the Old Testament to be historically true, completely authoritative, and divinely inspired. To Him, the God of the Old Testament was the living God, and the teaching of the Old Testament was the teaching of the living God. To Him, what Scripture said, God said.”[2]

Jesus’ most thundering pronouncements about Scripture’s inerrancy came in a variety of statements.

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished,” (Mt 5:18). Even the “smallest” markings of Scripture were to be taken as exactly what God desired; the Law is inerrant according to Jesus. As Tom Pennington has said, “He was affirming its inerrancy down to the letters and the strokes.”[3]

“The Scripture cannot be broken,” (Jn 10:35b). The Lord undoubtedly viewed God’s revelation as powerful and veracious. Blum comments, “This important text clearly points up the inerrancy of the Bible.”[4]

“Your word is truth,” the Son prayed to the Father (Jn 17:17b). There could be no question about Jesus’ conviction regarding Scripture. He testified to the Father before His disciples that the word is the truth. Laney adds, “Although Jesus is not referring directly to the Hebrew Scriptures, His statement ‘Your word is truth’ reflects His high view of the integrity of God’s revelation and would certainly apply to sacred Scripture.”[5]

In light of such declarations, it is obvious that Jesus would affirm the inerrancy of the Bible, “wholly and verbally God-given . . . without error or fault in all its teaching.”[6] As the I AM who served as the special Messenger in Israel (Ex 3:1-22; Jos 5:13-15; Jdg 13:1-23), the Son of God’s ministry has always been one of upholding and advocating for the word of God. He who is called the Word has established truth among men, with Scripture as the foundation (Jn 1:14-18). Christ’s apostles went on to exemplify the duty of the Church to share in her Lord’s commitment to the veracity of Scripture (2 Ti 3:16-17),[7] and Christians should be imitators of the apostles, not seeking to approach the Bible without presuppositions—an impossible task for anyone. Rather, believers are to approach the Bible with the same commitments Jesus brought to it. From the outset, the Christian must fundamentally commit to the authority and inspiration of Scripture, the foundations for inerrancy.

 

 Basic Presuppositions

The reality of God’s existence and authority is the substructure for the doctrine of the Bible. Because the Creator is and speaks, there is law and order in creation. Furthermore, there is a basic obligation of the creature toward the Creator to hear and submit to what He has said.

Without this presupposition, man will inevitably attempt to come to the Bible as its judge rather than submitting to its judgments. Judging Scripture is spiritually fatal, and the Christian should never join the unbeliever in it. The people of God must have the attitude of Job: “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth,” (Job 40:4).

In conjunction with the authority of God is the doctrine of inspiration that also serves as a necessary support for inerrancy. The authority of the Lord did not get lost in communication as the human writers penned His words. God’s authoritative revelation came through exactly as He desired when prophets and apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to communicate to His people (2 Pt 1:19-21).

Without the presupposition of inspiration, man will always speculate about Scripture, questioning the words on the page in front of him. This doubt is poisonous and will never allow for the faith that is anchored by the word of God. The one who denies the Bible’s inspiration could never cling to God’s testimonies (cf. Ps 119:31a) regarding the origins of the earth, the unique nature of Christ, the future, or much else.

It is critically important to consider these presuppositions, especially when one encounters a critic of the Bible. E.J. Young provides a shrewd analysis:

“If one begins with the presuppositions of unbelief, he will end with unbelief’s conclusions. If at the start we have denied that the Bible is God’s word or if we have, whether consciously or not, modified the claims of the Scriptures, we shall come to a position which is consonant with our starting point. He who begins with the assumption that the words of the Scriptures contain error will never, if he is consistent, come to the point of view that the Scripture is the infallible word of the one living and eternal God . . . If one begins with man, he will end with man. All who study the Bible must be influenced by their foundational presuppositions.”[8]

The role of presuppositions and pre-understandings in conversations about inerrancy must not be played down. These pre-commitments must be brought to the forefront and probed before inerrancy can be properly discussed. Christians who do not examine presuppositions will make little progress when engaging critics of the Bible.

 

 Answering the Critic

Those in the flesh are enemies of the doctrine of inerrancy by nature because they are enemies of God by nature. Paul reminds believers, “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,” (1 Co 2:14a). Their minds are set on the flesh, and they are constantly and actively hostile toward God, unable to please Him in any way (Ro 8:6-8). The unbeliever’s criticisms of the Bible stem from his innate disposition of rebellion and his instinctive rejection of God’s revelation.

So, how is the Christian to engage the one who lays a charge against Scripture? Is it possible to productively interact with one who is committed to the idea that the Bible is filled with contradictions and errors?

It is not only possible to engage the unbeliever regarding the allegations he levels against the word, but it is also the Christian’s duty to do so. Peter instructs believers, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence,” (1 Pt 3:15). Speaking to the particular task of defending inerrancy, James White adds, “We must be willing to engage the sometimes difficult, often challenging, and always rewarding task of responding to alleged contradictions in the text of Scripture. We do so not out of a desire to be argumentative but so that we may remove cavils against God’s word that are not founded upon truth.”[9]

Even as a person remains in his unbelief with his hostile presuppositions, his arguments can be answered—so long as his presuppositions are not permitted to remain hidden. As both parties reveal their philosophical pre-commitments about the Bible, productive discussions can take place. Christians can and should find joy in this endeavor, as it is the means by which God draws sinners to saving faith in Jesus.

As believers prepare to answer critics of the Word of God, it is helpful to bear in mind that all instances of supposed contradiction in Scripture are the result of man’s fallen state, as opposed to some failing in God’s communication. Whether it is a lack of faith, faulty interpretation, a misunderstanding of textual criticism, or something else altogether, hang-ups with the Bible are caused by creatures affected by sin, not by the perfect Creator. The Lord has spoken, and all His revelation is very good.

 

 The Primacy of Exegesis

Quite often, the claim that an error exists in God’s word is the fruit of a poor method of interpretation. Given his predisposition toward God and His word, the unbeliever has no motivation to approach Scripture ethically so that he interprets the word carefully and rightly. Zuck speaks to this issue: “‘You can make the Bible say anything you want,’ some argue. And yet how many of the same people say, ‘You can make Shakespeare say anything you want’? Of course, it is true that people can make the Bible say anything they wish so long as they disregard normal approaches for understanding written documents.”[10]

Indeed, sound exegesis is at the core of defending inerrancy. White writes, “The vast majority of allegations of contradiction are the result of misinterpretation. If the rules of hermeneutics were allowed to function consistently, most ‘Bible contradiction’ publications and websites would quickly wither.”[11] Knowing this, it behooves the Christian to familiarize himself with sound hermeneutics so that he can patiently walk the critic through the text of the Bible, revealing its truthfulness, consistency, and harmony. If the critic is honest about his presuppositions and willing to challenge them through a hermeneutically-sound Bible study with a believer, it can be very profitable.

 

 Textual Criticism

Beyond improper methods of interpretation, some accusations against Scripture stem from a textual-critical perspective that claims some of God’s revelation has been lost in translation or altered throughout the years. Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are famous for this approach, as they claim that their organization exists to restore “plain and precious” truths that were lost by the early church.[12] Many who take this position rule out the possibility of the reliability of today’s translations.

In responding to this charge, it is important for believers to clarify the difference between Scripture’s original autographs and the copies that followed. The Chicago Statement asserts, “We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.”[13]

It is certain that errant copies of the biblical text have been produced through the centuries. The Lord never promised to inspire copyists or keep them free from error. However, the Bible is the most well-attested book in the history of the world and the wealth of manuscripts from history allows for honest inquirers to spot variants in the manuscript tradition. There is a level of healthy textual criticism (“lower” criticism, as opposed to liberal “higher” criticism) that the church must participate in to understand how the Bible made its way to people today. Having this basic understanding will help diffuse many allegations of error.

 

 Christian Preparedness

The basic issues addressed in this article do not begin to cover the vast array of anti-inerrancy arguments. Nevertheless, Christians must be ready to defend the inerrancy of the Bible. The attack on God will not cease until He puts it to an end in His own timing. In the meantime, He has commissioned His church to rightly handle His word (2 Ti 2:15).

Therefore, it is every believer’s responsibility to prepare himself for engaging the critic of Scripture. Thy Word Is Truth by E.J. Young, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Archer, Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, and more recent works by James White and Michael Kruger should be on every Christian’s bookshelf. These will aid the Christian in his defense of the faith.

Yet, more important than these resources is the heart of faith that seeks after God in His word. When a Christian commits himself to God’s word, he will be sustained and supplied for his every need in Christ Jesus (Php 4:19). May the Church of God commit to the Bible as she makes herself ready for the return of her Lord.

 

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ENDNOTES

[1] R.C. Sproul’s recounting of the council’s beginning is a worthy listen. See: Reformation Bible College, “The Chicago Statement: An Interview with R.C. Sproul,” YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlwrT0lRJE, Accessed February 2023.

[2] John Wenham, “Christ’s View of Scripture,” Inerrancy, ed. Norman Geisler (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 6.

[3] Tom Pennington, Jesus’ High View of Scripture (Southlake: The Word Unleashed, 2021), 39.

[4] Edwin Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton: Victor, 1983), 312.

[5] J. Carl Laney, John (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 307.

[6] The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, Short Statement 4.

[7] Also significant is Peter’s view, found not only in 2Pt 1:19-21 but also in 2Pt 3:14-18, where he affirms Paul’s writings as Scripture and urges his audience not to be like the “untaught and unstable” who “distort the Scriptures.”

[8] Edward J. Young, Thy Word Is Truth (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 191.

[9] James R. White, Scripture Alone (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2004), 154-155.

[10] Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (Colorado Springs: Victor, 1991), 12.

[11] White, 155. Italics in original.

[12] Their eighth Article of Faith states, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” The loss of “plain and precious” truths from the early Christian church is common vernacular in their religion.

[13] Chicago Statement, Article 10.

Copyright VOICE Magazine, used by permission.

Issue: May/June 2023.