The Inerrancy of Scripture... proper interpretation returns no error

There is a certain doctrine that is foundational to the Christian faith. There is no room in Christianity outside of full belief in this doctrine. Is it the most important doctrine in Christianity? No. Can one call himself a Christian and not believe in this doctrine? Yes, but. Is someone a Christian that does not believe in this doctrine? I don't see how it is possible. Is it the most important doctrine in Christianity? No,but it is foundational and is a basis by which other doctrines are upheld. The doctrine to which I am referring is that of the inerrancy of scripture.

I am unashamedly an inerrantist, so some might be surprised with what I have to say next. There are discrepancies in scripture. Again, I affirm that I am an inerrantist. I believe that the Word of God as we have it today is perfect. I believe that it is God-breathed, that it is profitable for teaching, and all areas of life. Scripture is reliable, but some passages seem irreconcilable.

I grew up in church, learning about the inerrancy of scripture was part of life. I've always believed that scripture was perfect. At times I've been witness to preachers pounding their lecturns, symbolizing pounding this truth into my brain. So imagine my surprise when I was asked a question about Judas and who exactly purchased the potter's field. In Acts 1:18 we hear that it was purchased by Judas himself and in Matthew 27:6,7 we hear that the potter's field was purchased by the chief priests. How can they both be correct? One obviously has to be wrong. Doesn't that make scripture errant?

If you are as I was when I  first heard about this all of those years ago, your brain might be wrinkled right now. I believed that scripture was inerrant because that is what I was told all of my life, but I never really had that belief tested. I attempted to say that there must have been some mistake in the translation of that particular version of the Bible, but soon found out that it wasn't just that translation with the error. For a little while I was bothered by this. Was what I grew up believing wrong? (Obviously not!!!).

My mistake was several fold. First, I thought that this was a really big deal when it really has very little theological consequence. Second, I attempted to explain it away with an answer that was as leaky as a $2 rowboat. Third, I assumed that I HAD to explain it.

The vast majority of scripture does not pose any problem within itself and, given the amount of manuscripts available and the general agreement between manuscripts, even the toughest of critics must agree that the Bible is reliable. Those critics, however, would stop short of saying it is inerrant. One that takes a critical look at the evidence, though, must admit that the Bible is reliable. Since the Bible is reliable, when one sees what the Bible proclaims about its inerrancy, he must rightly conclude that the Bible is inerrant.

For the Christian, the proof goes even further. Not only do we see the claim made by the Bible and believe it to be so, we also know the character of God and trust in Him and His promises (since God is God, no other "proof" is necessary" but if you will indulge me a bit more I promise we'll wrap this up soon).

The Word of God, properly interpreted and applied, will return no error. When reading the Bible, one must consider what the authors' intentions are. The authors are not necessarily going to be as specific as we would like with every detail that is recorded especially if it has no impact on the main point of the text. It was (and is) common practice to use generalizations or exaggerations to emphasize a point. Doing so does not change the meaning of what is written or mean there is an error; it just reflects the beauty of Scripture as literature.

In conclusion we see that, for the Christian, there is not, nor should ever be, any question as to the inerrancy of Scripture. God is God, and Scripture, being the Word of God, must be inerrant. For the skeptic, the question of its inerrancy is also moot; the Bible has been proven reliable, therefore its intrinsic claims of inerrancy must be believed. As a final answer to both the Christian and the skeptic, when the meaning of the text is correctly interpreted, and when literary styles are taken into account, the seeming "inconsistencies" in scripture are quickly reconciled. Praise God for His Word!