Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of Scripture
by Bryan Carlson
Inspiration means that the text of the Bible was divinely inspired by God and that the authors were guided by the Holy Spirit in their writing. Though the authors were human, their writing was not just the result of their own thoughts and ideas, but rather was directly influenced by God. Scripture testifies about itself that it is the inspired, infallible Word of God. "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). (See also Luke 1:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 3:14-18; and Revelation 1:1-3).
Inerrancy means that the text of the Bible is without error in all its teachings and facts, accurate and trustworthy in all its teachings and historical references. The Bible provides a reliable and accurate representation of God's truth and will. In the original manuscript, Scripture does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. The belief in inerrancy is supported by the testimony of Scripture itself. "No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Authority means the Bible has ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice. The Bible is the final authority in all spiritual and moral matters, and its teachings should guide our beliefs and actions. The authority of Scripture is based on the fact that it is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Scripture is self-attesting; otherwise, human reason becomes the ultimate authority instead of God’s Word. Since it is inspired by God, it is God’s Word. “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting” (Psalm 119:159-160). Jesus told us in John 17:17: “I have given them Your word; Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” To disobey the Scripture is to disobey God. Therefore, we can speak authoritatively when we counsel.
The inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture are related concepts in Christian theology and are central to the understanding of the Bible. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, which lays the foundation for inerrancy and authority. The doctrine of inerrancy supports the authority of Scripture by providing a reliable and accurate representation of God's truth. And the authority of Scripture is based on the belief that it is the inspired and inerrant word of God.
We know that the Scriptures are reliable in testifying about itself. The Bible was written to reveal to us the God of the Universe and to point us to Him. The Bible consists of 66 books, written over a period of 1500 years by 40 different authors from a wide variety of locations and walks of life in three different languages. Yet all of Scripture is in perfect agreement with itself in telling one unified story of redemption through Jesus Christ.
Additionally, the New Testament perfectly fulfills the Old Testament. There are over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament (i.e., Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14) fulfilled in the New Testament. The fulfillment of these prophesies, at times very specific prophesies, written hundreds of years earlier, prove the inspiration of the Word of God. Jesus Himself explains how He actively fulfilled Scripture: “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled’” (Luke 24:44-48).
From an apologetics standpoint, there must be a single source of absolute truth in our world or literally anything goes. It is of paramount importance for the Christian to identify the Word of God as our sole source of absolute truth. If we hold to any other authority other that the Word of God, we are in danger of getting off track.
