The Issue of Inerrancy has Never Gone Away, nor Will It!

In the current evangelical landscape, the sufficiency of Scripture is under assault. Is the Bible sufficient in and of itself without the need of certain lenses of gender, ethnicity, socio-economics, and the like to make it more understandable, relatable, or relevant? This has certainly occupied much of the conversation in the social media world.

However, there is an issue that still has not gone away, in fact this issue underlies the sufficiency issue, and this issue is inerrancy. You see, how you view inerrancy, how you define inerrancy, what you believe inerrancy to be will color your view of Scripture and therefore how you apply Scripture. How you define inerrancy sets a theological trajectory that will ultimately lead you down the right path, or take you out to the theological weeds.

You might be thinking, "What do you mean, how you define inerrancy? Doesn't inerrant mean without error?" Well, not exactly, especially for those in academia. For the average church goer, when someone says they believe in or hold to inerrancy, they take them at face value, just as they understand the word at its face value. However, in academia, there is (and I hate this word when used theologically) nuance applied; and, for some reason, nuance is so so valued in the academic world. In fact, in many circles, you are not thought of as much of a scholar unless you can demonstrate how nuanced you are.

So, when someone in academia, or even the pastorate, uses the word inerrant, you cannot assume they hold to a view that would seem self-apparent to most who hear that word. In academia there are eight primary definitions for inerrancy. How's that for nuance? So, if someone says they hold to inerrancy or believe the Bible to be inerrant, what really needs to be asked of them is which definition of inerrancy do you hold to? With eight different views of the term inerrant, there is much room to hide behind the word and not believe all the Bible is inspired, or truthful, or correct. There is a lot of room here for word games.

For those of us in the Southern Baptist Convention, and for many of those in other denominations, the inerrancy issue never really went away, it went underground.

Back during the inerrancy controversy I read a piece by Jim Denison that listed 8 definitions of inerrancy, which highlighted for me some of the chicanery going on by those in academia who claimed to be inerrantists as some of these definitions give ample room to call oneself an inerrantist while not really being one. Here are the eight definitions of inerrancy were listed in that piece. As you read through them you will see that one can claim to hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, while denying key elements of what makes the Bible the Word of God.

1. A Common Sense/Face Value definition: The Bible can be trusted or is trustworthy in all it states or affirms. This is a God said what He meant and meant what He said and can be taken at His Word understanding of the nature and character of Scripture. This is simple and straightforward, and would be the application that most Christians would make of the word inerrant.

2. Formal Inerrancy. This view includes #1 and those who hold to this view would additionally make the claim that the Scripture does not contradict itself, or the Scriptures contain no contradictions.

3. Material or Strict or Full Inerrancy. This view contains #s 1 and 2 and goes yet further. It is best understood as defined by the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy in the section Infallibility, Inerrancy, and Interpretation. "Holy Scripture, as the inspired Word of God witnessing authoritatively to Jesus Christ, may properly be called infallible and inerrant. These negative terms have a special value, or they explicitly safeguard crucial positive truths. Infallible signifies the quality of neither misleading nor being misled and so safeguards in categorical terms the truth that Holy Scripture is a sure, safe, and reliable rule and guide in all matters. Inerrant signifies the quality of being free from all falsehood or mistake and so safeguards the truth that Holy Scripture is entirely true and trustworthy in all its assertions.

As an aside here, the introductory section, regarding the Scriptures, of the Southern Baptist Faith and Message 2000, mirrors the Chicago Statement above.

4. Limited Inerrancy. Regarding its teaching on faith and morals, the Bible is inerrant; but can contain errors in matters where it addresses history, geography, or science.

5. Purposful or Intentional Inerrancy.  Those that hold to this view of inerrancy would say that the Bible is inerrant in the accomplishment of its purpose(s), such as salvation, sanctification, or edification. However, outside of the Bible's intended purposes, errors can exist; such as science, or history, or geography, since God did not intend the Bible to be a book about science, history, or geography. This view of inerrancy has gained a lot of traction over the last couple of decades.

6. Unified Inerrancy. This approach to inerrancy would consider the unified or overall truth of the doctrines (teachings of specific subjects) of the Scriptures to be inerrant, but would not go as far as saying all words or statements are inerrant.

7. Soteriological Inerrancy. This view or definition of inerrancy means that the Bible is inerrant in what it teaches concerning salvation, but can contain errors in other areas it addresses.

8. Secondary Inerrancy. This view of inerrancy is in regards to the quotations and speeches contained in the Scriptures. Those holding this view would say that the quote or speech contained in the Scriptures is inerrant, but the actual content of the quotes or speeches themselves can contain error.

It is obvious that #3, Material or Full inerrancy, is the strongest definition of inerrancy, and does the best job of safeguarding the Scriptures from downgrade. The others do provide wiggle room; but wiggle room allows the leaven of unbelief to enter and a little leaven eventually leavens the whole lump. A little doubt will eventually turn into denial and disbelief.

 The rub here is that in academic circles you can be viewed as conservative and hold to a inerrancy view above that allows for errors in the Scriptures. This is where, in my opinion, those in academia and pastors can pull the wool over peoples eyes by calling themselves inerrantists, and in academic circles be thought of and promoted as conservative. This is where academia uses the same word but  has a different dictionary. This allows a seminary to trot out a professor and promote him as a wonderful Christian man and scholar and an inerrantist who denies the veracity and reliability of the totality of the Scriptures.

Words, terms, and their definitions are important. So it is important not only to know if a potential pastor or professor holds to inerrancy, but which definition of inerrancy does he hold to.

Having laid this out, this now brings us to the current controversy regarding Dr. Dominick Hernandez at Southern Seminary. On the one hand we have recently terminated OT professor Dr. Russell Fuller who calls into question the views on Job and other issues with Dr. Dominik Hernandez. See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMfiRWgobOU

And then Southern's rebuttal featuring Dr. Jim Hamilton and Dr. Hernandez. See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx10NOTO8uw&t=411s

I will bet that all three of these men, who all signed the Abstract of Principles, are not coming from the same definition of inerrancy.

One of the areas Dr Fuller questioned was Dr Hernandez's view of the person of Job, and, therefore, how he viewed Job as a book. One of the keys to note in the rebuttal is the wording Dr. Hernandez chooses to use regarding Job at 6:09 and 6:29. Notice he uses the term, "Seems to suggest that Job was a real person." He does not say, "Indicates Job was a real person." What did he mean by that? Dr. Hamilton did not question him on it. Later in the video Dr. Hamilton asks Dr. Hernandez if he is an inerrantist, and he affirms that he is. But my question is, "What type of inerrantist is he?" Obviously not the same type of inerrantist that Russell Fuller is.

Indeed, the issue of inerrancy is still with us. No matter which denomination or affiliation, people need to understand the terms and decide which definition of inerrancy they want in their academies and pastors.

The Immutability of God--The Anchor of My Relationship with Him

For I, the Lord, do not change; 

therefore you, O sons of Israel

are not consumed.

Malachi 3:6 

If you read any book or article on the attributes of God you will find Him described as immutable, and usually they will go on to talk about the unchangableness of His nature and character. However, the word has a deeper meaning than just being unchangeable, it means that in being unchangeable, one is not capable or susceptible to change. When you grasp that concept, then considering God's immutability takes on a whole new light.

This means that it is impossible for God to change, impossible for God to be other than He is. There is never the potentiality of His changing in any way, in any measure (James 1:17). His mercy will always be His mercy, His wrath will always be His wrath, His grace will always be His grace, His power will always be His power. There will never be any diminishment in who He is, because there cannot be any diminishment in who He is; and He cannot be more than He is, He cannot be improved upon, because He is already perfect. When God tells us that from age to age He is the same, we must understand that from eternity past to eternity future it is impossible for Him to not be the same.  Change in His person, purpose, thoughts, and very nature literally cannot take place. He is the rock that does not erode, the fortress and refuge that is always secure, the love that will never fail. Therefore, His yes is always yes, and His no is always no; and, therefore, His word never changes or shifts, even ever so slightly. He is the model of absolute consistency. He is the same God in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament.

To me, this is very comforting. It gives me a deeper trust and confidence in not only Him, but in His word. It is this unchangeableness that is behind the Scriptures. It is why the Word of God cannot and will not change to meet the demands of the shifting moral climate of each era of the human race. All of this means that He is absolutely dependable, reliable, and trustworthy. It means there will be a consistency in His dealings with me, a consistency in His love for me, and a consistency in His patience with me no matter the twists and turns that I encounter in this life. It is the anchor in my relationship with Him.

So, my friends, let us consider the absolute unchangeableness of this God who has called us and claimed us, who has loved us and blessed us, and who leads us in the paths of righteousness. Let us draw near and draw great comfort in knowing it is impossible for Him to change.

The God of Forgiveness

One of the things I have noticed over the last few years is the spiritual insecurity of so many Christians. One of the ways this insecurity is manifested is in the area of forgiveness. This seems to be an area of faith where many people are struggling and where a great deal of insecurity resides. Again, in a time when the thrust of most preaching and church life is "all about you" and how God loves you and accepts you for who you are, you would think that people would not be wrestling with this. But when the teaching, preaching, and small group discussion fails to address the basic foundations of our faith because they don't think doctrine is relevant to the lives of the people, how would the people, the flock, have any basis from which to understand forgiveness, much less be able to know they are forgiven? When I was teaching in Dallas in the mid eighties the Minister of Education told me that I was teaching too much doctrine and that I needed to have more application lessons. My response to him was, "Bill, they can not apply what they do not know." This attitude that the ME had has only become more prevalent over the ensuing years. In addition to this, if you teach or preach on forgiveness you must deal with the sin that needs to be forgiven and many churches won't do that because it might make the people feel bad about themselves or offend them.

To get a handle on forgiveness you first must understand the nature and character of God and then understand what He has done so that we can be forgiven. So the rest of this post will be about the nature and character of God as it relates to forgiveness.

The best place to start is with Exodus 33:17-34:7. This section of Scripture relates the story of Moses asking God to show me your glory. I find God's response to this prayer request intriguing as He tells Moses I will make all my goodness pass before you and proclaim My name, the name of the Lord before you. So we see that God's glory is inextricably linked with His goodness and His name. His goodness is His glory and His name is representative of His glory. So God reveals that He is good and in the revelation of His goodness His glory shines forth and is displayed. As God passes by Moses and reveals Himself and His goodness listen to what He says, "The Lord, The Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished..." So we see here that forgiveness comes forth from the goodness of God, and is as much a part of His goodness as His compassion, His grace, His longsuffering, His lovingkindness, and His truth. God forgives because God is good, and His forgiveness of our sins is an extension of His goodness to us. Since His glory is displayed through His goodness, He is glorified in the forgiving of our sins. This alone is reason enough to fall on our knees as grateful beneficiaries of His goodness, which He has chosen not to withhold from us. Being forgiven is the result of the Lord lavishly bestowing His goodness upon us.

Psalm 130:4 states, "But there is forgiveness with You, that you may be feared." Here we see that His forgiveness is one of the pillars for our holy awe and reverence for the Lord. Understanding His forgiveness, experiencing His forgiveness, reveling in the fact that we are forgiven and that God has not dealt with us according to our sins, but according to His goodness and compassion as He is ever mindful that we are but dust, should bring forth in us an unmatched reverence and a heart that bows low in worship. God magnanimously bestows forgiveness upon His people and in the magnitude of His forgiveness He is glorified and exalted; and we see His worthiness of our reverence and stand in awe of His goodness because deep in our soul we know the depth of our own sin and see that for which we have been forgiven, that which no one knows but us and God.

In Nehemiah 9:17 we see that He is a God of forgiveness and in Psalm 86:5 we see that He is good, ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness for all who call upon Him. What does this mean for us? We can see that since He is a God of forgiveness that forgiveness flows from Him to us. He does not have to be coerced into forgiving us, and it is not something that He must struggle to do or something that He begrudgingly doles out like a scrooge at Christmas. In fact, it is just the opposite as we see that He is ready to forgive, He is poised to forgive, He longs to forgive so that we can be brought into right relationship with Him, and thereby enjoy sweet fellowship and communion with Him. These verses, along with I John 1:9, show us that we do not have to go to great lengths, do great penance, or go through great machinations to be forgiven, but we simply call upon Him and confess to Him our sin and it is forgiven; and we are made clean before Him, not just for that sin, but from all our unrighteousness. This, my friends, is goodness, great goodness, goodness worthy of abundant praise and worship out of a heart that has experienced gladness, true gladness, through forgiveness and cleansing.

Yes, forgiveness is ours because it flows from God to us and He is ready and waiting to forgive, not because of us, but because of His goodness. He forgives us on the basis of who He is and what He has done so that we can be forgiven. Have you asked for the forgiveness of God....so that you can come to Him and be saved, so that you can fellowship with Him, so that you can be cleansed and find rest and comfort for your soul? If not, ask Him today, confess to Him today, and in His goodness He will not refuse.

O Lord, how truly good You are, good beyond the scope of our ability to comprehend and good beyond our ability to measure. May praise and honor be heaped upon You and Your name be exalted this day because of Your goodness and forgiveness. Thank you for Your forgiveness, its availability, and its abundance. You are good and You do good. Great is the Lord and blessed be Your name. Amen.

Certaintiy in a Time of Uncertainty

You are good and do good.

Psalm 119:68

The Lord is good to all and His

mercies are over all His works.

Psalm 145:9

For You are good and ready to forgive,

and abundant in lovingkindness

to all who call upon You.

Psalm 86:5

For I the Lord do not change
Malachi 3:6

The Glory of Israel will not lie
or change His mind.
I Samuel 15:29

Every good thing given and every perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father
of lights, with whom there is no variation
or shifting shadow.
James 1:17

And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting.
Psalm 138:8

In uncertain times, the one thing we can be
certain about is the unchanging certain
character of our good God.

The Confidence of Patience

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait.

And in His word do I hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

More than the watchman for the morning;

Indeed, more than the watchman for the morning.

Psalm 130:5-6

After Psalm 119, the longest Psalm and longest chapter in the Bible, there is a group of short Psalms from Psalm 120-Psalm 134.  Each of these short Psalms contains great and profound truths, and this is a great section of the Scriptures to read and mediate upon.

In Psalm 130 we see a wonderful example of patience, and the Psalmist paints a picture for us of someone who is not only patient, but confidently patient. In these verses we see three keys to this confident patience.

1. 
   
   The object of our patience.  The object of our patience, the One on whom we are waiting is the Lord.  Our realization must be that the Lord is sovereign and in control, and will work our situation out according to His timing.  He is neither too early nor too late. We know that when the fullness of time came He sent forth His Son (Galatians 4:4), and at the right time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). We see that the timing of the most important event in the history of mankind was under the control of God.  It is the Lord whom we wait upon and His timing is always perfect. It is perfect in completing His plan and pupose for us. So if our desire is for His will to be done in our life, we can be content and wait for the unfolding of His will in our life. This kind of waiting is an active submission to the Lord's will and plan for our life, and puts our will in its proper place.
2. 
   
   The ground of our patience.  The ground of our patience is the word of God. The word of God is yay and amen. His yes is always yes, and His no is always no. In Jeremiah 1:12 He tells us that He stands over His word to perform it. In Isaiah 55:10-1 the Lord tells us that His word will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing His purpose. So we know that we can stand on whatever He says, for He will fulfill it. His word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. It not only guides us, but it is our ground to stand on when we are having to be patient and wait for the Lord. His word literally guides us into patience, and aids us and strengthens us to remain in that state of patience that looks unto the Lord.
3. 
   
   The confidence of our patience.  I really love the picture of confident patience the Psalmist paints here. His soul waits for the Lord to a greater degree than the watchman waits for the morning. How does the watchman wait for the morning? Confidently, very confidently, because he knows that the morning absolutely will come. In fact, the morning cannot be stopped from coming...at the exact time it should come. The Psalmist is saying that He is more confident in the Lord, and has a better ground of confidence than the watchman who knows the dawn is coming. In the darkness of the night, the watchman may not know how much longer before the dawn, but he knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it is approaching nearer with every beat of his heart. His is a knowing anticipation of the dawn breaking no matter how long or dark the night. This is a firm ground of confidence. Our confidence should be greater and more secure than this watchman's because it is the Lord we are waiting upon, and we have His word as our guarantee. 

This is faith in action, faith being put to the test and being strengthened and refined. This is the faith the Lord wants to develop in you. This faiths is an active trusting that is willing to wait for the Lord no matter how dark or long the night because it knows the breaking of the dawn is certain. This is the faith that endures as seeing Him who is unseen. This is the faith of one who knows their God.

Let us wait upon the Lord with confidence in His care and concern for us, and the knowledge that His plan is always the best plan, because we have a faithful God who will always stand by His word.