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Teaching Notes:

The Inerrancy Of Scripture

1. What does the Inerrancy of Scripture Mean? “The Bible is free from error in its original manuscripts.” The Bible always tells the truth about everything it talks about. This definition does not mean that the Bible tells us every fact there is to know about any one subject, but it affirms that what it does say about any subject is true. Includes history and science – not just religious topics.

2. What does the Bible Claim about the Old Testament?

A. Thus Says the Lord: in NASB appears 420x! Prophets claiming to be messengers from the sovereign King of Israel, namely, God Himself, and they are claiming that their words are the absolutely authoritative words of God.

B. God Speaks through the Prophets: 1Kings 14:18; 16:12,34; 2Kings9:36. To disbelieve or disobey the word of a prophet is to disbelieve or disobey God Himself – Deut.18:18-19; compare 1Sam.10:8 w/ 13:8-14. 1Sam. 15:3,19,23.

C. Psalm 12:6 “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.”

D. Psalm 19:7-9 Scripture called “law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, judgments”. Character of Scripture is “perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true.” Effects are “restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever, righteous altogether.”

E. 2Tim.3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” All OT Scripture (39 books recognized by Jews) are God-breathed. Since it is writings that are said to be “breathed out”, this breathing must be understood as a metaphor for speaking the words of Scripture. Thus, the OT writings are regarded as God’s Word in written form. For every word of the OT, God is the one who spoke it. God cannot lie. God breathed all of Scripture. Therefore all of Scripture is true.

F. 2Pet.1:20-21 “knowing this first of all, that 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.” The ultimate source of every prophecy was never a man’s decision about what he wanted to write, but rather the Holy Spirit’s action in the prophet’s life.

G. Prov.30:5 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (ESV)

H. How does the NT regard the OT? The psalmist said (Psalm 95:7) The Holy Spirit said (Hebrews 3:7)
The psalmist said (Psalm 45:6) God said (Hebrews 1:8)
The psalmist said (Psalm 102:25,27) God said (Hebrews 1:10-12)
Isaiah said (Isaiah 7:14) The Lord spoke by the prophet (Matthew 1:22-23)
Hosea said (Hosea 11:1) The Lord spoke by the prophet (Matthew 2:1).
David wrote (Ps.69:25; 109:8) The Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David (Acts 1:16)
Isaiah wrote (Is.6:9) The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah (Acts 28:25)

I. How did Jesus regard the OT?

Infallible: John 10:35 “the Scripture cannot be broken”

Indestructible: Mt.5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 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.”

Authoritative: Mt.4:4,7,10

Historically Accurate: Mt.12:40 “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Mt.24:37-39 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Inerrant: Jn.17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth, Your word is truth.”

Christ-Centered: Jn.5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me”. Luke 24:27 “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

Clear: Luke 24:25 “And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”

Sufficient: Luke 16:31 “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.”

3. What does the Bible claim about the New Testament?

A. 2Pet.3:15-16 “just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

B. 1Tim.5:17-18 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

C. 1Cor.2:13 “which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”

D. 1Cor.14:37 “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.”

E. 1Thess.2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

F. Gal.1:8-9 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

G. Gal.1:12 “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

H. 2Pet.3:1-2 “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.”

Thought Questions:

1. In your own words, what does the Bible claim about itself?

2. What did Jesus claim about the Bible?

3. What did the apostles claim about their gospel and writings?

4. How does this testimony of the Bible affect your trust in the inerrancy of Scripture?

5. How much authority do you give Scripture when you must make a decision in your life? When you must decide what you are going to believe?