What is the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture and how do they work together to help us?
The Bible is the inerrant Word of God
The Bible is completely infallible and inerrant (Pr. 30:5; Ps. 12:6; Ps.119:89; Matt. 40:35; Jn. 17:17). The Bible claims to be the Word of God and complete in every part. By being the Word of God, the Bible cannot contradict itself or speak falsely because God does not lie (Titus 1:2). As the ultimate standard for life and living, there will never be any facts or findings that can contradict it. Because of the inerrancy of Scripture, we can hold it as the total truth and standard for all ethical, social, spiritual, and life science issues.
All sixty-six books of the Bible are divinely inspired by God
All parts of Scripture are inspired by God and are recorded through inspired letters and words (1 Pet. 1:20-21). Matthew 5:18 reveals that all letters and strokes of Scripture are God’s, and they will stand true for eternity. The men who penned the Bible were “moved by the Holy Spirit spoken from God” (2 Tim. 3:14-17) and were inspired for every word that was written to fulfill God’s purpose and made known His truths to us. In Luke 24:44, Jesus Christ claims that all Scripture is God’s and must be fulfilled.
The Bible is the final authority and the plumb line for all truth
The Bible is the ultimate authority for truth for how we are to live. It is the final ethical authority, and it is by Scripture that we are to set our values. The Bible is God’s Word and is to be seen as a final authority to submit to for the Christian. The Bible has the authority, along with the Holy Spirit, to convict souls and reveal God’s holiness and our depraved need for God. Because the Bible contains God’s Word, we can trust that it has been designed for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).
The interplay of inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture
For the Bible to be sufficient for bringing men and women to salvation and to guide them in life, it is vital that Scripture be directly inspired by God. As God revealed Himself to authors, His superintendence moved the authors and as a result, gave us an inerrant and authoritative work.[1] Inspiration and inerrancy work together to ensure that the Bible is trustworthy, possesses divine authority, and is free from error.[2]
The illumination of the Holy Spirit makes apparent the convictions and truths of the Scripture and reveals them as the Word of God
The special revelation of the Holy Spirit reveals the truths and attributes of God as we read the Bible (1 Cor. 10:10-13). All people can know truth by simply reading Scripture word-for-word. As believers, we can know the truths of the Bible and how they apply to us today through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13). The Holy Spirit works to illuminate all parts, Old and New Testament Scripture, to the believer (Jn. 14:24-26). Scripture concerns issues of life and faith before God, and because counseling issues are matters of life and faith, the Bible is a sufficient resource to define and direct all counseling ministry.[3]
[1] Enns, Paul, The Moody Handbook of Theology, Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2008. 162.
[2] Young, Edward J., Thy Word Is Truth, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1957. 27.
[3] ACBC Standards of Doctrine, https://biblicalcounseling.com/certification/standards-of-doctrine/ accessed on Feb 14, 2018
