#inerrant

Fundamentalists must start outside Scripture to authenticate it. That is, they begin with a definition of truth that they then apply to the biblical text. If the Bible lives up to their definition of truth, it is true; if not, it is false. Now, their definition of truth is apophatic; that is, it is a definition from negation. In order to be true the Bible must not have two things: it must not contain errors and it must not contain falsehoods; that is, it must be in-errant and in-fallible, where the Latin prefix “in” means “not.” Of course, any such definition always results in setting a standard that is humanly impossible to meet, so immediately the fundamentalist builds on some obvious caveats: individual copies of the Bible contain scribal errors; there can always be errors in transmission and interpretation. However, when it comes to questions of content, the Bible contains neither errors nor falsehoods, where the measure for both errors and falsehoods arises from human definitions brought in to judge Scripture.

Scripture needs no updating, editing, or refining. Whatever time or culture you live in, it is eternally relevant. It needs no help in that regard. It is pure, sinless, inerrant truth. It is enduring. It is God's revelation for every generation.

We are to believe and follow Christ in all things, including his words about Scripture. And this means that Scripture is to be for us what it was to him: the unique, authoritative, and inerrant Word of God, and not merely a human testimony to Christ, however carefully guided and preserved by God. If the Bible is less than this to us, we are not fully Christ's disciples.

We are to believe and follow Christ in all things, including his words about Scripture. And this means that Scripture is to be for us what it was to him: the unique, authoritative, and inerrant Word of God, and not merely a human testimony to Christ, however carefully guided and preserved by God. If the Bible is less than this to us, we are not fully Christ's disciples.

We are to believe and follow Christ in all things, including His words about Scripture. And this means that Scripture is to be for us what it was to Him: the unique, authoritative, and inerrant Word of God.