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The 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament commonly received by the Protestant churches, the authority of which has always been recognized in the church, comprise the Holy Scriptures; collectively called "The Holy Bible." These Scriptures, solely and entirely, are the Word of God written; and are not to be confused with Jesus Christ, the Word of God Incarnate, who alone is known by the magnificent name "Emmanuel," which means "God with us." The Person and teachings of Jesus Christ are the principal subject of the Holy Scriptures.
The Holy Bible was inspired by God to be the supreme rule of faith and life for all people until the bodily return of Jesus Christ. Each Holy Writing carries authority, and is recognized as canonical, because it was authored by Divine inspiration. The Divine inspiration of Scripture extends equally to all parts of the Holy Bible and thus to all of the words of the Holy Writings; because it is only through these words that human language is able to convey the teachings of the Scriptures.
No one may understand the teachings of Scripture without the aid of the Holy Spirit; which aid comes through reverent scholars and expositors of the Scriptures, past and contemporary, as well as by direct illumination. It is equally true that the understanding given by the Spirit is to the truths revealed by the words of Scripture, not to some insight apart from those words.
A Holy Writing may be judged to be canonical only if it has been recognized as authoritative since the time of the Twelve Apostles. Therefore, the canon is closed. The Holy Scriptures contain all truth necessary for salvation and holiness, so that whatever is not read from them and cannot be proved from them is not to be required as an article of faith or as necessary to salvation.
Submission to the full authority and teachings of Scripture is submission to the God who inspired them and to His Christ. This submission leads to a humble study of the Holy Bible, resulting in the greatest growth in faith and holiness and the most effective service of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A recognition of the inerrancy of Scripture, properly understood, leads to this attitude of submission. Belief in the inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures is the belief that if the teachings of Scripture, residing in Scripture by the design of God and adequately transmitted by the language of Scripture, are accurately understood, they will be found to be without error.
Acknowledgment: This statement owes much to prior statements of faith made by Christian churches and organizations. Among them are the Twenty-five Articles of the Methodist Church which were based upon the 39 Articles of Religion of the Church of England, the Articles of Religion of the Free Methodist Church of North America, the Cambridge Declaration of the Association of Confessing Evangelicals, the Belgic (or Netherlands) Confession of Faith, A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod, and the statements of the Evangelical Theological Society and Wesley Biblical Seminary concerning Scripture, the latter three of which are reprinted in the Appendix to this discussion.
The Christian community, following the teachings and example of Jesus and His chosen apostles, has always looked to Holy Scriptures as the best source of instruction about spiritual things. Therefore, it is the proper source for a Christian understanding of the nature of the Scriptures as well as for other Christian teachings. For the Christian community, the Bible is fully unique, and must be handled differently from all other books. The church does not give authority to the writings of the Bible, it recognizes the authority they have because they were inspired by God.
God brought about the Scriptures by inspiring human authors to use human language to create Holy Writings. Although human language has limitations, God knew that He could use it to teach what He wanted people to know. In other words, the Scriptures are fully sufficient to accomplish all that God has planned to do through them.
The Bible has unique authority because God brought it into being, and because its sacred purpose is to bring the knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Scriptures do not take the place of Jesus Christ, who showed us God in the most complete manner human beings can understand. However, the Scriptures are an important part of God's plan, pointing to Jesus, witnessing to His life and ministry, and bringing His teachings to those preparing for His bodily return. The Scriptures are not magical in nature. They are not to be used in the same manner as incantations. They benefit the student of Scripture only when their teachings are accurately understood and appropriately applied.
God brought the Scriptures into being in many different ways. Sometimes He dictated what others were to write, most of the time He did not. The means are not as important as what was created. This inspiration must involve all of the words of Scripture because words are the means whereby language conveys the truths God placed in Scripture for us to find. The Scriptures are the only rule of faith given to the entire church throughout the age before the bodily return of Jesus Christ. The teachings of Scripture are to be used to measure all Christian teachings. The Holy Spirit will never contradict Scripture. Traditions may serve as a guide to the interpretation of Scripture. No tradition is to be retained that does not flow from or is not consistent with the teachings of Scripture.
The Holy Scriptures have been transmitted to us through copies. These copies were made over many hundreds of years. We believe that God allowed the original writings to pass away so that people would not worship them as relics. This places emphasis upon the teachings rather than the documents. Because our copies are not completely perfect, only the original writings are held to be completely "inerrant." However, we can still determine with a high level of accuracy what the original writings said. This is because a large number of copies survive, and a number of them come from the earliest times.
The Scriptures cannot be correctly understood without the help of the Holy Spirit. To receive this help, we must read the Scriptures regularly, have honest motives, and be open to God teaching us through other Christians. We should use clearer portions of Scripture to help us understand parts that are less clear. We should also be open to the spiritual insights of Christian teachers who lived before us. The Holy Spirit will not compensate for careless handling of the Scriptures. Portions of Scripture taken out of context may seem to support teachings God never intended. Therefore, we must understand each Scripture as it was originally written before applying it to our own lives.
What many call "error" today has not traditionally been called "error" in the Christian community. These difficulties were not hidden to earlier Christians. They flow from the human limitations that are a part of human language and activity. We say that the teachings of the Scriptures are "inerrant" (without error) and "infallible" (fully trustworthy) only when the teachings God has placed there are correctly understood. Otherwise, we make God responsible for our sloppiness and mistakes.
The Christian community is unique in its attitude toward Holy Scripture. Our attitude towards Scripture reveals our attitude towards God, his purposes, and His Christ. A high view of Scripture, as represented by belief in its inerrancy, helps Christians grow in faith and holiness, and in a sound understanding of Christian teachings. This, in turn, enables Christians to be more useful servants of Jesus Christ. Christians hear the voice of God in the Scriptures because they understand that they are a gift from the God who would never lead them astray.
The American Night Watch is a trademark of the Christian ministry of Sterling M. Durgy.
Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968,1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as the copyright is included, this statement is included, and the article is not sold to the recipients.
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This page was last updated October 22, 1999.