Inerrancy and the bible

[ChristisGod]

@justbyfaith

Question: "Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?"

Answer: To be inerrant is to be free from error. Only the original autographs (the original manuscripts written by the apostles, prophets, etc.) are under the divine promise of inspiration and inerrancy. The books of the Bible, as they were originally written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21), were 100 percent inerrant, accurate, authoritative, and true. There is no biblical promise that copies of the original manuscripts would be equally inerrant or free from errors. As the Bible has been copied thousands of times over thousands of years, some copyist errors have likely occurred.

It is important to remember that the biblical manuscripts we have today are in 99 percent agreement with one another. Yes, there are some minor differences, but the vast majority of the biblical text is identical from one manuscript to another. Most of the differences are in punctuation, word endings, minor grammatical issues, word order, etc.—issues easily explainable as scribal mistakes or changes in spelling rules. No important theological issue is thrown into doubt by any supposed error or contradiction. Biblical manuscripts from the fifteenth century agree completely with manuscripts from the third century. We can have absolute confidence that the Bible we have today is almost exactly identical to what the apostles and prophets wrote 2,000-plus years ago.

We should not be quick to say, “Oh, that is just a scribal error.” The Bible’s “errors” can be explained in a logical and believable manner. Discrepancies that cannot be explained—or are very difficult to explain—could very well have an answer that we simply do not know at this point. Just because we cannot find a solution does not mean that a solution doesn’t exist. Believing there to be a scribal error must be the absolute last resort in clearing up any supposed Bible “error.”

It is possible that minor errors have crept into our modern manuscripts and translations of the Bible. Copyists and translators are human beings, and they make mistakes. The fact that the Bible we have today is incredibly accurate is a testimony to its inspiration and preservation by God.

Can we still trust the Bible? Absolutely! Modern Bible translations are God’s Word. The Bible today is just as authoritative as it was in the first century AD. We can completely trust the Bible as being God’s message to us. Yes, the biblical promises of inspiration and inerrancy only apply directly to the original manuscripts. But that does not impact our modern Bible’s accuracy and authority. God’s Word endures forever, despite the occasional failings and mistakes of copyists and translators.got?

hope this helps !!!

 

[ChristisGod]

continued:

The doctrine of biblical inerrancy is an extremely important one because the truth does matter. This issue reflects on the character of God and is foundational to our understanding of everything the Bible teaches. Here are some reasons why we should absolutely believe in biblical inerrancy:

1. The Bible itself claims to be perfect. “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6). “The law of the Lord is perfect” (Psalm 19:7). “Every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5 KJV). These claims of purity and perfection are absolute statements. Note that it doesn’t say God’s Word is “mostly” pure or scripture is “nearly” perfect. The Bible argues for complete perfection, leaving no room for “partial perfection” theories.

2. The Bible stands or falls as a whole. If a major newspaper were routinely discovered to contain errors, it would be quickly discredited. It would make no difference to say, “All the errors are confined to page three.” For a paper to be reliable in any of its parts, it must be factual throughout. In the same way, if the Bible is inaccurate when it speaks of geology, why should its theology be trusted? It is either a trustworthy document, or it is not.

3. The Bible is a reflection of its Author. All books are. The Bible was written by God Himself as He worked through human authors in a process called “inspiration.” “All scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). See also 2 Peter 1:21 and Jeremiah 1:2.

We believe that the God who created the universe is capable of writing a book. And the God who is perfect is capable of writing a perfect book. The issue is not simply “Does the Bible have a mistake?” but “Can God make a mistake?” If the Bible contains factual errors, then God is not omniscient and is capable of making errors Himself. If the Bible contains misinformation, then God is not truthful but is instead a liar. If the Bible contains contradictions, then God is the author of confusion. In other words, if biblical inerrancy is not true, then God is not God.

4. The Bible judges us, not vice versa. “For the word of God...judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Notice the relationship between “the heart” and “the Word.” The Word examines; the heart is being examined. To discount parts of the Word for any reason is to reverse this process. We become the examiners, and the Word must submit to our “superior insight.” Yet God says, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?” (Romans 9:20).

5. The Bible’s message must be taken as a whole. It is not a mixture of doctrine that we are free to select from. Many people like the verses that say God loves them, but they dislike the verses that say God will judge sinners. But we simply cannot pick and choose what we like about the Bible and throw the rest away. If the Bible is wrong about hell, for example, then who is to say it is right about heaven—or about anything else? If the Bible cannot get the details right about creation, then maybe the details about salvation cannot be trusted either. If the story of Jonah is a myth, then perhaps so is the story of Jesus. On the contrary, God has said what He has said, and the Bible presents us a full picture of who God is. “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89).

6. The Bible is our only rule for faith and practice. If it is not reliable, then on what do we base our beliefs? Jesus asks for our trust, and that includes trust in what He says in His Word. John 6:67-69 is a beautiful passage. Jesus had just witnessed the departure of many who had claimed to follow Him. Then He turns to the twelve apostles and asks, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” At this, Peter speaks for the rest when he says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” May we have the same trust in the Lord and in His words of life.

None of what we have presented here should be taken as a rejection of true scholarship. Biblical inerrancy does not mean that we are to stop using our minds or accept what the Bible says blindly. We are commanded to study the Word (2 Timothy 2:15), and those who search it out are commended (Acts 17:11). Also, we recognize that there are difficult passages in the Bible, as well as sincere disagreements over interpretation. Our goal is to approach Scripture reverently and prayerfully, and when we find something we do not understand, we pray harder, study more, and—if the answer still eludes us—humbly acknowledge our own limitations in the face of the perfect Word of God.got?

hope this helps !!!

 

[justbyfaith]

[~QUOTE="justbyfaith, post: 877248, member: 7886"]Do you believe that the educated Greek and Hebrew scholar has an edge over the common believer in being able to get the unadulterated message of the word of God?

The common people heard Jesus gladly; but the educated scribes and Pharisees rejected Him.

Therefore it would be a mistake to rely on the educated Greek and Hebrew scholar to tell us what is the reality. Much prayer was divested into giving us a translation in the English language (the kjv) so that we would not have to rely on the educated Greek and Hebrew scholar.

God is both sovereign and Omnipotent and loving...therefore He is not going to fail to give to the common people a translation that gives forth His unadulterated message...and if there are any counterfeits, He wouldn't fail to have some of His people start a controversy concerning the veracity of His translation and it superiority over and above the watered-down translations; in order that people might gravitate towards the narrow path of receiving the message of the kjv which is given to every one who has English as a language; though narrow, it is in fact expediently given to all....

Whereas the meaning of the original languages is given only to the educated Greek and Hebrew scholar and to those who would have the cult-like mentality of accepting their word as authoritative concerning the meaning of the original languages.[/QUOTE]

[~QUOTE="justbyfaith, post: 877254, member: 7886"]Already did but you didn't see the edit...I'll repeat it here.

In your translation of John 5:24 it says that those who believe shall not come into judgment.

This is obviously false if you take Romans 14:10-12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10 into account. For these verses teach that even believers will be judged. I may add 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

However, it is no contradiction if those who believe will, instead, not come into condemnation.[/QUOTE]

 

[justbyfaith]

[~QUOTE="Christophany, post: 877251, member: 9047"]Do you think the average joe can translate Hebrew and Greek into English ?

Can you ?

How do you know what is or is not a good translation ?

How would you decide on a given verse if the KJV, NASB, ESV or NIV is more accurate ?[/QUOTE]

[~QUOTE="justbyfaith, post: 877255, member: 7886"]I simply believe that we can decide on this very easily because we are not unaware of the devil's schemes.

If I were the devil, I would change or take away from scripture (in my translations) the things that damage me the most.

I find that the kjv is the standard that keeps in the things that the Holy Spirit wants to minister to His people; and that other translations take out not just words, but phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and even entire passages from the Bible.

Personally, I don't want to be cheated out of something that the Holy Spirit might want to say to me (my eternal destiny may depend on that word or phrase that is removed out of some translations).[/QUOTE]

 

[Jay Ross]

Question: "Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?"

The simple answer is "Yes." There are too many contextual errors in the translations, often based on the traditions, even of the Jews.

Shalom

 

[Jane_Doe22]

Honestly, I find the "inerrancy" question to not be that productive.

Ultimately, the end goal of Christian study is toe have a perfect understanding of things. Obviously that's not going to happen your first read through of scripture, or your second, or your seventh -- it's a lifetime+ endeavor. And when questions come up: ask God to aid your understanding. Knock and you shall receive. He is inerrant, He is perfect.

 

[justbyfaith]

Personally, I believe that the kjv is inerrant and inspired...

That God, in His sovereignty, Omnipotence, and love, preserved His unadulterated message in this translation.

I may not understand why He allowed the devil to have his own translations; but I am content to understand that the fact that there is a controversy surrounding the idea of "kjv-only" (while I myself hold to the position of "kjv-superior") means that we ought to at least consider both sides of the controversy.

Having examined both sides, I have taken a middle view....that other translations may indeed have insight into the meaning of the original text; but that, when there is a dispute, the kjv is superior to all other texts and we ought to therefore abide by what it says in the kjv.

Because we ought not to need to have an understanding of languages long departed from the earth in order to be able to ascertain God's unadulterated message to us.

The educated scribes and Pharisees rejected Jesus while the common people heard Him gladly.

This ought to tell us that the educated Greek and Hebrew scholars will very likely have the heart of the gospel message be skewed in their minds; while those who simply read their Bibles on a daily basis, in the kjv of the Bible, will have a living relationship with Christ that is real and developed over time.

It is better to read the kjv with the unction of the Holy Spirit as a factor than to read straight out of the Greek and Hebrew text as one who understands both languages well, without that unction as a factor.

 

[Randy Kluth]

@justbyfaith

Question: "Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?"

Answer: To be inerrant is to be free from error. Only the original autographs (the original manuscripts written by the apostles, prophets, etc.) are under the divine promise of inspiration and inerrancy.

It's a dangerous subject but I'll go there. Nobody, including the biblical authors, were perfect. That being said, I do believe they were chosen by God to convey the revelation of God, in the form of truth, so that we can rely upon that truth.

I can never say that the various versions of the Scriptures were in agreement with one another. There's a lot of differences between the different OT versions and the NT versions of the Bible. There were many scribal errors, and even additions that didn't belong.

That being said, none of these problems, human error in the authors or failed scribes, were able to remove the basic blueprint of the truth of divine revelation. It remains reliably true.

I wouldn't waste my time trying to defend a particular version of the Bible. They all succeed in conveying the most important histories and doctrines. We should spend most of our time trying to preserve the *meaning* of what's already clear in the Bible, because that's where the war is being fought.

 

[Enoch111]

There is no biblical promise that copies of the original manuscripts would be equally inerrant or free from errors.

This is INCORRECT. Please note carefully:

1 PETER 1: THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOREVER
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.

15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth...For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
(Ps 103:15; 119:89)

The doctrine of the preservation of the Scriptures has been generally neglected. But it has also been seriously attacked by modern scholars. So now many Christians believe that while the original manuscripts were inerrant (but they no longer exist) there are errors and omissions in the Bible. This is completely FALSE.

Through scribes and monks over a period of almost 3,000 years, God ensured that His written Word would be faithfully copied and reproduced until the advent of printing. And the proof of that is that while there are thousands of Greek manuscripts dating from the 2nd to the 14th century, the majority of them are in complete agreement. The same applies to the hundreds of Hebrew manuscripts. Thus when the Reformers decided to have printed texts of the Hebrew and Greek, they all agreed that there was a traditional or "received" text of the Holy Bible. It is possible that a handful of scribal errors crept in, but that would be the exception, not the rule. But again, through proper collation, that issue can be resolved.

 

[justbyfaith]

Here is only one example of discrepancies between versions:

Phl 1:9 (kjv), And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

Phl 1:9, (nlt), I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

Here, the issue of judgment and its connection to love in the holy scriptures is compromised.

Here is another:

Eph 5:9, (nlt), For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Eph 5:9, (kjv), (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; )

Here, in the latter rendering, it is a safeguard against blasphemy against the Ghost if you believe what is written there. In the nlt, the devil took out the understanding that it is speaking of the Spirit and said that it is instead only light. If you only read the nlt, there is not that same safeguard against blaspheming the Spirit in your doctrine.

You say, well, the Spirit is light....true, but you would have to read both translations to be able to come to that conclusion.