II. Inspiration of the Bible (continued)
D. Implications of Inspiration: Inerrancy and Authority
1. Inerrancy of the Bible
a. Definition of Inerrancy
Inerrancy is the term used to describe the Bible’s flawless and perfectly accurate truth in all its parts and words. Inerrancy is directly related to inspiration as no human, and certainly no group of people, could produce such a work without error and inconsistency. Inerrancy / inspiration are the most critical doctrines of the Christian faith as all others depend upon the Bible and its accuracy. God testifies about the inerrancy of the Scriptures within the Word itself (Numbers 23:19; Deuteronomy 4:2; Psalm 12:6; 18:30; 119:89, 160; Proverbs 30:5-6; Hebrews 4:12-13; James 1:18-25; Rev 22:18-19).
b. Historicity of the Bible
Historicity considers the accuracy of Biblical accounts of past events and is critical for inspiration and inerrancy. Any historical examination, as well as common sense, dictates that the historical accuracy of the Bible does not require an exhaustive account of all events, nor do parallel accounts of an event (such as the Gospels) need to be identical in detail. Jesus testifies concerning the Biblical account of Jonah and the fish (Matt 12:40), the creation of Adam & Eve (Matt 19:4), Noah (Matt 24:37-38), the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (Luke 17:29, 32), and others. Archeology testifies to the existence of the Hittites (Genesis 15:20), Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1), Quirinius (Luke 2:2), and Paulus (Acts 13:7).
2. Authority of the Bible
The authority of the Bible refers to its power and right to instruct mankind about God, how to have a relationship with Him, and the consequences of rejecting God. The Bible has this power and right because it is His inspired Word; its authority comes from God (Isaiah 66:2, 5; 2 Tim 3:16-4:2; Titus 2:15). The fact that it is God’s Word to mankind gives it authority (Zechariah 7:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:37). Christians are therefore responsible for obeying and living in accordance with the Bible.
III. The Preservation of the Bible
A. Canonicity
1. Definition of Canon and Canonicity
The Canon is the collection of God’s inspired and authoritative writings - the Bible.
2. Primary Principles in the Development of the OT Canon
The four principles governing OT canonization are as follows: the writing had divine authority, it was prophetic, it was authentic (it agrees with previous revelation), it was accepted by God’s people. Moses was one of the most significant writers of Scripture because he was the first chosen writer of God; he wrote the Pentateuch, and the qualifications for future prophets came through him (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20-22).
3. Primary Principles in the Development of the NT Canon
The three principles governing NT canonization are as follows: the writing must have apostolic authority (the authority of Jesus thru the Apostles), it was authentic (it agrees with previous revelation), and it is accepted by the Church. Jesus gave authority to the apostles to present truth given to them by God (John 16:12; 14:26; 16:13-15).
B. Transmission of the Text and Translations
1. Textual Transmission
This describes how the biblical content got from God to us today. Based upon Jesus’ promises in John 14:16 and 16:13-15, there is no reason that oral tradition (passing along biblical contents orally) plays any role in the transmission of Scripture. The Holy Spirit led every Biblical writer in the recording of Scripture leaving no need for external sources. God also insured the ongoing availability and reliability of His Word. The OT manuscripts (MSS) were carefully copied and verified by the Jewish priesthood. MSS from AD 1000 and the DSS scrolls from BC 100 show only a few minor variations which prove the accuracy of these texts over long periods. The NT texts were not copied under such scrutiny. However, the NT is the best-attested ancient document with between 4000 and 5000 mss. Although we have no autographs (original writings), the volume of texts available leads to great assurance that our copies are essentially identical. Of the variants that do exist, only about 50 have significance; all of the teachings affected can be compared to similar teachings in other passages. Textual variants are not significant in the existing MSS.
2. Transmission of the NT
Let me say a few words concerning the majority and critical Greek texts of the NT. The majority text comes from the “majority of manuscripts” currently available. Thus, most of the 4000 – 5000 mss fall into this category. There are others of the 4000 – 5000 mss that have variations. Those with variations have been placed into other groups where each group has similar variations. The text that the KJV and NKJV are based on have only minor variations from the Majority text. The critical text, which is were the NIV, RSV, ESV, NASB and others come from, are based upon careful study and combination of these major groups. In other words, they tried to figure out which set of mss were original by comparing all of them and using certain criteria as a basis. Examples of that criteria include that an older text is most likely more dependable, also that shorter texts are probably better since a copyist would tend to add content for clarification rather than eliminate content. Personally, I lean toward the majority, which is why I am preaching from the NKJV. That said, I will also say that better men than I have studied this issue for years, some support majority and some critical texts. It is obvious that God is using Bibles based on both the majority and critical texts for the advancement of His Kingdom.
3. Translations
a. Translation Models
Concerning translation, there are two primary approaches: functional and formal. Formal translators attempt to remain grammatically and lexically as close to the original Greek as possible. Functional translators attempt to most accurately capture the meaning of the text leaving grammatical concerns to English. Both methods have difficulties. I would point out that no modern translation is completely formal, below is an example of why:
Matthew 1:18 (“literal” [word for word] translation from Greek to English)
Of the but Jesus Christ the birth thus it was being betrothed of the mother of him Mary to the Joseph before or to come together them she was found in belly having from Spirit Holy.
Matthew 1:18 (formal translation – NKJV)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18 (functional translation – NIV)
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
b. Another group of Bibles are actually not translations but paraphrases. A paraphrase is a summary of what the actual text says, it is not a translation from the original language. For example, the Living Bible is a paraphrase of the King James translation. The Message is another example of a paraphrase. These can be helpful, but should be limited to use as a reference tool, not a daily reader.
Pastor Mark's question for the week:
Does having so many different English translations make you feel uncertain about what the Bible "really" says?
