Do you believe God exists? What has formed your view of who He is? How does that inform who you are? Where do you turn for Truth? The answers to all of those questions are ultimately shaped by doctrine, the scriptural foundation and basis for why the Church and those within it believe what they believe. Doctrine matters. The very basis for all Church doctrine lies with its view of the Bible.
Doctrine matters because it defines what we believe about God. Those beliefs shape every aspect of our lives—our behavior, our decisions, and our worldviews. Without a clear understanding of our beliefs, we cannot be sure we are truly worshiping the Creator of the universe and not simply an idea of Him which we like best.
Naturally, the first doctrine we must know and understand is the Doctrine of the Word, the Bible. This is upon which we base everything we know about God.
How do we know God? He has made Himself known through His creation (Romans 1:20-21), His Son (John 1:1-3) and His Word (Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:103; Matthew 4:4).
The common denominator amongst mature Christ-followers with unshakable faith is this; they love the Word of God and nourish their souls with the Word of Scripture.
Why should we consume, trust and obey God’s Word? We should do these things because God’s Word is inspired, inerrant, and instructive
God’s Word is Inspired
“Inspiration” of Scripture refers to the process by which the Holy Spirit used human authors to pen the books of the Bible to communicate exactly what God intended to communicate. Inspiration is the very aspect Paul is referring to when he says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that Scripture is “God-breathed.” It can be said that the Bible was written by “divine inspiration,” while still making room for the fingerprints of human personality throughout the writing.
Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament was the Word of God. But what about the New Testament? The inspiration of God’s Word has been affirmed over centuries, beginning with the early church recognizing which writings were truly inspired by God, taking into account the following:
- Apostolic authority: Was it written by an apostle, someone who had been chosen by Christ? Christ gave apostles authority to teach and carry forward the message of the gospel.
- Eyewitness credibility: Was the author giving an eyewitness account?
- Doctrinal consistency: Does the book line up with the doctrines of the rest of the books?
- Widespread acceptance: Was the church as a whole accepting of this book?
Because the Bible is inspired, it carries authority over and above every other voice, culture, law, institution or personal opinion. God protects His Word, which then leads to the second reason you consume and you obey, and you trust it—because it’s inerrant.
God’s Word is Inerrant
What does that mean when we say it’s inerrant? “Inerrancy” effectively means that the words in the Bible are true and without error. Another word to describe inerrancy would be “infallible.” If the Bible is, in fact, divinely inspired, that means it has come directly from God Himself. Knowing that it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18), we must acknowledge that anything produced by God is truthful. Therefore, the Bible is, indeed, inerrant or free from errors. Unlike any other piece of historical literature, the Bible is true and trustworthy.
“The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts never affirms anything that is contrary to fact.”
—Wayne Grudem
The Word of God can be inerrant and still speak in ordinary language. The Bible says the sun rises because every human understands exactly what that means, despite its seeming contradiction of scientific fact that the Earth actually turns and revolves around the sun. The Bible can use loose quotations or paraphrases. The authors never intended to get it word for word. They didn’t have to in the grammatical style of their world. The Bible also can use strange grammar. There are times when it’s hard to understand, but that doesn’t mean that the message is not accurate.
That’s a beautiful picture of how God understands and communicates with His creation. If His Word is inspired and it is inerrant, you need to consume, trust and obey it, because it’s also instructive.
God’s Word is Instructive
The Bible was not intended for you to just memorize so you can win a trivia game. The Bible is intended to teach you. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Notice the four words for which God’s Word is profitable: for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. What’s the goal of these? That the man or woman of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. God’s Word is a firm foundation upon which to build your life.
God has works He plans for you to carry out with your life. The first plan is for you to get saved, to come to Christ. And then, once you come to Christ, your life is to be lived for the glory and the honor of God. Your life has purpose. How do you know what to do when you go out and try to live for the Lord? You don’t just go with your gut. You don’t just hope there will be some divine revelation. You consume Scripture and obey accordingly. That means taking Scripture—ALL Scripture—and using it according to the following blueprint:
- For teaching: God’s Word shows you what is true and how to live (e.g., believe and do this).
- For reproof: Scripture confronts what is wrong (e.g., avoid this or stop this).
- For correction: The Bible puts you back on the right path after you confront what is wrong (e.g., let me show you again how to do this).
- For training in righteousness: Consuming God’s Word builds consistent godly habits (e.g., keep trusting and keep doing).
This is why James 1:22 implores us to not just be hearers, but doers, of the Word.
What does this mean for your daily life?
If you commit to a high view of Scripture, acknowledging that the Bible is truly inspired, inerrant and instructive, this should affect your daily life. You must spend time in God’s Word in order to allow God to change you. Seek the Lord’s presence and ask Him to teach you, reprove you, correct you, and train you in righteousness.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
—Colossians 3:16
