Journal: Conservative Theological Journal
Volume: CTJ 04:12 (Aug 2000)
Article: Inerrancy & The Pauline Epistles
Author: Mal Couch

CTJ 4:12 (August 2000) p. 148

Inerrancy & The Pauline Epistles

Mal Couch

President and Professor of Theology & Languages
Tyndale Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX

Though the process was often painful and argumentative, the early church groped forward to discover for certain the books of the New Testament that would be considered canonical. By canonical, in the broad sense, the various bishops and church leaders considered only the books that clearly stood the test of apostleship, and showed all the signs of inspiration by the Holy Spirit. The idea of inerrancy was not so much discussed separately. They considered inspiration, truthfulness and accuracy, all in the same context. Indeed, the apostle Paul wrote thirteen letters that were providentially kept for the guiding of the future church. Though he may have written other documents, these we have were preserved for our spiritual benefit by the divine superintendence of the Spirit of God. By what Paul says within these letters, and by the external confirmation of the church, there is no doubt that they constitute the very Word of God!

This is a continuation of a series on the inerrancy of Scripture. So far we’ve looked at the inerrancy of (1) the books of Moses, (2) the historic Old Testament books, (3) the poetry books, (4) the minor prophets, and (5) the Gospels and Acts. In future articles we’ll deal with inerrancy and (1) the general epistles, (2) the book of Hebrews, and (3) the book of Revelation.

Review of the Doctrine of Inerrancy

The doctrine of inerrancy is actually an extension of the doctrine of inspiration. If the Holy Spirit has inspired the writers of Scripture and superintended their message, then it stands to reason that the message is without error. The written revelation reflects the thoughts of a holy God who would speak to us only what is true.

Inerrancy extends only to the original autographs of the prophets and apostles. It does not cover the transmission and copying of the text. The following describes both inspiration and inerrancy:

Inspiration may be defined as the inward work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of chosen men who then wrote the Scriptures so that God got written what He wanted. The Bible in all of its parts is free from all error in its original autographs. It is wholly

CTJ 4:12 (August 2000) p. 149

trustworthy in matters of history and doctrine. However limited may have been their knowledge, and however much they may have erred when they were not writing sacred Scripture, the authors of Scripture, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, were preserved from making factual, historical, scientific, or otherwise errors.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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