Inerrancy In The Old Testament Historical Books -- By: Paul Benware

Journal: Conservative Theological Journal
Volume: CTJ 02:6 (Sep 1998)
Article: Inerrancy In The Old Testament Historical Books
Author: Paul Benware


Inerrancy In The Old Testament Historical Books

Paul Benware

Author & Theologian
Highland, IN

Introduction

Does it really make a difference if the Scriptures are totally free from error? Not really, unless of course one has concerns about living well in this life, inheriting eternal life, and coming to know absolute truth. And since the Scriptures do claim that they are inspired of God (2 Tim. 3:16) and that in them can be found everything needed for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3), then it becomes rather important to determine if they are in perfect accord with truth and free from all error. If the Scriptures do not possess that quality of freedom from mistakes and errors, then we find ourselves in the terrifying and confusing situation of groping in the darkness of uncertainty. We cannot escape the question “when can I trust the Bible and when should I not trust it?” And we cannot escape the fact that there really is no good answer to such a question.

Furthermore, if the Scriptures are not inspired and inerrant then we face problems with the character of God Himself, the Divine author of the Scriptures. God is true and the Scriptures were “breathed out” from Him (2 Tim. 3:16). Since the Scriptures come from Him, this would properly lead us to the conclusion that the Scriptures are exempt from any and all error and that they are absolutely true. If there are errors in the Scriptures this can only lead to the conclusion that God is limited in His knowledge or power or both and, therefore, can make mistakes. Such a conclusion would send spiritual shock waves throughout the universe.

Some have suggested that error can exist in non-spiritual matters such as chronology, geography, and history without affecting the trustworthiness of Scripture. The idea is that the Scriptures can be looked to with confidence on moral and spiritual issues even if they are not always correct on historical matters. So, for example, even if there are a few historical errors in the Book of Joshua, we can still glean important spiritual truths from that book and discover significant facts about God. But that kind of distinction is contrary to

the claims of Scripture as well as the way in which much of the Bible was written. Time after time the Bible gives its great doctrinal and spiritual truths in specific historical settings, interwoven with chronology and geography. If it cannot be trusted on factual matters, such as history, then we are probably very foolish to bet our eternal lives on the hope that it is accurat...

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