By faith I believe in the inerrancy, infallibility, and plenary inspiration of the New and Old Testament scriptures.
“The words of the LORD are pure words” — Psa 12:6
“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” — Psa 119:89
“Thy word is true from the beginning” — Psa 119:160
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” — Mat 5:18
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall never pass away” — Mat 24:35
“The Scriptures must be fulfilled” — Mk 14:49
“And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” — Lk 16:17
“All things must be fulfilled which were written…” — Lk 24:44
“The Scriptures cannot be broken” — Jn 10:35
“Thy Word is truth” — Jn 17:17
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God” — 2Tim 3:16
September 7th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I believe the Bible and am a Christian (I have faith), but I’ve never agreed with the strategy to support a book by quoting the book itself. Incidentally, I’ve struggled to answer the question, and I’ll use your adjectives: “what makes the Bible’s inspiration unquestionably the Word of God, inerrant, infallible, and plenary?” For someone like me, much less an atheist, don’t quote scripture. It’s like a scholar writing a paper and using the majority of his citations from his own previous papers.
To be perfectly clear: I am saved from sin, and I live a sin-free life, by God’s grace. I just struggle to answer the question I posed. Read on, perhaps I sufficiently answer my own question as any Christian would.
Is the simple answer “you simply must have a faith-based experience to accept the thesis of the above article”? I guess that could suffice; you can’t refute a faith-based experience until you experience it, in all sincerity, for yourself. It would, however, be fantastic to support our faith in the inerrancy, infallibility, and plenary inspiration of the New and Old Testament scriptures with conclusive evidence, namely evidence beyond the scriptures themselves. I’m sure this has been done to a degree: can any point me in a positive direction toward my concerns, so I can “study to shew myself approved” and be a greater influence on agnostics?
September 7th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Hi Foster,
I hold the teachings of Jesus the Prophet to be the highest ethically teachings of any prophet or religious leader. While I accept the inerrant, infallible, and plenary inspiration of the Bible by faith others base their position on fulfilled prophecies. You should look Google up “christian apologetic books” and that will be good place for you to start.
Thanks!
Bob.
October 31st, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Greetings!!
The Bible unlike other books IS God’s Word. It does not require outside sources to authenticate it. Outside facts brought before one’s intellect will do very little to bring one to faith.
“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:8-10
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
The Bible is self authenticating because it is authoritative, therefore it IS inerrant, infallible…etc. Why? Because it is God’s Book! Foster I think your statement about a faith based experience is correct.
“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Hebrews 11:3
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8
By faith we understand that the world was made by God. God saves us through the faith He gives us. The whole life of a Christian is by grace through faith.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 ~*~For since, in the wisdom of God, the world ~~did not know God through~~ wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.~*~ 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
It is through the proclaimation of the Word of God that people are saved and faith is strengthened!
I hope this helps.
Blessings
Stumblin’ Thru