GOD'S WORD WITHOUT ERROR

The Accuracy of the Message

We were born with corrupt minds. God gave us his Word to change the way we think and live - to purify both thoughts and actions. Our attitude must be one of submitting to the Word of God.

When we go to the Word, we must go with the proper attitude. There are some people, however, who claim that the Word contains error, and that we must decide what is true and what is not. The methods they choose, for deciding between the truth and the so-called "errors" may vary: Some may leave it to the individual, while others may claim that some organization (such as an institutionalized "church" hierarchy) should decide for us. Either way, the result is that people who have corrupt minds (Psalm 14:3), act as though they are capable of discovering error in the words of the truthful God. This is backwards! It is we who are to be judged by the Word, not the Word to be judged by us!

A person should expect to find things in the Word which don't fit his perspective. After all, doesn't the Word say that the human perspective is, by nature, corrupt? If we change the Word to fit our views (rather than changing our views to fit the Word), all we have accomplished is to bring the Word down to our level of corruption.

Scripture tells us that every word from God is true. It is objectively true from beginning to end - in contrast to subjective opinion that characterizes human writings - and worthy of acceptance. From cover to cover, every word presupposes this fact. Nothing even hints at the idea that people can decide whether or not to call it factual. The commands (each understood within its context) are given as authoritative and demanding obedience. The facts are given as authoritative and demanding acceptance. The idea that God's Word could contain error is as unthinkable (as a legitimate option) as the idea that God himself could be in error. It is nothing more than a human invention - an evil human invention.

In addition to the fact that every verse presupposes its authoritative nature, there are also specific passages that give us some illumination as to how this was accomplished. After all, God used imperfect men to write down his words. But the Holy Spirit "carried" (moved or directed) them (2 Peter 1:21), so that the final product could be called "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). Although God used the grammar and style of the people who wrote down his words, the Spirit guaranteed that the final result would not be the prophet's own words (2 Peter 1:20-21). And so, the Word is "living and active," capable of judging us to the very depths of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12-13), and of teaching us how to live (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Dennis Hinks © 2005