FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Have you ever questioned why you should trust the Bible? How do you explain if the Bible is really true? What makes it special and apart from any other book? As Christians, we believe the Bible has all the answers and wisdom we need to live a godly life, and so we should trust in it as our ultimate authority on Earth. But being a Christian is not a matter of following rules or just accepting what is taught from the pulpit of our Churches. So how can we personally explain to others and justify the Bible as our authority? There are three important characteristics about the Bible that distinguishes it from any other book ever written: the inspiration, the inerrancy, and the authority of the Bible.

The inspiration of the Bible means that all scripture was inspired by God. That means that the Bible was not written by human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit wrote every single word of it (2 Peter 1:20-21). That is the reason why all scripture, with no exception, is always right, always profitable (2 Tm 3:16), and unlike any other book we read, is alive (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is not only words on a page, but it has real and active effects on everyone who hears it. It has the power to touch our soul, our spirit and our heart.

The inerrancy of the Bible is the infallibility of the Bible. Because the Bible is inspired by God, and God is perfect (Numbers 23:19), His words are also perfect and infallible. Everything that is written in the Bible is true, whether past or future (Mark 13:31). There is not one mistake or inconsistency because everything God says is true (Numbers 23:19) and the Bible is the word of God. Although sometimes it may seem difficult to understand some parts of the Bible, it still does not deny the inerrancy of it. The Bible is infallible, we are not. That is the reason why we might struggle to understand some complex truths from Scripture that do not make sense in our human reasoning. But God promised us the Holy Spirit that dwells in us and helps us with our correct understanding (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). The inerrancy of the Bible also affirms us that even with the different translations and versions we have nowadays, the original message and concepts do not change. The original documents of the scripture (the autographs) were inspired by God and protected from any errors, regardless of the circumstances (Jn 10:35).

The authority of the Bible means that the Bible, which is the living word of God, flawless and perfect (Psalm 19:7), is our supreme authority. The Bible dictates what we believe, why we believe, and how we should behave as “doers of the word” (James 1:22). Jesus Himself said that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given” to Him (Matthew 28:18). The Bible is our authority here on Earth because it is the living word of God and it is the way God speaks to us now. The Bible is literally God’s breath, inspired by God ‘theopneustos‘ (2 Tim. 3:16). God gave us His word with everything we need to be “complete and equipped for every good work”( 2 Timothy 3:17).

These three characteristics of the Bible: inspiration, inerrancy, and authority, stand together and each one depends on the other. We could not believe in the inspiration of the Bible if we believed it was not flawless. We would be contradicting ourselves if we say that the Bible was inspired by God who is perfect (Matthew 5:48) and makes no mistakes and yet His word has mistakes. We also could not believe in the authority of the Bible if we believed it was not inspired by God. The Bible would be an ordinary book if it wasn’t inspired by God and it would not be in authority since God is our only spiritual authority. As Christians, we believe in the Bible because it is the undeceivable, living word of God and our ultimate authority on Earth. Amen!

Ana Luiza Lupinetti is passionate about helping and serving people. As a pastor’s daughter and a pastor’s wife, she loves using her gifts and talents to help ministries succeed.