A friend of ours forwarded an article that was written by Rev. Adam Hamilton, the Senior Pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in America who is also currently a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Kansas. The article had to do with the inerrancy of Scripture and it appears that Rev. Hamilton believes that there are many mistakes, hundreds of them, in fact, in the Bible.
He has written a number of books, more than 30, and has some views that may pass initial scrutiny. But to the informed Christ follower, there are many positions that I would classify as misleading, if not downright false.
For example, he views the Bible as inspired by God and written by human authors who were shaped by historical and cultural contexts, rather than dictated *word for word” from God. He also believes that there are human errors, and takes the position that there are historical, scientific or minor factual discrepancies (such as different details of the Gospel accounts). He argues, though, that these differences do not destroy the overall trustworthiness or central message of the Bible. Another position he takes is that Christ is the ultimate inerrant “Word of God” rather than viewing the Bible itself as inerrant or reflecting God’s ultimate will as revealed through His Son.
While these positions, to many people, don’t represent a vast departure from the idea of true inerrancy of Scripture and there is a shred of truth in some of the reverend’s comments, they fall far short from being on solid ground.
In seminary, the study of theology was required every semester we were in school – systematic theology, character theology, biblical theology and a number of other ways to dissect and understand the Bible. People tend to use many different ways of thought to justify their position on the Scripture. In fact, I think it is safe to say that many of us “bend” the Bible to help us justify positions we may hold on any number of topics. The problem with this line of thought is that parsing the Bible into small individually read segments can lose the intended overall unity and flow of the Bible.
For example, what makes Satan is so insidious that he occasionally speaks a work of partial truth that, taken at face value, seems to be correct. But it is misleading and, ultimately, wrong. In the book of Genesis, When Eve is tempted with the fruit, the serpent says, in Genesis 3:4, “You will not surely die…” While it is true that Adam and Eve didn’t drop over dead from heart attacks, God initiated the process of dying over a period of time. This was done so that eventually God would have a way to be reunited with Adam and Eve in the future – after the death and resurrection of His Son as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. In other words, even though they had sinned, God had a plan for them to be able to return into the presence of God – rather than eternal separation from God, sometimes called the “second death”.
Believers are born twice (physical birth and spiritual rebirth through a profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. And while they suffer a physical death, they will never suffer eternal separation from God. On the other hand, non-believers are only born once, a physical birth, but suffer death twice. The first death is a physical death and the second death is eternal separation from God.
Was part of Satan’s statement true? Well, a sliver, but Satan didn’t reveal the entire truth. And not telling everything is a sin of omission. That’s the problem with playing fast and loose with the Bible and the Word of God. Many folks take the stance that these kinds of things aren’t all that important. But if you start down the road of bending God’s Word, where do you stop? We have all heard the phrase, “it’s a slippery slope” and this is certainly the case here.
If we go deeper into the study of the inerrancy of Scripture, we will eventually have to address the topic of Biblical interpretation. There are many people who believe the Bible is a document whose interpretation must be changed to address our modern times. At the time of Jesus, we didn’t have cell phone, computers, or so many other modern conveniences. But that does not give us the right to retell the stories and re-interpret God’s Word. I would suggest that the Bible is a document whose interpretation does not change over time. However, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and it is through the agency of the Holy Spirit that we gain a better understanding of God’s Word.
As we mature in our faith, and experience progressive sanctification (becoming more like Jesus as we grow in our faith), I believe that the Holy Spirit reveals different elements of the Scripture to us. A believer who has recently accepted Christ may look at the book of John far differently from a Christian who has deepened their faith and understanding of the Bible through decades of walking with Jesus. The interpretation doesn’t change. It’s the application of the Bible in our lives that changes – and therein lies the value of not changing Scripture to meet our individual desires. It’s the role of the Holy Spirit to illuminate us as we grow closer to God.
This evening, due to the gravity of the subject, I have chosen two verses. The first comes from Paul in his second letter to his young pastor friend, Timothy. Paul tells us, in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” Additionally, there is a verse at the end of Revelation that is a warning to us, revealed in Revelation 22:18-19, which says, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
It sounds to me that God is being pretty clear about not changing the Bible. My encouragement is that I think we should all take God’s Word as written. My prayer is that we will continue to study the Bible and make sure that we do not drift away from the influence of false teachers and those who would lead us away from our Lord. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…