1. Saying that the bible is an authoritative source of information means that it can be supported as a source of factual information by different sources or lines of thought. These fall under two categories: internal and external evidence. Internal evidence is that which can be found from the bible itself and external evidence is the support that is drawn from outside the bible. External category covers sources like science, archeology, ancient manuscripts and philosophy. Among the main lines of internal evidence is self-proclamation, which is evident from the writers, who decreed that they wrote the messages drawn from God, irrespective of the fact that they often wrote under the guidance of the spirit (2 Tim 3: 16 KJV). For example, some wrote about the future of the world, and the facts are coming to pass.
The second internal evidence is the Holy Spirit, which confirms to the believer that the bible is inspired and a part of the spirit of truth (John 16:13). According to the bible, the spirit will guide humans, convicting the world of sin, assuring them that it is God’s word. The third evidence is the transforming ability of the bible, which has changed murderers, businesses people, drug addicts and students, to the way of the lord – which increases the quality of people’s lives (Romans 12: 2). The fourth evidence is unity, in that throughout the bible, there is no evidence of conflicting information, despite the fact that it was written over a period of more than 1500 years. Also, it was written by totally different men from different walks of life, including Moses, who was educated at Egypt, to Kings like Solomon and Peter who was a fisher man (1 Peter 2: 21).
External evidence of the authority of the bible include that it is not destructible, considering that it is the most common book in the world, despite the fact that it has been attacked more than any other book. From an archeological perspective, the archeological investigations of the Middle East have proved the writings of the bible as accurate and factual in the description of historical accounts. From a prophetic perspective, many of the prophesies contained in the bible have come to pass, and they are fulfilled in an accurate and specific manner.
2. From the context of the bible, inspiration means God-breathed or God-guided. This refers to the fact that God pushed the authors of the bible, towards writing what he wanted them to write, and not what they wanted to write themselves. The biblical support that demonstrates that the bible was written by God, through the authors can be found in 1 Corinthians 2: 12-13 and Timothy 3: 16-17, which explain that the writings came from God. The view is commonly referred as verbal plenary inspiration, in that the inspiration goes as far as the words used in the bible, and not only the ideas.
3. Inerrancy refers to the nature of the bible, in that it does not have the traces of error, in its presentation of facts and information. It extends to the fact that the bible does not contain any errors, in its arguments, from the original manuscripts.
The arguments in support of the view include the bible argument, the criteria for distinguishing false prophets, the scriptural use to support inerrancy and the epistemological argument. The bible argument holds that the bible claims that it is not erratic in nature (2 Tim 3:16). The criteria for distinguishing false prophets holds that God has offered criteria for people to distinguish his teachings from those of the false prophets and other agents of information (Deut 13: 1-5). The epistemological argument holds that, in the case the bible is not inerrant, then humanity will be lacking of a sure scriptural account from God (Elwell, 2001). The epistemological argument is possibly the strongest, because it allows for the bible to be challenged, in the case any of the verses is found to be false. The weakest argument is the bible argument, because it does not give reference to the verses that confirm the inerrancy of the bible.
4. The relationship between inspiration and inerrancy is that based on the fact that God’s inspiration of the authors rendered the writings they developed free of errors. The bible was written following the inspiration of God, which guided the authors of the bible to write what God instructed them to do, and the contents of the writings draw from the all-knowing nature of God as well as his unlimited nature. Therefore, the relationship between inspiration and inerrancy is fundamentally based on the error-free nature of inspired writings, which renders them non-erratic. Therefore inerrancy is borne of inspiration, and not the vice versa.
5. The implications of the views of the bible’s authority, inerrancy and inspiration include that it will guide all human interactions and affairs. The implications of its authority include that it will be the final source of guidance and wisdom, during processes of decision-making. The implications of inerrancy include that the person will interpret the bible as it is, not changing any of its contents, and not adding to it, because it does not have any errors. The implications of the inspiration in it include that the person will feel guided and modeled by God himself, after they follow the principles of the bible.
Reference
Carl, F., & Henry, H. (1999). God, Revelation and Authority, vol. 4, the God Who Speaks and Shows. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books.
Elwell, W. (2001) Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.
