Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts

Monday, October 19, 2026

Is the Bible Inerrant?

A picture of a Bible

Misconception

The Bible is inerrant, so we don't need prophets, priesthood organization, or the Book of Mormon.

Documented Truth

First, what does "inerrant" mean?

"Inerrant is an adjective that means free from error, infallible, or entirely without mistakes. It comes from the Latin word inerrans, meaning not wandering or erring.  The first recorded use of the word was in 1837." (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

So if there is a single error in the Bible this statement can be disproved, as will be shown below.

Where did this notion that the Bible is inerrant come from? 

In 1978 a group of 200 Evengelical preachers worked together to create what is now known as the "Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy."

From Wikipedia:

"The Inerrancy Statement elaborates on various details in articles formed as couplets of "We affirm..." and "We deny...". Under the statement, inerrancy applies only to the original manuscripts which no longer exist, but which, its adherents claim, "can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy" (Article 10). In the statement, inerrancy does not refer to a blind literal interpretation, and that "history must be treated as history, poetry as poetry, hyperbole and metaphor as hyperbole and metaphor, generalization and approximation as what they are, and so forth." It also makes it clear that the signers deny "that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.""

This is a far cry from what most present day pastors and online influencers mean when they use the same phrase. They typically mean whatever modern version of the Bible they adhere to with literal interpretations, not the original manuscripts, or as far as we can tell what they said by textual criticism of the earliest documents currently available.

So what do members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe on this topic?

We believe that the Bible is a record of God's dealings with man as recorded by prophets and other just men in the area in and around Jerusalem. However, since mortal men were involved in its creation, we believe that there are likely errors in it. This does not mean that the Bible is false, quite the contrary, we believe that it is true "as far as it is translated correctly" (Articles of Faith 1:8), this includes both translation from the original Hebrew and Greek into modern English, as well as the reader's interpretation as they study it. 

Further we believe that God had dealings with people in the Americas as well, and that their record was recorded by prophets and other just men in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The title page of the Book of Mormon states: 

"And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ." (Book of Mormon, Title Page)

It is because of man's natural weakness and error-prone ways that it is so important to have a living prophet as God's mouthpiece on the earth today to provide additional clarification and insights into these records. In addition to this, prophets can receive revelation and direction specific to our day. We would be hard pressed to find anything in ancient scripture about social media, artificial intelligence, smart phones or the internet.

As for an organized priesthood, Christ himself called apostles, and a group of 70 men to assist in the work. As the Apostles were jailed and killed off, Paul was put to the test trying to hold the church together via letters and trips to the known world. In our day, as anciently, a prophet can't be everywhere at once, so an organized priesthood body helps watch over all of God's children and creates clear lines of communication when problems arise in a specific geographical region and need brought to the living prophet and apostles collective attention. (Articles of Faith 1:6)

As important as the Bible is, it has limitations that require further knowledge and revelation from a living prophet called by God in our day. Joseph Smith noted in his history that:

"... the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible." (Joseph Smith History 1:12)

We still see this disagreement in mainstream Christianity today. So if the Bible is supposed to be this infallible source of light and knowledge, why so much disagreement about what they actually mean? The interesting thing about The Book of Mormon, is that it clarifies many of the doctrinal disagreements found in the Bible. 

Finally, does the Bible have errors: YES, therefore it cannot be considered "inerrant" by the modern usage of the term.

Here are just a few examples from the New Testament:

Johannine Comma- Inserted into the Latin text, not found in any original Greek texts (Wikipedia)

End of Mark- Half of the last chapter is missing in many manuscripts, there are also different versions that have been handed down through the years (tomsbiblesite)

Death of Judas- One account (Acts 1: 18) says he bought the land, then fell and burst open, the other says that he hanged himself (Matt 27:5) then the silver he received when he betrayed Jesus was used to purchase a field after his death to become a cemetery for paupers and strangers. (biblehub)

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