How can people say that the Bible is inerrant?

Question

What about all of the contradictions? I have heard people use this Bible verse as proof that scripture is inspired and therefore inerrant:

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3: 16-17

Since when can a book cite itself as proof of something within it?

Example of condradiction: The two creation stories. (how can we be created twice?)

Here is one that stood out to me:

1 Peter 5:8-14

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

and

behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed ... " (Revelation 5:5)

How can Satan and Jesus both be lions?

I don't beleive it to inerrant or errant. That is why I am asking this question

Answer 1

you can pick apart words .. but the knowledge of God is hidden and revealed by the Spirit ...

Answer 2

Because the answer to the correct interpretation of the scriptures can be found by the guiding principles of other scriptures.

Let us try one. Noah's Flood. Where did all the water come from and why did the people not listen?

For one thing--it had never rained. (Gen. 2:6-7)

For another, there was a division of water on the earth AND ABOVE it. (Gen. 1:6-7) This was emphasized by 2 Peter 3:5 saying the "earth stood out of water and in the midst of water" before the flood.

Can't you imagine those people in Noah's day laughing at "the Nut" for saying water is going to come from the sky. Of course, they did not pay attention to WHY Noah said it would happen. As Matthew 24:38 showed they took "no note until the flood came and swept them all away."

Can you imagine how much knocking that Ark door must have had once the rain started? Anyway, that is an example of letting the Bible explain itself rather than as most clergy do today when asked a Bible question refer to their own understanding or some other book one of their friends wrote instead of going to the Bible itself.

Look also at Titus 1:6-9 where it talks about qualifications for those wanting to take the lead in the congregation. Not one word about being rich or influential in the community is there? It is sound advice for any man of God equipped for every good work.

Answer 3

when it was written by jehovah, the creator of everything.

now, dont know about OTHERS but WE dont tell people that the bible is inerrant. the original mss are gone. we find copies of copies, but they only go back so far.

however!

we ARE able to compare and contrast the information provided in them, see if they have changed from other translations in other languages.

basically, the bible as we currently have it, is about 98% correct. better than any other book.

the bible had the order of creation long before the other religons even knew about such a thing. we are not in a flat planet. the bible had us on a globe 'hung upon nothing' in space. no heracles, no big turtle, no atlas, no see with monsters.

the locations of specific places is exact, and the digs are there even today.

prophecy made about certain actions and persons made 50, 20, even a thousand years prior to the action or person appearing is exact.

those things show ME that the bible is as complete as it can be in current state.

if you want more information about the bible, you can find it in the internet on:

http://www.watchtower.org/

there, you will find biblical articles in i think 300 languages mol.

gramps

Answer 4

There is a confusion between inerrancy and literal. Some people say, "If you believe in inerrancy, then you have to take every statement in the Bible literally. You have to believe that the sun actually 'rises,' that God has a 'heart,' perhaps even that God has 'wings' " (Psalm 17:8). It is based on the error of supposing that for something to be true it must be expressed in non-figurative language. This is just not so. The bible uses poetic language at times, just as we do. We do not err just because we use it, nor does the Bible. Everyone understands the language to be poetic. In the same way, some biblical expressions are adaptations to the limits of human language as, for example, those parts of the Bible that refer to the emotions or parts of God. God is not like us because He is Spirit (John 4:24

What does inerrancy mean then? It simply means that the Bible is wholly true. Inerrancy means that when all facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything they teach, whether that teaching has to do with doctrine, history, science, geography, geology, or other disciplines or knowledge." Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace.

It is not surprising that non-Christians point out seeming contradictions in the Bible, nor is it wrong for them to do so. Even Christians who are thoroughly familiar with the Bible sometimes are stumped by what at first glance may look like inconsistencies. Rather than ignore these issues, we should use them as opportunities to teach people about the Bible and its message. Rather than tackle a whole list in one sitting, we would have to deal with one issue at a time.

Answer 5

The bible starts out with three impossibilities. In the beginning god (there is no such being) created heaven and earth (there is no heaven, earth was formed about 9 billion years after the big bang). The rest are stories taken from religions prior to their own, superstitions, bad science, fairy tales. People try to prove the bible is the word of god because the bible says so. What utter nonsense. What are out kids learning in school. If we are teaching them how to think logically, then they would have to toss all religions in the garbage heap.

Answer 6

I have to wonder if the people who say there are no contradictions, etc. in the Bible have actually read the Bible. Or... are they just turning a blind eye to that as they do to so many things.

Geez, it starts in Genesis with the two different versions of creation and continues from there.

Answer 7

A book can cite itself as proof of something within it when what the book says can be independently verified by secular history and archaeology. How many scientists don't refer to OUR research; OUR findings; OUR conclusions etc. citing their own work to prove that their position on something is correct?

As far as the contradictions, respectfully, none exist. I personally appreciate that you didn't do one of those massive cut and paste jobs from a "the bible contradicts itself" website. If you like, please email one contradiction that stands out to you. I'd be happy to discuss it.

Answer 8

It isn't inerrant. It was written by men. And men, no matter what may inspire them, are fallible.

It has also been translated hundreds of time. Things lose meaning and get wrong meanings doing that. We all know that languages do not translate directly.

Answer 9

For those who say that there are no contradictions in the bible...think again.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/by_name.html

Everything you ever wanted to know and more. And you are right, a book itself can't be cited as proof of its own accuracy.

Answer 10

All scriptures are not inspired by God, it is written by men and inspired by men, and no where is Gods hand or voice lent to it, to say anything that says it's God inspired is simply fabricating something that is not true, and again we all have to listen to religious mythical fabrication due to schizophrenic insanity.

Answer 11

They can cite itself because it is 66 seperate books inspired by God... His words spoken through man Not one book...

People can claim anything they want, but remember this...

Psalms 14:1
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.