JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

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Western historiography, for instance, pays attention to historical events in an extremely
detailed and linear fashion which is foreign to Eastern historiography whereby history is
interpreted history. The data of Scripture often includes approximations, free use of quotations
(not verbatim word for word repetition), language of appearances, different accounts of the same
occurrence that do not contradict, etc. This must be kept in mind when using such terms as
"infallible" and "inerrant." In view of the Western materialistic and reductionistically
rationalistic mindset that is usually brought to the word "inerrant," I will use the word "infallible"
as the better of the two.
The Bible is infallible in that God's word is true and has the power to accomplish what
it says. Isaiah says that it will accomplish what God pleases:
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without
watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the
sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth:
It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve
the purpose for which I sent it" (Isa 55:10-11).
Scripture cannot fail in what it is meant to do; it is infallible. This means that Scripture
can be relied upon to achieve certain ends. Its promises and warnings will be fulfilled. Its
account of God's words and works is authentic. Its teachings are true. The Bible does not mislead
its readers. It does not teach what is false or erroneous. It can be relied on implicitly.
This naturally leads to the question of whether there are limits to infallibility. Many of
those engaged in literary and historical study of the Bible have put this question to the church
acutely. In their analysis of the books they have found various difficulties in squaring biblical
statements with scientific and historical findings. At times they have found it rather difficult
to integrate certain biblical narratives with secular data, and some of their archeological findings
have raised questions they have not been able to answer.
Biblical data has been massive in clearing up many supposed errors that simply do not
stand up to close investigation. Evangelical biblical scholars have done a credible job in carefully
studying the intratextuality of Scripture and provided reasonable, logical, though sometimes
extremely sophisticated and complicated, answers to nagging problems of various texts of both
the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Biblical scholars such as F. F. Bruce,
Gleason Archer, Charles Ryrie, and Larry Richards have addressed the difficult texts and given
ample reason for confidence in the infallibility of the biblical record.11
The church did not use inerrancy to substantiate inspiration but vice versa. Therefore
some "difficulties" are not fatal to its position.