Bumper Sticker Rebuttals: Part 1

Over the past 3 years I (Tripp) have had a 20 mile commute within the great city of Chicago. In this time, it’s become clear that for many people, their cars are their sounding board, and their opinions must be put on them for others to read. For them, this is a safe soap box. Many see their opinion or bold claim, but few would ever have any opportunity to challenge it. Here, I will correct that, and to several that I’ve read, I have something to say in response. The first is here:

God is too big to fit into one religion.

Initially this statement seems to be giving God a grand compliment, commenting on
how vast He is, and He is indeed bigger than we could ever imagine. However, in this
statement, “exclusive” religions become the bad guys, and they are shown as belittling
God by limiting who He is. The first problem with this statement is that it makes these
religions out to be some type of jars or containers that may come in various shapes
and sizes. God is then viewed as some type of liquid form that can be poured out and
distributed into each of these jars. He then like a liquid would conform to the shape
of each jar filling each nook and crevice of the interior. This view, in turn, is not
complimentary to God, but in fact makes Him out to be subject to man and its views of
Him, as though we can define Him as we wish. But the truth is that, God has an eternal
being, and His character is forever perfect and unchanged. Though He is vast beyond
measure, He already has a shape (for lack of better words), and will be conformed by
nothing. He consequently does not “fit into” any and every religion or vague view of
who He is, but can only be defined by His own revelation to the extent that He wishes
to share it. The good news is that He does want to be known, and has set forth His
revelation of Himself as recorded through the Holy Scriptures of the Bible.

I recognize that this claim is loaded, as one may in turn also believe that God is too
big to fit into the Bible, which would make yet another very clever bumper sticker.
Nonetheless, the Bible is an accurate portrayal of who God is, and yet, by no means
does it belittle Him. This should be considered practically. On my bookshelf I have a
biography of General Robert E. Lee. It is by no stretch of the imagination an exhaustive
record of all of the accounts of his entire life, nor does it describe to the most minute
detail every trait or aspect of his personality. And yet, it is a very good biography, and
it tells the reader everything he or she needs to know to understand who Robert E. Lee
is, how he lived, and the big picture of what he did. So, Robert E. Lee is not “too big”
for this biography, and in a similar way the Bible is sufficient in what it has to say to us
about God. Though now we do “see in part” and “know in part”, we are given enough
information through the Bible to understand His character accurately.

It is also important to note that the god we see in the Bible is distinctly different than
the “god” of Islam, or “gods” of Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, or any other religion.
As much as many today may like to think that these could all be various interpretations
of the same god (a singular God), they are not. These religions all describe separate and
distinct entities that are often not compatible with each other, and are certainly not one

in the same with the one true God. It is not a new concept in history for man to honor
other “gods” or even to seek God in other things or entities. In both the Old and New
Testament God confronts this and distinguishes himself from these false idols or gods,
renouncing the worship of them as evil and fruitless. Thus, making it clear that there is
only one God, and all other gods are false. That one God will not be defined by man, and
He is not open for interpretation, but only is as He is, the one and only, the great I Am.

Assignment #1 Inerrancy

I (Tripp) am working on an exchange
of theological research with my friend Derek, teaching English in Korea. Together, we're assigning each other the task of presenting well supported answers to popular theological questions. Answers are constrained by length and time. I present to you my Assignment #1 - Innerrancy.

Question:
How would you explain the importance of the doctrine of inerrancy to a new believer with little to no past experience with Christianity?

Answer:
To be certain, before even beginning to explain the importance of the doctrine of inerrancy, a new Christian must first and foremost understand the proper place that scripture must take in their life from that first step onward. It should first be explained that the Bible is our one ultimate source. It is the primary means by which Almighty God speaks to us today, and by which he has revealed Himself to humanity throughout the course of history. It is the basis for all Christian instruction and study. It is of supreme significance and value. With these truths established, one could then begin to explain the importance of how a Christian should approach the scriptures, how they should perceive its accuracy, and why it is something that they should be able to rely on for truth without variation. This is exactly what is addressed in the doctrine of inerrancy.

The doctrine of inerrancy in the most basic terms is this: “every word… proves true” (see 2 Sam 22:31, Prov 30:5). With this comes the assurance, and thus the confidence, that scripture is without error or contradiction. With this assurance, when a Christian reads the scriptures the questions “Is this true?” or “Did that really happen?” or “Is this a contradiction to this other passage?” are not asked. There is much faith, trust, and humility in accepting this approach to any book. We as humans would typically want for there to be room for us to critique, pick and choose, and debate any written set of instruction and ideas. This in itself is a good practice when approaching any work outside of the Bible. However, concerning the scriptures, a Christian must set these instincts aside, and submit to what it says in faith and humility as a whole and sufficient work from God Himself, that requires no additions, subtractions, or revisions from us.

However, it must be clear that there remains a healthy allowance to ask “How should this be interpreted?” or “What was the intent in this passage?” By no means does the doctrine of inerrancy state that everything within the scriptures is clear, or that it is easily understood, but simply that it is trustworthy in content.

Nonetheless, it should also be noted that there are many clear truths within the Bible of which there can be no doubt (i.e. that Jesus lived without sin, that we are sinful, or that Jesus will return), and we should be able to read it, and walk away knowing such ultimate truths with confidence. We can be certain of the accuracy of the Bible’s portrayal of past occurrences and/or it’s descriptions of current states, and we can have assurance that the promises and prophesies for future events will be fulfilled. This assurance is key and clearly biblical when all scripture is seen as God’s own words (2 Tim 3:16) and one considers that God does not (Titus 1:2) and actually cannot (Heb 6:18) lie.

The dangers of rejecting the idea that the Bible is without error are severe, and new Christians should understand these dangers as they consider how they should approach this matter. Firstly, it must be considered that if they allow room for themselves to accept the possibility of error in some points it would be difficult to determine where they ought to stop in this allowance. Very quickly one could find himself distrusting whole books, doctrines, or accounts of events within the scriptures. This is especially dangerous for new Christians who are approaching the Bible for wisdom and instruction for the first time. How could they expect to glean valuable insight from an “old book” riddled with error and contradiction?

Of course, there are many good articles, lectures, and books dedicated to this matter that explain exactly what is meant by this word “inerrancy” which seems quite difficult to swallow. However, ultimately, I would direct anyone’s attention to the Bible itself on this matter. As previously mentioned, it is the “ultimate source” and the “basis for all Christian instruction”, and as with any other matter in the life of a Christian, the Bible should have some insight as to how we should view this issue. There are a number of verses, some of which I have referenced here, found within both the Old and New Testaments that lead us to believe that Scriptures are truth, and that they should be seen as truth, with no room for error. While on the other hand, interestingly enough, there is not the slightest inkling throughout the whole of Scripture to support the idea that the Bible could have error. This seems like an overly simplistic and obvious statement to basically say that the Bible does not discredit itself, but it is an interesting point to consider for anyone who does read it as their ultimate resource and yet remains uncomfortable with the idea or terms of inerrancy.

Ultimately, the doctrine of inerrancy is important because the Bible itself is of supreme importance, and a Christian is called to place themselves humbly under all that it has to say, and to be faithful to it. This doctrine is something that every new Christian should understand and appreciate about God, and His commitment to leading His followers to greater wisdom and understanding concerning their condition, His ways, His story, and His promises to us.