Christians affirm the inspiration and inerrancy of scripture. We believe the words written by the Apostle Paul that “All of scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). While written by man, the Bible was inspired by God Himself; indeed, it is a revelation of Himself and His workings and dealings with His covenant people. In the scriptures we have the very Mind of God exposed and revealed to us such that we can know what God desires of man and how he has called us to live. Because the scripture, as revelation reveals to us the mind of God, the words written in the Bible do not constitute the essence of the thoughts expressed in human language.
Behind the written Word are the thoughts of God. If someone were to destroy all the Bibles in the world, the Word of God would still exist because the Word of God is not ink written on a page. Those linguistic symbols that we utilize to communicate and convey messages are conventions of communication, and we use them to convey thoughts and ideas. But these thoughts and ideas are not equivalent to the ink on a page. In like fashion, God’s Word is an expression of His Mind, and as such can and has been conveyed In written form. This of course is a great blessing since the written Word houses the very thoughts of God which reflect His mind and thinking. Through this Word we have direction and purpose, along with many promises revealed to us from the heart of God.
Furthermore, if the Bible is not mere ink on a page, but rather, an expression of the Mind of God, then the Bible will have certain characteristics about it that reflect His Mind. For instance, as the source (not the creator of logic…)1 of logic, God’s Word is logical and logically consistent. The logical structure of scripture is a reflection of God’s Mind which is itself logical. For this reason, we affirm that God does not contradict Himself; indeed God’s Word says clearly that “it is impossible for Him to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). A lie is not only a willful deception, but it involves contradicting a prior commitment or statement. Because God is logical by nature, He never violates logic, and because He Is holy and righteous He never contradicts a promise or statement made. Indeed, this is one of the many reasons that God can always be trusted and relied upon, because He never goes back on His Word.
Lastly, because the Bible is not mere Ink on a page, but a reflection of the very Mind of God, it by necessity comes with the very authority of God. As we study God’s Word, we In essence are studying a portion of God’s Mind reflected in written language. What a gift the Bible is. To study it is no simple and unimportant task; for study the Bible is to study that aspect of god’s Mind that He has seen fit to reveal to man.
1. God did not create logic. Logic is a refection of His Mind. It is indeed, an attribute of God and hence eternal just as god is eternal.
