Imperfection, part one

Ever since I was knee-high to a gnat, I’ve been taught about and have believed in the infallibility of Scripture. Among the higher levels of doctrinal truths, this one ranks next to the Godhead, the deity of Christ, and deliverance by grace.

We may fuss around with a couple of the events in The Lord God’s eschatological calendar or leave respiring room for differing opinions relating to angels and local church state. But when the topic turns to the infallibility and inerrancy of Holy Writ, I am convinced there isn’t any wobble room. Take away that comprehensive and you have opened a hole in your theological dike that can’t be plugged. Given sufficient time and pressure, it would not be long before everything around you would get damp and greasy.

Make no mistake about it ; the infallibility of Scripture is a dividing line issue.

Let’s stop right there when it comes to infallibility. Before I make my point, let me quote Webster’s definition:.

Not responsible to mislead, cheat, or disappoint. While that’s definitely true for Scripture, it isn’t true for people. When it comes to humanity, fallibility is the order of the day. Meaning what? Just this : there’s not one soul on this earth who is incapable of blunder, who is free from fault, who isn’t able to screw up, who is absolutely and equivocally trustworthy. Just as biblical infallibility assures us that each page is incapable of blunder or deception, fallibility reminds us that each individual is capable of both. When it comes to the Bible, keep trusting. I haven’t got space enough to finish a list, so I should be painfully general and mention one group. I select this group just because it is the one we tend to not query : those executives whom we trust with our bodies, minds, and souls—namely, doctors, psychologists, and priests. Many of us, if asked to name ten folks we admire and appreciate the most, would include 2 or 3 from this class.

How gracious of the Lord God to give us such superb people to help us thru this vale of tears. Yet every one has something in common with everybody else—fallibility. Those whom we most admire remind us of that from time to time ; nonetheless, everything in us cries out to fight such reminders. Of the 3, I believe it’s the minister whom folks incline most to put on a pedestal. The Berean followers are commended for listening to Paul then “examining the Scriptures daily to determine if these things were so” ( Acts 17:11 ).

Apollos and Paul are referred to only as “servants thru whom you believed”. So then neither the one that plants nor the one that waters is anything, but God who causes the expansion. It is simple to forget all that, particularly in a day when we hunger for religious leaders whom we are able to respect and follow. Put defective humans on a pedestal and they’re sure to topple, fail, and disappoint, but God’s Word is holy, inerrant, and fully trustworthy.