EFCA Statement of Faith 2

Article 2 We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises. Several terms are crucial to understand about this statement. Revelation is a new understanding of the unknown. Verbally inspired teaches us that every single word in the Bible was inspired by God’s own words, thus making it God’s Word (Heb.1:1; Acts 3:18; Rom. 15:4). Ultimate authority comes down to accepting that God and His Word (Bible) are the source of all authority and nothing, not even logic or gut feeling, can have the final say (Josh. 24:26; 2 Kings 23:2-3). While this concept runs contrary to our Western culture today, it used to be widely accepted by America. It is imperative that we have complete understanding that God’s Word is the final authority. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of us when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and makes the Scriptures easier for us to understand, this is called illumination (Psalm 119:130). All these terms are crucial in acceptance and understanding that the Bible is inerrant and perfectly given to us from God. Inerrant, simply means that nothing in the original manuscripts of Scripture could affirm anything that is contrary to fact. This means that as we discover new things or as we understand things better, we need to go back to the Scriptures and remember what they say, not what we understand them to be. Allowing some illumination on the subject and knowing that in the end the Scriptures will be proven right. There is a very frightening problem with not believing in the inerrancy of Scripture. When we question little things in the Scripture, it becomes very easy to apply them to bigger things, up to and including the character of God. Simply put, the Words of God are pure (Psalms 12:6). Infallible means that the Bible is absolute truth and without flaw. Most people (including myself) have been using these terms interchangeably for decades. Unfortunately, there has been a recent shift in the use of the term that only applies it to the faith and practice of Christianity. This essentially means that the entirety of the Bible is not true, historical or scientific facts, since it would rationalize that those have no bearing on our faith and practice as Christians. This us of the term again opens us up to questioning God’s sovereignty and can lead us to problems believing “all” Scripture is true. The Bible is inerrant, infallible (in its original definition) and perfectly breathed from God in every way, just as it was intended. When God inspired man to canonize the Scriptures, it created a perfect Bible for all of us to know God and understand (albeit limited) who He is. This is exactly how God intended it to be. Just enough information for us to believe, but just enough doubt to require faith. The Old Testament (OT) claims that it is the Word of God, by God and from God (Num. 22:38; Deut. 18:18-20; Jer. 1:9). And the disciples refer to the OT many times as God’s Word. There are several times where they refer to each other’s work as Scripture as well (2 Pet. 3:15-16; 2 Tim. 3:16). Also, Paul refers to Deut. 25:4 and Luke 10:7 intermixed together as equal authorities as Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16). The canon of scripture is God’s perfect manuscript of His words and instructions for our lives. How do we apply these facts? I consistently find myself needing to change. There are parts of Scripture that I read in my younger days that I did not fully understand, and as I have grown in Christ’s love, I have had to re-examine myself and change according to the Scriptures. I believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority, and as such, I am bound to follow it. There have been a few times in my ministry that I have taught something that was not necessarily wrong, but not very accurate either. I take these opportunities to go back to the people that were affected and share the new understanding from a place of humility and love. Thus, there is always growth for both parties that encourages both honesty and growth among the Body of Christ. Essentially, the Bible is the “go to” source for how God wants us to live. We are held to the teachings of the Bible and must believe “all” that is written. This allows us to easily have faith in all the Bible’s promises, including the joyous return of our Savior to take us home, make us whole, and allow us to worship Him perfectly and fully for all of eternity.