Deploy and Conclude
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Called to Deploy
The Holy Spirit not only helps and comforts God’s people, He pierces their hearts with preaching and convicts them of their sin. It’s what Paul writes about in Romans 10.1 God’s indwelling Holy Spirit leads His people into the work He wills for them to bring about His Kingdom.
Paul explains it is not man’s power that saves through his clever speech or persuasive words, but that it is the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells him. The Elect’s faith should not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. The Holy Spirit teaches men the meaning of Scripture and enables their understanding of the truth revealed in it.2
Article 19
We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith.
We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ. We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences, both to the individual and to the Church.3
Conclusion
The Evangelical Theological Society advocates biblical scholarship, and provides a platform for Christian theological discussion. They believe Scripture is inspired and inerrant.4 Most ancient Near Eastern people received God’s word orally. Oral culture is not dependent on precise word-for-word reading of the text.5 Modern day preaching, also, does not depend on this type of exactness. Thankfully so, since the laity, elders, even the pastorate lack mastery of ancient biblical languages.
Many biblical texts in question have no theological significance. Some see historical, grammatical interpretation discrepancies in New Testament writers' use of the Old Testament, and believe it contradicts how Christians traditionally understand the text.6 When comparing eyewitness reports of an automobile accident, inconsequential differences do not negate the fact, the accident occurred.
John MacArthur, “The Inerrancy Summit: General Session 01.” The Master's Seminary March 3–8, 2015, 39:16.
Ibid., 40:04.
“The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,” Evangelical Review of Theology Vol. 4 no. 1 (1980), 7.
The Evangelical Theological Society. “Inerrancy of Scripture,” Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.etsjets.org/puc/inerrancyofscript.
Jackson Wu. “The Doctrine of Scripture and Biblical Contextualization: Inspiration, Authority, Inerrancy, and the Canon.” Themelios 44, no. 2 (August 2019), 311.
Peter Enns. Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 113-63.