Inerrancy allows for figures of speech, like hyperbole and metaphors. Inerrancy doesn’t demand precise scientific language, like vantage point observations of the moon being larger than the stars (Gn. 1:16) or the sun rising and going down (Ecc. 1:5). Feinberg once said that almost any statement is capable of greater precision.

Churches break apart. Marriages shatter. Governments fracture. Friendships splinter. But the Scriptures cannot be broken (Jn. 10:35). This means they cannot fail. They cannot be incorrect. In every affirmation they make, the Scriptures are inerrant (without mistakes) and infallible (incapable of error).

This should not be difficult for Christians to accept, since God hates lying (Pr. 14:5; 19:22; Ps. 63:11; Ac. 5:3; 1 Jn. 2:21) and is himself incapable of lying or deceiving (Pr. 30:6-7; Num. 23:19; Ps. 89:35; Heb. 6:18).

Just as in the Word one sees perfection within the human and divine natures, so within God’s Word one sees flawlessness. Jesus believed in inerrancy, confirming its veracity by quoting the Old Testament and affirming that Scripture could never pass away (Mt. 5:18).

Inerrancy is not an ivory tower doctrine for eggheads, a belief secluded from any real-world relevance. This article of faith wears running shoes, or in this case, a suit and a tie. Here are four ways inerrancy improves preaching.

1. Inerrancy Gives Confidence in Other Doctrines

Once one abandons inerrancy, other doctrinal errors soon follow. It’s rare to hear of a journey from liberalism and an errant Bible to orthodoxy—the move is usually a one-way highway in the opposite direction. Conversely, inerrantists believe everything in the Bible, even if it’s politically incorrect. Inerrantists laughed at the Piltdown Man long before it became a hoax.

2. Inerrancy Keeps God as the Highest Authority

Inerrantists believe God is the highest authority and the only sufficient witness to himself. The supreme authority must be self-authenticating because it is impossible to get confirmation from a higher authority. Thus, the Bible is true because the Bible says it is true.

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