God’s Word or human experience and judgment?
by T. C. Pinckney Vol. XI, No. 8, September 1998
The mailman recently brought a copy of Focus, the newsletter of Telos Ministries which describes itself as follows. “Telos Ministries, Inc. was founded in July 1992 to offer a positive environment for the free expression of faith in corporate worship and Bible study; to provide support for Baptist Gays/Lesbians, their parents, spouses, relatives, and friends; to promote dialogue in the churches between gay and non-gay persons; to present accurate information about homosexuality from the social sciences, biblical studies, and theology.” Telos is headquartered in Falls Church.
The following quote from Focus appears in an unattributed article titled “Throwing Out the Bath Water.”
“There is another burden which has been placed upon would-be believers - that is, the doctrine of biblical inerrancy or biblical literalism. This is the belief that every word in the Bible was dictated by God and, therefore, must be true. According to this understanding of scripture, every passage carries equal weight in determining our decisions and actions. From this perspective, we are simply not allowed to discount verses which seem clearly to contradict our own experiences.
“I have tried my very hardest to understand this approach to the Bible. I have listened to countless authorities on the topic and tried to walk in the moccasins of those other ministers at the Common Ground Conference. It simply makes no sense to me, though. It seems to require that I not trust my own judgment or experience, that I not allow God to speak in new ways, and that I undergo strenuous mental gymnastics to believe with equal ardor all the scriptures which contradict and debate one another. In my mind, it simply can't be done.
“More importantly, however, is my belief that it simply shouldn't be done. Here I agree with Rev. Coffin, where he stated that ‘any belief in biblical in errancies [sic. Apparently this is a misprint for “inerrancy” TCP] itself is unbiblical.’ The scripture models for us the way in which we are to relate to the Bible. It models a continual questioning, a constant openness to a new word from God, and the necessary willingness to let go of old understandings in order to make room for the new.”
There are a number of interesting aspects of this passage. In the first quoted paragraph the unnamed author defines the “doctrine of biblical inerrancy” as “the belief that every word in the Bible was dictated by God”. While that is certainly one possible concept of inerrancy, no one I know and no one I have read holds such a view. The essential of inerrancy is that God inspired every word of the Bible.
In the same paragraph the author continues, saying, “According to this understanding of scripture, every passage carries equal weight in determining our decisions and actions.” Clearly this is inaccurate. Again, I know of no inerrantist who would subscribe to this statement. Much of the Old Testament was superseded by the new, fuller revelation of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. For example, the temple sacrificial system was replaced by the all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. Yet the Old Testament verses describing the sacrificial system continue to illuminate our understanding of what Jesus did, much as the initial chapter of a book may set the scene for all that follows.
The second quoted paragraph contains the nub of the issue. “It [inerrancy] seems to require that I not trust my own judgment or experience, that I not allow God to speak in new ways, and that I undergo strenuous mental gymnastics to believe with equal ardor all the scriptures that contradict and debate with one another.” The first part of the sentence about not trusting his own judgment is right on the mark. What is the whole Bible about if it is not a love letter from God to us telling us to trust His judgment, not our own? Was not Adam and Eve’s problem that they decided to trust their own judgment rather than God’s command?
God tells us that in no uncertain terms in Isaiah 55:7-9, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” How significant is our experience when contrasted to God’s omniscience? Should human judgment outweigh God’s commands? Moreover, In Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 God twice warns us specifically against following what we think to be right: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” And in Proverbs 30:5-6 we are enjoined not to add anything to God’s Word: “ Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” The lesson is clear, unmistakably clear: Man’s thoughts are not to take precedence over God’s Word. We are not to obey our thoughts, our feelings, what seems right, or what society tells us we should do; instead, we are to obey God’s commands. Are we, small, weak, ephemeral, ignorant, to tell the Creator of the universe, the Ruler and Judge of all there is, the eternal Sovereign and Lord, that He is not capable of writing a Book and of saying exactly what He means? How proud! How presumptuous! How pitiful!
Our author refers to “all the scriptures which contradict and debate one another”. In brief response I can do no better than cite Martin Luther’s words to Erasmus in Luther’s greatest written work, The Bondage of the Will (Revell, 1957, p. 71. Highly recommended.), “I certainly grant that many passages in the Scriptures are obscure and hard to elucidate, but that is due, not to the exalted nature of their subject, but to our own linguistic and grammatical ignorance; and it does not in any way prevent our knowing all the contents of Scripture.”
In the last sentence quoted from the article the writer speaks of the Bible modeling “a continuous questioning, a constant openness to a new word from God, and the necessary willingness to let go of old understandings in order to make room for the new.” This is contrabiblical nonsense. God specifically warns against such sin in Revelation 22:18-19 where Jesus says, “ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
One could quibble by saying that the Revelation 22 passage applies only to the book of Revelation, and narrowly defined he would be correct, but certainly by implication, by its placement at the very end of the entire Bible, and by context - that is, considering the rather numerous other biblical passages conveying the same thought, God’s warning about changing His written Word in any way is clear. God is not a creature that He should be bound by time, that He should find it necessary to revise His Word because of our “modern” culture. He has graciously warned us neither to add to nor take away from the words of His Book. And we must remember that we are creatures, not Creator; subjects, not Sovereign; we have neither the right nor the ability to improve God’s Word.
Please do NOT take this “Anti-Heritage” as anti-homosexual or as anti- whoever may hold such mistaken views of Scripture. When someone suspects cancer and goes to the doctor, he does not consider that the doctor is against them because after tests he confirms the presence of cancer. As a doctor and under the circumstances, the most loving thing he could do was to tell the patient the truth. Similarly, when someone is enmeshed in the toils of unrepentant sin, whether homosexuality or any other, the most caring, loving, Christian action is to place clearly before him the biblical pronouncements about his situation. Of course we should do so in the gentlest, most scripturally loving manner possible. The purpose must always be redemption, not accusation or disdain. But we must speak God’s truth. Only then is a cure possible. Only then does the lost one have a chance to turn humbly to Jesus, accept His inerrant Word in sincere repentance, and join Him in heaven for eternity. Only then does he have the opportunity to escape eternal damnation. Is it more loving to smile, murmur soothing nothings, and let him go to hell, or to confront his sin and thereby call his attention to the only sure cure.