The Christian View of Scripture - Essay Example

Different types of Inerrancies in scripture When all is said and done, will it all end up being true? Many people have theories on what the scriptures really mean. After Luther protested, he therefore opened up the door for the common people. He believed that all and not just a select few could read the Bible. However, what will happen when all of the pieces of the puzzle are finally in their places? Will there be a “connect the dots” that lead and point straight to the almighty God who lives, breathes and has His being in, through and around?

Inerrancy is defined as the result matching up with what God wants for His people. However, what is the difference between strict and limited inerrancy? Is it just another “interpretation” mechanism used to appease those around us? Knowing whether the Bible is reliable or not is what thousands of scholars try to prove or disprove on a daily basis. Some scholars write books, some preach and others just take it all in with the hopes that when it all comes down to the last days, what God said in the Bible will be true.

Things will line up, things will make sense. It will be like a math problem with an obvious answer. The problem is that there is no obvious answer. According to Theopedia, an online resource, inerrancy is “the view that when all the facts become known, they will demonstrate that the bible, in its original autographs and correctly interpreted is entirely true and never false in all it affirms…” But there have been so many translations of the Bible, who is to know which one is“Original” in all it affirms?

This question has puzzled many Bible readers, and theologians. Another question that has puzzled people more is whether there is a difference between strict and limited inerrancy. Which one is more convincing and why? Limited inerrancy, according to Spotlight Ministries, is the idea that what God intends to convey in scripture, or the message of scripture, is without error. Nevertheless, this absence of error does not necessarily apply to the incidental, scientific, geographical or historical statement in scripture.

Therefore, what spotlight ministries is trying to say is that what occurs “out” of God’s immediate control can in itself have errors. The idea of strict inerrancy applies only to the original autographs which should be the very first manuscripts written. This means that no manuscript or copy that was written after the originals can be considered inerrant. The type of inerrancy that is most convincing is the limited because it seems to apply to the world in which we live in today. God may have plans that will come to fruition; however, everyday life seems to take a different turn leading people to do things they may regret.

This is considered incidental and may or may not be part of God’s plan. God set certain things in motion and let them take their course. This is obvious in the natural disasters that occur on a daily basis. God’s voice is inerrant but what affects the reaction of people is not inerrant. Limited and strict inerrancy may seem extremely similar in that both discredit at some point but they are both also very different. You believe in either one, or the other. But to believe in both, some may say that contradictions become the focus.

Being able to differentiate between limited or strict inerrancy is another form of “interpretation” used by many all around the world. Work Cited For Inerrancy Krejcir, Dr. Richard J. Into Thy Word - What Are the Types of Literature Genres in the Bible? . 2009. 23 April 2011 . ministries, Spotlight. The Bible, Inerrant and Infallible? 2001. 23 April 2011 . Sanchez, Ms. Reading Genres. 2003. 23 April 2011 . Theopedia. Inerrancy of the Bible. 28 July 2010. 23 April 2011 . Different Types of Genres in Scripture Genres are the essence of our own lives.

We live, breathe, and sleep in different genres. In school, we learn about genres, which usually take place in English class. Different genres are covered for both reading and writing. They are present to satisfy and please the large array of people who have different tastes for reading and for writing. You can even go as far as to mention music and its different genres. Another word for “genre” is choices, or options. Because all life requires some type of genre, it is only appropriate that finding genres in scripture would be normal.

As you read scripture, you will notice that parts of it may be more or less pleasing to you. The Bible is literature, and therefore, will be filled with different genres. Your preference may change from day to day but there is always something for you regardless of what you are going through at the end of the day it is important to know that regardless of the genre and phase you are going through, Love Wins! There are two main types of genres: Fiction and nonfiction. Beneath each of these main types, you will find subgenres or subcategories.

However, to focus on the two main types in scripture is important. Fiction is something that is false; it is not true. It is not necessarily a lie, but it is just not truth. A few subgenres that fall under fiction are historical and realistic. Under historical fiction, you will find writing that has to do with something from history. The historical part is true. Realistic fiction usually deals with events that could have happened but did not in the particular story. The events are more realistic, which means it probably did not include fairytales, which is another subgenre for fiction.

Fairy tales, myths, folktales and fantasy deal with personification. The writers give character and a personality to an object, or animal. In scripture, (Exodus 3:1-21) we see an angel talking to Moses through a burning bush. Could this be fictional? It is not normally considered realistic fiction because we have yet to see anything like this. Maybe it could be considered mysterious; but mysteries can fall under the main genres, fiction and nonfiction. Nonfiction is based on facts and true events that happen on an everyday basis.

The subgenres for nonfiction include but are not limited to biographies, autobiographies, instructional material, science, and more. The Bible claims to be nonfiction and there are places in the Bible where things have happened and scientists and scholars have been able to prove it. For instance, the flood. There are many stories detailing some kind of flood, which occurred back in the Bible days. Every religion and people group seems to have a story similar to that of the Bible. So, this could be considered infallible.

As life becomes more relevant to those who are fully alive, it is important to realize that the Bible must have some true bearing on its’ readers. The array of genres only proves this statement. It is also up to the interpretation of the reader to be able to determine whether certain places or passages in the Bible are true. Many times the Bible will tell a story to illustrate a point. The story is just that, a story! It does not mean that it actually happened. Some of the stories told in the Bible personify animals.

We know, in real life, animals cannot talk. Therefore, it is to our own logic and discretion that we take what the Bible says as authoritative. Because the Bible includes a list of instructions, it is also considered nonfiction. The 10 commandments, given by Moses are the best-known list of “do’s” and “don’ts” any human could possess. Jesus told stories in parables. There was always a moral to learn at the end. The stories were examples, not actual things that happened to the people.

The Bible is historical and in most cases realistic. People gave first person accounts from the time they were living in. Those stories really cannot be disputed seeing that no present person was with them in the past. Many places mentioned in the Bible are real places today, just called by different names. Scholars have even found carvings on the walls detailing particular events that happened during that time. The Bible must have many different kinds of Genres otherwise; it would not be God’s word.

If God created so many different kinds of people, with different tastes, and different thoughts and feelings, those people who wrote and contributed their thoughts and ideas through God’s voice would have no choice but to put their entire self into the writing. They come, fully equipped, embracing an genre of love, and acceptance, revelation, equality, but most of all love, because Love Wins! Work Cited for Genres Wikipedia. Burning Bush. 18 April 2011. 23 April 2011 . —. Christian mythology.

18 April 2011. 23 April 2011 . —. Genre Fiction. 18 April 2011. 23 April 2011 .