1. The Truth Will Make You Free: Biblical Inspiration and Inerrancy
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
The first point is to realize that sacred Scripture is the very Word of God. As the substantial Word of God became like to men in all things, "except sin," so the words of God, expressed in human language, are made like to human speech in every respect, except error (Pope Pius XII, , no. 37, 1943).
The Bible is different from all other books because it is inspired by God. But it is important to understand what the Church means by this "inspiration." She does not mean that the Bible is necessarily inspirational, although it often is. Rather, the Scriptures are referred to as inspired because they are literally God-breathed. "For the sacred Scripture is not like other books. Dictated by the Holy Spirit, it contains things of the deepest importance" (, no. 5). As the book of Hebrews says, "the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12).
The fact that Scripture is God's very words becoming the words of men gives it an inner dynamism which differentiates it from all other books. The Scriptures possess a reliability in which we may place our trust about what we are to believe and how we are to act. This reliability is based upon what the Church calls inerrancy. "[H]aving been written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, [the books of the Bible] have God for their author and as such were handed down to the Church herself.... [This is a] Catholic doctrine by which such divine authority is claimed for the 'entire books with all their parts' as to secure freedom from any error whatsoever" (, introduction).
The Bible's inerrancy is based on God's trustworthiness, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. This trustworthiness distinguishes the Bible from all other books (cf. , no. 12).
Typically, we as readers stand in judgment over the books we read, deciding for ourselves whether to accept or reject the assertions that we encounter. But the Scriptures- because they are written by God-stand in judgment over the reader, calling us into a life-transforming relationship with the ultimate Author, our Heavenly Father. The sacred Scriptures, read in light of sacred Tradition and with the guidance of the Magisterium, provide that firm foundation on which we can build a life of faith and support for our daily lives (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15).
Biblical inspiration and inerrancy are the fundamental principles upon which biblical interpretation rests. The Lord's words are true; for him to say it, means that it is. Again, "'Scripture cannot lie'; it is wrong to say Scripture lies, no, it is impious even to admit the very notion of error where the Bible is concerned" (Pope Benedict XV, , no. 13, 1920). An example of this commitment to the sacred page not only extends to all the saints, but to our Lord himself, who quoted from all parts of the Scripture with solemn testimony: "The Scripture cannot be broken" (Jn. 10:35). This is the commitment we too will need if we want to experience the fruits that Our Lord has intended for "hearers of his Word."
Taken from www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/SSMODCAT.TXT
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