Article I
We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received
as the authoritative Word of God.
We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church,
tradition, or any other human source.
Article II
We affirm that the Scriptures are the supreme written
norm by which God binds the conscience, and that the authority of the
Church is subordinate to that of Scripture.
We deny that Church creeds, councils, or declarations have authority
greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible.
Article III
We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is
revelation given by God.
We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to revelation, or only becomes
revelation encounter, or depends on the responses of men for its validity.
Article IV
We affirm that God, who made mankind in His image, has
used language as a means revelation.
We deny that human language is so limited by our creatureliness that it is
rendered inadequate as a vehicle for divine revelation. We further deny
that the corruption of human culture and language through sin has thwarted
God's work of inspiration.
Article V
We affirm that God's revelation in the Holy Scriptures
was progressive.
We deny that later revelation, which may fulfill earlier revelation, ever
corrects or contradicts it. We further deny that any normative revelation
has been given since the completion of the New Testament writings.
Article VI
We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its
parts, down to the very words of the original, were given by divine inspiration.
We deny that the inspiration of Scripture can rightly be affirmed of the
whole without the parts, or of some parts but not the whole.
Article VII
We affirm that inspiration was the work in which God,
by His Spirit, through human writers, gave us His Word. The origin of
Scripture is divine. The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a
mystery to us.
We deny that inspiration can be reduced to human insight, or to heightened
states of consciousness of any kind.
Article VIII
We affirm that God in His Work of inspiration
utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers
whom He had chosen and prepared.
We deny that God, in causing these writers to use the very words that He
chose, overrode their personalities.
Article IX
We affirm that inspiration, though not conferring
omniscience, guaranteed true and trustworthy utterance on all matters of
which the Bible authors were moved to speak and write.
We deny that the finitude or fallenness of these writers, by necessity or
otherwise, introduced distortion or falsehood into God's Word.
Article X
We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking,
applies to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of
God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We
further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of
God to extent that they faithfully represent the original.
We deny that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by
the absence of the autographs. We further deny that this absence renders
the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.
Article XI
We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine
inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true
and reliable in all matters it addresses.
We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time
infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may
be distinguished, but not separated.
Article XII
We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant,
being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.
We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to
spiritual, religious or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the
fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses
about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of
Scripture on creation and the flood.
Article XIII
We affirm the propriety of using inerrancy as
a theological term with reference to the complete truthfulness of Scripture.
We deny that it is proper to evaluate Scripture according to standards of
truth and error that are alien to its usage or purpose. We further deny
that inerrancy is negated by Biblical phenomena such as a lack of modern
technical precision, irregularities of grammar or spelling, observational
descriptions of nature, the reporting of falsehoods, the use of hyperbole
and round numbers, the topical arrangement of material, variant selections
of material in parallel accounts, or the use of free citations.
Article XIV
We affirm the unity and internal consistency of
Scripture.
We deny that alleged errors and discrepancies that have not yet been
resolved vitiate the truth of claims of the Bible.
Article XV
We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is grounded
in the teaching of the Bible about inspiration.
We deny that Jesus' teaching about Scripture may be dismissed by appeals to
accommodation or to any natural limitation of His humanity.
Article XVI
We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy has been
integral to the Church's faith throughout its history.
We deny that inerrancy is a doctrine invented by Scholastic Protestantism,
or a reactionary position postulated in response to negative higher
criticism.
Article XVII
We affirm that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the
Scriptures, assuring believers of the truthfulness of God's written Word.
We deny that this witness of the Holy Spirit operates in isolation from or
against Scripture.
Article XVIII
We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be
interpreted by grammatico-historical exegesis, taking account of its
literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture.
We deny the legitimacy of any treatment of the text or quest for sources
lying behind it that leads to relativizing, dehistoricizing, or
discounting its teaching, or rejecting its claims to authorship.
Article XIX
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.
