Believing God's Word Is Inerrant

An important tenet of the Christian faith is the belief that the Bible is God’s inerrant Word.  See Hebrews 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

That means:

1. The Bible is completely reliable, accurate, and true.

2. It was written by human authors, but the words came from God’s Spirit. It’s not corrupted by human bias or error.(1)  



It doesn't mean we take each passage literally. 
The Bible contains some figurative language that isn't meant to be taken literally.(2)  

It doesn't mean: all cultures will apply biblical principles identically.
The principles are universal, but they'll be applied differently by different cultures (e.g. modesty).

It doesn't mean: all translations are perfect.
Some translations are more accurate than others.(3) 

It doesn't mean: we shouldn't study cultural and historical backgrounds.
Some Old Testament commands and situations are only understood in the context of history and culture. But history and culture do not negate New Testament commands and principles.

We may not understand every passage of the Bible, but we know it’s “God-breathed,” a poetic way to say 100% accurate.(4)  
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Foot Notes:

(1) 2 Peter 1:20-21: Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 

This includes the Old Testament. 
Romans 15:4: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Also note that Peter refers to Paul's letters as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:14-16.
  
If you believe certain passages of Scripture are man's words, not God's, then everything in Scripture is suspect, including forgiveness, mercy, and salvation.

(2) Believing God’s Word is inerrant doesn’t mean we believe the earth is flat and trees clap their hands. See Recognizing Figurative Language in Scripture, How Can You Take the Bible Literally, and Flat Earth Lie.

(3) Please don’t be taken captive by arguments saying that there is only one God-approved English translation. See Is the King James Version the Best English Translation?

(4) Recently someone asked me why God approved of Lot offering his virgin daughters to be abused instead of the angels (Genesis 19:8). God didn’t approve. Just because something is included in Scripture does not mean it’s God-approved. Lot's actions were evil in this situation and in other situations as well. If men made up a religion, they’d “clean it up,” putting all of God’s people in a good light. But God honestly shared the history of His people including the sins of Abraham, David, and others.
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