Verbal, plenary inerrancy; completely truthful in all matters; infallible Word of God
WELS affirms the verbal, plenary inerrancy of the Bible. The very words of Scripture (in the original manuscripts) are infallibly true and completely free from error in all matters—doctrine, history, science, prophecy, and ethics. The Bible is not merely inerrant in spiritual matters but in everything it affirms.
The inerrancy of Scripture flows from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God superintended the selection, arrangement, and recording of the words so that the resulting text is exactly what God intended. Inerrancy applies to the original manuscripts (autographa); manuscript variants and translation differences are acknowledged, but the WELS affirms that the original texts were fully inerrant.
WELS employs the historical-grammatical method of interpretation, which seeks to understand each text in its historical context, according to grammatical and syntactical rules, and according to the author's intended meaning. Different genres (narrative, poetry, prophecy, wisdom) are interpreted appropriately to their kind. However, the commitment to inerrancy means that all Scripture, correctly understood, is truthful and authoritative. The WELS rejects any view that allows for errors or falsehoods in Scripture.
Key Distinctions
- Inerrancy scope:
- complete — in doctrine, history, science, ethics, and all matters
- Hermeneutic approach:
- historical-grammatical interpretation; respects genre and authorial intent
Scripture References
Sources
- Book of Concord: Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Articles II-V (on Scripture)
- WELS doctrinal statements on Biblical Inerrancy and Scripture's authority