Foursquare Declaration of Faith Series - The Holy Scriptures

Hello everyone, pastor Michael here. Often I am asked about the doctrines of our faith, sometimes its people outside of the church, sometimes its by our youth, and sometimes our members. Lately, I have been studying and refreshing myself in the doctrines of Foursquare, it is always good to review the fundamentals. The Holy Spirit has moved me to share these doctrines with you here and to encourage a dialogue about them. So please comment, ask questions, and let's work together to better our understanding of our core principles. 

"The Holy Scriptures"

"We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of the Living God. Immutable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit; that it is a lamp to guide the feet of a lost world from the depths of sin and sorrow to the heights of righteousness and glory; an unclouded mirror that reveals the face of a crucified Savior; a plumb line to make straight the life of each individual and community; a sharp two-edged sword to convict of sin and evil doing; a strong cord of love and tenderness to draw the penitent to Christ Jesus; a balm of Gilead, in-breathed by the Holy Spirit that can heal and quicken each drooping heart; the only true ground of Christian fellowship and unity; the loving call of an infinitely loving God; the solemn warning; the distant thunder of the storm of wrath and retribution that shall overtake the unheeding; a sign post that points to Heaven; a danger signal that warns from Hell; the divine, supreme, and eternal tribunal by whose standards all men, nations, creeds, and motives shall be tried." (Matt. 24:35; Ps. 119:89; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Ps, 119:105; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; John 5:39; 2 Tim. 2:15; Phil. 3:16; 1 John 4:1; Isa. 8:20; 1 Thess. 5:21; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:6; Jude 3; Eph. 6:17; Ps. 119:59, 60; Phil. 1:9-11)  This statement is quoted from "Declaration of Faith" in the Foursquare Gospel, Amiee Semple McPherson, Foursquare Publications, 1969.  

This doctrinal position often leads to a discussion about, Inerrancy vs Infallibility, and so I have included an except from an article on this topic for your consideration.

Inerrancy of the Bible

"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, whether that relates to doctrines or ethics or to the social, physical, or life sciences." The conservative evangelical stance on inerrancy was most recently and thoroughly articulated in 1978 in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

According to the Chicago Statement and in general agreement within the evangelical community at large, strict inerrancy applies only to the original autographs (i.e. the very first manuscripts written). This leads to the conclusion that, "no present manuscript or copy of Scripture, no matter how accurate, can be called inerrant." Nonetheless, one should not worry, for when we understand the reliability of the New and Old Testament, we may have confidence that our current Bibles are 98% accurate, and no major doctrine is affected by the manuscript variants. Likewise, the Bible has proved itself reliable through prophecy, historical events, archaeology, and in many other areas.

Although we may have confidence in the Bible texts we have today (based on the inerrancy of the original), there remains the possibility of different interpretations. This should not be taken as a negative against the doctrine of inerrancy. An interpretation that contradicts what seems to be the clear sense of other Scripture does not necessarily imply that the text is in error. More than likely the interpretation is at fault, and not the text. A famous quote from Augustine says, "it is not allowable to say, 'The author of this book is mistaken'; but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood" http://www.theopedia.com/Inerrancy_of_the_Bible

So whether we hold to inerrancy or infallibility, I hope we all can agree that the Bible is, "...the Word of the Living God. Immutable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit; that it is a lamp to guide the feet of a lost world."