Some Thoughts on Berkouwer’s Doctrine of Scripture

Berkouwer’s positive understanding of the concepts of infallibility and inerrancy

Berkouwer highlights the profound truth contained in the concepts of infallibility and inerrancy: “The Holy Spirit in His witness to truth does not lead us into error but into pathways of truth (II John 4). The Spirit, with this special concern, has not failed and will not fail in the mystery of God-breathed Scripture” (Holy Scripture, pp. 265-266). The reference to 2 John 4 – “following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father” – emphasizes Berkouwer’s deeply practical concern with the life of discipleship. Infallibility and inerrancy without discipleship are far removed from the purpose of the Spirit who speaks through Scripture.  The Spirit, armed with the Word as His sword, will not permit us to err from the pathway of discipleship. He will not allow us to fail. He will fulfil the saving purpose of God in our lives. Scripture is indispensable if we are to be kept from erring or failing.

Three Biblical passages are most instructive here – Matthew 22:29, Psalm 95:10 and 1 Samuel 26:21.

(i) “You do err, not knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).

We need both the Scriptures and the power of God if we are to be kept from erring. If we are not hearing and heeding the Scriptures through “walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25), we will most certainly deviate from the pathway of “following the truth” (2 John 4).

(ii) “For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who err in heart, and they do not regard My ways’” (Psalm 95:10).

We need both the Scriptures and the power of God if we are to be kept from “erring in heart”, delivered from wrong attitudes to God and His Word.

(iii) “I have played the fool and erred exceedingly” (1 Samuel 26:21).

We need both the Scriptures and the power of God if we are to be kept from playing the fool and erring exceedingly, delivered from wrong actions which will make “shipwreck of our faith” (1 Timothy 1:19) and ruin our lives.

If we are to take the burning heat out of “the battle for the Bible”, it’s high time we turned our Bibles “from a battlefield into a source of spiritual strength”.

We do not deny the content of our confession – Scripture really is God’s Word. We do, however, strongly emphasize the context of this confession – our relationship with Jesus Christ.

A comparison of the views of Berkouer and E. J. Young

Young has proposed Biblical warrant for his concept of inerrancy – 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21 ( Thy Word is Truth, pp. 18-26); John 10:35 (pp. 26-27); Matthew 5:17-18 (pp. 48-49).  It is, however, far from self-evident that the passages proposed can bear the full weight of his interpretation. Viewed in terms of the stated purpose of Scripture, these passages need not be interpreted in the way that Young suggests.
His argument is based on inferential thinking by which his concept of inerrancy is inferred from the absolute perfection of God. The idea that the Bible must be inerrant, in the way that Young describes inerrancy, contains certain questionable implications. It is not immediately apparent that the refusal to accept Young’s concept of inerrancy must be based on the idea that God is incapable of providing man with an inerrant Bible (This is what Young says on p. 73).  It is not self-evident that the refusal to accept Young’s concept of inerrancy should be identified with the declaration that “There are flaws or errors in God Himself” (This is what Young says on p. 123). The idea that the presence of purely formal error in Scripture is incompatible with the moral perfection of God is questionable because it tends to define ‘perfection’ apart from the purpose of Scripture. Berkouwer’s criticism of the kind of inferential thinking used by Young is not based on a limitation of God’s power to reveal Himself in whatever way He chooses.  His criticism of the kind of inferential thinking used by Young is not based on a rather empty conception of the freedom of God which he uses to avoid drawing necessary conclusions concerning the authority of Scripture. Rather, it is based on the recognition of God’s purpose in Scripture. Holding that the Bible is all that God wants it to be in accordance with His precise purpose, Berkouwer insists that it is unnecessary to posit a perfection which extends beyond the confines of the specific purpose of Scripture. From this perspective, Berkouwer challenges those who adopt Young’s view of inerrancy to consider whether they would be more Biblical in their thinking if they questioned their tendency to think in terms of how God must act.

The purpose for which God has given us Scripture

Berkouwer points out that “Scripture itself in a very explicit way speaks about its intention” (Holy Scripture, p. 125 where he cites John 20:31, Romans 15:4, Romans 4:23-24, 1 Corinthians 10:11, 2 Timothy 3:16 and 1 Timothy 1:18-19). He emphasizes that his approach is not “an arbitrary approach to Holy Scripture” (p. 125), based on a modern outlook which places a restriction on Biblical authority. Rather, it is an approach, based on Scripture itself, which seeks to understand the proper nature of Scripture’s absolute authority.

In 2 Timothy 3:15-17, there is a strong emphasis on the purpose of Scripture – “the Holy Scriptures … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus … and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Between the two statements – ‘Scriptures makes us wise for salvation’ and ‘Scripture is profitable … ‘, there is the great statement that “All Scripture is given by inspiration by God.”

It is important to notice that the statement about the inspiration of Scripture does not stand in splendid isolation, detached from everything time-related such as our need to be saved and to to be led in the paths of righteousness.

Scripture is God’s Word for every time and every place.

When we affirm that Scripture is inspired by God, we cannot adopt the view of cultural relativism which strips the Scriptures of their absolute authority. We believe that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday and today and forever” Hebrews 13:8). We believe that Scripture, with its supreme goal of pointing us to the Saviour, continues to speak to us as “the living and abiding Word of God” through which we are “born again” (1 Peter 1:23).

We look back to the times when the Biblical events took place. These times are very different from our own. There is much in Scripture which we will only understand when we step outside of our own time and place. We must, however, never lose sight of the fact that, in relation to its supreme purpose – leading us to faith in Christ and on to maturity in Him, Scripture speaks to us as the Word of God for every time and every place.

Here, we may learn from the Old Testament scholar, R. K. Harrison of Toronto, sought, over his first few weeks with new students, to take them (in their imagination!) from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa … to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Sinai …

This immersing of ourselves in the Ancient Near East can serve only to enrich our understanding of the Bible. To be thoroughly acquainted with the broad background against which Scripture is set is of immense value for accurate, well-informed Biblical interpretation.

We must, however, take care that the background does not become the foreground. It must remain what it is – the background. All our knowledge of the background is intended to lead us to the foreground – Jesus Christ. We must approach all our background authorities with the question, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:20).