The Inerrancy of Scripture

Jesus boldly declared that “Scripture cannot be broken” (Jn. 10:35), affirming the absolute reliability of God’s Word. The doctrine of inerrancy flows from this conviction: the Bible, in its original writings, is wholly true in all it affirms—without error in matters of faith, history, science, or morality.

This doctrine is drawn from the nature of God and the witness of His Word. Scripture itself gives the logic: 

• God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18). 
• All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16). 
• Therefore, the Bible cannot lie, for it speaks with His voice.

Jesus Himself affirmed this view. He once pointed to the tense of a single verb to defend the resurrection (Matt. 22:32), showing that even the smallest detail of Scripture is trustworthy. He also declared that not even the smallest letter would pass away until all was fulfilled (Matt. 5:18), and He treated Old Testament accounts—Jonah, Adam and Eve, Noah, and more—as historical fact. The apostles followed His lead, trusting and proclaiming the Scriptures as the very words of God (1 Thess. 2:13).

Inerrancy does not mean that the Bible uses technical terminology or conforms to modern scientific vocabulary. It recognizes figures of speech, literary genres, and ordinary ways of speaking. A verse that says the sun “rises” (Eccl. 1:5) is not in error—it uses observational language, just as we do today.

Inerrancy also applies specifically to the original manuscripts (called the autographs), not to every later copy or translation. While minor variations exist among manuscripts, none compromise any doctrine or essential truth. Through careful preservation and faithful scholarship, we can trust that the Bible we hold is a true and accurate witness to what God originally inspired.

This doctrine guards the authority of Scripture by grounding it in God’s truthfulness. If the Bible contained even a single error, human judgment would become the final authority, not God. Inerrancy protects us from that slope. It assures us that every word of Scripture is firm ground, not shifting sand. As Psalm 12:6 declares, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.”

To believe in inerrancy is to believe that God always tells the truth. His Word, like His nature, is unchanging and sure—pure, complete, and without flaw. Scripture never deceives, never misleads, and never fails.

Verses for Further Reflection

• Numbers 23:19
• Psalm 12:6
• 2 Timothy 3:16
• John 10:35
• Titus 1:2

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