--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE

Inerrancy and Infallibility of Scripture
Lesson #10

Two of the cardinal doctrines of Christianity are the infallibility and inerrancy of the
Word of God. Yet, one can wonder how these doctrines can be true, given the fact that all
recognize that we do not have any of the original manuscripts and that the manuscripts we do
have are flawed and contain copyist errors. If the teaching of the Bible has been corrupted or
if the Bible is full of errors, this creates catastrophic implications for Christianity. If infallibility
and inerrancy are not true, then God has failed to preserve His Word, Christianity is without a
foundation, and the Word of God has lost its authority. In this lesson we will explore the
doctrines of the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture and seek to unravel some of the more
difficult issues that these doctrines present.

I.

DEFINITION OF INERRANCY AND INFALLIBILITY OF SCRIPTURE

A.

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 doctrine or
ethics or to the social, physical, or life sciences. 1

B.

Infallibility may be called the subjective consequence of divine inspiration; that

is, it defines the Scripture as reliable and trustworthy to those who turn to it in
search for God s truth. As a source of truth, the Bible is indefectable that is, it
cannot fall away or defect from the standard of truth. Consequently, it will never
fail or deceive anyone who trusts it.2

C.

The terms inerrancy and infallibility seem to us practically interchangeable.

There are those who think that the word infallibility smacks too much of the idea
of papal authority3, a treatment of the Bible as a piece of paper that automatically
settles every question. The fact is that if Scripture is infallible, it cannot err; and
if it is inerrant, this is because it contains no mistakes. 4

D.

Sometimes it is easier to understand what is meant by inerrancy and infallibility

when we describe what is not meant by those terms. The terms are not saying
that those who copied the Scriptures never made mistakes. They are not saying
that the Greek and Hebrew texts we have today are identical to the original
manuscripts. But what the terms do mean is that the Bible is inerrant in that it
contains no internal error or contradiction. It is to believe that all of the truth that

Walter Elwell, Gen, Ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, pg.142.

Phillip Comfort Gen. Ed., The Origin of the Bible, pg. 38.

3
Roman Catholics describe the Bible as inerrant but the authoritative teachings of the church as infallible. Hence, some try to
stay away from the term infallible so as not to include the false notion of papal infallibility.

Rene Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of the Scripture, pg. 120.

Page 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

God intended to communicate through His W ord has been perfectly preserved in
the Bibles we have without error and that they are infallible, never deviating from
what God wanted to communicate.

II.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER ABOUT INERRANCY AND INFALLIBILITY OF

SCRIPTURE
A.

Christians must come to grips with the fact that we do not have the original
autographs, nor do we have the ability to prove the Bible is inerrant and
infallible. Because we believe that only the original autographs are inspired,
inerrant and infallible we admit that all the copies are not inspired, inerrant, or
infallible. Even if all the original autographs were miraculously preserved and
found, we still would not be absolutely sure that they were the originals and one
would still have to believe in faith that they were the originals and that they were
the Word of God. Because of this, inerrancy and infallibility are doctrines which
must be received by faith. This does not mean that there isn t sufficient
Scriptural and extra-biblical evidence to argue for inerrancy and infallibility, but
even then, one must have faith that the Bible is God s Word.
Christians usually use the Bible to argue for the Bible s inerrancy and authority.
They presuppose that the Bible is true and then use what the Bible says to argue
that it is inerrant and infallible. This admittedly is circular reasoning. Yet, this
should not discourage us because all belief systems have presuppositions and
all belief systems use circular reasoning! For instance, the atheist presupposes
that God doesn t exist. He presupposes that he is able to determine truth, to be
objective and to gather all the evidence and make a logical and rational
conclusion based on the evidence. But it cannot be proven that he is logical, or
objective, or that he has all the evidence. In fact, the evidence proves otherwise.
Hence, the atheist must have faith in his presuppositions before he can argue
from those presuppositions. This is to use circular reasoning.
The Scriptures do not use the terms infallibility and inerrancy. These
doctrines are defined and supported by theological inference like the doctrine of
the Trinity. The word Trinity does not appear in the Bible but there are many
texts which state that there is one God who has chosen to reveal Himself in three
persons i.e., God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three
are together the one true God. In like manner, the Scriptures teach that the
Word of God is true, pure, without error, enduring and a product of a divine
miracle. Since anything God does is perfect, the Scriptures, which are the W ord
of God, must be without error and infallible, since God cannot err or make
mistakes.
In conclusion, infallibility and inerrancy argue that the Hebrew and Greek texts of
today and the Bible translations derived from them are for all practical purposes
inerrant in that they tell us exactly what God wanted us to know, are without error
and are completely and totally trustworthy and authoritative in part and whole.

Page 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

III.

B.

If God is omniscient, he must know all things. He cannot be ignorant of or in

error on any matter. Further, if he is omnipotent, he is able to so affect the
Biblical author s writing that nothing erroneous enters into the final product. And
being a truthful or veracious being, he will certainly desire to utilize these abilities
in such a way that man will not be misled by the Scriptures. Thus, our view of
inspiration logically entails the inerrancy of the Bible. Inerrancy is a corollary of
the doctrine of full inspiration. If then it should be shown that the Bible is not fully
truthful, our view of inspiration would also be in jeopardy. 5

C.

The Book of God has no errata in it; it is a beam of the Sun of Righteousness, a
crystal stream flowing from the fountain of life. All laws and edicts of men have
had their corruption but the Word of God has not the least tincture, it is of
meridian splendor. Thy word is very pure (Psa. 119:140), like wine that comes
from the grape, which is not mixed nor adulterated. It is so pure that it purifies
everything else.6

SCRIPTURAL PROOF OF INERRANCY AND INFALLIBILITY OF SCRIPTURE

A.

Inspiration is clearly taught in the Bible and requires inerrancy and

infallibility7
1.

In II Sam. 23:2 David describes how God communicated through him and says, The
Spirit of the L ord spo ke by m e, And H is word w as on m y tongue.

2.

II Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correc tion, for training in righteous ness;

3.

II Pet. 1:21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by
the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

a.

B.

Since the Bible is a product of divine inspiration, what implications

does that have for its inerrancy and infallibility?

Miracles affirm that the Word of God is inspired and hence inerrant and
infallible
1.

Deut. 13:1-5 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign
or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you,
saying, Let us go after othe r gods (w hom you have n ot know n) and let u s serve them ,
3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dream s; for the Lord
your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and

Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, pg. 225.

Thomas Watson, Body of Divinity, pg. 28.

See Lesson #6 on inspiration for many other Biblical proof texts.

Page 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

with all your soul. 4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep
His commandm ents, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or
that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against
the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the
house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God comm anded
you to walk . So you sh all purge the evil from amo ng you.
2.

Deut. 18:20-22 But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I
have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that
prophet shall die. 21 You may say in your heart, How will we know the word which the
Lord has not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing
does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The
prop het h as s pok en it pr esu mp tuou sly; you shall n ot be afra id of h im.

a.

C.

Jesus implied infallibility and inerrancy of the Scriptures8

1.

Mt. 5:17- 20 Do no t think that I ca me to abolish the Law or th e Proph ets; I did not c ome to
abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the
smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever
then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the
same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches
them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you that unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the
kingdom of heaven.

2.

Jn. 10:34-35 Jesus an swered them , Has it not been written in your Law, I said, you are
gods ? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God cam e (and the Scripture
canno t be brok en),

a.

D.

If a true prophet is able to predict the future, what does that tell us
about the source of his prophetic utterances and what implications
does this have for the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible?

Jesus taught that the Scriptures were both enduring and

unbreakable. What implications does this have on inerrancy and
infallibility?

The Scriptures teach that every word and detail of the Bible is inerrant and
infallible
1.

Psa. 119: 42, 96, 140, 142, 151, 160, 172

42 So I w ill have an an swer fo r him w ho repro aches me, F or I trust in You r word.
96I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandm ent is exceedingly broad.
140Yo ur word is very pure, T herefo re Your s ervant love s it.
142Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.

Absolute authority necessitates inerrancy and infallibility since without those qualities the Bible would not be totally and completely
authoritative.

Page 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

151Yo u are ne ar, O Lo rd, And a ll Your com man dme nts are tru th.
160 The sum of Yo ur wo rd is tr uth, A nd ev ery on e of Y our rig hteo us or dinan ces is
everlasting.
172Le t my tong ue sing o f Your wo rd, For all Yo ur com man dme nts are righ teousn ess.

2.

Mt. 22:329 I am the G od of Abra ham , and the G od of Isaa c, an d the God of Ja cob ? He is
not the G od of the dead bu t of the living.

3.

Mt. 22:43-4410 He said to them, Then how does David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying,
44 The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your
feet ?

4.

Gal. 3:1611 Now the p rom ises were spok en to Abra ham and t o his s eed . He d oes not s ay,
And to s eeds, as refer ring to m any, but rath er to one , And to you r seed, that is, Chris t.

a.

E.

What implications do the above verses create if the Bible is not

inerrant and infallible?

The Scriptures teach that God cannot lie and that the Scriptures are His
Word
1.

Num b. 23 :19 God is not a m an, th at He shou ld lie, N or a s on of ma n, tha t He s hou ld

repe nt; Ha s He said, and w ill He n ot do it? Or has H e spo ken , and will He not m ake it
good?

2.

I Sam. 15:29 Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man
that He s hould ch ange H is mind .

3.

Titus 1:2 in the hope of eterna l life, which G od, who canno t lie, promis ed long a ges ag o,

4.

Heb. 6:18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we
who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set
before us.

a.

If there were errors, mistakes, and untruths in the Bible, what

implications would that have on the verses above?

Here the entire argument rests on the tense of a verb I AM.

10

Here Jesus hangs his argument on the possessive phrase my Lord.

11

Here Paul s argument rests on whether a noun is singular or plural.

Page 5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

F.

The Scriptures teach that God s Word will not pass away
1.

Isa. 40:8 T he gras s withers , the flower f ades, B ut the wor d of our G od stan ds forev er.

2.

Mk. 13 :31 Hea ven and earth will pas s away, bu t My word s will not pas s away.

a.

IV.

V.

What implications do the verses above have on the preservation

and accuracy of the Bible?

ERRORS CONCERNING INERRANCY AND INFALLIBILITY OF SCRIPTURE

A.

False ' The Bible can be regarded as infallible without being inerrant.

B.

False ' It is okay to believe that the Bible is partially inerrant.

C.

False ' You can believe the Bible is dynamically inerrant i.e., that it contains
errors but is still infallible, and still trust it as the soul rule of faith and practice.

D.

False ' We must assume the Bible has errors in it because it is a human work
and humans make mistakes.

E.

False ' It is erroneous to say that every thing the Bible reports is true and to be
followed. Many errors, false doctrines, and sins are reported in the Bible and are
historically accurate. But just because something is recorded or reported, that
does not mean we should do it or that it is ethically or morally right. False
teaching and wicked deeds are truly recorded but not part of God s prescribed
will for believers to follow. They serve as warnings and examples of what not to
do (I Cor. 10:1-14).

F.

False ' You can disagree with Jesus view of the Scriptures and still be His
disciple, follow Him, and profess Him as Lord.

G.

False ' Passages that are difficult to understand, problems in the Bible that are
hard to understand, and copyist errors prove the Bible is not inerrant or infallible.

APPLICATION OF INERRANCY AND INFALLIBILITY OF SCRIPTURE

A.

The application of the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scripture, although hard to
prove, is simple. God has determined to communicate to man through the
Scriptures, His Word and the gospel message so that men might be saved, know
Him, know His plan for the future, and give Him glory. Because God is all
powerful and perfect, He cannot err. He has chosen to use fallible humans to
Page 6

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Hughes ' Calvary Bible Church

miraculously give us His Word through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And he
has preserved it through the centuries so that the Bibles we have today are
without error and unbreakable in that they communicate all of what God wants us
to know perfectly, with no deviation, and the truth communicated is completely
reliable and trustworthy and will never be proven wrong. The primary application
in all of this is:
you can trust and must obey what the Bible teaches is God s
will for your life.
B.

Bishop Pole speaking of scriptural infallibility and inerrancy said, Once allow the
worm to gnaw the root, and we must not be surprised is the branches leaves,
and the fruit, little by little decay. 12

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you
He hath said To you,
who for refuge to Jesus
have fled?

12

Bishop Pole, quoted by Harold O. J. Brown, in Philip Wesley Comforts book, The Origin of the Bible, pg. 47.

Page 7