Can the infallibility of the Bible be proven?

Answer

The term infallible denotes being incapable of error or wrong. When individuals refer to the Bible as infallible, they assert that it is entirely reliable, completely true, and incapable of conveying any error. The assertion of the Bible’s infallibility has always been a part of Christian doctrine, but can such assertions be substantiated?

Initially, the Bible’s infallibility is affirmed within the Bible itself. Second Peter 1:19 declares, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable.” Second Timothy 3:16–17 further states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” If Scripture is “God-breathed,” it originates from the perfect God and can therefore only be true.

Moreover, beyond the Bible’s internal claims of infallibility, we can employ inductive reasoning to present evidence of the Bible’s accuracy. Evidence is derived from an examination of ancient manuscripts, archaeology, extra-biblical history, and other academic disciplines. Unlike certain religious texts, the Bible possesses a verifiable historical foundation—the cities, geography, nations, people, and other details in the Bible are situated within actual time and history. The narratives in the Bible are not mere religious myths but rather chronicles of God’s interventions throughout human history.

A crucial aspect concerning biblical infallibility is the consistent preservation of the biblical manuscripts. Strictly speaking, the inspiration of the Bible is confined to the original autographs. Nevertheless, a scrutiny of the history of the Bible’s manuscripts (referred to as textual criticism) reveals an exceedingly high level of precision in the copying and safeguarding of the sacred text.

The Dead Sea Scrolls encompass around 200 copies of Old Testament books dating back 2,000 years. These manuscripts attest to the remarkable consistency withWith which the Hebrew text was copied and its accuracy safeguarded through the centuries.

For the New Testament, more than 5,000 manuscripts and manuscript fragments exist in the original Greek text. The earliest fragments are only one generation removed from the original copies. Today’s scholars note that every original word of the New Testament text is either already in the text or in one of the alternative readings in the footnotes. The New Testament has more early copies to support its accuracy than any other ancient writing.

There are both internal and external evidences of the Bible’s infallibility. The text itself can be shown to be extremely accurate, and the subject matter can be supported through a variety of fields of study. The external evidence supports the internal claim that the Bible is unlike any other book in history. The Bible is accurate, authoritative, and infallible. Its teachings are from God Himself and worthy of our devotion (Psalm 1:1-3).