Inerrancy of the Bible

By Norman L. Geisler, Ph.D.
Professor, Theology and Apologetics, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina

The inerrant quality of the Word of God is an inference from the nature of God. Jesus taught His Father is the only true God, John 17.3, and His Word is truth, John 17.17. The apostles taught God cannot lie, Hebrews 6.18 and no lie is of the truth, 1 John 2.21.

Inspiration does not extend to just the thoughts or oral pronouncements of prophets, but to their very words. Moses “wrote all the words of the Lord,” Exodus 24.4, and David confessed, “His word was in my tongue,” 2 Samuel 23.2. Jeremiah was told to “diminish not a word,” Jeremiah 26.2. Repeatedly, the prophets prefaced their declarations with the authoritative phrase, “Thus saith theLord,” as in Judges 6.8, 2 Samuel 7.5, Isaiah 7.7, Haggai 1.5 and Zechariah 1.3. Jesus defined Old Testament revelation by what is written, Matthew 4.4,7. Paul testified he spoke words taught by the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2.13, and he taught Timothy “all scripture is given by inspiration of God,” 2 Timothy 3.16.

Jesus also affirmed the whole Old Testament was inspired of God. Everything recorded by Moses and the prophets is from God, Matthew 5.17-18, and therefore must be fulfilled, Luke 24.44, cf. Romans 15.4. This claim of inspiration is only for the writings originally given by God, that is, the autographs, not copies subject to minor scribal errors. The necessary conclusion is the Scriptures are without error. Whatever God utters is true and without error, and with respect to prophecy, the Lord promises to bring to pass the events He predicts, Genesis 41.32 and Isaiah 46.11.

Second Timothy 3.16 declares, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” which contextually refers to the holy scriptures of the Jewish faith in which young Timothy was taught, verse 15. The New Testament often refers to the authoritative writings of the Jews as the scriptures. Jesus said, “The scripture cannot be broken,” John 10.35, and concerning prophecy, Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of the whole of Old Testament Law and prophecy on many occasions: Matthew 5.17, Luke 24.27,44.

Furthermore, Jesus promised the inspiration of New Testament doctrine, prophecy and ethics as well. He promised His disciples He would send them the Holy Spirit who would teach and help them remember the things they had seen and heard when Jesus was among them, John 14.26.

Later, the apostles wrote the Song of God was the final revelation of the Father, Hebrews 1.3. They testified their own writings were equal in authority to the writings of the Old Testament: Luke 1.1-4, 2 Peter 3.16, Revelation 1.3 and 19.10, and were indeed the Word of God: Acts 4.31 and 17.13, 1 Thessalonians 2.13.

The connection between inerrancy, prophecy and personal assurance is explained in Hebrews 6.18: “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.”

Our hope is based on the inerrant fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecy to the letter and His return will fulfill both Old and New Testament predictions.