How Trustworthy is the Bible?

How reliable and trustworthy are the Scriptures? Are they the word of God?

The apostle Paul was emphatic in affirming the authority of Scripture:
"ALL Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16).

From Greg L. Bahnsen, “The Inerrancy of the Autographa,” in Inerrancy, ed. Norman Geisler (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980), pp. 152-153.

"Because of their divine origin the Scriptures are entirely trustworthy and sure (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Heb. 2:3; 2 Peter 1:19), so that by means of them we are able to discern between what is true and what is false (cf. 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1).

The Scriptures are the standard of trustworthiness (Luke 1:1-4) and will never ail us or bring us embarrassment (Isa. 28:16; John 19:35; 20:31; Rom. 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6;
1 John 1:1-3).

Their accuracy extends to every minute detail, as our Lord said – to every “jot” and “tittle” (Matt. 5:18) – in such a way that the indestructible endurance of any minor part is coextensive with that of the whole (cf. Isa. 40:8; Matt. 24:35; 1 Peter 1:24-25).

Every single word of the Bible is, by its own witness to itself, infallibly true, god’s own declaration is: “I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right” (Isa. 45:19).

Accordingly, the psalmist can say, “The sum of thy word is truth” (Ps. 119:160), and the wisdom literature can counsel us, “Every word of God is tried [proven, true, flawless]” (Prov. 30:5).

If our doctrinal outlook is informed by the Word of God, then, we must confess that Scripture is entirely truthful, or inerrant. The unchallengeable testimony of Jesus was, "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17)."

For more information: "The Inerrancy of the Autographa" by Greg L. Bahnsen

Tags: bible, inerrancy, inerrant, infallibility, infallible, scripture

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Comment by Kjv WordofGodBeliever on February 16, 2012 at 6:48am

Good morning Colby,

Great post. Without this understanding or better yet, this measure of faith, it would be impossible to be a witness to a Word we don't trust.

I read the essay "The Inerrancy of the Autographa" by Greg L. Bahnsen. Good points supporting the inerancy of the scriptures. It was not an easy read however. I feel entirely stupid after struggling to get through it.

I do not agree with it entirely though, assuming I even comprehended it.

If I'm understanding this author, then there is no line drawn as to versions. From his viewpoint all are sufficient enough to convey the message in the Word of God even if the actual words may have discrepancies among them. I can see a "message" in the Word that can be defined as the sum and foundation of our faith. I would say that John 3:16 is that "message". However, there are many truths in our infallible Word. The prophetic presence of Christ in the Old Testament, the virgin birth, the reality of hell, the power of the Holy Spirit, the authority of scripture, and so on are all important truths. It is a fact that multiple versions treat these and several other subjects differently depending on the goal of the committee, or person transcribing the text. Even so far as to eliminate certain verses or themes from their versions to propagate the base thinking of their respective religions.

These discrepancies can be dangerous to the sum truth/base truth. Plainly put it can shake the very core of one's faith if they have a version that chips away at these other truths.

What do you think Colby? Do you agree with the author on this point?

This is not even close to a complete list.

New King James Version • New American Standard Bible • English Standard Version • Revised Standard Version • New International Version • New Living Translation • New English Bible

OTHER POPULAR VERSIONS

Abbreviation	Name	Date
TLB	The Living Bible	1971
GNT/GNB/TEV	Good News Translation/Good News Bible/Today's English Version	1976, 1992
CEV	Contemporary English Version	1995
GW	God's Word	1995
NLT	New Living Translation	1996, 2004, 2007
MSG	The Message	2002
RNT	Restored New Testament	2009