Infallibility of Scripture
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, August 27, 2025 (Donate)
Sadly, we are in a culture that elevates man far above our
fallible nature. We blindly trust man’s imperfect and broken opinions over an
all-knowing and all-powerful God’s Word. It is quite illogical, yet our
culture, our courts, and even our education systems is overrun by mere opinions
as though they have some sort of weight.
This brings me to the doctrine of the infallibility of
Scripture—God’s Word. In direct opposition to this is the fallibility of
man, which I will get to momentarily.
What Is Infallibility And How Is It Different From
Inerrancy?
Let’s start with basic definitions up front.
Infallibility means that Scripture is completely
trustworthy and will not fail in what it teaches, especially regarding faith,
doctrine, origins, history, and salvation. It emphasizes the Bible’s
reliability to accomplish God’s purposes without being deceptive or leading
people astray.
Infallibility, therefore, means that Scripture is incapable
of being wrong because it is the Word of the perfect, all-knowing, and truthful
God. It is to be understood that infallibility is rooted in God’s unchanging
nature. Since God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18), His Word cannot contain
falsehoods.
This sounds similar to inerrancy (and a little bit to inspiration).
They are unique doctrines but they do have some interconnected aspects. All
doctrines ultimately interconnect and so this is expected. But let’s define the
doctrine of inerrancy briefly.
Inerrancy goes a step further, affirming that the
Bible is without error in everything it affirms, including history,
science, and details in the original manuscripts.
In short: infallibility stresses trustworthiness and purpose, while inerrancy stresses freedom from error in all matters—even science subjects.
The History Of The Infallibility Of Scripture
The debate over biblical infallibility—whether Scripture is
completely trustworthy and without error in all it affirms—has a long history
shaped by theology, philosophy, and local cultures and the debate therein.
In the early church, fathers such as Augustine (354–430)
affirmed that the Bible, being divinely inspired, was free from error in all
its teachings. For centuries, this conviction remained largely unquestioned
within Christian orthodoxy. During the medieval period, theologians like Thomas
Aquinas reinforced the belief that Scripture, as God’s Word, could not deceive.
The Reformation (16th century) sharpened the
issue. Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin emphasized Sola
Scriptura—that Scripture alone is the ultimate
authority. Rightly, they believed the Bible was fully trustworthy in all matters
including faith and practice, though Luther occasionally allowed that minor
copyist errors might exist without undermining its authority. The key has
always been the original manuscripts though.
Though the Enlightenment (17th–18th
centuries) was largely due to Christian thought moving forward, there were some
who brought rising skepticism. There are those who denied that God is the authority
that He claims to be. The people gravitated to rationalism—a belief that relies
on man’s rationale as the supreme authority.
Rationalism and historical criticism (secular attacks on the
Bible’s history) questioned the Bible’s accuracy in history. The Enlightenment
also brought along scientific advances—thanks to a Christian outlook on the
world. However, secular thinkers began hijacking science into purely secular humanistic
thought.
These thinkers held that man was the authority. Thus, they
by their own fallible opinions tried to demote God’s Word to be like any other man-made
document—reflecting subjective human perspectives rather than divine truth,
fueling doubts about infallibility.
In response, conservative theologians in the 19th
and early 20th centuries defended infallibility more rigorously. With
caveats about these men, Princeton theologians like B. B. Warfield and Charles
Hodge articulated a doctrine of inerrancy—that the original manuscripts
of Scripture are free from error in everything they affirm, not just faith and
morals.
By the mid-20th century, debate intensified.
Neo-orthodox figures such as Karl Barth rejected infallibility, teaching
instead that the Bible becomes the Word of God when it points to Christ, but is
not itself without flaws. In contrast, evangelicals upheld infallibility as
essential to Christian faith. The 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical
Inerrancy marked a key moment, affirming that Scripture is without error in
all it affirms, though allowing for literary forms and phenomenological
language.
This errant view that God’s Word might be fallible, still
persists in some local churches today. Nevertheless,
since the Bible is without error, it is also infallible. One can see how these doctrines
interconnect rather closely here.
Some Christians hold tightly to traditional infallibility and
inerrancy—like they should, while others accept limited authority, fallible
Scriptures, and take a shallow approach to the Bible, focusing on Scripture’s generic
spiritual message rather than absolute historical or scientific accuracy.
Of course, the problem with that route, is “why trust those parts
of the Bible if the Bible is fallible in this view?” It shows that the position
of a fallible Bible is self-refuting right from the onset of its
perspective.
The truth is that the Bible is completely trustworthy,
cannot err, and will never mislead in anything it teaches—whether it concerns
salvation, history, science, or morality.
Relationship To Inerrancy And Inspiration
As noticed already the doctrine of infallibility directly connects
to inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16) and inerrancy. If Scripture is God-breathed,
then it must be infallible because God does not make mistakes. Infallibility is
not just about what the Bible doesn’t do (make errors) but also about
what it always does: speak truth.
When starting with God, His Word is true (by the nature of
God being the truth (John 14:6) and infallible in the original autographs
(manuscripts) because God cannot err. Therefore, infallibility guarantees to
the believer that what God revealed through human authors is absolutely
reliable. Keep in mind that this is not too hard for an all-powerful God.
Infallibility Applies To All Areas Of Scripture
Unlike views that limit biblical truth to “faith and
morals,” one needs to realize that the Bible is infallible in every area it
addresses, including:
- Historical
records (e.g., Adam and Eve, the global Flood, Tower of Babel)
- Scientific
matters (e.g., special
creation in 6 days, kinds, young
earth, law of biogenesis)
- Doctrinal
truths (e.g., sin, redemption, crucifixion, resurrection)
- Moral
commands (e.g., Ten Commandments, marriage, love)
Because of this, one should reject any attempt to
reinterpret Genesis or other historical passages in light of secular science.
The plain reading of the text must govern interpretation.
Preservation Of The Infallible Word
Although the original manuscripts no longer exist, one must
affirm that God has preserved His Word with extraordinary accuracy through
thousands of manuscript copies. Modern translations, when faithful to the
original languages, can be trusted to convey God’s infallible truth.
The words of the LORD are pure
words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. You shall
keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. (Psalm
12:6-7, NKJV)
Though the doctrine of preservation relates here, it is
vital as God said He would preserve His Word and has done so. It was done through
the multitudes of manuscripts.
Foundational To The Gospel And Christian Worldview
If the Bible were fallible—even in minor points—it would
call into question the reliability of all to which it speaks—including its
central message:
·
God made things perfectly and very good (Genesis
1:31, Deuteronomy 32:4)
·
The Fall of man (Genesis 3)
·
The need for atonement from our sin (e.g.,
someone powerful enough to take the infinite punishment from the infinite
Father)
·
The miraculous conception and virgin birth where
the eternal Christ took on flesh and became a man
·
The death, burial, and resurrection of the
infinite Son of God—Jesus Christ
·
The promise
of eternal life for those who repent and receive Christ and have Christ’s
righteousness transferred to them
Compromising on infallibility—especially in Genesis—leads to
a slippery slope where the gospel itself can be undermined. In churches that
have denied the infallibility of the Bible, sadly, we often see a decline in
trust and faith in the Christ of Scripture.
Ultimate Authority
Infallibility also relates to the Bible as the final
authority over all human reasoning, science, and experience. Thus, the doctrine
of authority relates to infallibility too.
At the Reformation this was so important that the doctrine
of Sola Scriptura, meaning the Bible stands above all other sources of
knowledge, is the absolute and final authority. This stands in contrast tot eh
nature of man in a fallen state—where man is actually the one who is fallible.
The Fallibility of Man and Infallibility of God
Man is fallible because the authoritative Scripture teaches
that all humanity has been corrupted by sin and is prone to error, weakness,
and deception. After the Fall, Adam’s disobedience brought sin and death into
the world (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12). As a result, “all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Human hearts are described as “deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9; see also Genesis 8:21), showing that
people are limited, easily led astray, and unable to perfectly know or uphold
truth on their own (autonomously). Even the wisest earthly reasoning can fail
(Proverbs 14:12), and man’s strength is fleeting like grass (Isaiah 40:6–8).
Consider the wisdom of Solomon and realize that he too fell (Nehemiah 13:26).
By contrast, God remains infallible because His nature is
perfect, unchanging, and wholly trustworthy. Scripture declares that “God is
not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19) and that His Word is flawless
(Psalm 12:6).
Unlike man, God cannot be deceived or corrupted; He is “the
Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
His truth endures forever (Psalm 117:2), and His purposes cannot fail (Isaiah
46:9–10). Jesus Himself affirmed, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17), and
Hebrews 6:18 makes clear “it is impossible for God to lie.”
Therefore, while man is fallible due to sin, weakness, and
limited understanding, God remains infallible because His character, Word, and
promises are perfect and unchanging. He is the ultimate source of truth,
completely reliable in all that He says and does.
Conclusion
The infallibility of Scripture means that the Bible is
completely trustworthy and cannot lead us astray. It is true in everything it
teaches—past, present, and future—because it comes from the flawless mind of
God. This doctrine is vital to a consistent Christian worldview and a faithful
understanding of both the gospel and creation.
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head
of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a
personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has
spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
