The Infallibility of the Bible

No other piece of literature from antiquity is as authenticated as the Bible. Many skeptics have sneered at its teachings and rejoiced when a portion of Scripture failed to be substantiated. However, to the scoffers’ utter dismay, an archaeological discovery comes along to confirm the events inscribed within and convinces another agnostic generation of the divine origin of the Bible. Furthermore, because the Bible is so frequently and extensively endorsed, if one opts to discard the Word of God as unreliable, he must also discard every other work of literature from antiquity (McDowell, 1977). Not only do Christians assert that the Bible is unquestionably corroborated, but they also claim that the Bible is infallible. If an individual concedes that the Bible is indeed trustworthy, then the step to acknowledging its infallibility should not be too difficult for him. Even though its reliability does not necessarily make it infallible, once it can be proven to be substantially verified, the Bible then can be observed as infallible and inspired of God.

The Bibliographical Test

            Historians often apply three criteria when determining whether an item of ancient literature is reliable- the bibliographical test, the internal test, and the external test (McDowell, 1977). The bibliographical test consists of investigating the number of existing manuscripts and the dating of these copies from the originals. Fortunately, for Christianity, there exists an absolute abundance of manuscripts sufficient for reconstructing more than ninety-seven percent of the New Testament beyond any reasonable doubt (Craig, 1984). Craig Bloomberg noted in William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith, “Over 5,000 manuscripts and manuscript fragments of portions of the New Testament have been preserved.” The remarkable coherency of these documents allows for a version of the Bible to be compiled with 99.9% accurate, with the only variations being grammatical differences and spelling variations (Cutchins, 2015). This wealth of resource becomes exceedingly noticeable when the manuscripts of the Bible are juxtaposed with the copies of other ancient writings. For example, only five copies of Aristotle’s poetics and ten of Caesar’s Gallic Wars have been located. Not only is this lack of material embarrassing, but the earliest copies found date more than a 1,000 years later than the originals (McDowell, 1977). On the other hand, production for New Testament copies had already begun by the early second century and thousands of citations by the early fathers exist which could recreate most of the Scriptures (Cutchins, 2015). Therefore, the Bible can be trusted as a more reliable source than any other piece of antiquity based solely upon a careful study of its manuscripts.

The Internal Test

            Moreover, the next criterion which historians use to verify the authenticity of a writing of antiquity is to perform an internal test. This form of investigation involves the examination of the closeness (proximity) of the writers to their recorded details, the duration of time between the written work and the alleged events, and the coherency within the document. Favorably for Christianity, the Bible excels in each of these categories and separates itself by its consistency and cogency. The authors who penned the New Testament documents were in a prime position to record the events. Josh McDowell wrote, “The New Testament accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus were recorded by men who had been either eyewitnesses or related to eyewitnesses.” This proximity of the authors to the recorded ensures that no hearsay was involved in the transcribing. Furthermore, the short duration which existed between the actual transpiring of the events and the authors’ transcriptions eliminates the possibility of legend and folklore being added. Simon Kistemaker noted, “The accumulation of folklore among people of primitive culture takes many generations.” Since every New Testament book was written by A.D. 100, the claim that the gospels are replete with myths and legends is untenable (McDowell, 1977). In addition, many skeptics highlight a sundry of apparent contradictions located within the Bible. However, these allegations rest upon tenuous foundation, for most “errors” can be resolved by an understanding of the journalism of that day and a harmonization of the texts (Craig, 1984). Finally, the unbelievable fulfillment of each of the prophecies concerning Christ’s coming (Messianic prophecies) firmly establishes the truth of God’s Word. The probability of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person far surpasses the comprehension of the human brain and serves as a salient reminder of God’s omniscience (Morris, 1951). When placed under the meticulous microscope of internal inspection, the Bible clearly passes the examination and demands the attention and adoration of mankind.

The External Test

            The final criterion used by historians for the authentication of a document is whether the piece of investigation withstands external scrutiny. One field which has brought immense corroboration to the Biblical documents is archaeology. Merrill Unger defines archaeology as a “science devoted to the recovery of the remains of ancient civilizations with a view of reconstructing the story of their rise, progress, and fall.” When a portion of Scripture falls under the unfair judgment of some skeptic, often an archaeological discovery diffuses the objection and removes another piece of the scoffer’s arsenal. For example, the Old Testament refers to a sect of people called the Hittites. Although the Bible had repeatedly mentioned this nation and portrayed them as being strong and influential, no external evidence had been found to prove their existence, leading many to believe that the Bible was erroneous. However, recent archaeological scholarship has removed this myth and found them to be just as the Bible described them (Morris, 1951). Furthermore, the New Testament mentions a Pool of Bethesda. For many years, the New Testament was the only place which refers to it, but now it can be identified “with a fair measure of certainity” (McDowell, 1972). Instances of this kind can be easily presented to substantiate the reliability of Scripture. Since the Bible has passed each level of examination, in the words of Craig Bloomberg, “The burden of proof that any portion of these words is unhistorical must rest squarely on the skeptic’s shoulders.”

Conclusion

            Unfortunately, even with the preponderance of evidence supporting the reliability of the Bible, many agnostics remain obstinate and intractable in asserting that it is fraught with error. The Christian apologist can possess an impressive amount of information in favor of Scripture and yet not be able to convince a soul. Therefore, he must pray for the Holy Spirit to use his words to penetrate the heart of a hardened sinner. On the other hand, Christians ought to rejoice that since their holy guidebook is so abundantly affirmed and reliable, its infallibility is not a blind step of faith but a rational decision. The church should rise and, in the words of R. C. Sproul, proclaim: “The great and almighty God, Creator of the universe, is the source of these sacred writings!”

References

Craig, William Lane (1984). Reasonable Faith. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books.

Cutchins, Stephen (2015). Prove It. Tigerville, South Carolina: Auxano Press.

McDowell, Josh (1972). Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Josh McDowell (1977). More Than a Carpenter. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers.

Morris, Henry (1951). The Bible and Modern Science. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press.

Sproul, R. C. (2003). Defending Your Faith. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books.

Unger, Merrill (1962). Archaeology and the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House.