What Do Christians Believe About The Bible?
What Do Christians Believe About the Scriptures?
There are many books in the world. Books of all different kinds. Every book – except for one – originated from mankind. The one exception, the Bible, ultimately originates from someone other than man.
So, what do Christians believe about the Bible? The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative word of God. It possesses the unified message that God created the world; that man sinned and continues to sin against God; and that God in His love sent Jesus Christ, His Son, to make a way for sinful man to be reconciled to God. It communicates everything we need to know about who God is, how to be saved, and how to live a life that is pleasing to Him.
Since it contains such vital information, it’s important to understand everything we can about the Bible. Let’s look at its foundation and message. Then, let’s consider how we should respond to God’s word.
The Word of God: The Foundation
There are two main texts within Scripture itself that describe the inspiration of God’s word.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, bold added)
The Apostle Paul states that all Scripture is God-breathed. That is, the words of the Bible flow out from God, who is the primary source.
The Apostle Peter adds to this understanding.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20-21, bold added)
God did not write Scripture mechanically (sitting in heaven with pen and paper) or without the instrumentality of human beings. Peter tells us that men, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God. The source of the message is God Himself. The instrumentality is the writings of those He spoke to. These writings are sourced and inspired by God Himself.
Scripture is inspired. The Holy Spirit inspired the writings of men in such a way that they wrote an accurate record of the revelation of God. Thus, the writings in the Scriptures are of divine origin. They are the very words of God.
An Inerrant & Infallible Word
The truth of the inspiration of Scripture is affirmed in the Bible’s inerrancy and its infallibility.
Inerrancy means that the Bible is fully and always true in all of its teachings. It contains no errors in what it affirms.
Infallibility relates to the fact that the Bible can never fail. It is incapable of leading God’s people into error in faith and/or practice.
This doesn’t mean Christians can’t misunderstand it! We may not always understand or apply God’s word properly. However, the content itself, when rightly understood, is always true and faithful.
Biblical inerrancy and infallibility are both foundational Christian beliefs. Not only are the Scriptures without error, but the Scriptures are also not capable of error. This is not to be confused with the translation or reproduction of Scripture. For example, I once bought a copy of the Bible that was missing an entire book! That was an error, for sure. But the error was only in that particular copy or group of copies.
The Christian belief that the Bible is both inerrant and infallible is in regards to the original manuscripts. Copies made of the originals can and sometimes do contain errors. Since we have great confidence in the content of these original manuscripts, I knew my erroneous copy of the Bible that omitted an entire book was in error and could look for another copy that contained all the books of Scripture.
The Bible itself is inerrant and infallible. Humans are not. People can, do, and will make mistakes in their understanding, translation, and application of God’s word. In fact, the Bible teaches that people will distort the truth of God’s word to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). When someone says they’ve found an error in the Bible, it is always the result of misunderstanding, distortion, or ignorance regarding the text or its original context.
Inerrancy and infallibility necessarily result because of the character of God. He is perfect and always truthful. Therefore, so is His word.
This God—His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.
(Psalm 18:30)
Since the Bible is inspired, inerrant, and infallible then it is also authoritative. God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything. As the Creator and Sustainer of all things, God has an authoritative claim on all that He has made. Additionally, He is Lord of everything. The following Scriptures all affirm this truth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1)
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. (1 Chronicles 29:11)
This means that God has the right to define what His creation (you) is to believe and how its to live. Not only does God define the actions of His subjects but He also judges them. The Bible, as the word of God, is the highest authority man has received.
To understand more of God as Creator and His claim on man, see our article: Worship God The Eternal Creator.
The Word Of God: The Message
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, bold added)
The message contained in the Bible is unified. All 66 books written by at least 40 different authors over the period of approximately 1,500 years all point to the gospel of Jesus Christ: the reality that created man sinned against their Creator and Lord; that God did not bring judgement upon us immediately as He rightly could have (instead, God is patient); and that, in love, He sent His Son into the world to save us by offering Himself up as a payment for our sins. The evidence that the payment was accepted is the resurrection of Jesus. And it is the same Jesus who is now exalted at God’s right hand, Lord over everything.
(For more about the overall message of Christ and His Kingdom, check out our article series linked here.)
In His lovingkindness and patience towards man, God waits to judge the world in righteousness. Allowing for everyone to have time to come to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. But this kindness and patience won’t last forever. Jesus will return to judge all our deeds, thoughts, and words. When He comes, every knee will bow in acknowledgment that He is Lord. Those who believed in Christ in this life will be brought into His glorious presence forever. Those who rejected Christ will bow in acknowledgment of His rightful claim over them. Then, they will be cast into hell where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for all of eternity.
In love, Christians declare to an unbelieving world: Be reconciled to God through Christ today!
For more on the important message of the Scriptures, see our articles:
The Word Of God: Man’s Response
There are several right responses to the word of God.
Revere. This means to have a deep respect for and adoration of the object of reverence. In this case, revere God’s word. The word of God is not to be “worshiped.” However, it does reveal and point to the One who is to be worshiped: The only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Reverence does not ignore. It hangs on every word. If you truly revere the Bible, you will live a life of adoration for what God has said.
Repent. This means to change your mind; to stop believing wrongly and start believing rightly. Belief is always associated with works. If you truly believe something, your actions will follow suit. Thus, true repentance is not just an intellectual change of beliefs. It is a change of belief that affects your decisions and actions. By definition, repentance means that you’ll no longer live like you used to, but will walk in newness of life.
Respond. The correct response to the word of God is obedience. When God says repent and believe, man must repent and believe or pay the consequences of disobedience. When God issues commands for godly living, leading the family, or corporate worship, these commands must be obeyed! This obedience doesn’t earn salvation but is the appropriate response to having received salvation as the free gift of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)
The time is now.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, You will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
Obedience flow from love for God.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him. (John 3:36)
Eternal life is a present tense possession. The wrath of God currently abides on all who are not found in Christ. This is the message of Scripture. This testimony has great implications for every aspect of our lives.
Get equipped. Obey your King. Glorify your God.
Related Questions
Is the Bible real? The Bible is not fiction. It is a real book, full of real historical events that actually happened. The Bible is historically accurate and is used by scholars as an authoritative historical book. It is not only an accurate historical book but it is the revelation of who God is and a record of His interaction with the created world.
Who wrote the Bible? The Bible contains 66 books written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years. Although, the Bible was written by humans it was fully and completely inspired by the Holy Spirit. Leaving us with the Word of God which is without error, incapable of error, and fully authoritative in every area of life.