Intro
When I started this journey, I wanted to start writing about many of the basics of Christianity. Hence why I started with God and the Trinity. Another highly important topic is the infallible Word of God, the Bible. And that’s where I’m going today. I aim to demonstrate the importance of the Bible being infallible and the dangers of not believing in its infallibility.
What is Infallibility?
First of all, I should address the meaning of the word “infallible”. It’s not as common a word these days, so I can’t expect all my readers to know what it means. The dictionary definition of infallible is “incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.” So, when I claim that the Bible is infallible, I’m saying that the Bible has zero mistakes in it, never contradicts itself, is not outdated, and is never wrong in anything it says. That is a tall order to fill. And yet, Christians have believed this for centuries.
Now the question is, what’s the big deal? Does it matter whether we believe in the infallibility of the Bible? The answer is yes! It absolutely matters. And I’m going to tell you why.
Why is it Important?
So, what is the big deal? What are the consequences if the Bible is fallible? The consequences are many. First off, our beliefs as Christians would be questionable. Understanding and knowing God becomes impossible since the Bible reveals the nature of God. The Bible being fallible calls into question God’s very existence as well. Because if the Bible is wrong on one point, then it’s probably wrong elsewhere. And the problem now becomes knowing what is and isn’t an error. It makes trusting the Bible impossible.
As Christians, we claim to believe in an all-perfect, all-knowing, all-loving God. And we came to this knowledge through His Holy Word – the Bible. If, however, the Bible contains errors – or worse, lies – then how can we claim that God is all-perfect and all-knowing? If His revelation to mankind contains errors or lies, then that would imply that God Himself is capable of making mistakes and/or lying. That’s not a God that I want to serve. He becomes like many of the “gods” of the ancient pantheons that act more like fickle humans with superpowers rather than divine beings.
The Bible itself claims that “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). Which means that God impressed upon the authors the words to write. So, not believing in the infallibility of the Bible also implies a non-belief in the infallibility of God Himself! And yet, many people will claim to believe in God’s perfection while denying the infallibility of the source of that claim. Do you see the paradox in that?
What are the Dangers?
As a Christian, what are some of the risks of not believing in the infallibility of the Bible? Four main things I see: Falling into sin, falling into false doctrine, falling away from your identity, and falling away from the faith entirely.
Falling into Sin
Many people in the world view the Christian lifestyle as a list of don’ts. “Don’t drink,” “Don’t steal,” “Don’t sleep around,” etc. But where did we come up with these lists of “thou shalt not”? From the Bible! The Bible lays down in a number of places various things that it calls “sinful”. And when Christians believe in the infallibility of God’s Word, it’s easier to say what is right and wrong. What is sin and what pleases God. However, those who say they are Christians and don’t believe in Biblical infallibility will have a much harder time. And each Christian who doesn’t believe in Biblical infallibility will likely have a different list of what’s right and wrong. Suddenly, things aren’t as black and white. And as a result, Christians can become trapped in a sinful lifestyle because they believe the Bible got it wrong for that particular sin.
The truly concerning thing about this is if they feel no conviction of sin. That’s scary because one of Holy Spirit’s jobs is to convict of sin (see my previous post about Holy Spirit here). And He lives within true Christians, so if a Christian is sinning regularly and not feeling convicted…well, let’s just say it begs the question of whether or not that person is saved.
As an aside, ignorance can play a role in not recognizing Holy Spirit’s conviction. So, if you don’t know that the Bible calls out something you’re doing as a sin, you may not recognize when Holy Spirit convicts you of that. That has happened to me and to many other Christians (it’s not that we weren’t convicted, it’s that we didn’t recognize it as conviction at first). That just brings into question how much time you spend in the Bible rather than salvation.
Falling into False Doctrine
False doctrine runs rampant today. Okay, it always has. Even in the first century church there was false doctrine cropping up. One of the most popular of the time came from Jewish Christians who claimed that Gentiles had to keep the Jewish Law in order to be saved – in addition to believing in Jesus. So, the Church is no stranger to dealing with false doctrine. Much of the false doctrine comes as a result of misinterpreting what the Bible says. However, the false doctrine of not believing in Biblical infallibility can lead to believing many, many more false doctrines. After all, even though the Bible may say something explicitly, if it contains errors, then it may simply be wrong about this part of Christian doctrine. People might start out saying the Bible was wrong about something minor, but before you know it, they’re denying the divinity of Jesus.
I actually knew someone years ago who made a comment about not thinking the Bible was accurate on how many wives and concubines Solomon had. Claimed those numbers were way too high to be real. As a reminder, the Bible says he had 700 wives and 300 concubines (🤢). Sometime later, I recall him denying something far more fundamental to the Christian faith. I don’t remember exactly what, but my reaction was something like, “How can you even be a Christian and not believe that? That’s one of the core tenants of the faith.” This, my friends, is one of the biggest dangers of believing that the Bible contains errors.
Falling Away from Your Identity
Do you know your identity in Christ? Do you know what the Bible has to say about your identity? If not, I highly encourage you to look it up. There are so many amazing things the Bible has to say about those who believe. Unfortunately, if you don’t believe in Biblical infallibility, how many of those encouraging statements are true? The Bible calls us His children. Pretty cool, right? But is that true? Maybe, maybe not, depending on if those parts of the Bible contain errors. Are we truly a new creation because of what Christ did on the cross and His resurrection? Again, it all depends.
I find great comfort and encouragement in what the Bible says about my identity. Every so often (and I need to do it more frequently) I pull out a sheet of paper with these identity statements written on them and the associated passages. I’ll read through them to remind myself of how God sees me and the truth of who I am in Him. This makes it harder for the devil or the lies of the world or the struggles of my past to fill my mind with the opposite. When you don’t believe what the Bible says about you, you will turn to the world for validation, for identity. And the results are sad. Everywhere I look, there are people clearly struggling with their identities, their meaning and purpose in life.
When Christians start placing their identity in things this world says you should, they start to experience worry, anxiety, dissatisfaction, and other things that God has said we don’t have to carry anymore. In addition, it can lead to a sinful lifestyle or addiction as they try to cope with not feeling fulfilled. It breaks my heart to see it.
Falling Away from the Faith
Any one of the aforementioned things has the potential to lead to this last one: falling away from the faith entirely. The inability to trust the Bible at some points will more likely than not lead to denying God’s existence. It might take months, it might take years, but at some point, it’ll probably happen. After all, if the Bible is wrong about how many wives Solomon had and is wrong about Jesus’ true nature, then how can we trust the Bible when it says that God exists, and He created everything? People will try to pick and choose what they want to believe from the Bible, but almost always ends up just throwing the whole thing away. And this is logical. You either have to take it as a whole, or don’t take it at all. God didn’t intend the Bible to be chopped up like that.
This is an all or nothing faith journey. As Revelation 3:16 says, “So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” To be spiritually apathetic is not an option in God’s Kingdom. Similarly, to be Biblically apathetic (aka treating the Bible flippantly by choosing what parts of it to believe and pay attention to) is not an option. It’s all or nothing.
Wrapping Up
By now I hope you see the importance of Biblical infallibility. Without it, our faith stands on shifting sand with no firm foundation. If you’ve wavered or struggled in believing this, I hope God touched you through my post. And I hope that you will find peace and confidence in the validity of your faith and being able to trust the Word of God and trust the God who breathed it into existence, just like He did you.