Biblical explanation
Paul says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (). Peter adds that prophecy did not originate merely from human will: “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (). The Bible also teaches that God's character guarantees the reliability of His promises. says: “God is not a man, that he should lie” (). describes God as One who “cannot lie.” Therefore, Scripture's reliability rests fundamentally upon the character of its divine Author. Jesus also demonstrated complete confidence in Scripture. When tempted by Satan, He repeatedly answered, “It is written” (). He did not treat Scripture as merely one opinion among many. Jesus also declared: “The scripture cannot be broken” (). The apostles followed the same principle. They repeatedly appealed to Scripture as authoritative when establishing doctrine and correcting error. Scripture tells us why its message can be trusted. It does not claim that every surviving manuscript copy, translation, or interpretation produced by humans is automatically perfect. That distinction matters. The inspired message of Scripture and our handling of Scripture are not the same thing. A person can misunderstand a true passage. A translator can make a less precise translation. A copyist can make a copying error. Therefore, “Can we trust the Bible?” and “Can every human interpretation of the Bible be trusted?” are two different questions.
In brief
Paul says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” ().
Bible references
Go deeper into this topic Can We Trust the Bible? Start the studyThis answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.