Is the Bible truly the Word of God? Can we trust in what the Scriptures say? In this video, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Daniel L. Akin, gives three reasons that you can believe in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible.
The entire video is above, and the complete transcript is below.
What are two or three reasons that we should believe the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God? You know, that’s a really good question. And as I’ve reflected on that over the years, I think I could summarize two or three for you.
1) The Reliability of the Manuscripts
The Bible, without any question, is the greatest preserved document of the ancient world. Even those who don’t believe the Bible to be the Word of God, but who do work in what’s called textual criticism recognize the incredible preservation of God’s Word. So, what we have is virtually that of the autographs. So we have a reliable text. That’s the first reason.
2) The Bible’s Witness to Itself
When you allow the Bible, if you like, to go into the dock and to be investigated or to be put on question, you will find that the Bible repeatedly speaks of its own inspiration and authority.
The Lord Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 and 18, “Not a letter or a part of a letter will pass away until all of it is fulfilled.”
He said in John 10:35, “The Scriptures cannot be broken.”
He said in John 17:17 in His high-priestly prayer to His Father, “Your Word is truth.”
And then you move to the apostle Paul, who probably gave us the classic text on the Bible’s witness to itself when he says in 2 Timothy chapter 3 in verse 16, “All Scripture is inspired. All Scripture is God-breathed.”
And so the Bible is the Word of God. Yes, written in the words of men, but its ultimate author and source is God Himself, Who is a God of truth.
And then 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 20 through 21, Peter says that, “The men of old spoke as they were picked up and carried along by the Holy Spirit.“
So, you have both inspired writers, but also inspired writings as well.
3) The Testimony and Witness of Jesus
But bottom-line for me is the testimony and the witness of Jesus.
Several years ago I had a professor at a school that was an avowed liberal. He acknowledged that he did not believe the Bible to be the Word of God. He even had questions about things like the virgin birth, the resurrection. I mean, he had pretty much rejected most of the foundational tenants of the faith.
And he asked me, he said, “Well Danny, you have a Ph.D. How is it that you can still believe the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God?”
And I said, “Well, there are two reasons. Number one, when I was ten years old I got converted. I got saved and it changed the way that I look at life. Secondly, when I was about 19, I recommitted my life to Christ and in essence I fell in love with Jesus all over again. And what Jesus thinks about anything, that’s how I want to think as well.
And so I went into the Bible and, as I noted a moment ago, I discovered that Jesus said, “Not a letter or a part of a letter will pass away until all of it is fulfilled.”
And then I said to this particular individual, I said, “You went to Germany and you studied with some of the great German, liberal theologians.”
And he said, “Well yes, I did.”
And I said, “Well, let’s just take one, a man named Rudolf Bultmann,” who was the premier, liberal, New Testament scholar of the twentieth century. I said, “Bultmann said that Jesus of Nazareth had the same view of the Bible as any first-century, orthodox Jew. He believed the Bible was the inspired Word of God. He just simply believed Jesus is wrong.” I said to this professor, “The difference between Professor Bultmann and me, he thinks Jesus was wrong; I think Jesus was right. And if He rose from the dead, then He’s God, and that means He is right about everything, including the nature of the Bible.”
This professor looked at me and said, I’ll never forget it, “You know, I’ve never thought about it like that before. That does make a lot of sense.”
And then we had our lunch.
So, bottom-line, Jesus said the Bible is the inspired Word of God. “Not a letter or a part of a letter will pass away until all of it is fulfilled.” Bottom-line, Jesus settles the question for me when it comes to why I believe the Bible is the inerrant and the infallible Word of God.