Reliability

¶ What does it mean?

The trustworthiness of Scripture rests on the immutable and infallible character of God. He does not mislead his people, nor is He ever mistaken. What He has spoken, He will keep.

¶ Where do we see it in Scripture?

• Titus 1:2God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
• John 10:35If he called the gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken...
• Psalm 12:6The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

¶ Historical context

Christians have always confessed that God cannot lie, but the Reformers knew that fallible men can err. The church can often make mistakes. That's why the Reformers declared "Sola Scriptura," since it is the only infallible rule of faith.

¶ What this does not mean

The reliability of Scripture does not mean that every copy of the Bible is flawless, and not every translation is faithful to the original text. Infallibility only lies with the original manuscripts written by the apostles and prophets. Since the church has an abundance of ancient copies of the Bible, we can trust we have the authentic Word of God.

¶ Why it matters

If we believe that God gave us the Bible, then we can trust that what it says is true.