Infallibility

Have you ever heard an angry child yell at a parent, “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not the boss of me!” In fact, parents do have authority in the home. They can and should tell their children how to behave and what’s expected of them. But who’s our boss? Who has the authority to tell us how to run our lives? The answer, of course, is that the One who made us has authority over us. God is our boss.

But how can we know with certainty what God wants us to do? Thankfully, God has communicated His love and His expectations to us through His written Word, the Bible. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. As such, the Bible speaks with authority.

We sometimes say that the Bible is infallible. Infallibility means much more than that the Bible is without error. It means that the Bible speaks with absolute, divine authority. We can trust that the Bible is true. We must submit ourselves to its precepts, and we can bask in its promises.

In John 10.35 Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken.” It carries the authority of its divine author. God’s purpose cannot be thwarted. His sovereign will must be fulfilled. Therefore, His Word is infallible.

In Jeremiah 23.29 God declares, “Is not my word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” These image indicate that we must take seriously the Bible’s authority over our lives. In Isaiah 55.11 God says, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” God speaks with authority. His Word is infallible. It will accomplish its appointed purpose.

Because the Bible has authority over our lives, we should eagerly obey its teachings. Jesus, in Matthew 7.24, tells us, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” When we build our lives on the solid, authoritative truth of God’s Word, our lives will not be devastated by life’s storms. James 1.22 states bluntly, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Psalm 119.2 reminds us, “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

I’m glad that God has revealed His will to us in His Word. His commands aren’t optional, nor are His promises unreliable. He has promised in His Word to grant eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ. Have you accepted Jesus as your Saviour? Are you living in the blessings of God’s Word? Let me invite you to receive Jesus into your heart today, and then begin growing in your faith by reading and responding to God’s infallible Word, the Bible.