I believe the Bible, which consists of both the Old Testament and New Testament, is the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God. Holy men of God were moved upon by the Holy Spirit to communicate to us God’s direct commands (2 Peter 1:19-21). Being that Scripture is the Word of God it is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2). God spoke using many different ways and various methods. God spoke audibly to Adam (Gen. 2:16-17). He spoke directly to Moses and the children of Israel in giving them the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-3). Using men such as Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Amos, God spoke through men to communicate to His people. These verbal messages included promises, prophetic oracles, and messages of judgment. These spoken words, through the human lips of men, carried the weight and gravity of God’s authority. Though these messages were given by men under the inspiration of the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:19-21) they were considered true and without error. Any man who spoke as a prophet, but who had not been sent by God, was considered a false prophet and was to be punished (Deut. 18:20-22).
There are several instances in the Bible where the Word of God was written down. It was the finger of God that inscribed God’s laws on the tablets of stone given to Moses (Ex. 31:18, 32:16, 34:1, 28). During Israel’s wanderings Moses wrote these laws and promises of God down (Deut. 31:9-13, 24-26). After the death of Moses, and the eventual conquest of Canaan Joshua added to those written laws (Josh. 24:26). The preservation of the Word of God allowed the Scriptures to be memorized, studied and propagated. By the arrival of Jesus the Old Testament canon had been completed and organized by the people of Israel. No less than 64 times Jesus quoted and referred to many of the Old Testament books, laws, stories, history and their reliability (MacArthur, 2007). Jesus Christ put His seal upon the Old Testament canon when he said, “so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar” (Matt. 23:35), this statement encompasses the entire Old Testament according to the Hebrew chronology (MacArthur, 2007).
The New Testament canon continues where the Old Testament left off, by claiming to be God’s inspired Word spoken and written by men. Paul says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Peter claims that Paul’s letters should be included as Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16). The New Testament carries the same weight and gravity of God’s authority as the Old Testament (1 Cor. 14:37, 2 Cor. 13:3).
The Bible is God’s infallible Word. Scripture is infallible in that the original manuscripts contain no errors. “The law of the Lord is perfect” (Ps. 19:7). The Scripture is infallible because its Author is infallible. Scribes and copiers have made mistakes in transcribing the Scriptures, but that does not negate the infallibility of Scripture.
The Bible is not only infallible it is also inerrant. “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Pro. 30:5). God, who is true, has given us His Word that is true. We can trust in the truthfulness of Scripture because the Author is trustworthy (Isa. 65:16, Jer. 10:10, John 3:33, 17:3, 1 John 5:20). Jesus boldly declared, “thy word is truth” (John 17:17).
Therefore, Scripture is the God-breathed written Word, which was penned by human men who were moved upon and inspired by the Spirit of God. Furthermore, the Word of God is Jesus Christ who was manifested in flesh to reveal God the Father, and to redeem sinful humanity from the eternal consequences of sin (John 1:1-2,14). Our very lives depend and live upon this written Word of God (Matt. 4:4). The Word of God is the written form of words that has been given to reveal God’s character, intent, and revelation. It is through the written Word that we can know God’s plan for redemption.