What does it mean that the Bible is inerrant?

Biblical inerrancy is the doctrine that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is without error in everything it affirms. It is one of the most important and most disputed doctrines about Scripture in contemporary Christianity.

The case for inerrancy flows from the Bible's own claim about itself. If Scripture is truly "breathed out by God" (2 Timothy 3:16), and if God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18), then Scripture — as God's own word — cannot contain error. The logic is tight: the source is perfect, therefore the product is without error.

Jesus' own attitude toward Scripture supports this. He treated the Old Testament as completely authoritative and reliable down to the level of individual words. In Matthew 5:18: "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." In John 10:35: "Scripture cannot be broken." He never qualified the authority of Scripture based on its subject matter.

It is important to understand what inerrancy does and does not claim:

It applies to the original manuscripts (autographs), not to any particular translation or copy. We do not have the originals, but the manuscript tradition is so extensive and consistent that we can reconstruct the original text with very high confidence.

It applies to what Scripture actually affirms, not to every incidental detail quoted or reported. If the Bible quotes a liar saying something false, the error belongs to the liar, not the text.

It allows for phenomenological language — the Bible speaks of the sun rising, which is how humans experience it, without claiming to make a scientific statement about geocentrism.

Inerrancy does not mean that every passage is simple or easy — there are genuine difficulties. But it does mean that, rightly interpreted in context, the Bible does not teach what is false.

Infallibility is a related but slightly different term — meaning the Bible will not fail to accomplish its purpose, will not lead astray in matters of faith and practice. Some prefer this term as more carefully defined.