Fallible
Fallible means “capable of making mistakes or being wrong,” implying that someone or something is not perfect and can err in judgment or action; the opposite of infallible meaning without error. God will not mislead us through His Word, and His Word will accomplish His purpose. However, people are prone to making mistakes in interpreting stand-alone sections of Scripture like chapters or verses or even a common theme or narrative that appears through all of Scripture.
In preserving Scripture, God used fallible copyists to create several documents before the invention of the printing press, which increased both productivity and accuracy. Even though these copiers were meticulous in their work, minor errors would be made. Yet, in His providence, God worked through the imperfect human agents of His creation to ensure future generations like us today would have His infallible Word to treasure and enrich our lives.
Infallible
Inerrancy means “without error.” When applied to Scripture, it signifies that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is entirely free from error. When correctly interpreted, it does not affirm anything untrue or contrary to fact.
Historically, infallibility has been closely associated with the evangelical view of inerrancy. Infallibility means that Scripture is incapable of misleading or failing to accomplish its divinely intended purpose. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978) affirms this in Article 11: “We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.”
In summary, infallible primarily refers to the message conveyed by the Bible, meaning it is incapable of error. The words, sentences, paragraphs, and books of Scripture communicate God’s truth in all its depth, including the message of salvation, guidance on how to live, and other divine revelations concerning daily life and human purpose. To affirm the Bible’s infallibility is to declare that it will never fail to convey the ultimate truth it is intended to reveal, lead people to salvation, and instruct them in righteous living.
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