Short answer
No. The Bible never claims, as a whole, to be the word of God (﷾). The word "Bible" is not in it. The verse most often quoted, 2 Timothy 3:16, follows a line about the scriptures Timothy knew as a child. Not one book of the New Testament had been written then. The warning at the end of Revelation guards Revelation alone. Luke opens his Gospel as a careful historian, not as a prophet. Paul, an early Christian missionary, says of one ruling, "speak I, not the Lord". A book whose writers say some words are not the Lord's cannot claim that every word is God's (﷾). The teaching that only the lost first copies were without error got its classic statement in 1881. The Qur'an is different. It calls itself God's (﷾) Book from its opening pages. It says the Prophet (ﷺ) did not speak it from his own desire.
Full explanation
The verses Christians point to
Christians most often point to three passages. Paul tells Timothy that all scripture is given by inspiration of God (﷾). Second Peter says the prophecy of scripture came from holy men moved by the Holy Spirit. The last chapter of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, curses anyone who adds to or takes away from "this book". Many read these as the Bible speaking of itself as a whole.
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Which scriptures Timothy knew
The verse just before it names the scriptures Timothy had known "from a child". Those were the Hebrew scriptures. When Timothy was a child, no book of the New Testament had yet been written. So the verse cannot show that the New Testament, or this letter itself, is God's (﷾) word.
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Whose book the Revelation warning guards
The warning speaks of "the words of the prophecy of this book", that is, Revelation. Moses gave the same warning about his own commands in Deuteronomy, long before most of the Bible was written. Nobody reads that as closing the whole Bible. Revelation stands last only because of how the books were later gathered. The first list of exactly the twenty-seven New Testament books comes from the year 367.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”
Traces how the churches came to agree on the New Testament. For three centuries books such as Hebrews, James and Revelation were disputed, and some read the Shepherd of Hermas as scripture. Athanasius' letter of 367 is the first surviving list of exactly the twenty-seven books; councils at Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) confirmed it; the Syrian churches long used a shorter set.
Writers who say the words are their own
Some books open with "the word of the Lord came", as Jonah does. Many others make no such claim. Luke explains that many had already written accounts. It "seemed good" to him to write one too, after following events closely. Paul separates one ruling that comes from the Lord from rulings of his own. Of another question he says he has no commandment of the Lord.
“Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,”
“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,”
“But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.”
“Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.”
The defence from the lost original copies
Many evangelical Christians (Protestants who stress the Bible's authority) hold that the Bible was without error in its first, now lost, copies. They say the mistakes found today came in later. Two accounts of the same battle show the difficulty. Samuel has David kill the men of seven hundred chariots and forty thousand horsemen. Chronicles has seven thousand men of the chariots and forty thousand footmen. Isaiah promises that the word of God (﷾) shall stand for ever. If a mistake stands in the text, either that promise failed or that passage was never God's (﷾) word.
The best-known evangelical statement on the Bible. It affirms that Scripture is without error in all it teaches, and that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the original manuscripts (the autographs), which no longer exist. Copies and translations are the word of God only so far as they faithfully represent the original.
“And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.”
“But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.”
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
When the doctrine of inspiration was formed
The first Christians took over the Hebrew scriptures from Judaism, and treated them as their authority. The New Testament writers argued mainly from those scriptures. Paul reasoned with the Jews "out of the scriptures". Christians came to believe that God (﷾) spoke through the prophets, and through the men they called apostles, such as Peter and Paul. Augustine, a bishop in North Africa, held around 405 that the writers of the books accepted as scripture made no mistakes. But the early church laid down no formal teaching on how its Bible was inspired. The formal teaching came in the nineteenth century, when scholars were questioning whether the Bible came from God (﷾). It says that only the first, lost copies of the Bible are free of error. Its classic statement is the essay "Inspiration", written in 1881 by Hodge and Warfield, two American Protestant teachers. American evangelical scholars restated it in the Chicago Statement of 1978.
“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,”
Augustine writes that he gives the books of scripture called canonical such honour that he firmly believes none of their writers made any error in writing them.
Two Princeton theologians set out the doctrine that the Scriptures are the word of God in all their parts, and that in their original autographs they are without error in everything they affirm. They wrote amid the growing debate over biblical criticism.
Argues that the doctrine of a Bible without error in its lost original autographs, as set out by Hodge and Warfield in 1881, was a nineteenth-century formulation shaped by the defence against biblical criticism.
The best-known evangelical statement on the Bible. It affirms that Scripture is without error in all it teaches, and that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the original manuscripts (the autographs), which no longer exist. Copies and translations are the word of God only so far as they faithfully represent the original.
How the Qur'an speaks of itself
The Qur'an speaks of itself from its first long chapter: "This is the Book". It calls itself a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. God (﷾) speaks in it in the first person. The word qur'an occurs in it about seventy times, most often as the Book's own name. It says the Prophet (ﷺ) did not speak from his own desire in what he brought. It invites its readers to search it for discrepancy. It does not ask to be believed on its own word. It challenges anyone in doubt to produce a chapter like it. And it states that God (﷾) Himself will guard it.
“This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah;”
“Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth- To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish. In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.”
“Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him:”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
| Question | The Bible | The Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| Does it name itself? | The word “Bible” is not in it. | Yes. The word qur'an occurs in it about seventy times, most often as its own name. |
| Does it speak of itself as a whole? | No. 2 Timothy 3:16 speaks of the scriptures Timothy knew as a child. The warning at the end of Revelation guards Revelation alone. | Yes. It speaks of itself from its first long chapter, and calls itself a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. |
| Whose words are they? | Some books say the word of the Lord came. Luke writes as a careful historian, and Paul says some rulings are his, not the Lord's. | God (﷾) speaks in it in the first person. It says that what the Prophet (ﷺ) recited was not from his own desire, but inspiration sent down to him. |
| What if a reader finds a mistake? | Many evangelical Christians say the mistake came in after the first copies, which are lost. | It invites the test. It says that if it were from anyone but God (﷾), readers would find many contradictions in it. |
Verse by verse
2 Timothy 3:15-16 — Second Epistle to Timothy, chapter 3, verses 15-16
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Cited for
"All scripture" means the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, so the Bible itself says every part of it is inspired.
The response
The verse just before it names the scriptures Timothy had known from childhood. No New Testament book existed then. So the verse speaks of the Hebrew scriptures. It says nothing about Paul's own letters.
Where it lands — The verse does not speak of the New Testament, so it cannot show that the Bible as a whole is God's (﷾) word.
2 Peter 1:20-21 — Second Epistle of Peter, chapter 1, verses 20-21
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Cited for
Peter says scripture never came by the will of man, so every book of the Bible was spoken by men moved by the Holy Spirit.
The response
The letter speaks of "the prophecy of the scripture" that came "in old time", the prophets of Israel. Luke says he wrote after his own careful research. Paul marks some rulings as his own.
Where it lands — The verse speaks of the old prophets. Luke claims research, not revelation, and Paul marks some rulings as his own.
Revelation 22:18-19 — Revelation of John, chapter 22, verses 18-19
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Cited for
The Bible closes with a warning that seals the whole book: nothing may be added or taken away.
The response
The warning names "the book of this prophecy", which is Revelation. Deuteronomy 4:2 gives the same warning for Moses' commands centuries earlier. The first list of exactly these twenty-seven books comes from 367.
Where it lands — The warning guards Revelation, not a Bible that did not yet exist as one book.
2 Peter 3:15-16 — Second Epistle of Peter, chapter 3, verses 15-16
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
Cited for
Peter counts Paul's letters among the scriptures, so the New Testament is included in 'all scripture'.
The response
The letter does count Paul's letters with 'the other scriptures'. But 2 Peter was itself one of the disputed books in the early church. Eusebius, a church historian, still listed it among them around 325. The letter names no list of books and says nothing of the New Testament Gospels. And Paul himself marks some rulings as 'not the Lord'.
Where it lands — Praise for Paul's letters does not make every word in them God's (﷾), and it says nothing of the New Testament Gospels or the other books.
1 Timothy 5:18 — First Epistle to Timothy, chapter 5, verse 18
“For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.”
Cited for
Christians point to 1 Timothy 5:18, which calls "The labourer is worthy of his reward" scripture, a saying also found in Luke 10:7.
The response
The verse quotes one saying, which Jesus used and which may have circulated on its own. It names no Gospel and no list of books. The 27-book list came three centuries later.
Where it lands — One quoted saying does not make a New Testament that did not yet exist.
1 Corinthians 7:40 — First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 40
“But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.”
Cited for
Paul only means Jesus gave no teaching on this while on earth. His own ruling is still inspired. He says "I think also that I have the Spirit of God", and later that what he writes "are the commandments of the Lord".
The response
Paul's own words are "I think". He calls the ruling "my judgment" because he has "no commandment of the Lord" on it. The line about the Lord's commandments comes in chapter 14, about order in worship. It cannot turn back rulings he himself says are not the Lord's. A writer who says he thinks he has the Spirit is not claiming that every word is from God (﷾). The Qur'an says of what the Prophet (ﷺ) recited that it is not from his own desire, but inspiration sent down to him (53:3-4). His own sayings are kept apart from the Qur'an, in the hadith.
Where it lands — Paul himself tells the reader which words are the Lord's and which are his, so the letter cannot be God's (﷾) word in every part.
Perspectives
Evangelical Christian
All of Scripture is breathed out by God. Paul says so of all scripture. Peter says the prophets spoke as the Holy Spirit moved them. The whole Bible was without error in its original writings.
2 Timothy 3:16 states that all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
Rebuttal
Granted, Paul calls the scripture he means inspired. But the verse before it names the scriptures Timothy knew from childhood, and no New Testament book existed then. So it cannot vouch for the New Testament, or for this letter itself.
2 Peter 1:21 teaches that scripture came from men moved by the Holy Spirit, not from the will of man.
Rebuttal
Granted, the letter says men spoke as the Holy Spirit moved them. But it speaks of "prophecy of the scripture" that came "in old time": the prophets of Israel. Luke says he wrote after careful research, and Paul marks some rulings as his own.
The Bible is without error in its original writings, and copies are God's word insofar as they match them.
Rebuttal
Granted, many Christians hold this in good faith. But it protects only writings that no one has, so it can never be checked. Samuel and Chronicles already differ on one battle.
The Islamic perspective
The Bible holds words from God (﷾), words about God (﷾) and words of men, and its own writers say so. Only the Qur'an claims every word as God's (﷾). And the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke it only as it was revealed to him.
The scriptures Timothy knew from childhood were the Hebrew scriptures, because no New Testament book existed then.
So 2 Timothy 3:16 does not speak of the New Testament.
Revelation's warning is about "this book", and Moses gave the same warning about his own commands.
The first list of exactly the twenty-seven New Testament books dates from 367, long after these letters were written.
Luke presents his Gospel as an account he chose to write after looking carefully into what happened. He does not present it as a message he received from God (﷾).
Paul marks some of his rulings as his own and not the Lord's.
Samuel and Chronicles give different numbers for the same battle. Isaiah 40:8 promises that God's (﷾) word stands for ever. So a passage with a mistake in it was never God's (﷾) word.
The New Testament writers argued chiefly from the Hebrew scriptures, as when Paul reasoned "out of the scriptures".
In 1881 there was a debate over scholars who questioned the Bible. In it, Hodge and Warfield taught that the Bible's first, handwritten copies were without error.
That teaching was worked out in the nineteenth century, to defend the Bible against the scholars' questioning. It was not the teaching of the early church.
Islam held from the beginning that the Qur'an was sent down from the Lord of the Worlds. The formal teaching that only the Bible's lost first copies are without error was given its classic statement in 1881.
From start to finish, the Qur'an presents itself as God's (﷾) Book. And it says the Prophet (ﷺ) did not speak it from his own desire.
The Qur'an invites its readers to search it for contradictions, as a test of whether it came from God (﷾).