What About the Copies Preservation of God’s Word

Series: The Bible – God’s Perfect Word

The Challenge of the Copies

The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God. But a common objection arises: “Even if the original manuscripts were perfect, how do we know the copies are accurate?” After all, we don’t possess the autographs—the original writings of Moses, Paul, or John. What we have are copies, made by hand, over centuries.

Does this mean the Bible we read today is unreliable? Not at all. In fact, the process of preservation—guided by divine providence and historical diligence—testifies even more powerfully to the trustworthiness of Scripture.

God Promised to Preserve His Word

Psalm 119:89 says:

“Forever, O Lord, Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”

Jesus said:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35).

Scripture affirms that God not only inspired His Word but also intends to preserve it. This doesn’t mean God handed down a perfect printed Bible from heaven. It means that throughout history, He has used human scribes, copyists, and scholars to faithfully transmit His truth. The result is that we possess God’s Word today with remarkable precision.

How Ancient Copies Were Made

Before the printing press, all books were copied by hand. The scribes who copied Scripture—especially in the Jewish tradition—took their task seriously. In many cases, they counted letters, checked margins, and even destroyed entire scrolls if a mistake was made.

The Masoretes (Jewish scribes between 500–1000 AD) were particularly meticulous. They preserved vowel markings, spacing, and pronunciation to ensure uniformity. Their careful labor resulted in an Old Testament text that is astoundingly consistent across centuries.

The Evidence of the Old Testament

For many years, skeptics claimed the Old Testament had been corrupted over time. But in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered—scrolls that predate the previously known Hebrew manuscripts by 1,000 years.

When compared, these ancient texts showed an astonishing level of accuracy. Isaiah 53, for example, was found to be almost identical between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the later Masoretic Text. This demonstrates that the Old Testament has been faithfully preserved.

The Manuscript Wealth of the New Testament

The New Testament is the best-attested work of ancient literature in existence. Consider these facts:

• Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts exist today.

• Over 10,000 Latin manuscripts and 9,300 in other ancient languages (Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, etc.) also exist.

• The earliest fragments date to the second century, within decades of the originals.

• Complete New Testaments exist from the fourth century.

By comparison, most ancient works have fewer than 20 surviving copies. Homer’s Iliad has around 643. Yet no one doubts its authenticity. The manuscript evidence for the New Testament dwarfs all others.

Textual Variants: Do They Matter?

Skeptics often claim there are thousands of differences among manuscripts. And that’s true—about 400,000 variants exist. But that number is misleading.

• The vast majority of variants are spelling errors, word order changes, or minor omissions.

• Less than 1% of variants affect meaning.

• Zero variants affect any core doctrine.

Thanks to the vast number of manuscripts, scholars can cross-reference and identify the original reading with a high degree of confidence. The discipline of textual criticism has allowed us to reconstruct the New Testament text with over 99% certainty.

The Role of Textual Criticism

Textual criticism is not a threat to the Bible—it is a gift. It involves comparing manuscripts, analyzing scribal habits, and identifying the original wording. This method is used for all ancient literature, but no other work has been so thoroughly examined as the Bible.

Faithful scholars—both Christian and secular—have spent generations ensuring that our modern editions reflect the original text. The critical editions of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures used today are the result of this careful scholarship.

God’s Method: Providential, Not Magical

Some believers assume preservation means God miraculously prevented all errors. But that’s not how God usually works. He often uses ordinary means to achieve extraordinary purposes.

Just as He used human authors to write the Bible without error, He used human scribes to copy it with great fidelity. He didn’t eliminate mistakes—but He gave us so many manuscripts, in so many places, that no single error could corrupt the whole. This redundancy is a powerful safeguard.

Translations: Can We Trust Them?

Yes. While translations are not inspired in the same way the original texts were, they faithfully reflect the original message. Good translations (like the ESV, NASB, LSB, NKJV) are based on the best manuscript evidence and rigorous scholarship.

Even with differences in style or wording, the core content remains intact. A person reading the Bible in English today can be confident they are reading the Word of God.

Jesus Affirmed Scripture’s Preservation

Jesus quoted the Old Testament regularly and never suggested it had been corrupted. He said:

“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void” (Luke 16:17).

Even when quoting from the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), Jesus treated it as authoritative. This affirms that trustworthy translations are legitimate means of God’s revelation.

Why This Matters for the Church

1. Confidence – You can trust the Bible in your hands. It has been faithfully preserved.

2. Reverence – The preservation of Scripture is a miracle of providence. It should stir our worship.

3. Responsibility – We are stewards of God’s truth. We must defend and proclaim it with clarity and courage.

4. Unity – The global church can unite around one Word, translated and preserved for every tribe and tongue.

   
   

Conclusion: Preserved with Purpose

God has not left His Word vulnerable to decay, distortion, or destruction. Though written across centuries, copied by hand, and transmitted across continents, Scripture has been preserved.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isa. 40:8)

What we hold today is not a corrupted relic—it is a living Word. It is the same truth proclaimed by prophets, apostles, and Christ Himself.

So when you open your Bible, you can say with confidence: This is the Word of God.