What do we do about Bible Contradictions?

One of the things that people seem to say quite often is that the Bible is full of contradictions. Well, I am just going to be very blunt to start out and make 2 statements.

I have asked a few of them to name some of these contradictions and they cannot name more than 3 from the top of their head

In my experience, most of these people have never actually read the Bible, they are merely reciting something they heard someone else say.

However, it is still a question we need to think about, so that if and when someone asks us about the Bible and contradictions we can talk to them about their concerns. So, let’s think through this question a little bit.

There is a difference between contradiction and variations

A contradiction is when two things are opposite, a variation is when they do not say the same thing.

Compare Matt/Mark/Luke on angel at Jesus’ tomb

The first thing I would say is that there are not many contradictions in Scripture, but there are some variations. For example, let’s think about one of the passages most pointed at for contradiction- Jesus’ Resurrection. In Matthew’s account in ch 28 we read that there was AN ANGEL at Jesus’ tomb. In Mark’s Gospel there was 1; In Luke there are 2 Angels, and John mentions no angels at all. So, is the a contradiction? I don’t think so, I think this is more of a variance. Think of it this way- Matthew and Mark are first hand witness accounts from people who were there. Luke is not a first hand account- Luke created his Gospel by collecting stories and information about Jesus from other people. I would expect some variance in these account’s wouldn’t you? Truly, between first hand accounts and second hand accounts we would expect some things not being in 100% agreement.

Does a variation make the story/claim/idea invalid?

That is a huge question we have to think about. If Sandra is telling me a story, and she says “I went out to the barn and Gerald was giving shots to a calf” and Gerald interjects “No, I was giving shots to a lamb” Does it automatically mean I can no longer trust Sandra? Of course not! It means that she is a human. And as we have stated in our first 2 weeks, the Bible was written by God with human instruments.

Some “contradictions” are progressions in the faith

Compare and

Matthew 5:17-20

This is an example of the laws and practices of the Kingdom of God growing and expanding- not contradiction. We must remember that Jesus says in that he came to fulfill the Law. When God gave the Law and the OT he knew it was a temporary thing, and that Jesus would ultimately come and give a permanent fix to the problem of sin.

Think of a practical example. A few weeks ago Jess and I were having a gate issue at the house. The clasp that held the gate shut was broken and needed to be replaced. I did not have any spare clasps in the shop, so we needed a patch job. I went and got some wire and wired the gate shut util I could get to the hardware store and get the proper tools to fix it. It was not going to do the job forever- its job was to get us b until the permanent fix came. This is the relationship between the Law and Jesus. Jesus was the permanent fix to the Law

The times that Jesus seems to contradict the OT, he is pointing to his fulfillment of it.

Ever since Moses people had the Law, and the Law pointed them towards Jesus, so when Jesus came he began to point to something different- God in a brand new way.

Variations show the authenticity of the Bible

I am of the opinion, like others, that the variance in the Bible actually shows why it can be trusted. Think of it this way, when someone is on trail the court will normally hear from witnesses, and they hear their stories. Now, there are going to be variances in the story depending on where the person was standing when they saw the incident, when they looked up and payed attention, or other factors. One person says the car hit on the right quater panel, the other says it was head on; one person says the driver was speeding, the other does not think so. These variances are expected. Most judges or juries are not bothered by these kinds of discrepancies. What does bother them is it everything is the exact some verbatim- word for word. This makes the story seem made up, or that they have been coached to make sure they line their accounts up with one another. The court of law calls this collusion- collaboration for a deceitful or illegal purpose.

Perhaps the variations in the Bible show why it CAN be trusted- because the authors did not collude together to make sure that their stories were verbatim the same.

Or that the translators did not say- well Matthew says 1 and Luke says 2- let’s just make sure they say the same thing- we do not want any rumors being started…

When we say the Word of God is “perfect” we do not mean without variance, but without error.

Let’s talk for a few moments about the words inerrant, infallible, and authoritative and infallible and what they mean for us. For the rest of our time I want to unpack these words that have become staples for us as we talk about what we believe about the Bible.

Inerrant- Without error- no mistakes or faults

When we say God’s Word is inerrant we are talking about the nature of what the Scriptures say- it is impossible for God to err therefore it is impossible for the Bible cannot err. This is not so much based on the literal word for word translation, but about the nature and purpose of the words. In other words, God was 100% right when He laid the words of these Scriptures upon the hearts of the authors. When God said Moses “honor the Sabbath and keep it holy” he meant it. it is the perfect way.

Ineerancy has to do with the original text God laid on the Disciples hearts. It means we can trust the original message of the text.

Infallible- Unable to fail; sufficient in all circumstances

If Scripture is infallible it means that no matter what, Scripture is right. It cannot be wrong, and contains everything we need to accomplish the purposes of God. It means that the Bible cannot and will not change.

Infallible has to do with the message as it continues throughout history.

In other words, what God has said is sufficient for all time. I once had a conversation with someone regarding the Bible and they said “that made sense then, but now that we are more educated we know better” and my reply to them was “well, God was never more or less educated- he has been all knowing since the beginning of time- so that argument really does not hold water.” Inerrancy means that God’s Word is the ultimate truth and can never change- God will never go back on his word or say “I know I said that then, but I changed my mind.”

Authoritative- The supreme code for ethics and morality

Authoritative means that this Bible is the #1 source for all law, ethic, and morals. In other words, if you need to make an ethical decision in your life the Bible is to be the primary source for that decision.

A few years ago when the US said homosexual marriage we legal I stood in this very pulpit and told you that this law really dosent matter to me- because the Bible say NO- I do not look to the US government for my ethics- I look to the Scriptures.

Authority has to do with the role of the Bible in our lives. How do we use it today?