Are there contradictions in the Bible, part 1
1. When people want to poke fun at Christians or Christianity, they usually draw from an old bag of tricks.
2. One tool that people use to dismiss the gospel is that the Bible has contradictions.
AT LEAST A FEW OF US HAVE MET PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT THEY DO NOT BELIEVE
IN THE BIBLE (AND PERHAPS GOD), BECAUSE SCRIPTURE IS FILLED WITH
DISCREPANCIES AND CONTRADICTIONS.
A.
Some
skeptics portray the Bible as a book that is riddled with conflicting
passages.
B. I have no doubt that some Christians are hesitant to talk about this area of study.
C. I would hope that God’s people do not avoid this area because we are afraid of what we might find.
D. If we have the truth, we have nothing to fear.
E. If the Bible is a divine product, we have nothing to fear.
2. For our scripture reading we heard Acts 4:34-37.
3. There was a man who sold a piece of property.
4. This man is identified as a “Levite.”
A. Critics have said that the Levites were forbidden from owning property.
B. Since the text says this man owned property, the Bible contradicts itself.
5. Critics make this type of charge and then walk away feeling sure that they have discredited scripture.
6. This type of thinking is typical of people who believe in contradictions.
A. I am currently reading a book by a man who became religious and then abandoned his faith.
B. In this book he claims that there are numerous contradictions in the Bible.
C. His approach is just like what was just described.
D. He puts two passages together, says that they are in conflict, and says “case closed.”
7. What can be said about the information in Acts 4?
8. Let’s go back to the Old Testament.
9. Let’s take a look at the passage which said that the Levites could not own land.
10. The passage that we want was announced – Num. 18:20, 24 – READ.
A. These two verses are very specific.
B. The text refers to an inheritance “in their land.”
C. Verse 24 is even more specific.
D. The Levites could not own property “among the children of Israel”.
11. Where was Barnabas from? Cyprus.
12. Where was his property located? We are not told.
13. It could have been in Cyprus. It could have been in a country besides Israel or Cyprus.
14. If it was outside of Israel, there was no law against him owning land.
15. Furthermore, Num. 35 shows that the Levites were given certain cities.
16. They did not have a general inheritance in the land, but they did have certain communities.
17. If Barnabas had any of this land, this could have been sold.
18. What some initially find to be a contradiction is actually a story with multiple possibilities.
19. We do not know which explanation is right because we lack some information.
20. We do, however, know enough to say that there are some very easy ways to reconcile what is said.
21. What first appears to be a contradiction is found to be a question with many possible answers.
22. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE PASSAGES THAT PEOPLE POINT AND ALLEGE THAT THEY HAVE FOUND A CONTRADICTION, WE MIGHT WONDER WHY GOD WOULD HAVE PUT TOGETHER A BOOK WHICH CONTAINS THIS KIND OF MATERIAL. WHY ASSEMBLE A BOOK THAT PEOPLE WOULD FIND FAULT WITH?
A. After all, is not God described as an all knowing God?
B. If He is, He would have known that some would claim that the Bible has contradictions.
C. Is not God a God who is all loving?
D. If so, why would He produce a book that contains some difficulties?
E. Do we not rightly teach that God is all powerful?
F. If this is right, was God not able to put together a volume that everyone could easily understand?
23. How do we reconcile our knowledge of God with a book that has some passages that seem contradictory?
24. Let me first share with you a little piece of information about an author.
25. A man named John W. Haley wrote a book that is fairly well known.
26. The title of this book is “Alleged discrepancies of the Bible.”
A. This book contains more than 400 pages.
B. Some of the pages in this volume contain at least three alleged discrepancies on a single page.
C. I do not know how many passages this man wrote about, but it is a lot.
27. I say this to show that there are numerous passages where people claim a Bible contradiction.
28. Many claims are made concerning contradictions in scripture, but a single one has never been proven.
29. It is one thing to charge a person with wrongdoing.
30. Unless a charge is true, it has no basis.
31. This is what we need to know about the so-called contradictions in the Bible.
32. Many of these have been alleged, but not a single one has ever been proven.
33. This information tells us that many alleged contradictions exist, but not why they exist.
34. There are some reasons for passages in scripture seem to conflict.
35. Tonight we are going to start looking at some of these reasons.
A. The first one I want to present for our consideration is “stimulation of the intellect.”
B. Consider if you will who the Bible is from.
C. It is from God.
D. What kind of product might we expect from God?
E. Would we expect it to be along the lines of a book for a first grader?
F. This would not keep our interest for very long.
G. What if God had given us a document that would have appeal to teenagers?
H. This would not be suitable for the younger generation and be of little interest to those who were older.
I. What if God had given us a book designed for those who are advanced in age?
J. Such a document would have no appeal to younger generations.
36. God designed a book to capture the attention of everyone.
37. It has historical stories that can be told to all ages.
38. He also put information in this document that makes people think.
A. In one place it says we are saved by works; in another it says we are saved by faith.
B. We are told to bear our own burden in one passage, but elsewhere told to bear the burdens of others.
C. Children are to honor their parents but another passage says they are to “hate” them.
39. I have had people say to me, “These conflicting verses do not make any sense.”
40. “Surely God would ever design a book in this manner?”
41. Before we start shaking our heads, think about what we find in the secular world.
A. On the one hand we see sunshine and can gaze into the heavens.
B. We enjoy the sunshine and gentle breezes.
C. There are beautiful flowers, singing birds, and pleasant smells.
D. People look around and say, “The creator is good.”
42. What else do we find in the world?
A. There is frost, snow, ice, strong winds, hail, tornados, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
B. There is war, thousands of diseases, famines, pestilence, and accidents.
C. People suffer from volcanoes, mud slides, and rock slides.
43. Do we not admit that as opposite as these things are, they go together?
44. Both are drastically different, but they can be harmonized.
45. The same is true with the Bible.
46. Things that seem to be so different and contradictory can be reconciled.
47. I AM PREPARED TO ARGUE THAT THE SO-CALLED CONTRADICTIONS ARE ACTUALLY ONE INDICATION THAT THE BIBLE IS A DIVINE BOOK.
A. Scripture is arranged in a way that is like the way God’s working in the natural realm.
B. A second reason for the Bible having alleged contradictions is found in the word collusion.
C. Sometimes things can be too perfect.
D. There is an occupation known as document examination.
E. A document examiner compares signatures to see if they match.
F. One of the ways that people detect forgeries is by finding an exact match of a signature.
G. We never sign our name in exactly the same way.
H. It may take a microscope to detect it, but there is always a difference.
I. When people trace someone’s signature, this is a quick tip off to a forgery.
48. What if the gospel writers, to use a Bible example, all said exactly the same thing.
49. What if the accounts read the same word for word.
50. This would give rise to suspicion.
A. The gospels are not word for word..
B. One account says that Jesus is the Son of God.
C. Others say He is the Son of Man.
D. Some passages say that Jesus is God. Others say that He is man.
E. The final resurrection is ascribed to Jesus; it is also ascribed to the Father.
F. Jesus said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood.
G. The book of Acts (15:20) says that we are to abstain from blood.
51. The so-called contradictions actually help prove that the Bible is inspired.
52. The problem is that people do not take enough time to see why the alleged contradictions are there.
53. It would appear that many who shout “contradiction” already have their mind made up.
54. They do not want to believe scripture, so they find some passages that seem to conflict and go on.
55. No Christian should run from the charge that the Bible has contradictions.
A. I do not know how many times I have spoken with people about this matter.
B. I can honestly say this.
C. Whenever this issue has come up—and this has happened in this country and abroad—
D. I have said to people, “Let’s talk about discrepancies.
E. Without exception the wind in the skeptic’s sail was taken away.
F. The skeptics I know of take a kind of sniper approach with Bible contradictions.
G. They say “here is one” and literally close the book.
H. If people want to open this door, let them open it. We have nothing to fear or hide.
56. God’s word has been proven true time and time again.
57. If a contradiction could have been found and established, it would have been done long ago.
58. God’s word has stood the test of time and it will stand all future tests.
59. Tonight we hope you here are because you have become convinced that it is right.
60. If you believe His word is true, have you acted on it?
61. Have you become a Christian, and are you living faithfully to Him?