October Q&A – Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

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We have all heard the accusation: “Many claim the Bible is divinely inspired and perfectly preserved, yet it is full of contradictions.”

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But does the Bible contradict itself? Merely making that accusation does not establish it. Sufficient evidence must substantiate the claim.

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Before examining alleged contradictions, we must understand what constitutes a genuine contradiction. Something may appear contradictory without actually being so.

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English logician W. Stanley Jevons summarized the law of contradiction this way: “Nothing can both be and not be.” Aristotle expressed the same principle more precisely: two opposite claims cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense.

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Brother Wayne Jackson wrote a tract titled Does the Bible Contradict Itself? He observed that when we encounter an alleged contradiction, we must ask three questions:

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1. Is the same thing or person under consideration?

2. Is the same period of time in view?

3. Is the apparently contradictory language being used in the same sense?

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Consider these statements: “Craig is rich” and “Craig is poor.” Do they contradict each other? Not necessarily. We could be talking about two different Craigs, describing Craig during different periods of his life, or saying that Craig is spiritually rich but materially poor.

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We should not assume that two statements contradict each other without first answering these questions. We must examine whether they concern the same person or thing, the same time, and the same sense.

Sunday evening, we will examine at least three alleged contradictions.

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First, Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face” (Gen. 32:30), and “the LORD spoke to Moses face to face” (Exod. 33:11), yet John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time” (Jn. 1:18). How do we harmonize these statements?

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Second, God said that He visits “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children” (Exod. 20:5), yet Ezekiel wrote, “The son shall not bear the guilt of the father” (Ezek. 18:20). Are children punished for their parents’ sins, or do they suffer their consequences?

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Third, the KJV says that “God did tempt Abraham” (Gen. 22:1), while James wrote that God does not “Himself tempt anyone” (Jas. 1:13). Does God tempt people to sin, or is there a difference between temptation and testing?

 

I will prepare a fourth if time permits. Please join us Sunday evening.

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Written by Craig Ressler