In my last two posts, I introduced the topic of apologetics and encouraged every believer in Christ to learn the discipline of apologetics- providing a reasoned defense and justification of faith.So far, I have provided a defense for four common questions concerning Biblical reliability posed by unbelievers, skeptics, and believers alike: Is the Bible reliable? How do we know that man hasn't corrupted God's Word as time has passed?Is the Bible “full of errors”?Are there indeed 400,000-500,000 “errors” in the Bible? To read the full defense and explanations concerning these questions, check out the previous blog posts linked here: Blog | Buckeye Baptist Church.
In quick summary of the previous posts: through evidential/historical apologetics, I proved that the Bible IS reliable, uncorrupted, and is in fact the BEST-attested and MOST reliable of ANY ancient manuscript.The Bible is NOT “full of errors.” There are no “errors” found in the Bible with meaningful consequence (that would change/impact a Christian’s doctrine/faith). We can clearly see the Bible has been well-preserved and remains a faithful record of the Word of God - we can and should have great confidence in it!
Putting many hours of research and work into these posts has definitely bolstered my faith. I pray this series has provided some encouragement and strengthening of your own faith as well!
Today, I would like to continue this series and provide another defense for Biblical reliability by answering the question: Is the Bible “full of contradictions”? Are there indeed “40,000 contradictions” in the Bible?
STOP and THINK - If someone posed these questions/made these claims to you, how would you respond? What would you answer?
Let's take a few minutes to learn and strengthen/encourage your faith!
Short answer: No. The Bible is not “full of contradictions.” It is silly and dishonest to claim that God’s Word contradicts itself. The Bible remains consistent and in harmony with itself.
Now let’s use some evidential/historical apologetics to back up that answer!
Skeptics will claim the Bible is “full of contradictions,” with some listing as many as “40,000 contradictions.” This claim may make you experience doubts in your faith and in God’s Word. However, just like last post addressing the Bible being “full of errors”, I would like to encourage you that many of these “contradictions” in the Bible are EASILY resolved with simple logic and by examining the language and context of the passages alone!When you also factor in the historical, cultural, and social background of the passages, all of these “contradictions” are resolved! This approach of carefully studying these passages IN context of language, book, history, culture, etc. is called the Historical-Grammatical method of hermeneutics (the art and science of interpretation). Let’s use this approach for the remainder of this post to work through ten common examples of “contradictions” in the Bible.
Example One: Angels at Jesus’ Tomb - Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:11-12 Here Matthew claims there was “an angel” at the tomb; Luke states there were “...two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning...”, and John says there were “two angels in white.” Isn’t this a “contradiction” - one angel vs two angels? No - ALL AGREE there were angels at the tomb. Matthew does not state there was ONLY one angel, Luke & John just provide additional information of another angel. (A, D) It is very common for the writers of the Gospels to emphasize different aspects of the story based on their audience and purpose. These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Two: Jesus: Carpenter or Carpenter’s Son? - Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3 Peter Jennings, a famous journalist and past longtime anchor of ABC World News, skeptically questioned these passages and brought up this “contradiction.” HereMatthew states Jesus is “the carpenter’s son” while Mark states Jesus is “the carpenter.” Isn’t this a “contradiction” - son of a carpenter vs being a carpenter? No - it was very common throughout history and in Biblical times for children to follow in their parent’s trade. Jesus was BOTH the adopted son of a carpenter and followed in his father’s trade to be a carpenter himself. (A) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Three: The Blind Men Healed - Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43 Luke states there was a blind man, Mark states there was a blind man named Bartimaeus, and Matthew states there were two blind men. Isn’t this a “contradiction” - one blind man vs two blind men? No. All agree there were blind men healed near Jericho. Mark & Luke focus on the more vocal man (Bartimeus), but they never state he was the ONLY blind man. This does not contradict Matthew’s report of two blind men. (D) Again, it is very common for the writers of the Gospels to emphasize different aspects of the story based on their audience and purpose. These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction. Additionally, in this passage, Matthew states Jesus encountered these men as he “went out of Jericho” whereas Mark & Luke state Jesus encountered the men as he “came to/drew near to Jericho.” Isn’t this a “contradiction” - encountering them when leaving the city vs when entering the city? No - in 1809, a German archeologist discovered there were twin cities called “Jericho” in Jesus’ day. Both had people living in them, but one was destroyed/very run down and one was newly rebuilt by the Romans. Both cities were called “Jericho.” Logically, it seems that Jesus was out of his way from one Jericho and on his way to the other Jericho next door. (A) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Four: Judas Iscariot’s Death - Matthew 27:5 & Acts 1:18 Matthew claims that Judas “hung himself” whereas Acts claims that Judas “...acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” Isn’t this a contradiction - death by hanging vs gutting? No. By putting these two events together we see: Judas bought a field, hung himself, and when his body began to decompose, either the rope broke, the branch broke, or he was cut down and his body fell and burst open. (A) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Five: Jesus’ Genealogy - Matthew 1 & Luke 3 Matthew & Luke seem to “contradict” by providing two different genealogies for Jesus. However, the explanation is simple: Matthew traces Jesus' lineage through his adoptive father Joseph (showing Jesus is a descendant of Abraham and of David's son Solomon) and Luke traces Jesus' lineage through his mother Mary (showing Jesus is a descendant of Adam and David's son Nathan). Together, both lineages show that Jesus was the Messiah and Savior of the world as prophesied and fulfilled by Jesus’ biological descent (through Mary) and legal descendant (through Joseph) from Adam, Abraham, and King David. (B, C) Remember, it is very common for the writers of the Gospels to emphasize different aspects of the story based on their audience and purpose. These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Six: Carrying the Cross - Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26, John 19:17 Matthew, Mark, and Luke state that Simon carried the cross of Jesus; John states that Jesus carried the cross. Isn’t this a contradiction - Simon vs Jesus carrying the cross? No - in Roman custom, criminals were expected to carry their own cross. However, Jews were required by law to carry a burden for a Roman soldier up to 1 mile (Jesus references this law in Matthew 5:41). We know that Jesus was severely beaten, scourged, and flogged BEFORE his crucifixion (Matt 26:67-68; Matt 27:26-30; Mark 15:15-20; John 19:1-3). Logically, it makes sense that Jesus began the journey by carrying the cross on his own, but was struggling to carry it in his state. Jesus’ struggle resulted in the centurion using the law to command Simon to carry Jesus’ cross either with Jesus or alone as Jesus struggled the rest of the way. (A) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Seven: The Tomb Visitors’ News - Matthew 28:8-9, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:9 After visiting Jesus’s empty tomb,Matthew says the group left the tomb and ran to tell the disciples, Mark says the group fled and said nothing, and Luke says they told the eleven and all the rest. Isn’t this a contradiction - telling the disciples vs saying nothing vs telling the eleven and the rest? No. Logically, the group had to tell someone or Mark would have no testimony to record. What likely happened was that the group ran back to town and did not stop to tell anyone on the way. They said nothing to those they passed in town and went straight to the disciples (the eleven and the rest) and told them first. (A) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Eight: God Changes His Mind? - Malachi 3:6, Exodus 32:14 Malachi states, "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." Meanwhile, Exodus states “So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.” Isn’t this a contradiction - God does not change vs God changes? No. When discussing change, God’s CHARACTER never changes - He is good, his CHARACTER is unchanging and reliable. However, God does display changes in His response when we repent - He forgives, heals, creates, etc. Furthermore, by reading one verse further in Malachi (3:7a), you would see an example of God’s change/response to our repentance: “‘Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”(C) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Nine: Has Anyone Seen God? John 1:18, John 6:46, 1 John 4:12, Exodus 33:20 all state that no one has seen God or can see His face; but Genesis 32:30b, Exodus 33:11a, and Isaiah 6:1 states God has been seen “face-to-face” by Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah. Isn’t this a contradiction - God cannot be seen vs God has been seen “face-to-face”? This one is a little more complicated to understand, but the answer is still “no.” In Mark 4:12, Jesus states “...that seeing they may see, and not perceive…” There is an understanding that you can “see” something without truly “seeing” it. In John 1:18, it says “No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him." Here, the Greek word for explained is “exegeomai” which means to “tell fully, make fully known.” In these passages, it is not talking about “seeing God” in the sense of seeing what God looks like, but “seeing God” in the sense of fully seeing/fully knowing God in all His glory. In Exodus 33:18, Moses asks to see God’s glory, this implies that though Moses had seen God “face-to-face” (Exodus 33:11a), Moses had not fully seen God. How can this be? Well, “the phrase ‘face to face’ (Hebrew: panim el-panim) is often used idiomatically in Scripture to describe personal, direct, and unhindered communication. It does not always refer to a literal seeing of physical features… Other biblical passages reinforce this nuance. Numbers 12:8 says the LORD speaks with Moses ‘clearly and not in riddles,’ indicating a direct and unmistakable revelation. Deuteronomy 34:10 further describes Moses as one ‘whom the LORD knew face to face,’ emphasizing the close bond rather than a literal gaze on God’s full essence.” (E) Continuing to read Exodus 33:21-23, we see that God agreed to Moses’ request to see His glory, but God covers Moses as His glory passes by because no one can see God’s full glory and live. “The infinite holiness of God stands far beyond human capacity to withstand in its entirety. Moses, a finite being, could not gaze upon the unfiltered presence of the Creator and survive. Hence, even the greatest of prophets beheld only a veiled or mediated aspect of God… In each account, God accommodates Himself to human frailty, revealing His presence in ways that are truly personal yet never fully unveiling the totality of His divine essence.” (E) In conclusion, Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah all “saw God face-to-face” in the sense that they had a very personal and direct relationship with God and experienced a vision (or less) of God, but they did not see God’s full glory and revelation. (C, E, F) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
Example Ten: Kill or Don’t Kill? - Exodus 20:13, Exodus 21:12-14 I bring this example last as atheist activist, Dan Barker, has this listed as his #1 “discrepancy” in his list of Biblical “contradictions”. In the King James Version, Exodus 20:13 is translated “Thou shalt not kill.” In Exodus 21:12-14 and other places in the Bible, God commands the death penalty stating “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.” Isn’t this a contradiction - “thou shalt not kill” vs “put this person to death”? No - “the Hebrew word used here, ‘ratsach,’ specifically refers to unlawful killing.” (G) In fact, most translations of the Bible (NASB, ESV, NIV, NKJV, etc) read “You shall not murder” - clarifying God is commanding us not to scheme and kill someone deliberately. Regardless of what translation you read, the teaching of Exodus 20:13 is NOT “killing under any and all circumstances is forbidden.” The teaching of Exodus 20:13 IS unlawful killing a.k.a. murder is forbidden.InExodus 21:12-14, when God commands the death penalty for murderers, this provides an example of a lawful, justified killing. “This action is not the result from a passion of the heart, but an act of obedience to God.” (C, G, H) These passages are in harmony, there is no contradiction.
These are just a few examples of “contradictions” in the Bible. As you have seen and will continue to see with your own study, the claim the Bible is “full of contradictions” is silly and dishonest. “When examined honestly and rigorously, alleged errors in the Bible dissolve under the light of careful exegesis, historical context, and logical consistency. The Bible does not contain contradictions, historical inaccuracies, or moral failings. What critics often identify as ‘errors’ are instead misunderstandings rooted in ignorance of the original languages, failure to grasp cultural and literary conventions, or presuppositions hostile to divine revelation.” (D)
I have shown some of the most common and “best” examples of the skeptic’s “contradictions” in the Bible (such Dan Barker’s #1 “discrepancy” addressed in Example Ten or Peter Jennings “contradiction” addressed in Example Two) are false accusations that easily crumble against the Historical-Grammatical method of hermeneutics. The skeptic must be honest with themself and admit they are wrong. Many skeptics’ error is that they are not honest in their approach to God’s Word and hold an inconsistent, skeptical attitude towards the Bible that they would never apply to other things. Mike Winger provides a great example of this inconsistent, skeptical attitude applied towards an event like 9/11. See his video (C) Biggest Bible Contradictions: Evidence for the Bible pt20 (13:59-16:54).
Be assured my brothers and sisters in Christ - The Bible is not “full of contradictions.” It is silly and dishonest to claim that God’s Word contradicts itself. “Contradictions” in the Bible are EASILY resolved with simple logic and by examining the language and context of the passages alone! When you also factor in the historical, cultural, and social background of the passages, all of these “contradictions” are resolved! The Bible remains consistent and in harmony with itself.I hope this short lesson in apologetics brings you encouragement as you study and trust in God’s Word!
