 The
Proclaimer
Does The Bible Contradict Itself?
On more than one occasion I have been
confronted by people who claim that the Bible contradicts itself and,
therefore, could not be literally the word of God. When pressed, however, I
have found that such individuals can rarely name even one contradiction. In
answering these people, we need first of all to realize that just because
there may be a difference in different passages, that does not necessarily
mean they contradict. Let’s examine some differences to illustrate this
point.
First of all, some so-called “contradictions”
deal with different persons or things. For instance, Genesis 6 records that
Noah built an ark with which his family and all the animals were saved from
the flood. Yet Joshua 3 records that the Hebrew priests carried the ark
across the Jordan River. How did these men carry an ark that must have
weighed several tons? Obviously, the two texts are speaking of different
arks. Noah’s ark was totally different from the Ark of the Covenant the
priest carried into the Promised Land. There is no contradiction here.
Today some see a contradiction in Paul’s statement that we
are not saved by works
(Eph. 2:9; Rom. 3:28), and James’ teaching, “that by works a man
is justified, and not by faith
only” (James 2:24). In fact, Martin Luther was so convinced of a
contradiction in the teachings of Paul and James that his solution was to
deny James’ instruction as Scripture. But just as in the case of the
different arks in the illustration above, we see that Paul and James speak
of different types of “works.” Paul is speaking of meritorious works whereby
one would earn his salvation through the doing. This would involve either
perfect law keeping or boastful works (Eph. 2:9), or the keeping of a system
of works according to the Law of Moses (Rom. 3:28; Rom. 4:2ff). But James
speaks of works of faith, that is, obedience to the commands of Christ
(James 2:14ff). Paul says we are not saved by works only; James says we are
not saved by faith only. There is no contradiction here.
Second, some so-called “contradictions” deal
with different elements. For instance, some apparent contradictions deal
with different elements of time. Mark says, “And it was the third hour, and
they crucified Him” (Mark 15:25). But John says, “And it was the
Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to
the Jews, “Behold your King!” John has Jesus still being tried by Pilate
seemingly three hours after Mark has Jesus hanging on the cross. The answer
to this “contradiction” lies in the fact that Mark was counting time as the
Jews counted time while John is using the Roman method. There is no
contradiction here.
Finally, some so-called “contradictions” deal
with the use of literal and figurative language. For instance, In Matthew
11:14 Jesus identifies John the Baptist as Elijah, but John himself denies
that he is Elijah in John 1:21. Clearly Jesus was speaking figuratively
while John was speaking literally. John was not Elijah reincarnated, but he
did “go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17) just as
had been prophesied (Isa. 40:3). There is no contradiction here.
Many other examples could be given. But the
fact is, there are no contradictions in the Bible for each book came from
the same source – God.
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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