ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
BIBLE FACTS
Compiled and edited by
Mark Water
Bible contradictionsStatement: Apparent contradiction: Resolution:
Statement: 1 God is satisfied with his creation
“God saw all that he made, and it was very good.” [Gen. 1:31 ].
Apparent contradiction: 1 God is dissatisfied with his creation
“The Lord was grieved that he had made man on earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” [Gen. 6:6 ]
Resolution: This is not really a contradiction at all. For both statements are true. The first happened before the Fall, the second is true after humankind had rebelled against God.
Statement: 2 God lives in chosen temples
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifices … I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” [2 Chr. 7:12 , 16 ]
Apparent contradiction: 2 God does not live in temples
“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men.” [Acts 7:48 ]
Resolution: Just because it says that the Lord’s “eyes and heart will always be there” it does not mean that God’s presence cannot be elsewhere. God is transcendent and so reveals himself wherever he chooses.
Statement: 3 God lives in light
“who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light whom no one has seen or can see.” [1 Tim. 6:16 ]
Apparent contradiction: 3 God lives in darkness
“Clouds and darkness are round about him.” [Ps. 97:2 ]
Resolution: Both verses are using metaphors which should not be interpreted literally. Both verses are expressing the same idea: the unsearchableness of God.
Statement: 4 God is tired and rests
“In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” [Ex. 31:17 ]
Apparent contradiction: 4 God is never tired and never rests
“The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.” [Isa. 40:28 ]
Resolution: The term “rested and was refreshed” is simply a vivid Oriental way of saying that God ceased from the work of creation and took delight in surveying the work.
Statement: 5 God is not omnipresent and omniscient. God is everywhere present, sees and knows all things.
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” [Proverbs 15:3 ]
Apparent contradiction: 5 God is not omnipresent and omniscient. God is not everywhere present, neither sees nor knows all things
“But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that men were building.” [Gen. 11:5 ]
Resolution: The verse from Genesis does not mean that God was ignorant about what was going on in Babel, but that he was now, as it were, turning his attention to it.
Statement: 6 God knows the hearts of men and women
“Then they prayed, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen.’” [Acts 1:24 ]
Apparent contradiction: 6 God tries men and women to find out what is in their heart
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and test you in order to know what was in your hearts.” [Deut. 8:2 ]
Resolution: God does know all about everyone. When Deuteronomy says that the Lord was testing his people in order to know their hearts it does not mean that God was ignorant, but rather, that the people would know that God knew all about them!
Statement: 7 Christ warned his followers not to fear being killed
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.” [Luke 12:4 NIV]
Apparent contradiction: 7 Christ himself avoided the Jews for fear of being killed
“After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.” [John 7:1 NIV]
Resolution: Luke 12 records Jesus’ general teaching that we should fear God more than men. John 7 does not say that Jesus was afraid that the Jews would kill him. He avoided them because it was not yet his time to die.
“The Bible must be the invention either of good men or angels, bad men or devils, or of God. However, it was not written by good men, because good men would not tell lies by saying ‘Thus saith the Lord’; it was not written by bad men because they would not write about doing good duty, while condemning sin, and themselves to hell; thus, it must be written by divine inspiration.”
Charles Wesley
Statement: 8 Jesus would be in the grave for three days and three nights
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” [Matt. 12:40 ]
Apparent contradiction: 8 Jesus was only in the grave for one night
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week.” [Mark 16:9 ]
Resolution: Orientals thought of any part of a day or a day as a whole day or a whole night. So one whole day and two parts of a day, together with two nights, would be referred to as “three days and three nights.”
Statement: 9 Jesus’ mission was to bring peace
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” [Luke 2:13 , 14 ]
Apparent contradiction: 9 Jesus’ mission was not to bring peace
“I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” [Mathew 10:34] The verse from Luke is speaking about Jesus’ mission to the world through which he brought peace and forgiveness.
Resolution: The verse from Matthew refers to the division that is often caused as a result of individuals following Jesus.
Statement: 10 Killing is forbidden
“Thou shalt not kill.” [Exodus 20:13 ]
Apparent contradiction: 10 Killing is commanded “Now go and smite Amalek.” [1 Samuel 15:3 ]
Resolution: The Bible distinguishes between murder, which is forbidden, and capital punishment.
Statement: 11 We are saved by good deeds
“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” [James 2:24 ]
Apparent contradiction: 11 We are not saved by good deeds
“For by grace are ye saved through faith … not of works.” [Ephesians 2:8 , 9 ]
Resolution: We are saved by faith, and that faith does good deeds. Goods deeds can never win salvation for us. But every Christian should be glad to serve Jesus and people.
Statement: 12 Nobody has ever seen God
“No man hath seen God at any time.” [John 1:18 ]
Apparent contradiction: 12 Moses saw God face to face
“And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” [Exodus 33:11 ]
Resolution: Nobody has indeed ever seen God. The phrase “face to face” it is not meant to be taken literally. Rather, it conveys the idea of deep friendship.
The skeptics guide to misinterpreting the Bible1. Assuming that the unexplained is not explainable
2. Presuming the Bible guilty until proven innocent
3. Confusing our fallible interpretations with God’s infallible revelation
4. Failing to understand the context of the passage.
5. Neglecting to interpret difficult passages in the light of clear ones
6. Basing a teaching on an obscure passage
7. Forgetting that the Bible is a human book with human characteristics
8. Assuming that a partial report is a false report
9. Demanding that NT citations of the OT always be exact quotations
10. Assuming that divergent accounts are false ones
11. Presuming that the Bible approves of all its records
12. Forgetting that the Bible uses nontechnical, everyday language
13. Assuming that round numbers are false
14. Neglecting to note that the Bible uses different literary devices
15. Forgetting that only the original text, not every copy of Scripture, is without error
16. Confusing general statements with universal ones
17. Forgetting that latter revelation supersedes previous revelation
