We know…
God is perfect (Psalm 139:1-6)
The Bible is from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
If the Bible is really from God then it has to be perfect. It cannot have any contradictions at all.
So, logically…
Definition of “Contradiction”
two or more statements, ideas, or actions that conflict with each other.
If one idea is right then the other one has to be wrong
If the Bible does have mistakes then…
It is not from God
Nothing written in it can be true
The foundation of Christianity is destroyed
Ask These Questions…
Is it talking about the same person?
Is it talking about the same time?
Is it talking about the same type of thing?
Is it talking about the same person?
Answer:
Mickey who lives in Orlando is rich.
Mickey who lives in Ohio is poor.
They have the same name, but are two totally different
people in different places!
Is it talking about the same person?
Was Mary the mother of Jesus AND the woman who is Jesus’s friend in Luke 10:39?
These are two different people with the same name!
The woman who is Jesus’s friend is not the same woman who is the mother of Jesus.
Is it talking about the same time?
Answer:
Mulan was poor when she was age 16.
Mulan is rich now, at age 21.
The same person can have something about them change over time!
Saul or Paul?
Saul hunted down and killed Christians
Paul was one of the apostles of Jesus
This is the same person!
When God showed Saul that he was wrong for killing the Christians He changed his name to Paul. Paul followed Jesus.
Paul was both a killer of Christians and an apostle of Jesus.
(But, he was both of these things at different times)
Genesis chapter 6 says the ark was about 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high and weighed several tons.
Exodus 25:10 says the ark was 3.75 ft. long, 2.25 ft. wide, and 2.25 ft. high.
Is it talking about the same type of
thing?
Is this a contradiction in the Bible?
Genesis chapter 6 is talking about Noah’s Ark
Exodus 25:10 is talking about the Ark of the Covenant
NO! Because…
VS.
If there is a contradiction then it needs to be about the same person, place,
thing, or time.
Otherwise, there is no contradiction.
This is why we need to study the Bible!
We need to be able to tell when two
things are the same or different.
We do not want to misunderstand
what the Bible says!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2NC_txR518
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXDr80Kxfcg&feature=youtu.be
Language
The weather man says “the sun will rise”, but science says that the earth rotates around the sun, so really the sun is not rising at all.
Does this mean the weather man is wrong?
No! Because, we still understand.
We know what the weather man means when he says the sun is rising. A new day is starting.
Language in the Bible 1 Corinthians 15: 6 talks about people who have died.
But the Bible says “some have fallen asleep”
Is the Bible wrong?
No! We know it means that they have died even though it says the word “asleep”
VS.
We need to be very careful that we understand the language of the Bible.
Ask a Christian you trust if you need help.
Complete Story
Matthew 14:21 says that Jesus fed bread and fish to 5,000 men and also women and children.
Mark 6:44 says Jesus fed 5,000 men. (The writer, Mark, never mentions women and children)
Is this a contradiction?
No.
Why?
Complete Story
Matthew and Mark are both inspired by God.
They are both right!
Matthew added to what Mark said making the story more complete.
Matthew did not contradict Mark
(Remember, we are not inspired by God and cannot add or take away from the Bible!)
“YES, I have $1 dollar in my pocket”
What if I asked you “Do you have $10 in your pocket?
The answer would still be YES.
You have $1 but, you also have $10
Both statements are true!
For example…
2 Kings 24:8 says that Jehoiachin became the King of Juda at the age of 18
2 Chronicles 36:9 says he was “eight years old when he became King.”
Age 8 and Age 18 are very different…
Does this mean the Bible is not the inspired word of God?
Human Error Did you know?
People copied the Bible by hand and they were not inspired. These people made mistakes.
OOOPS…
Human Error
Most of these mistakes were so small that they did not change the meaning of the Bible
For example: Writing “the” when you were supposed to write “a"
This means that even though the copiers made mistakes we can still read and understand the Bible the way God wanted us to.
There are 5,700 ancient copies of the New Testament that can be used to compare and contrast to find the original message.
After all of these ancient writings have been compared it can be seen that today we have over 99% of the original text that God inspired the ancient writers to record.
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