Chapter 2.7.
Bible Contradictions or Mistakes?
A Fact: All accusations of contradictions in the Bible can be answered:
All questions can be answered in the Bible if one is just willing to read and study the Bible with insight. Questions about the Apostle Paul, about Jesus Christ our Lord, the son of God and His crucifixion etc.
One single Bible passage in Romans 1:1-7 answers all those questions.
- "From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for God’s good news. God promised this good news about his Son ahead of time through his prophets in the holy scriptures. His Son was descended from David. He was publicly identified as God’s Son with power through his resurrection from the dead, which was based on the Spirit of holiness.
- This Son is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received God’s grace and our appointment to be apostles. This was to bring all Gentiles to faithful obedience for his name’s sake.
- You who are called by Jesus Christ are also included among these Gentiles.
- To those in Rome who are dearly loved by God and called to be God’s people. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." https://bible.com/bible/37/rom.1.1-7.CEB
1. Muslims like to point out the Bible’s “Many Mistakes”
I already concede above… “Yes, there are textual variants in the New Testament, including errors, omissions, additions, changes, and alternate translations. In some cases, different translations have been used as evidence for or have been motivated by doctrinal differences. That is what Muslims usually refer to as “many Bible mistakes”.
I already tried to explain how Bible translations work and how translators dealt with such textual variants and questions. The origin and background of most of those are easy to explain and at the end to choose the most accurate meaning.
Let us consider the “many Bible Mistakes” or “contradictions” in the Bible:
According to one of my Facebook friends, showing me regularly how wrong our Christians and our Bibles are, there are many Contradictions in the Bible. He sends me a list of many pairs of Bible verses that contradict one another (out of one thousand, he said) – you can see them a bit lower on this page.
It's not in the scope of this book to answer each of these “Contradictions” one by one. (it will be a thick book on its own). There are such books available that make great effort to try to research and answer such questions, what looks on the surface as contradictions; I shall later refer to two of them.
There are also several Bible websites where this type of questions is dealing with. The one that I personally use most to help me with such questions, is QotQuestions.org. I am going to use it here.
How to answer a Fool…
I want to start with one of the contradictions from my friend’s list underneath (Number 21). I hope our friend, as well as other Muslims using this type of question over and over, will hear the advice in this response, and stop this type of Bible critique. How to answer a fool (Note: I don’t insinuate my friend is a fool!)…
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.” —Proverbs 26:4 compared to “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” —Proverbs 26:5
2. How to deal with such contradictory verses:
The website GotQuestions.org answers as follows
- They are actually a common form of parallelism found in the Old Testament, where one idea builds upon another. Verse 4 warns against arguing with a fool on his own terms, lest we stoop to his level and become as foolish as he is. Because he despises wisdom and correction, the fool will not listen to wise reason and will try to draw us into his type of argument, whether it is by using deceit, scoffing at our wisdom, or becoming angry and abusive. If we allow him to draw us into this type of discourse, we are answering him “according to his folly” in the sense of becoming like him.
- The phrase “according to his folly” in verse 5, on the other hand, tells us that there are times when a fool must be addressed so that his foolishness will not go unchallenged. In this sense answering him according to his folly means to expose the foolishness of his words, rebuking him based on his folly so he will see the idiocy of his words and reasoning. Our “answer” in this case is to be one of reproof, showing him the truth so he might see the foolishness of his words in the light of reason. Even though he will most likely despise and reject the wisdom offered to him, we are to make the attempt, both for the sake of the truth, which is always to be declared, and for the sake of those listening, that they may see the difference between wisdom and folly and be instructed.
- Whether we use the principle of verse 4 and deal with a fool by ignoring him or obey verse 5 and reprove a fool depends on the situation. In matters of insignificance, it’s probably better to disregard him. In more important areas, such as when a fool denies the existence of God (Psalm 14:1), verse 5 tells us to respond to his foolishness with words of rebuke and instruction. To let a fool speak his nonsense without reproof encourages him to remain wise in his own eyes and possibly gives credibility to his folly in the eyes of others.
- In short, in negligible issues we should just ignore fools, but in issues that matter, they must be dealt with so that credence will not be given to what they say.
May I advise my friend and other Muslims to solve their contradictory Bible questions on the same way. I can assure them it’s not so difficult to solve each of those contradictions and, most important, it does not affect the truth of the Bible in any way.
- But if you truly are looking for answers to your questions about the Bible and Christianity, most of it will be find in websites like Got Questions
3. A list of Bible Contradictions according to my Muslim friend:
1. Thou shalt not kill. —Exodus 20:13
"Thus, sayeth the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side. and slay every man his brother…companion…neighbour. — Exodus 32:27
2.The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. —Revelation 8:7
And it had commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. —Revelation 9:4
3. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 12:22
The Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. —I Kings 22:23
4. And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month…Nebuzaradan…came…unto Jerusalem… —2 Kings 25:8
…in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month…came Nebuzaradan…into Jerusalem… —Jeremiah 52:12
5. For by grace are ye saved through faith… not of works. —Ephesians 2:8,9
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. —James 2:24
6. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. —2 Kings 24:8
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem… —2 Chronicles 36:9
7. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy…and they shall be your possession…they shall be your bondmen forever. —Leviticus 25:45-46
Undo the heavy burdens… let the oppressed go free, break every yoke. —Isaiah 58:6
8. For I am the Lord; I change not. —Malachi 3:6
And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. —Exodus 32:14
9. For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. —Exodus 20:5
The Lord is good to all. —Psalms 145:9
10. No man hath seen God at any time. —John 1:18
For I have seen God face to face. —Genesis 32:30
11. For every man shall bear his own burden. —Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ. —Galatians 6:2
12. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. —Romans 3:23
There was a man…who name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright. —Job 1:1
13. Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. —II Kings 8:26
Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. —II Chronicles 22:2
14. Submit yourself to every ordinance of man …to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors. —I Peter 2:13
We ought to obey God rather than men. —Acts 5:29
15. And incredibly early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. —Mark 16:2
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. —John 20:1
16. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. —Mark 15:25
…about the sixth hour …they cried out…crucify him…. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. —John 19:14-16
17. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned… —Romans 5:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death. —John 8:51
18. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. —Genesis 9:3
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. —Romans 14:21
19.Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? … And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly… —Matthew 27:13-14
Then Pilate entered the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? … Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? —John 18:33-34
20.For he cast two pillars of brass of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. —1 Kings 7:15
Also, he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. —2 Chronicles 3:15
21.Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. —Proverbs 26:4
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. —Proverbs 26:5
22.Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. —Matthew 5:16
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. —Matthew 6:1
23.And [Judas] cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. —Matthew 27:5
Now [Judas] purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. —Acts 1:18
24.Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. —Matthew 10:34
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. —John 16:33
25.And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark. —Genesis 6:19
"Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens , the male, and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. —Genesis 7:2
For More: 101 Cleared-up Contradictions in the Bible
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PDFBy: Jay Smith, Alex Chowdhry, Toby Jepson, James Schaeffer
4. Three Bible "errors" explained
Muslim friend, may be you also claim that there are "Errors" in the Bible. Here are some answers to three such questions. Welcome te respond.
5.Muslim friend, why not read the Bible yourself?
My personal response to a Muslim friend who told me the Bible is corrupt… (His reason: Because of the many Bible mistakes and contradictions).
Dear Muslim friend, have you ever read the Bible?
Many Muslims have never read the Bible because of such unproved claims.
Islam scholars teach that the Quran has replaced the Bible just as the Gospel (Injil) abrogated the law (Taurat), so the Quran replaces the Gospel. The Quran, however, never claims to annul the Bible. The Gospel did not abrogate the law. The perfect Jesus came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfil the law.
Why not download the Bible for yourself in your own language for free?
You can try any of these two websites. - www.bible.is
Many Muslims only use the Bible and such differences found as a tool to attack Christians about the Bible rather than to ask for the correct interpretation and understanding of a specific “so called mistake”.
I just want to testify that myself as a Christian for over 70 years, doing intensive Theological and Biblical studies for the last 40 of those, haven't found any Bible mistake or contradiction that I cannot solve and answer satisfactory for myself or that make me uncertain about my Christian faith at all.
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