Contradictions and the Bible

by Steve Bastin

Over 40 years ago I left my job as a design engineer at the John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works and became a preacher of the gospel.  I left my T-square, slide rule and drawing instruments behind (that sounds terribly old-fashioned now) and picked up a Bible and set out.

The T-square and drawing instruments have been replaced by computer aided design.  The slide rule has been replaced by a calculator.  The Bible remains the same book that I began to preach in 1964.  There are more modern translations.  These have updated the language from the King James English to 20th and 21st century English, but the originals from which the translations come remain unchanged.

Charges that there are contradictions in the Bible have been made for as long as I can remember.  Often I have heard the charge and usually reply to the one making the charge, “Can you show me one of these contradictions?”  Generally the answer I get is, “No.”

What that usually means is that the person has heard the charge, “The Bible is full of contradictions” and has reached the conclusion that there is no need to investigate any further.  The Bible is rejected and the person goes on living in whatever manner they have lived before.

Books have been written on both sides.  Some books are filled with alleged contradictions that the author purports to have found in the Bible.  Other books are filled with explanations of those contradictions.  Who wins?  That depends upon the bias of the one deciding.

Let me give you an example of an alleged contradiction.  In Matthew 28, the women arrived at the tomb and encountered an angel.  “And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.”  Later a conversation between the angel and the women is recorded.  Did the women see the angel descend?  Matthew does not answer this question.

In Mark, the women arrived at the tomb and this is what Mark recorded:  “Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.”  A conversation then follows.  Nothing is said about an earthquake.

In Luke, the women arrived to find the tomb empty.  Then Luke tells us, “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as they were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living One among the dead?’”

In John’s account of the morning of the resurrection, he tells us only of the coming of Mary Magdalene to the tomb and finding it empty.  There is no account of an earthquake, of other women with Mary, nor of any appearance of angels or men, whether one, two or some other number.

There is agreement among all four that the tomb was empty.  They also agree that it was a woman or women who discovered the empty tomb.  There is no encounter with the guards in any of the accounts.

Some have adopted a theory of inspiration that suggests that God literally dictated, through the Holy Spirit, the words that are

found in the Bible.  If this were true we would expect each of the four accounts that we have reviewed to have exactly the same information.  The problem would seem to involve a faulty view of the meaning of inspiration.

What we have is an account of the events of resurrection morning that are consistent with what we know of eyewitness accounts.  Eyewitnesses tend to agree on major issues and differ in their account of the details.  That is exactly what we have in the resurrection accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Should I dismiss their stories because I cannot find full agreement among them?  My decision is, “No.”

I suppose if one is looking for an excuse not to follow the moral and religious teachings of the Bible, then the differences in the accounts provides sufficient justification for them to reject everything.

On the other hand, if one is seeking to know the will of the Lord, these discrepancies, one or two men/angels (not contradictions) do not distract from the purpose of learning and obeying the will of the Lord.

Those who want an explanation for the alleged contradiction of the resurrection stories may easily find an explanation.  Those who want a reason to reject the Bible will find their “reason.”  People tend to find that for which they are looking!

There are many other examples of such difficulties in the Bible.  Some are more difficult of explanation than the one I have chosen.  Others are more easily explained.

I chose not to major either in providing lists of alleged difficulties nor in providing lists of alleged explanations.

I am far more interested in determining: 1.  Is the Bible inspired by God?  That is, is the information in the Bible reliable and can it be traced back to God?  And 2.  What does the Bible have to say about how I should live?  Does it provide a path that will satisfy my deepest needs and answer the questions about how one should live in this world?

Perhaps most interesting of all is the amount of attention, time and energy that is spent in trying to discredit the Bible.  If one is not inclined to obey the commandments that are found in the Bible, why not simply ignore the book?  Why the great concern that someone else is going to obey the commands in the Bible.  Are you going to be hurt by someone loving God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength?  Are you going to be hurt because someone else loves their neighbor as they love themselves?  What is the problem with someone else following the teachings of the Bible?

Perhaps part of the problem stems from Christians who only know what the Bible says and are bound and determined to make everyone else obey the teachings of the Bible.  Those who have set out on a crusade to impose their beliefs on unwilling bystanders have created a major problem.

Do I want everyone to know what the Bible teaches and follow those teachings?  Yes.  But I do not believe that it is my duty to compel that obedience, either legislatively, nor through other forms of coercion.

My obligation from God is to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;” to reprove, rebuke, exhort and with great patience instruct others in the plan of God for life in this world.”  What people choose to do after that is their business.

Just do not take the course of crying, “Contradictions,” as an excuse, but plainly admit that you simply do not want to do what the Bible plainly declares you ought to do.  God said it and that settles the matter whether I believe it or not.