απολογία

Biblical “Contradictions” and their rebuttals.

Most contradictions you will find revolve around the same Book of the Bible. Skeptics will take one passage from Luke, compare it with another passage of Luke, and call it a contradiction.

When someone takes one verse and compares it another within the same book looking for a contradiction, an easy question would be, “So, did Luke forget what he had written earlier?”. It is unlikely that this would have happened, given the fact that most of these men were killed for their belief, and so would have read it over twice to make sure everything was consistent. I will gladly move any “contradiction” to the front of the list if I am contacted directly about one in particular. If not this will be a slow list that will grow at the rate of 3-5 per week, as I will try to remain faithful in my daily blogging.

1.
Good to everybody or just a few?

Psalm 145:9- “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

Matthew 13:42- God will “throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

While the Lord is good to all in a general sense, that general goodness is only good as far as the length of our earthly life, that is why men like Hitler, Stalin, or Mao Tse Tung, still lived relatively long, full lives and were able to enjoy God’s glorious Creation and offer of Salvation right alongside the relatively innocent people they killed. Psalm 145 is in the present tense in reference to our earthly lives (“is”), whereas Matthew 13 is in future tense talking about our everlasting life (“will”).

2.
God of War or Peace?

EXO 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

ROM 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

To say that the Lord is a “Man of war” is not to say that God “loves” war, but that those who oppose him will be utterly destroyed. He is not a passive, apathetic God, but one passionate about saving His people and protecting His children.

“God of peace” describes the nature of God for those who love him. He is the true source of Peace for his Children, and a source of eternal torment for those who oppose him.

3.
Who is the father of Joseph?

MAT 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

LUK 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.

Matthew describes Jesus’ Paternal line. This follows Joseph’s (Jesus’ father) line through his ancestors. Luke differs in that it follows Mary’s descendency line. Notice that while Jacob “begat” Joseph, Luke describes the relationship as Joseph, “The son of Heli”. This is because he is the son by marriage of Heli.

4.
Who was at the Empty Tomb?

MAT 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

MAR 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

JOH 20:1 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.

None of these lists of who arrived at Jesus’ tomb claims to be exhaustive. Ask 3 people to describe a party and they will mention different people who were there. Some of the people will be mentioned by all three, and others will only be mentioned by one person. Are they all lying? Of course not. Luke 24:10 mentions that “other women” were present as well. Authors simply chose to mention different people present.

5.
Is Jesus equal to or lesser than?

JOHn 10:30 I and my Father are one.

JOH 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

The Greek words “are one” used in John 10:30 are pronounced “Hen Esmen”. This is meant to refer, not to one “Person”, but one “Thing”. There are three distinct persons and a hierarchy within the Godhead, as shown with John 14:28. However there is only 1 essence to which all three share, and they are in total agreement as indicated in 10:30 with the selection of Sheep away from the Goats.

6.
Which first–beasts or man?

GEN 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
GEN 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

GEN 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

GEN 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Genesis 2:18 is not a chronological statement of how animals were created, but a statement showing that Animals were also created out of the ground, along with man. Genesis 1 is a historical narrative of how the first 7 days of Creation went.

7.
The number of beasts in the ark

GEN 7:2 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.

GEN 7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, GEN 7:9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

There would have to be extra animals beyond the minimul (2 from every species), otherwise when Noah and his family got hungry on the boat they would have made extinct every species they decided to eat from. Gen 7:2 “by sevens” means 7 pairs of each species. Gen 7:9 saying, “two by two” is not a contradiction, but merely pointing that every animal was ½ of a pair.

8.
Is it folly to be wise or not?

PRO 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

ECC 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

1CO 1:19: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Wisdom is a good thing to strive for and possess, after all, Solomon received wisdom from God (1 Kings 4:29). However, wisdom alone, without tempering it with the Gospel is meaningless and ignorance. That is why a Christian can look up and see the obviousness with which God created our world, while Atheist see only randomness, chance, and the logical conclusion of Nihilism. “Ignorance is bliss” in on sense, as the Atheist in unaware of Hell’s gates pressing against him, however, with increased knowledge of the Bible comes an increased understanding of the infinite chasm that separates us from God.