CONTRADICTIONS: The 16 Most Common Exegetical Errors Made by Bible Skeptics
Claims that selected passages in the Bible contradict each other are quite possibly the most frequently heard objection from skeptics that Christians hear when they seek to share their faith in Jesus Christ in the public square.
Such claims are also routinely cited as established fact in the mainstream media, in college classrooms, the entertainment industry and cultural communities. Sadly, when witnessing Christians are confronted with “the Bible is full of contradictions” argument, too often they are ill-equipped to respond in a credible manner.
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In fact, however, when the individual claiming the Bible is in error explains the grounds of his or her criticism, it is often the case that their objection is based on one or more of the most common exegetical mistakes biblical scholars have analyzed and found wanting.
To cite one example, skeptics often claim that two passages conflict because one of them gives more or different details than the other concerning the same event.
As Norman Geisler, one of the most widely respected biblical scholars in the world, explains:
“Critics often jump to the conclusion that a partial report is false. However, this is not so. If it were, most of what has ever been said would be false, since seldom does time or space permit an absolutely complete report.
“For example, Peter’s famous confession in the Gospels:
- Matthew: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16, NASB).
- Mark: “You are the Christ” (8:29, NASB).
- Luke: “The Christ of God” (9:20, NASB).
“Even the 10 Commandments, which were ‘written by the finger of God’ (Deut. 9:10), are stated with variations the second time they are recorded (see Ex. 20:8-11 with Deut. 5:12-15). There are many differences between the books of Kings and Chronicles in their description of identical events, yet they harbor no contradiction in the events they narrate.”
Another illustration cited by Geisler is when critics assume that when the Bible reports the actions of somebody it constitutes an endorsement of those actions:
“It is a mistake to assume that everything contained in the Bible is commended by the Bible. The whole Bible is true (see John 17:17), but it records some lies, for example, Satan’s (see Gen. 3:4; John 8:44) and Rahab’s (see Josh. 2:4).
“Inspiration encompasses the Bible fully in the sense that it records accurately and truthfully even the lies and errors of sinful beings. The truth of Scripture is found in what the Bible reveals, not in everything it records.
“Unless this distinction is held, it may be incorrectly concluded that the Bible teaches immorality because it narrates David’s sin (see 2 Sam. 11:4), that it promotes polygamy because it records Solomon’s (see 1 Kings 11:3), or that it affirms atheism because it quotes the fool as saying ‘there is no God’ (Ps. 14:1, NASB).”
These two examples are among the 16 Geisler explains here in his essay “Are There Errors in the Bible?” You can read them all here. Christian apologists and skeptics alike would do well to keep both Geisler’s analyses and the basic rules of logic in mind, along with a healthy helping of humility.
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