Conclusion

Bodie Hodge

When it comes to alleged Bible contradictions, skeptics are often quick to point out that the Bible seems full of them. But a closer look at these alleged contradictions reveals the opposite: the Bible is not full of contradictions. After years of studying alleged Bible contradictions, I am convinced that God would not make such remedial mistakes. I once heard that "the Bible is an anvil that has worn out many hammers"; and when attacks on the Bible are in the form of alleged Bible contradictions, it is like taking a plastic fork to a steel anvil! The Bible will stand firm.

But I suggest that many non-Christians want the Bible to be full of contradictions so that it gives them a form of justification for rejecting God. In short, they don't want God to be God, so they don't have to be accountable to Him, but instead they would rather rule their own lives — that is, view themselves as "a god" (Exodus 20:3).

However, many non-Christians may not fully understand the God of the Bible. When mankind sinned against God in Genesis 3 and turned away from Him in the Garden of Eden, the Lord came to seek after them (Genesis 3:8–9) and revealed that there is a plan for salvation from sin (Genesis 3:15). When mankind became so wicked before the Flood (Genesis 6:5), God sought after them through Noah (2 Peter 2:5) and offered a way out of the coming destruction (an ark). When mankind continued in rebellion and sin, God loved us so much to come after us by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ into the creation to save us for all eternity to die the death we all deserve going back to Genesis 3. The Bible says:

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:13–19).

The sad part is that all men love "darkness" rather than "light." This metaphor illustrates that people prefer sin and evil as opposed to forgiveness and salvation. Therefore, many do not receive this free gift of salvation that Christ has offered, and in trying to justify themselves, they try to attack God and His Word with alleged contradictions to try to make God look like an "ogre." But God is not an "ogre," and His Word does not contain any legitimate contradictions.

This short book should be a good introduction to the subject and a good reminder that when it comes to "claims" about a Bible contradiction, the first place to look is the pages of the Bible to see what this claim is all about from God's perspective. As we've seen, such allegations seem to "evaporate into thin air" when one looks at the text logically, in context, and so on.

We want to encourage our readers to stand firm on the authority of the Bible from the very first verse. The God of the Bible created everything (Genesis 1:1–2:4), knows everything (Colossians 2:3), has always been there (Isaiah 46:10), and cannot lie (Titus 1:2). It would be willful rebellion not to trust Him when He speaks on any subject. And God will not contradict Himself when He does speak.

Consider that the Bible stands solidly when faced with alleged Bible contradictions, and then logically it stands solidly in its pronouncement of the Gospel.

Dear reader, if you have not considered the claims of Christ up to this point, I want to encourage you to do that now and meditate of what the Lord has done for you.

I would urge you to be reconciled to God, and suggest you speak freely to an offended God in prayer at this point and tell Him that you realize that you are a sinner (we all are according to Romans 5:12) and have fallen short of a perfect God (we have all fallen short according to Romans 3:23). Tell God that you repent of your sins (turn from your sin and be sincerely sorry for those actions) and ask God to forgive you of your sins (Acts 3:19 and 17:20). Now, this doesn't make you perfect from now on, just forgiven — after all, no Christian is perfect, but we strive to be better every day because we want to love and obey God in return (1 Corinthians 15:34). Then ask Christ, the Son of God, to come into your life, and dedicate yourself to Him and believe in Him and receive the free gift of salvation.

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:30–31).

If you prayed to receive the Lord, I want to welcome you to the family and encourage you to find a Bible-believing church in your area where you can find fellowship with other Christians and grow to know more about God, the Bible, and living a life that is God-honoring.