chap60

LIST 60

21 Biblical Contradictions

A loving, merciful God?

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. [Psalms 145:9]

…God is love. [1 John 4:8]

But:

[God says:] I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. [Jeremiah 13:14]

[God says:] If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. [Jeremiah 18:8]

[Jesus says:] And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. [Matthew 10:28]

Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…. Behold, the day of the LORD-cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it…. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. [Isaiah 13:6,9,13]

But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways. The LORD says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea. You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!” [Psalms 68:21-23, New Living Translation]

A peaceful God?

Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. [Romans 15:33]

But:

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. [Exodus 15:3]

Do children pay the price?

[God says:] The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin. [2 Kings 14:6]

[God says:] The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. [Ezekiel 18:20]

But:

I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; [Exodus 20:5]

To swear oaths or not to swear oaths?

Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. [James 5:12, New International]

But:

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. [Hebrews 6:13-16, New International]

Father and Son, or Father Is Son?

[Jesus said:] I and my Father are one. [John 10:30]

But:

[Jesus said:] If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. [John 14:28]

Sevens or twos?

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]

But:

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

The two deaths of Judas Iscariot

And he [Judas] cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. [Matthew 27:5]

But:

Now this man [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]

The last words (or not) of Jesus

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, eli, lama sabach-thani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?…Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. [Matthew 27:46,50]

But:

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. [Luke 23:46]

But:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. [John 19:30]

Joseph had two dads?

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

But:

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, [Luke 3:23]

No kids or five?

Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. [2 Samuel 6:23]

But:

But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: [2 Samuel 21:8]

Hearing voices, maybe

And the men which journeyed with him [Saul] stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. [Acts 9:7]

But:

[Saul says:] And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. [Acts 22:9]

Omniscient or blind?

“Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD. [Jeremiah 23:24, New International]

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. [Hebrews 4:13, New International]

But:

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” [Genesis 4:9, New International]

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” [Genesis 3:8-9, New International]

Should you honor or hate your parents?

Honour thy father and thy mother: [Exodus 20:12]

For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. [Matthew 15:4]

But:

[Jesus says:] If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. [Luke 14:26]

Eye for eye, cheek for cheek

Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. [Leveticus 24:20]

But:

[Jesus said:] But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also…. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; [Matthew 5:38,44]

The four deaths of Saul

Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. [1 Samuel 31:4]

But:

And he [Saul] said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: [2 Samuel 1:8-10]

But:

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa: [2 Samuel 21:12]

But:

So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. [1 Chronicles 10:13-14]

Forever isn't what it used to be

Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. [Ecclesiastes 1:4]

But:

[Jesus says:] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. [Matthew 24:35]

Thad or Jude?

Matthew [10:2] and Mark [3:16-19] list the Twelve Apostles as including Thaddaeus (Labbaeus), but Luke [6:13-16] doesn't include Thaddeus. Instead, the twelfth Apostle is Judas the son of James (different than Judas Iscariot).

Jesus judges?

[Jesus says:] You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. [John 8:15, New International]

But:

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, [John 5:22, New International]

God judges?

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, [John 5:22, New International]

But:

Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. [1 Peter 1:17, New International]

Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. [Romans 2:2, New International]

Jesus in Hell?

[Jesus says:] Whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. [Matthew 5:22]

But:

[Jesus says:] Ye fools and blind. [Matthew 23:17]

Omnipotent or impotent?

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. [Matthew 19:26]

But:

And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. [Judges 1:19]

Note: All passages are from the King James version, unless otherwise noted. images