Does the Bible contradict itself?

How the Bible Was Written

The writing of the Bible is complex. It’s not a single book, but a collection of books written over hundreds of years by dozens of authors from various historical and cultural backgrounds. While the Holy Spirit inspired its content, God used human writers with their own voices and styles to communicate his message in the text.

Much of the Bible was passed down through generations of oral tradition before being written. After that, it went through a long process of copying and recognition as the authoritative words of God. Additionally, because it’s been translated from Hebrew and Greek into many languages, minor wording differences can appear. Understanding these things helps us approach God’s word with the right perspective.

Why the Bible’s Reliability Matters

2 Timothy 3:16-17 states:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

If the Bible is a primary source of revelation from God about himself and his plan for all of history, it must be reliable. It’s the basis for Christian doctrine and life and an unchanging standard for absolute truth. If it contained errors, trusting its message would be difficult. Thankfully, its so-called errors and contradictions have reasonable explanations.

10 Examples of Apparent Errors

With a wide range of authors, time, and themes in the Bible, you’re bound to find difficulty piecing it all together.

In this article, we’ll look at some apparent errors and contradictions that are often cited, and briefly review why they shouldn’t worry us about the Bible’s reliability.

1. Differences between the Gospels

There are four Gospels that each present unique perspectives of Jesus:

• Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament Messiah.

• Mark emphasizes Jesus’ humility.

• Luke emphasizes Jesus’ historical context.

• John emphasizes theology and Jesus’ divine nature.

  The Bible encourages having multiple witnesses confirm the truth of a claim. While specific details about events and quoted words vary between the books, their differences shouldn’t be seen as contradictory but complementary perspectives on the same events. The message remains the same, and together they paint a fuller picture of Jesus.

2. Salvation by what?

Are we saved through faith or works? This question refers to these verses:

• Ephesians 2:8-9: “you are saved by grace through faith, ... not from works”

• James 2:24: “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

  The key to understanding these is their context. James’ point is that faith is more than simply believing facts—a natural result of faith in Jesus is that he also transforms your thoughts and

actions here on earth. Think of the fruit of the Spirit. It’s not that faith plus good deeds save you, but that good deeds that require acting by faith are evidence of a genuine saving belief in Christ.

3. Old Testament God vs. New Testament God

God often seems angry and harsh in the Old Testament, but loving in the New Testament. In reality, he never changes. Both the Old Testament and New Testament reveal his mercy as well as his justice. The work of Jesus makes the former more evident, but it remains true that God can’t tolerate sin. That’s why Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary. The difference isn’t in God’s nature but in his redemptive plan unfolding in history.

4. When did languages get confused?

Genesis 11 begins by describing a world that has one language, which gets divided at Babel. Genesis 10, before it, lists Noah’s descendants, their nations, and... their languages. The simple answer? The chapters aren’t in chronological order—Genesis 10 gives a broad overview of history, while Genesis 11 details a specific event that occurred during that time.

5. Can women speak in church?

1 Corinthians 14 says women should remain silent in churches; yet chapter 11 instructs them on praying and prophesying in church. Many interpreters believe that Paul didn’t mean to ban women from speaking universally, but specific women who were disrupting the Corinthian church. The early church had several female leaders, some of whom worked in ministry alongside Paul.

6. Lower than whom?

Hebrews 2 powerfully quotes Psalm 8 by saying that Jesus, in his humility, was made “lower than the angels for a short time.” But some translations of the psalm read “little lower than God.” The difference comes from an ambiguous word that could be translated as either God or heavenly beings. Hebrews is written in Greek, and fortunately, provides its own translation: it’s clear that it means angels. In conclusion, Jesus, who is God, was not made “lower than God” by taking on human nature.

7. A missing quote?

According to James 4:5, “Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’.” This quote doesn’t exist anywhere else in the Bible. This doesn’t mean James misquoted Scripture; rather, he paraphrased it, much like if I were to say “the Bible says we should obey God”—that’s not a direct quote, but a common theme. James wrote about God longing for our undivided loyalty to him, which is indeed found all over Scripture.

8. Should God love the world?

John 3:16 is among the most well-known Bible verses. “For God loved the world ...” But how does it compare to 1 John 2:15? “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” What’s the difference? The word “world” has two meanings. The world that God loves is humanity. The world we shouldn’t love is the sin of the world: it names lust and pride as examples. The Bible distinguishes between God’s love for people and his hate for sin.

9. Does God regret?

The Bible says God “regretted” creating mankind before the flood and making Saul Israel’s king. Did God change his mind? Since God is all-knowing and unchanging, his “regret” isn’t like human regret. Instead, it’s used to personify him and express his disappointment over the depth of human sin. God’s “regret” isn’t that he made a mistake, but that mankind did by acting in opposition to his will.

10. Who made David take a census?

2 Samuel 24 states that the Lord incited David to take a census, while 1 Chronicles 21 says Satan did. How can we reconcile such a great mistake? Much like in Job’s story, God didn’t initiate Satan’s evil act, but instead, being in control of everything, God allowed Satan to act. God isn’t the author of evil, but he allows the consequences of human sin in the world for now, and even uses it to accomplish greater purposes.