For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezr 7:10
Contradictions in the Bible
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Ti 2:15
Glorifying the Triune God by creatively declaring the relevancy and practicality of His timeless Word..
Bible Studies
Many people who refuse to accept Christ as Savior use what they call contradictions in the Bible as an excuse. But as we will see from twelve alleged contradictions below there is always a practical explanation.
1 Statement: God is pleased with his work of creation
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Gen. 1:31 ESV.
Alleged contradiction: God is not pleased with his work of creation
“And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Gen. 6:6 ESV
Explanation: This is actually not a contradiction because both statements are true. The first happened before the Fall, the second is true after humankind had rebelled against God.
2 Statement: God lives in the temples he has chosen
"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.… I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. .” 2 Chron. 7:12, 16 ESV
Alleged contradiction: God does not live in manmade temples
“the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands”, Acts 7:48 ESV
Explanation: God makes Himself known wherever he wants to. Because He is transcendent, His presence elsewhere is not limited simply because His ‘eyes and heart’ are always in one place.
3 Statement: Light is God’s dwelling place
“who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see”. 1 Tim. 6:16 ESV
Alleged contradiction: God dwells in darkness
“Clouds and thick darkness are all around him”.
Explanation: Both verses use metaphors to describe God’s unsearchable nature so they should not be taken literally.
4 Statement: God gets tired and needs rests at times
“…in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed” Exod. 31:17 ESV
Alleged contradiction: God never needs rest because He never gets tired
“The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary.” Isa. 40:28 ESV
Explanation: Reviewing and taking pleasure is His work of creation is dramatically described as “rested and was refreshed.”
5 Statement: God is neither omnipresent nor omniscient. He is present everywhere He knows everything
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Prov. 15:3 ESV
Alleged contradiction: God is neither omnipresent nor omniscient. He is not present everywhere and does not know everything
“the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ” Gen. 11:5 ESV
Explanation: Genesis 11:5 is no indication of God’s ignorance about the activities in Babel, but that he was at this time, focusing his awareness on it.
6 Statement: The hearts of all men and women are known to God
“And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen.’” Acts 1:24 ESV
Alleged contradiction: Men and women are tested by God to discover what is in their hearts
“And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” Deut. 8:2 ESV
Explanation: Everything about everyone is intimately known to God. What Deuteronomy says does imply that the Lord’s testing was due His ignorant about the contents of His people’s hearts. Instead, it was to remind the people that God knew everything about them!
7 Statement: Jesus cautioned those who followed Him not to be afraid of being killed
"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. Luke 12:4 ESV
Alleged contradiction: Because He was afraid of being killed, Jesus stay away from the Jews
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. John 7:1 ESV
Explanation: Jesus taught that we should be more fearful of God than we are of men (Luke 12:4, 5). Jesus avoided the Jews because His time to die had not yet come (John 7:6), not because He was afraid the Jews would take His life.
8 Statement: For three days and three nights Jesus would be in the grave
For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt. 12:40 ESV
Alleged contradiction: Jesus was only in the grave for one night
Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, Mark 16:9 ESV
Explanation: The thinking of Jesus’ day was that any part of a day or a whole day or a whole night was considered a day. So a whole day and two parts of a day, along with two nights, would be referred to as “three days and three nights.”
9 Statement: The mission of Jesus was to bring was peace
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Luke 2:13,14 ESV
Alleged contradiction: The mission of Jesus was not to bring was peace
“I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”. Matt. 10:34 ESV
Explanation: Matthew 10:34 is actually a reference to the separation frequently caused as a consequence of those who choose to become followers of Jesus.
10 Statement: Killing is prohibited
"You shall not murder”. Exod.20:13 ESV
Alleged contradiction: Killing is commanded
“Now go and strike Amalek.” 1 Sam. 15:3 ESV
Explanation: There is an obvious difference in Scripture between murder, which is illegal and capital punishment which is legal.
11 Statement: We are saved by good deeds
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:24 ESV
Alleged contradiction: We are not saved by good deeds
“For by grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works.” Eph.2:8,9 ESV
Explanation: Salvation can never be won by good deeds. It is by faith alone. Since faith carries out good deeds, each Christian should be delighted to serve Jesus and people.
12 Statement: Nobody has ever seen God
“No one has ever seen God.” John 1:18 ESV
Alleged contradiction: Moses saw God face to face
“Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Exod. 33:11 ESV
Explanation: No one, without a doubt has ever seen God. The expression “face to face” it is not intended to be taken literally. To a certain extent it expresses the thought of profound friendship.