Many Bible critics and
God-Haters today insist that there are innumerable errors in the Bible. My
husband even discovered a book with this title. It held 101 areas where the
author was convinced that the Bible contained errors. When my husband
researched each of the author’s claims, he determined that the writer either
took a verse out of its context, did not understand the customs of the era
written about in that verse, failed to read the words in their spiritual
context or did not interpret the passage literally.
The miracle of the Bible is
that about forty different authors, living over a period of thousands of years,
and most having never met one another, consistently wrote similar, if not exact
thoughts, facts and predictions, many of which had not yet occurred. Jesus
fulfilled many of these prophecies with His birth, death, resurrection and
ascension. We see many other verses coming to pass during our generation. There
are also many, which are still awaiting fulfillment. Books such Kings and
Chronicles describe identical events differently, yet they never contradict one
another. Science, history and archeology are constantly proving the veracity of
Biblical Truth.
For instance, the Bible
stated that the shape of the earth was round years before Columbus ever disproved that the
earth was flat by sailing to the new world. Scholars formerly insisted that
Moses did not write the Pentateuch, because he lived before writing was used.
Later study proved that writing existed thousands of years prior to Moses.
Scholars also claimed that the Biblical Hittite nation was fictional, until a
library in Turkey proved that this nation actually existed. What these cynics
fail to admit is that they could be wrong about other so-called “errors” in the
Bible too.
Supposedly educated men and
women assume that the Bible is scattered with inaccuracies without ever giving
themselves a chance to prove it is true. People such as Josh McDowell embarked
on a journey to gain the fame of proving the Bible as false, only to end up
proving it is true (www.josh.org). Jesus quoted parts of the Old Testament
throughout His life on earth. He even claimed that every letter and stroke of
the Bible would never pass away (Matthew 5:18). God’s
Word is perfect and living (Psalm 19:7; Hebrews 4:12). It also brings conviction of sin, which causes
people to hate its truth (John 3:20).
Some people claim the Bible
has errors, because they fail to understand the complexity of Biblical
principles. For instance, Salvation is comprised of Justification,
Sanctification and Glorification. If a scholar does not understand this
concept, they may see many supposed errors in the Bible. Another such
controversy is the description by John in Revelation of end time events. He
described them to the best of his ability, using his knowledge of the world in
his day and time. Yet, people claim revelation is merely a fantasy and will
never come to pass. Many people will be very surprised when it does!
Another aspect that causes
skeptical scholars to strain at a gnat is when they assume that every word in
the Bible is to be imitated and taken at face value. Every word is actually
accurate and true. However, the Bible in many places records lies, incest,
murder, false beliefs, etc. These words are inspired, but not to be taken as a
license for immoral behavior. The Bible was written in the language and genre
at the time in which its authors lived and were inspired. Although it is not in
modern vernacular or identical to our standards of measurement, etc, it is
still relevant for today.
Poetic license is often
utilized throughout the Bible too. God never sleeps, but the Bible poetically
refers to Him as awakening. Describing God as having wings under which we find
refuge is an object lesson instead of an exact representation of God, because
He is a Spirit and has no wings. Jesus is the bodily form of God. Even some
numbers, such as ages and dates, may be incorrect in some copied manuscripts
when compared to original manuscripts, but the message of the passage is the same.
When God gives directives to
diverse Biblical people groups at differing time frames, the wording is not
always verbatim, but the general messages are not contradictory. For instance,
a blood sacrifice of an animal was used in the Old Testament era to pay for
sins. Once Jesus came, this is no longer necessary. Another controversy is the
demise of Judas. Matthew and Luke’s accounts are describing two separate
aspects of his death. Paul told Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach
issues, not because he condoned drinking, but because Timothy was not putting
any wine in the local water to purify it.
Some Bible opponents dispute
the fact that some Old Testament verses quoted in the New Testament are not
word for word. However, the gist is the same in both scriptures. Another
instance doubters quibble over is that Matthew and John disagree on how many
angels were at the tomb of Christ. The fact is that Matthew speaking about one
angel does not negate the fact that there may have been another angel there as
well. The Bible was not written to be dissected and scrutinized according to
our modern logic. The Bible was written so that we might be introduced to Jesus
and to experience eternal life.
Prayer:
Father God, why does mankind
insist upon filtering Your infinite Truth through finite minds. They act like
you gave us the Bible to hurt us, when you actually provided it for our comfort
and inspiration, as well as to guide us in a manner of living that will produce
blessings for us and prevent us from reaping the negative fruit of carnal
behavior. We put our trust in You and we believe in Your Truth.
Thought for the Day:
The Bible was given so that
we would not be discouraged in this world full of tribulation, and we would
have hope in this life as well as in the next.
Thank you, Peter DeHart, for the use of your photo.
