contradictions in the bible???

[uss_bigd]

Katszpur provided me with what she claims are contradictions in the bible. I wish to disprove all of them with God's help and mercy


Which did God create first -- man or beast? Genesis 1 contradicts Genesis 2:

Genesis 1:25-26 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:18-19 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

What is the value of wisdom? Proverbs describes wisdom in one way and Ecclesiastes in a completely opposite way:

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Did God tell Moses that killing was wrong? That depends upon which book you read.

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Numbers 31:17-18 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

Can God be seen or not? There are many contradictory verses on this subject, among them these, which say He can:

Exodus 33:11 And the Lord spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.

Genesis 32:30 For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And these which say He can't:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time.

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live.

Does God temp man? Genesis says yes; James says no.

Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham."

James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.

Who has been to heaven? 2 Kings says Elijah was, but John says only Christ has.

2 Kings 2:11 And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

John 3:13 No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, ... the Son of Man.

Do we all sin?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

How should we respond to the fool, by answering him or ignoring him?

Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

When Saul/Paul was converted, did those who were with him hear anyone? One chapter of Acts says yes; another says no.

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

Acts 22:9 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.

Should we make others aware of our good deeds? One chapter in Matthew says we should; another says we shouldn't.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:3-4 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secert. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Are we responsible for bearing our own burdens or not?

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

Who is for Jesus? Who is against Him?

Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me.

Luke 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

 

[uss_bigd]

Which did God create first -- man or beast? Genesis 1 contradicts Genesis 2:

Genesis 1:25-26 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:18-19 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Genesis 1 relays the order of creation, it was God talking in Genesis 1. Genesis two relays the Author's point of view(Moses).

Moses did not narrate everything in there order anymore, has he intends to inteject his own narration in chapter two. you will notice that in chapter two moses was already narrating the fact that adam named the animals which was not yet mentioned in chapter 1.

In summary you have to recognize who is talking. it was God in Chapter 1 and Moses on Chapter 2.

you just thought there were contradicting becasue you thought there was only one person talking.

I will work on the next ones ok? please bear with me.

 

[uss_bigd]

Did God tell Moses that killing was wrong? That depends upon which book you read.

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Numbers 31:17-18 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

SIgh! and you say this same God sent your prophet? why should i trust your religion then if that is the case? well that is how an athiest will ask you.

God in the book of numbers ordered that the medianites be killed becuase they caused some isrealites to sexual immorality and idolatry.

The same holds true that if a woman is proved to be an adulterer she is stoned to death.

In a nutshell Katspur. Exo 20:13 is stating the law. Numbers 31:17 is stating the punishment for those who transgress the law. therefore no contradictin there!

 

[Mister Emu]

bigd, we may disagree on certain aspects of the faith, but would you mind if I attempted to tackle some of these?

 

[uss_bigd]

bigd, we may disagree on certain aspects of the faith, but would you mind if I attempted to tackle some of these?

If you intend to prove they are not contradicting, Go ahead.:yes:
But if otherwise i wish to finish all of them first if that is ok with you?

 

[uss_bigd]

How should we respond to the fool, by answering him or ignoring him?

Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

hehehe this was just explained to us last gathering... hahahaha! cool!

Proverbs 26:4 applies on situations when; You know that an athiest for isntance is just saying something to mock you, do not answer him back stooping down t ohis level. co'z you might become like him.

In a nutshell, Proverbs 26:4 tells you to take the high road.

Proverbs 26:5 means talk in laymans terms if need be. talk to a person according to his level in so that he will not pretend he understood what you are saying when he doesn't.

in a nutshell, talk in laymans terms when the person you are talking to requires that specifc treatment.

 

[Mister Emu]

If you intend to prove they are not contradicting, Go ahead.

Exactly what I intend

 

[uss_bigd]

Exactly what I intend

Go ahead then, it will my life easier ... start whenever you wish...

 

[Mister Emu]

What is the value of wisdom? Proverbs describes wisdom in one way and Ecclesiastes in a completely opposite way:

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

These verses do not contradict per se. Wisdom is something one should strive to achieve, but that does not mean it does not cause grief.

Did God tell Moses that killing was wrong? That depends upon which book you read.

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Numbers 31:17-18 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

The commandment could be read as Thou shalt not murder.

Who is for Jesus? Who is against Him?

Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me.

Luke 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

The reversal need not mean a reversal in meaning, A+B=C B+A=C. Luke could be read(though I have no idea in the original language to be honest) as saying the only ones not against us are those for us.

 

[uss_bigd]

Who has been to heaven? 2 Kings says Elijah was, but John says only Christ has.

2 Kings 2:11 And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

John 3:13 No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, ... the Son of Man.

There are three heavens, Paul was sent up to the third.

2 Kings 2:11 referred to the fist heaven which is the sky that you see.
John 3:13 referred to the 3rd where God is.

No cotradiction there!

 

[Bishka]

Katszpur provided me with what she claims are contradictions in the bible. I wish to disprove all of them with God's help and mercy

Out of curiousity, where did Katzpur give you this list of scriptures? Please link to the thread. Thank you.

 

[uss_bigd]

Do we all sin?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

key word here is the word commit.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 is general, it means all people sin.
1 John 3:9 who ever is born of God do not COMMIT sin. meaning those who are born of God does not sin on purpose. they may sin due to weakness or circumstances but not on purpose.

ECC was general
1 John 3:9 referred to specifics

no contradiction!!

 

[uss_bigd]

Out of curiousity, where did Katzpur give you this list of scriptures? Please link to the thread. Thank you.

The "LDS beliefs and the bible" thread.

 

[texan1]

Genesis 1 relays the order of creation, it was God talking in Genesis 1. Genesis two relays the Author's point of view(Moses).

Moses did not narrate everything in there order anymore, has he intends to inteject his own narration in chapter two. you will notice that in chapter two moses was already narrating the fact that adam named the animals which was not yet mentioned in chapter 1.

In summary you have to recognize who is talking. it was God in Chapter 1 and Moses on Chapter 2.

you just thought there were contradicting becasue you thought there was only one person talking.

Thank you uss_bigd, this is an interesting thread. When it comes to this first one though, how do you know it was God talking in Genesis 1, and if it is God talking, who was he talking to and who was recording it? And what is the indication that it switches from God to Moses? Since they both refer to God in the third person it seems that it would be hard to tell.

 

[uss_bigd]

Are we responsible for bearing our own burdens or not?

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

It is imperative that we read everything

Galatians 6:1-2

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

I someone is caight in sin restore him to faith gently but be carefull you might be tempted.

The burden referred to here is the burden of temptation, Christians must help one another resist temptation.

Galatians 6:3-5

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

the burden referred to here is ones actions, that Christians do it well without comparing it with some one else's.

It means do the task assigned to you without comparing how other people are doing theirs. moreover, do not slack if other people are slacking, carry your own load.

no contradiction!!

 

[uss_bigd]

Thank you uss_bigd, this is an interesting thread. When it comes to this first one though, how do you know it was God talking in Genesis 1, and if it is God talking, who was he talking to and who was recording it? And what is the indication that it switches from God to Moses? Since they both refer to God in the third person it seems that it would be hard to tell.

Notice that Gen 1 was full of the phrase "God said" and look at the quotations.

Try examining Gen 2.

Example:

1. Gen 1:3-5

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

2. Gen 2 ( do you see quotations?)

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth [b] and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth [c] and there was no man to work the ground

 

[uss_bigd]

Who is for Jesus? Who is against Him?

Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me.

Luke 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

common sense would dictate they can't possible refer to the same things right?

let us examine the verses

Matthew 12: 22-30
Jesus and Beelzebub

Luke 9: 46-50
Who Will Be the Greatest

notice that from the heading of the paragraph that contain theverses you provided have different titles. meaning MAt and luke were definitely not referring to the same things. hence they cannot contradict each other.


Matthew 12: 22-30
Jesus and Beelzebub

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub,[d] the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."

25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29"Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.


Jesus drove out demons, and the pharisees said Jesus was of beleebub. Jesus said " If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?" so Jesus further said "But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

Jesus was making a distinction between God and the devil that is why he said "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
was jesus making the same distinction between the devil and God in the gospel of luke 9:50? the title already says no.

Luke 9: 46-50

49"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
50"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

Jesus is not making any distinction between belzeebub and God here. the apostles were refering to men driving out demons in jesus name. meaning not in belzeebubs name as it was in matthew 22:30. so in this case since a man driving out demons was on the side of jesus then indeed"for whoever is not against you is for you."

no contradiction!!!

 

[uss_bigd]

What is the value of wisdom? Proverbs describes wisdom in one way and Ecclesiastes in a completely opposite way:

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.




Can God be seen or not? There are many contradictory verses on this subject, among them these, which say He can:

Exodus 33:11 And the Lord spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.

Genesis 32:30 For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And these which say He can't:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time.

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live.

Does God temp man? Genesis says yes; James says no.

Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham."

James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.



When Saul/Paul was converted, did those who were with him hear anyone? One chapter of Acts says yes; another says no.

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

Acts 22:9 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.

Should we make others aware of our good deeds? One chapter in Matthew says we should; another says we shouldn't.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:3-4 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secert. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

I will do this tomorrow, i have to go home... thanks!

 

[McBell]

Matt 13:31-32:
"the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed which…is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree."
​

There are 2 significant errors here: first, there are many smaller seeds, like the orchid seed; and second, mustard plants don't grow into trees.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

If you don't mind I would like to present you with another contradiction. This one holds a very special place in my heart. I had a good freind attempt to save my soul from the devilish mormon clan **(sarcasm there. sarcasm. They have a seriously special place in my heart)** when I so sweetly pointed this contradiction out to him and lost a freind in return. He was trying to tell me that we are saved by faith and faith alone:

Galatians 2:15–16, Paul says, "We ourselves . . .who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified."

Romans 4:2: "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God."

4:5, Paul puts it another way: "And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness."

My friend was very adamant that one is saved by faith and faith alone. I was adamant that it is a combination of faith and good works:

James 2:14-17
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Really, the entirety of James Ch. 2 supported my argument. He said he was going to get with his pastor and then get back to me with an explanation. That never came and he never spoke to me agian. The poor pastor was probably dumbfounded and resorted to story-telling of how I was going to eat my friends' soul and drink his blood... kill his first born, and so on. People here do not take kindly to things they cannot explain, cannot understand, or that which contradicts something they have a blind iron-grip upon.

Now I know there are some good explanation for this. I stumbled upon a few elsewhere already. I look forward to more interpretations.