Is the Bible the authentic word of God? And what are we to make of God, given the contradictions we find in his word? These questions and more feature in family conversations, workplaces and even in theological institutions.
Is the Bible the authentic word of God?
But these questions aren’t new. The Bible as God’s word has been a subject of contention throughout history. Going forward, I show that the Bible is God’s word, and as his word, it is without contradictions.
God Inspired His Word
God is the author of his word. As Paul writes, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correcting and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The phrase “breathed out by God” means God is the author of scripture. When we think of an author, we often imagine a person with a pen between their thumb and forefinger poised over a blank page. But there are other modes of writing.
God used fallible men to write his infallible word.
The God who created human fingers needs no fingers to write his word. In fact, not all humans need hands to write. Augustine, for example, dictated most of his works to his scribes. Likewise, God chose human beings as instruments of inspiration through whom he spoke to his people. “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
God used fallible men to write his infallible word. Men, in other words, were inspired by the Spirit to write God’s word. Thus inspiration means God made known his truth to men. They wrote God’s word, including the parts written in the first-person voice, using languages accessible to all. Thus theologians say that although men wrote as men, they wrote God’s word, not theirs. Inspiration also means God, like a farmer tending his fields, provided oversight during the writing process. This brings us to a crucial question.
Can We Trust God’s Word?
You would think, having established that God inspired his word, the answer is yes. But for many people, it is not. Over the years, readers have pointed out to me what they believe are mistakes or contradictions in the Bible. And on that basis, they have concluded that scriputure cannot be trusted. I admit that contradiction is the enemy of truth. Yet more often than not, people claim to find contradictions and errors where there are none.
The Bible has no mistakes, only mysteries.
The Bible has no mistakes; only mysteries. Consider a common example often cited as a contradiction. Paul, in Romans 3:28, says believers are justified by faith apart from works, while James says they are justified by their works, and not faith alone (James 2:24). Yet read in context, Paul is teaching that we are made right with God through faith alone, not works. And James is teaching that genuine faith is shown by works. It follows then, that the problem lies with the interpreter of the texts and not the texts.
There are no mistakes in the Bible because God makes none
Readers of the Bible do not always consider certain tenets of biblical interpretation. In any case, we must examine the context of each passage in light of the whole story. Do this for the other seemingly contradicting passages such as Genesis 22:1 and James 1:13; Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:10-11; John 5:22, 27 and John 12:47. Otherwise, there are no mistakes in the Bible because God makes none. The Bible is shrouded in mystery. But this mystery must be interpreted in light of Christ (Colossians 2:2-23). This brings me to my last point.
God’s Word Is Christ
Conversations about the reliability of the Bible tend to focus on the texts, rather than who the texts are about or point to. Yet, I find the latter imperative to the discussions. Jesus Christ said that the whole story is about him (Luke 24:27; cf. John 14:26; Hebrews 1:1-3).
When Christ is not the central message, we miss what the biblical story is all about. God made himself known through Christ and saved us. Therefore, the inspired meaning of scripture is inseparable from Christ, who is the very word of God.
What We Believe and Affirm
If we accept that God inspired his word, we must accept that it is inerrant because God is perfect. For this reason, we Christians believe that God speaks to us through the Bible. We affirm that the scriptures are consistent and are without contradictions. And we find the Bible reliable and desire to commit to it daily without reservation.
