Q: If the Bible is the inspired Word of God, how do you reconcile the inconsistencies that show up here and there? Or when Bible writers seem to contradict one another in relaying facts?
A: Much of how we understand the Bible depends on our view of inspiration. The apostle Peter affirmed that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21. In other words, God inspired the prophet’s thoughts, and they wrote in their own language what God had communicated to them. These men were God’s penmen, not His pen. God’s Word is infallible, but humans are not—the divine treasure was given in earthen vessels. Apart from the human frailty of the biblical writers, errors of different kinds may have crept in through the copying process. (See the section “How Faithfully Has the Bible Been Transmitted to Us?” in this issue.) So, what should the honest student of the Bible do with apparent imperfections in the biblical text?
Pray for divine illumination. God who gave us His Word is eager for us to be able to comprehend it. The earnest prayer for the Holy Spirit’s guidance will not go unanswered.
Understand the context. Many difficulties arise due to our own misunderstanding of the text. The books of the Bible were originally written within vastly different cultures from ours. The ancients held to customs and practices that, when finally understood, can clarify many troublesome passages. For example, in some instances, the same person was called by different names (Edom/Esau, Gideon/Jerubbaal, and Jacob/Israel). The reigns of kings were counted using various methods. Additionally, little understood facts may suddenly be clarified by new discoveries in archaeology or historical studies. In this regard, good Bible study tools such as reliable encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and commentaries can be very useful.
If the Bible is inspired, how do you explain passages that contain conflicting details and apparent mistakes?
Approach difficulties with integrity and patience. The Bible deserves thoughtful and careful study, which may require in-depth delving into the scriptural text, and which may have to continue over months or years. A prerequisite of such a study is an open attitude of giving the Bible, when necessary, the benefit of the doubt. Yet, the discrepancies will sometimes persist, despite our honest efforts to find harmony. We should then be willing to park that question until more relevant information comes to light, even if it means living with open questions.
Abide by what is clear. The vast majority of discrepancies concern details: 2 Sam. 8:4 says David took 700 horsemen from Hadadezer, while 1 Chron. 18:3–4 indicates there were 7,000. Matthew seems to wrongly attribute a messianic prophecy from the book of Zechariah to Jeremiah. The four Gospels give slightly different accounts of the women who went to the empty tomb on Resurrection Sunday. Was it three, two, or just one? (At least in this instance, the four Gospel authors could not be accused of collusion: if they copied from one another, these small tensions would not exist. If anything, such discrepancies strengthen the case for the reliability of the Gospels as it points to independent sources for eyewitness accounts or verbally transmitted testimonies).
While such details make for interesting trivia questions, we would do well to observe those 99.99 percent of things in the Bible that are clear. Accepting into our life the Lord who conquered the tomb and experiencing the power of His resurrection in our daily existence would fulfill the aim for which the Gospels, and the other books of the Bible, were written.
