Page 126 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible Student Textbook

Study Section 17: Supposed Errors in the Bible

17.1 Connect.

If you have ever shared your faith with an atheist or agnostic, quite often they will say to
you, “The Bible is full of errors and inconsistencies!” One of the best apologetic approaches
is to ask them to show you one. Most of the time, they will not be able to. But on occasion,
you might find one who has done some study and can articulate a supposed error in the
Bible. For example, he might tell you that Matthew, Luke, and John tell the story of Jesus
healing a blind man as he passed through the town of Jericho. But Mark tells of the healing
of Bartimaeus as Jesus was leaving Jericho. They will point out that the stories are in error with one
another.

If someone does come up with some “errors” or contradictions in the Bible, what should you do? First,
we know that the Bible is God’s Word and God does not make mistakes. So there probably is a simple
explanation to share with your friend. You just must be prepared to answer them. Today we are going
to look at some of the most taunted “errors” that have been suggested and give an explanation of how
they can be reconciled. Sound interesting?

17.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to explain what constitutes a contradiction and how to prove it
exists.

2. The student should be able to describe the main contradictions skeptics reference and how
to demonstrate that they are not contradictions

3. The student should be able to list some of the other contradictions that atheists and skeptics declare
with the motivation to resolve them.

17.3 Are there errors in the Bible?

If we read the Bible at face value, without a preconceived bias for finding errors, we will find it to
be a coherent, consistent, and relatively easy-to-understand book. Yes, there are difficult
passages. Yes, there are verses that appear to contradict each other. We must remember that the
Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1,600 years. Each
writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, to a different audience, for a
different purpose. We should expect some minor differences. However, a difference is not a
contradiction. It is only an error if there is absolutely no conceivable way the verses or passages can be
reconciled. Even if an answer is not available right now, that does not mean an answer does not exist.
Many have found a supposed error in the Bible in relation to history or geography only to find out that
the Bible is correct once further archaeological evidence is discovered.

We often receive questions along the lines of “Explain how these verses do not contradict!” or “Look,
here is an error in the Bible!” Admittedly, some of the things people bring up are difficult to answer.
However, it is our contention that there are viable and intellectually plausible answers to every
supposed Bible contradiction and error. There are books and websites available that list “all the errors in

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