Christianity continues to grow and thrive throughout the world and remains the largest of all religions on Earth.
The life of Jesus is the fundamental event of Scripture and is told from different perspectives. The central theme of the Bible is that God has provided redemption and forgiveness through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. That message is simple to understand by anyone. However, the Bible states that some of what is written within can be difficult or perplexing to understand, which can challenge the thinking of the most ardent Disciple (1 Corinthians 13:12; 2 Peter 2:16). To obtain a deeper understanding often requires prayer and diligent study, which leaves the reader with advanced knowledge and a greater appreciation of the Bible.
It is simply arrogant naiveté for a person to proclaim they 'don't need anyone to teach them because the Holy Spirit is my only Teacher.' God has given teachers, commentators, and Scholars to the Church who have sacrificed their lives to diligently study God's Word for the spiritual benefit and edification of others. Each of them is acutely aware that it is better to have "a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" than to cause anyone to stumble and sin (Matthew 18:6 ESV).
People did not write the New Testament for scholars. It was written in the language of the day by people who had personal experiences with Jesus and shared their eyewitness accounts of those experiences. Each writer gave their perspective of events, which would naturally vary from other accounts, while guided by the Holy Spirit, who brought it back to memory. The similarities of each account are unmistakable. The writers placed much more emphasis on what Jesus did rather than when He did. Variations are not contradictions.
The writers lived in poverty and suffered tremendous persecution by the two most powerful cultures of the day. They willingly endured political disgrace, beatings, stoning, imprisonment, and execution about the claims of Jesus and what He did while boldly insisting to their last dying breath that they had physically seen Jesus bodily raised from the dead.
The Bible implores everyone who reads its words to "Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV).
The Bible is not a textbook about science or mathematics. It is about the heart of God, and the person who studies it must have a genuine desire and determination to understand and comprehend spiritual things.
The Bible is unique among all books and cannot be treated similarly. Since day one, Born-Again Christians have accepted the authority of Scriptures as God's Word based on precedent that follows its acceptance of the teachings and example of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Scripture is normative and determinative for a correct understanding of all Christian doctrine, including the nature of the Scriptures.
THE KING OF CONTRADICTION CONFUSION
Dr. Bart Ehrman is respected by his peers as a legitimate New Testament scholar whose focus is on textual criticism, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He is a self-described former devout and committed 'Born-Again' evangelical Christian who became a 'Non-Theist/Atheist and biblical antagonist after he lost his faith and is now the go-to guy and poster boy of the God-haters.
Ehrman is not a New Testament historian or theologian. He is a critic who tries to pull apart the original Hebrew and Greek texts, driven by naturalistic philosophy. He filters everything through his atheistic worldview which affects interpretation and leads him to reach distorted and false conclusions, which then leads to conclusions that are not consistent with the entirety of biblical evidence. The vast majority of his objections to Scripture have been presented in the past by others.
Ehrman often summarizes biblical teaching accurately but will disagree with it using a biased, subjective understanding based on faulty and unproven premises and then makes illogical conclusions.
The fact is that numerous New Testament scholars throughout history have disagreed on countless things. Still, they universally agree on the abundant and overwhelming evidence found in the Bible regarding the existence of God, the inspiration of the Bible, salvation in Jesus alone, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection of Jesus, and the dramatic changes in the lives of those who repent of their sin and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
He believes that perspectives sometimes vary in the Bible, making them contradictory. He doesn't address the legitimate fact that Scripture supplements one another. As a result, Ehrman's understanding of the biblical doctrine of eternal life is found in the books of Job, the Prophets, and the teachings of Jesus, as well as the Apostles. When a person uses the science of biblical Hermeneutics to study the Scriptures, the so-called 'contradictions' disappear.
Non-Theism/Atheism
Ehrman is, at the very least, self-deceived and, at the very most, a disciple of the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). As with virtually all atheists, His writings are intellectually dishonest and not trustworthy. The words 'non-theist/atheism' have multiple related meanings. In a psychological and metaphysical sense, it is the state of mind of a human being who lacks the belief that God exists, which is the opposite of a theist who believes that God(s) exists. An atheist denies the existence of a personal, transcendent creator of the Universe and affirms there is no God or divine realities. They adamantly believe that nothing can create something, so there is no need for God, even though they would have to travel the entire Universe and examine every quantum particle to make that assertion.
Contrary to the exact definition of the word 'atheist,' some atheists say they don't assume there is no God, nor do they assume anything about how the Universe started or that something can't come out of nothing. They say that theists are the ones who assume that God is needed for the Universe to somehow magically exist.
The Atheist claims that the Bible cannot prove itself and that without any empirical evidence, there can be no God, which is paradoxical because it requires an underlying assumption that it is inspired; otherwise, there is no logical basis to treat the books of the Bible as a unified whole that stand on their own.
Atheism only exists in a vacuum and can't prove itself to be true intellectually. Atheists do not believe in any god(s), yet sufficient scientific evidence must be provided to support that it is true. The claim that there is no God must be proven, and the Atheist must disprove theistic proofs.
The Authority of the Bible
The Bible that Bart Ehrman used to believe is very clear that those who understand the message of Jesus and have tasted of the heavenly gift of God's Word and walk away or "deliberately keep on sinning" and reject "the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left," it is IMPOSSIBLE to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their harm and holding him up to contempt because they were a "Bad Tree" that only produces "bad fruit" and were NEVER Born-Again, and Jesus NEVER knew them, because they would have continued with Him (Hebrews 6:4-6,27,10:26; Matthew 7:16, 13:1-9, 18-23; Romans 8:13;1 John 2:19, 3:7-10).
The simple truth is you can't lose something you never had. The problem with Ehrman's claim is the Bible, which he abhors, says that is impossible. He was, at the most, a 'believer' in Jesus, just as the demons in Hell. Still, he was never a 'receiver' of Jesus because the person who becomes Born-Again is given the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. Their spirit, mind, and body become the Holy of Holies, God's dwelling place (James 2:18).
When a person becomes a child of God, they are "given new birth into a living hope and an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade because they are justified by His grace and heirs and co-heirs with Jesus (1 Peter 1:3-4; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 3:6; Galatians 3:29; Titus 3:6-7).
Nothing can make the Born-Again Christian stumble (Psalm 119:165). God's grace justifies them, and they have become heirs "to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven" for them and are guarded by "God's power" "through faith" with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in them "for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 1:14; Titus 3:3-8 ESV).
God promised NEVER to leave, forsake, drive, or cast out the Born-Again Christian because they are a good tree planted in Him (Deutronomy 341:6; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 7:17). They will naturally and habitually abide in Jesus and do the things that accompany salvation because it is the sole responsibility of the Holy Spirit, who was given as a guarantee of salvation, to sustain and keep them as guiltless, and from stumbling, presenting them blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, and He will never let them be thirsty again, leave, forsake, cast out, or drive them away, nor can anything grab hold of them to separate them from His love (John 4:14, 6:37, 8:12, 10:27-29, 11:25-26; Romans 8:38-39; Hebrews 13:5; 1 John 2:1; Jude 1:24; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Philippians 1:6).
The Bible says that those like Bart Ehrman who walk, fall away, or leave the faith were never with Jesus, and He NEVER knew them because they would have continued with Him (1 John 2:19). They are considered among those who habitually don't do the works of righteousness are bad trees, to whom Jesus will declare, 'I NEVER knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness' (Matthew 7:23 ESV). The Born-Again Christian is predestined, called, chosen, and sealed for the day of redemption as a child of God and an heir with Christ for glorification in heaven (Ephesians 1:11-13, 4:30; Romans 8:28-31; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5; Jude 1:24-25; John 6:37, 8:12; Hebrews 13:5).
The Holy Spirit confirms to the Born-Again Christian that they are no longer a slave to sin but are a child of God through faith in Jesus (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; Galatians 3:26; 4:6; 1 John 3:1-2). They can't become righteous by their works because "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10,23). It is according to the mercy of Jesus who establishes them through the washing of regeneration by the Holy Spirit and guards against the evil one who has no control over them (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 John 5:19).
God holds all persons morally accountable for their actions, whether or not they are a Born-Again Christian. It is the "riches" of God's "kindness and forbearance and patience" that lead a person to repentance (Romans 2:4 NIV). However, those who die intentionally rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior will be eternally separated from Love Himself.
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 ESV)
CONTRADICTIONS, DISCREPANCIES, OR DIFFERENCES?
Upon a cursory review of Scripture, it would be intellectually dishonest to imply the Bible does not contain difficulties, apparent contradictions, or hard sayings. The Born-Again Christian sees "in a mirror dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Some Biblical authors are "hard to understand" (2 Peter 3:16). An ancient Talmudic rule says we must learn to "teach thy tongue to say, I do not know."
The Bible says it is common for people to misunderstand the teachings of the Bible due to a lack of knowledge. The primary cause of misunderstanding is impure motives, which allow the enemy to blind the minds of unbelievers (see Matthew 5:19-23, 13:1-23; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Hebrews 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
Critics often use erroneous assumptions or methodologies that are outdated or don't apply. The most common issue is taking things out of context. Christianity is a synthesis of many personal beliefs, and Biblical teachings are often interpreted through the lens of belief.
The Bible contains many styles of composition. Biblical accounts of events are not exhaustive in the details, nor are they necessarily intended to be precise. Yet, they most often complement each other. The Bible was not written literally, comprehensively, and descriptively.
When a person says there is a contradiction in the Bible, the burden of proof is on them to explain and defend their belief. All that is required from a person who disagrees with their accusations is to develop a plausible, possible, or reasonable explanation.
Anything written or spoken can be twisted to mean whatever a person wants, including the Bible. In this age of biblical illiteracy, it is even more critical than ever to know the Scriptures and learn the methods and rules used for over two thousand years to study, interpret, and translate them into the numerous languages found on the Earth.
EXAMPLE SCRIPTURE DIFFERENCES
For the sake of brevity, here are five verses that are often cited as proof of contradictions.
1). According to Genesis 6:19-7:5, there appears to be a contradiction because of the 2-pair/7-pair anomaly where God tells Noah to "Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal..... and two of every kind of unclean animal." The second section is simply expanding on God's comments in the first.
This story also raised another question of a possible contradiction of how Noah could be the only righteous man on the Earth when God had not yet given His Laws or standards. The story of Cain and Abel reveals that there was already a standard as to what could and could not be brought as a sacrifice. God did not have to instruct Noah on which animals were clean or unclean because he obeyed God's Law and standards, which existed on Earth long before Sinai, where God finally spelled them out for us. God's Law is as eternal as He is.
2). According to Mark, Jesus was crucified at the third hour [9:00 a.m.] (Mark 15:25), yet John says that Jesus was crucified at the sixth hour (John 19:14-15).
Jesus was being judged about 6 a.m., and then three hours later, He carried the Cross up to Golgotha and was crucified. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the Book of Acts use Hebrew time for their calculation. John uses Roman time.
The term "early morning" refers to the fourth Roman watch, which was 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. (See also John 18:28). The few time indicators found in the Bible are there to help communicate critical events in the life of Jesus.
3). The Holy Spirit was imparted and poured out upon the Disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:8, 2:1-4), yet the Holy Spirit was imparted before Pentecost when Jesus breathed upon them (John 20:22)
Ten of the Disciples became indwelt with the Holy Spirit and became Born-Again when Jesus breathed upon them, and they became empowered by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (See Genesis 2:7).
4). God will punish children for the sins of the parents (Exodus 20:5), yet the Bible also says children are not punished for the sins of the parents (Ezekiel 18:20).
The context of Exodus 20:5 says God is to be feared because He could punish children for the sins of their fathers.
The context of Ezekiel 18:20 says that will not happen if the children repent and turn away from the ways of their fathers.
5). It is impossible to fall from grace (John 10:28; Romans 8:38-39), yet it is possible to fall from grace (Hebrews 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-21)
John 10:28 says the Born-Again Christian shall never perish by God's grace.
Romans 8:38-39 says nothing can separate them from the love of God.
These verses reveal that a person proves they are Born-Again when they persevere, so they don't have to worry about their eternal destiny. When they sin, they have an Advocate, Jesus Christ, who forgave all their past, present, and future sins and continually pleads their case before the Father (1 John 2:1).
When a person has tasted of the heavenly gift but then refuses to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, it is impossible to be renewed to repentance, and their last state is worse than their first (2 Peter 2:20-21). Salvation is once for all and cannot be renewed (Hebrews 6:4-6).
THE SCIENTIFIC RULES OF INTERPRETATION
The Bible is filled with poetry, parables, and prophecy that were written using the ancient languages of its authors with words they understood in their grammatical and historical context.
The study of the Scriptures requires the willingness to apply objective diligence and discipline using sound guidelines to search its words to reveal its meaning and apply its authority practically without subjective confirmation bias or preconceived opinions and suppositions.
The Old Testament Scriptures were completed by 400 BC+-. The New Testament Scriptures were completed by no later than AD 100+- and first compiled into one book in AD 144 by Marcion of Sinope (AD 85-160), the son of the Bishop of Pontus.
Translating the ancient Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic language into English (or any other language) is difficult as word definitions differ from English meanings. The Bible's language, culture, customs, and topography are immensely different from those in the twenty-first century.
The structure of ancient grammar is also very different from modern English grammar. It does not use capital letters or English punctuation marks such as apostrophes, periods, colons, commas, hyphens, etc. The study of ancient text requires its reader to understand the principles that help modern readers grasp ancient languages and customs and interpret antiquated documents to understand their original meaning.
Through diligent study and knowledge of the Bible, one can discern and understand the various subtle differences. The three most important rules of interpretation are context, context, and context! When reading the Bible, it is not wise to ask, "what does this verse mean to me?" because it will virtually guarantee that the reader will never understand its true meaning.
Because of the very significant differences between ancient languages and English, it is vital to understand those differences when attempting to support or promote an interpretation using the scientific laws of Hermeneutics, which is the methodology used to study and interpret the Bible by discovering the intended meaning of a text through careful and systematic analysis of the grammar used in the original language and its meaning within the historical context and the totality of Scripture.
Every student of the Bible will be confronted by someone who claims the Bible has numerous discrepancies, contradictions, and factual errors or comes up with a 'new' interpretation or doctrine. When that happens, they must apply the rules of Hermeneutics to carefully study the grammatical and historical context for the verses in question within the totality of Scripture.
The laws of Hermeneutics were established to provide precise rules for study and interpretation. These rules are found in the writing of the foremost legal and biblical authorities, such as Irenaeus, a master interpreter among the second-century church fathers.
The rules of interpretation were involved in the great doctrinal debates of the theologians from the Council of Nice (AD 324) to the Council of Trent (1545-1563). These rules are also used by Courts of Law throughout the Free World to determine the meaning of a disputed document, such as a Will or Contract. A person could not make sense of anything that was written if they did not use them. It is impossible to determine the true meaning of a Bible doctrine without them. There is nothing more important in all biblical learning than to know these rules and rightly apply them to Bible study.
Exact rules are needed for an exact result. One cannot get a sure meaning with an uncertain rule. Christians must not only study the Scriptures, but they must also decide how to interpret them. People can read the same text and get different ideas because they put different meanings upon the same written words.
The whole Bible is a context. Many false doctrines are based on a single word or term. Some have loaded a biblical word or term with a non-biblical meaning. They detach them from all that the Bible teaches about it and then build their subjective interpretation. That is known as "eisegesis." No one has the right to speak as an authority on a Bible subject unless they know all the Bible teaches.
When correctly studying the Scriptures, one must attempt to interpret and understand a text by the text itself. Each passage of Scripture must be studied in its immediate context and then in the context of the entirety of Scripture. That is called "exegesis," which means to draw the meaning out. Jesus said,
"Is not this where you wander out of the way and go wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?" (Mark 12:24 NIV)
Exegesis requires that the biblical text be analyzed by focusing on significant words objectively and examining them within the text as to how they were translated and used historically and culturally in context.
(See https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-science-of-biblical-interpretation-dr-craig-nelson-sermon-on-disciplines-scripture-32701)
CONCLUSION
The Bible is the best source to interpret itself.
"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV).
The Bible is God's inerrant Word and is the authoritative source for the church's proclamation and the norm by which that proclamation is tested. God is a God of truth; He will not allow genuine contradictions or historical blunders to corrupt its integrity.
The illumination of the Holy Spirit helps accurately understand the teachings of God's Word (Matthew 16:17; Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:9-13; Philippians 1:9-11). The direct illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit in understanding God's Word follow personal study and instruction by teachers whom He has gifted to understand and communicate His Word (Acts 8:26, 30-31, 17:10-12, 18:24,26).
No matter what position or authority a person claims to hold, the Bible cannot be changed by any additions, subtractions, or modifications offered by anyone. Once a person attempts to conflate various verses, supplement, supersede, distort, or subtract from the Bible, they enter into heresy.
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV)
The original handwritten books of the Bible are inerrant because they originated from God and can teach and equip Born-Again Christians for good works. Ultimately, this must be accepted by faith that God inspired the Old and New Testaments.
The primary reason that Christianity continues to grow exponentially is that those who accept the claims of Jesus Christ found in the Bible and receive Him as their Lord and Savior are radically changed from the inside out. Christianity is not just a religion but a relationship with God Himself in the person of Jesus.
Christians don't need to kill non-believers or die in battle against them to experience the pleasure of God and to make it into Heaven. Unlike other religions, if a person does not convert, Christians will not threaten them with the loss of limbs, eyes gouged out, the raping of wives and children, or death.
Christianity is not about what a person does but what Jesus already did on the Cross for all humanity. The choice to accept or reject Jesus is freely made. The Bible is reliable and trustworthy and is the primary way a person hears the voice of God.
