FAQs from the unsaved #10 - Aren't there contradictions in the Bible?

We come, now, to the 10th in our series of questions most frequently asked by the unsaved and this must be one of the all-time favourites - "Aren't there contradictions in the Bible?".

After all, if everything we believe is in the Bible and it is full of errors, then we are basing our whole belief system on a document that is unreliable.

The first thing to remember is that people often ask this question, or even assert that there are errors in the Bible, because they are simply repeating what they've heard other people say, and have not bothered to check out the facts for themselves. 

An example of this is a brief conversation I had with a bloke who boldly told me that the Bible must be wrong "because there aren't any apples in the area where the Garden of Eden was alleged to have been!"  I quickly corrected him by pointing out that Genesis says nothing about Adam eating an apple, that is an assumption with no biblical warrant. 

However, there are people who have bothered to read the Bible and if they come up with an apparent contradiction what should be our answer?

Simply this, remember the 3 Cs of Biblical analysis and study - Context, Context, Context !

Every single supposed contradiction and error in the Bible can be answered by examining the verse/passage in its context; that is, the context of the book it is in, the people it is addressed to, the person who wrote it and why, and even by going back to the original Greek/Hebrew text.

In the next few months it is my intention to write a series of articles on various supposed contradictions and errors and show how, by comparing scripture with scripture, and by keeping the relevant verses in their context, ALL of these can be answered.

We can be absolutely sure that there are NO errors in God's infallible word, and we can refute those who claim that it is "full of contradictions".

Every word of God is pure - Proverbs 30 v 5