The Preacher's Viewpoint

Alleged Bible Contradictions #3

2010-04-02T13:46:00.001-04:00

5. God is tired and rests
Ex 31:17
God is never tired and never rests
Is 40:28

God never gets tired. After creating the earth in six days, God "rested" in that He ceased working. He was not tired or unable to work further. This was done for our benefit, not His (Mark 2:27).

6. God is everywhere present, sees and knows all things
Prov 15:3/ Ps 139:7-10/ Job 34:22,21
God is not everywhere present, neither sees nor knows all
things
Gen 11:5/ Gen 18:20,21/ Gen 3:8

God is omniscient and omnipresent. Adam and Eve attempted to hide themselves, and God questioned them for their benefit, not for His; one can ask a child who broke the lamp while already knowing full well what happened. God knew what was going on in Babel and Sodom, but addressed those issues at a particular time in history.

7. God knows the hearts of men
Acts 1:24/ Ps 139:2,3
God tries men to find out what is in their heart
Deut 13:3/ Deut 8:2/ Gen 22:12

God knew what would happen; however, without putting Abraham and others to the test, they could have argued that they would have acted differently. God allowed them to act, and in so doing proved to themselves and to the word that their actions were either good or evil. Similarly, God knew that the Amorites would become thoroughly evil and worthy of judgement in Abraham's day, but allowed them enough time to manifest their wickedness (Genesis 15:16).

8. God is all powerful
Jer 32:27/ Matt 19:26
God is not all powerful
Judg 1:19

The weakness in Judges 1:19 is not in God, but in Judah; they either failed to remain faithful to God, or they grew fearful when they saw the iron chariots. God could not drive them out, only because God would not violate His nature to do so.

Alleged Bible Contradictions #2

2010-01-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

3. God dwells in light 1Tim 6:16

God dwells in darkness 1 Kings 8:12/ Ps 18:11/ Ps 97:2

Two different metaphorical illustrations are used, but the same thing is being described. God is unapproachable by any natural means; because of this, the only way we can be near to Him is through the means that He has determined.

4. God is seen and heard Ex 33:23/ Ex 33:11/ Gen 3:9,10/ Gen 32:30/ Is 6:1/Ex 24:9-11

God is invisible and cannot be heard John 1:18/ John 5:37/ Ex 33:20/ 1 Tim 6:16

While this appears to be two different pictures of God, in actuality there are many different issues being looked at in these passages, and the atheists who attack the Bible are lumping them all together as if they made two simple statements. The fact that two of these apparently contradictory statements are located within a few verses (Exodus 33:20-23) makes it clear that the passages are being misrepresented. The situation becomes much clearer when the passages are viewed in their contexts.

God the Father is invisible; nobody has ever actually seen God. However, God has chosen to manifest His power in certain ways throughout human history. Many of the passages that speak of seeing God deal with the manner in which His glory has manifested; God was not actually a burning bush, but He made something for Moses to see to make communication easier. When God withdrew that manifestation, Moses needed to hide, because even that fraction of God's glory was too intense for any man to survive. God did not say that it could not be seen (as the infidels have presented Exodus 33:20) but that Moses could not see His glory and live. Similarly, God is omnipresent, but made the sound of a voice in a single location so that Adam and Eve would have been able to communicate easier.

Exodus 33:11 does not say that Moses saw God face to face, but rather spoke to Him directly, rather than through a mediator. Isaiah 6:1 says that Isaiah saw the Lord, but John 12:41 clarifies this, to say that it was not the Father that he saw, but Christ. This can also explain the apparent contradictions in Genesis 32:30 and Exodus 24:9-11. John 5:37 does not primarily deal with the manifestation of God, but rather that these people had not been following God, and had not been "hearing His voice" through His Word.

Alleged Bible Contradictions #1

2010-01-21T11:52:00.002-05:00

(This appeared in the 1/17/10 church bulletin. This will be the first in a series.)

"How can you possibly believe the Bible? Everybody knows it's full of contradictions." This is what you always hear when discussion the Bible with unbelievers. Countless self-described "infidels" have propagated lists of over one hundred pairs of verses which they claim are contradictory, and thus are evidence that the Bible is a work of men and should be ignored. Many people have blindly accepted the notion that there are contradictions in the Bible because they have heard it so often; these people are guilty of the same thing of which they accuse others. Psychologist William James said, "There's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it."

Are there difficult passages in the Bible? Nobody will deny that; even Peter said that some things that Paul wrote were "hard to be understood" (2 Peter 3:16). However, there is a great difference between "difficult" and "contradictory." For there to actually be a contradiction, there would need to be two passages that could not be reconciled together. If there is a possible explanation, then there is no contradiction. Occasionally, there may be several possible explanations; we do not need to prove which is the correct explanation to show that there is not a contradiction.

1. God is satisfied with his works. Gen 1:31
God is dissatisfied with his works. Gen 6:6

This is a typical infidel attack. God was pleased with His creation after He created it flawless. Hundreds of years later, the great majority of the world's population had turned wicked, and He was no longer pleased. Few would consider this a true contradiction, unless they were already biased against the Bible.

2. God dwells in chosen temples 2 Chron 7:12,16
God dwells not in temples Acts 7:48

There is nothing in 2 Chronicles 7 that says that God would dwell in the temple. Rather, it was to be a house of sacrifice, a place for the people to come and worship. This was for their sakes, not for God's. This is contrasted with the pagan gods, who were thought to physically live in the temples, and needed their followers to feed them and provide for them.

California Culture?

2009-05-13T22:59:00.003-04:00

The internet is abuzz with talk of the "fatal fridge"; a break-room refrigerator was in need of being cleaned, so one woman took it on herself to throw away the old food inside. The fridge had been unplugged "for some time," and the contents were so corrupt that all 325 people who worked there needed to be evacuated, 23 became sick and 7 were hospitalized. The woman who cleaned the refrigerator didn't even notice; she had severe allergies, and was unable to smell.

It's hard to know for sure (after all, we are talking about California), but it's still not too likely that one of the employees brought a Tupperware container of mold for lunch. So how did this happen? The food in the refrigerator was neglected and ignored, and some nearly undetectable microscopic spores began to spread. Without anybody realizing, it slowly grew until it became so overwhelming that it made national news.

In the same way, nobody wakes up one day suddenly deciding to turn away from God. People let the cares of the world choke the Word of God (Luke 8:14) until they entangle them and overcome them (2 Peter 2:20-22). If this is starting to happen to you, then "clean your house" now, before it's too late; don't let a little problem grow to an epidemic.

How to Ignore the Bible with a Clear Conscience

2009-04-20T19:23:00.001-04:00

I have been working on a Masters degree for over a year now, and I have seen, heard, and read people trying to sound like they know what the Bible says, while at the same time doing as they wish. To make things easier for these "scholars," I have assembled the following list of excuses. All of these are actual excuses used by PMETY*; if you don't like the Bible, just pick one (or more) of these to ease your conscience. Don't worry if they contradict each other; consistency doesn't matter to these people.

Paul might have taught that, but Jesus never did; we should just follow the "red letters."
Jesus might have taught that, but Paul modified it.
There's no explicit command; trying to use logic is replacing God's Word with man's thought.
That explicit command was just for people of that time and place; it doesn't apply to us.
The Bible commands that, but we have no example of them doing that.
We have an example of it, but no command.
That's just a tradition, so we don't have to do that.
There's no command for it, but there's nothing wrong with a tradition.
Scholars reject that because it's too different from other passages.
Scholars reject that because it's too similar to other passages.

* PMETY: People more educated than you.

Funny Road Signs: Where I Come From, We Use Dogs

2009-03-04T14:28:00.002-05:00

It’s Not My Fault

2009-03-04T14:27:00.001-05:00

In January, an appeals court in Newark, N.J., reinstated Doris Sexton's worker-compensation lawsuit against a county-owned nursing home where Sexton had claimed that breathing a co-worker's perfume one day in 2004 had made her permanently disabled and tethered to an oxygen tank. A lower court had decided that it was far more likely that her disability was caused by Sexton's 43-year, pack-a-day cigarette habit than by the brief exposure to perfume. [New York Daily News-AP, 1-9-09]

What has happened, when people are compelled to blame others for everything that happens to them? We laugh when we hear of lawsuits like this, and the famous McDonald's coffee case, but the sad fact is that every injury and every difficulty has become an opportunity to blame somebody else. The psychological terms are "external locus of responsibility" and "external locus of control." In other words, everything about one's circumstances is caused by somebody else, and there is nothing that he can do about it (except file a lawsuit, apparently).

What happened to the ideas of duty and personal responsibility? Many other nations demand mandatory military service of all 18-year-old men – neither a draft nor "selective service," but a 2- to 4-year enlistment, in order to instill these ideas in their next generations. Would this work in America? I think that it would be as effective to legislate that all blind people are now required to see.

And if you disagree with me, let me know. We'll file a class action lawsuit against Blogger, for allowing such things to be posted.

Red Roses Were Her Favorite

2009-02-14T20:36:00.001-05:00

I know that people who heard this at the Valentine's Dinner are going to want this, so I'm posting it here.

Red roses were her favorite,

her name was also Rose.

And every year her husband sent

them, tied with pretty bows.

The year he died, the roses were

delivered to her door.

The card said, "Be my Valentine",

like all the years before.

Each year he sent her roses, and

the note would always say,

"I love you even more this year,

than last year on this day.

"My love for you will always grow,

with every passing year."

She knew this was the last time

that the roses would appear.

She thought, he ordered roses in

advance before this day.

Her loving husband did not know,

that he would pass away.

He always liked to do things early,

way before the time.

Then, if he got too busy,

everything would work out fine.

She trimmed the stems, and placed

them in a very special vase.

Then, sat the vase beside the

portrait of his smiling face.

She would sit for hours, in her

husband's favorite chair.

While staring at his picture, and

the roses sitting there.

A year went by, and it was hard to

live without her mate.

With loneliness and solitude, that

had become her fate.

Then, the very hour, as on

Valentines before,

The doorbell rang, and there were

roses, sitting by her door.

She brought the roses in, and then

just looked at them in shock.

Then, went to get the telephone, to

call the florist shop.

The owner answered, and she asked

him, if he would explain,

Why would someone do this to her,

causing her such pain?

"I know your husband passed away,

more than a year ago,"

The owner said, "I knew you'd call,

and you would want to know.

The flowers you received today,

were paid for in advance.

Your husband always planned ahead,

he left nothing to chance.

There is a standing order, that I

have on file down here,

And he has paid, well in advance,

you'll get them every year.

There also is another thing, that I

think you should know,

He wrote a special little card...he

did this years ago.

Then, should ever I find out that

he's no longer here,

That's the card...that should be

sent, to you the following year."

She thanked him and hung up the

phone, her tears now flowing hard.

Her fingers shaking, as she slowly

reached to get the card.

Inside the card, she saw that he

had written her a note.

Then, as she stared in total

silence, this is what he wrote...

"Hello my love, I know it's been a

year since I've been gone,

I hope it hasn't been too hard for

you to overcome.

I know it must be lonely, and the

pain is very real.

For if it was the other way, I know

how I would feel.

The love we shared made everything

so beautiful in life.

I loved you more than words can

say, you were the perfect wife.

You were my friend and lover, you

fulfilled my every need.

I know it's only been a year,

but please try not to grieve.

I want you to be happy, even when

you shed your tears.

That is why the roses will be sent

to you for years.

When you get these roses, think of

all the happiness,

That we had together, and how both

of us were blessed.

I have always loved you and I know

I always will.

But, my love, you must go on, you

have some living still.

Please...try to find happiness,

while living out your days.

I know it is not easy, but I hope

you find some ways.

The roses will come every year, and

they will only stop,

When your door's not answered, when

the florist stops to knock.

He will come five times that day,

in case you have gone out.

But after his last visit, he will

know without a doubt,

To take the roses to the place,

where I've instructed him,

And place the roses where we are,

together once again.

The Importance of a Title

2009-02-12T16:07:00.001-05:00

It's a small world, especially within the church. Last night at Bible study in Montgomery AL, I heard about events in a congregation where I used to preach. I was not surprised to hear that they had appointed elders; they had been working toward that for quite some time, even before I had preached there. I was not surprised to hear which men had been appointed elders. Unfortunately, I was also not surprised to hear that nearly half the congregation had left as a result of these men being chosen. (Admittedly, most of these people were one very large extended family.) These people believed that at least one of these men, and perhaps both, did not meet the Biblical qualifications for elders. Knowing this, they still went ahead and accepted the position of elders, willingly splitting the congregation.

The true irony: these men, to a large extent, already controlled the events at that congregation. With very few exceptions, whatever these men wanted, they got. They gained no power or authority from becoming elders. The only difference between the situation before and the situation after is a title. For the sake of a title, the church in that place was split in half. The fact that the title of elder was more important than the welfare of the church is, in my sight, proof that these men were not qualified for the position.

Death and Atheism

2009-02-11T14:35:00.001-05:00

It's not unusual to find that somebody who is now an atheist was once quite religious. I have found that there are usually two triggers that make somebody reject the very idea of God.

They examined their religion and found it to be inconsistent with the Bible. (As far as I can tell, this says far more about their religion than it does about the existence of God. Getting a counterfeit bill doesn't mean that real money doesn't exist).
Somebody close to them has died. A.N. Wilson is a well known biography writer, who also gained a reputation for his book, Against Religion: Why We Should Live Without It; he said, concerning the death of his father, "From the moment he died I stopped being religious."

While this is not an unusual motivation to reject God, it is completely nonsensical. The logic seems to be, "If God existed, then nobody close to me would ever die; only those I don't like or never knew would die." In essence, those who think this way place themselves at the center of the universe, and a perfect world would keep them from ever feeling any sort of pain or suffering. I've often said that there is pain and suffering in this world so that we won't want to stay here forever; we'll look forward to going someplace better. Death might be unpleasant for those left behind and it might be unexpected if the person is fairly young and healthy, but it shouldn't be seen as a sign that God doesn't exist; if anything, it's a sign that you're not God.