Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

    Now, while I fully intended to write a lengthy dissertation on the subject of whether or not the
Bible can be trusted or if it contains any contradictions, I have discovered that there are many authors out there who have already done this job for me. With that in mind, I have decided to simply share the links to their works on the subject, as I feel it would be far easier on you, the reader, if you are given the opportunity to narrow your search to specific passages of scripture; seeing as how Biblical constancy is such a broad topic.

    For a generalized overview concerning supposed scriptural contradictions, I suggest reading the following chapter from The New Answers Book 2 by Paul S. Taylor: Ins't the Bible Full of Contradictions?

    If you already have a supposed Biblical inconsistency in mind, I suggest reviewing the questions and verse references from Answers in Genesis, as they have already address many of the more common "contradictions": Supposed Contradictions in the Bible

    If, however, you cannot find the answers you're looking for or if you are curious to see what my take on a particular "contradiction" is, please leave a comment below and I will do my best to address the issue. Assuming I have not already done so in a previous article. In which case I will simply direct you to the appropriate post.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right."

~ 2 Timothy 3:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

Beware of False Prophets

"No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do."

               ~ Mr. Miyagi

                    The Karate Kid (1984)

                                                        

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

~ Matthew 7:15-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

    You will know a tree by its fruit. That was the advice Jesus gave to his followers so that they would be able to identify the false prophets who would come in the Last Days. (Matthew 24:11)
    Now it is important to note that we have been in the "Last Days" since Jesus ascended to Heaven That being said, it is astonishing to me how so many people have failed to heed Jesus’ warning over the centuries. Many false teachers have come and gone, and yet people continue to fall prey to their lies—even Christians fail to see the threat until it is too late. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

    So then, how does one spot a false prophet? What sort of fruit does a bad tree produce?

1) If a teacher preaches a gospel other than the one given to us in the Bible, or if they willingly contradict the Scriptures with their teachings, don’t believe them.

(1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

2) If a teacher claims to have had a "new revelation" or "special knowledge" do not believe them—even if they claim to have received such knowledge from an angel, dream, or vision. (Galatians 1:6-10)

3) If a teacher claims that the Body of Christ (The Church) is "deluded" or has been "hiding the truth from people", and that the key to being spiritual is to follow their "superior knowledge" instead of trusting in the Grace and Mercy of God; then they are stirring up dissension in the Church and are most likely a false prophet. (1 Timothy 1:3-7, 6:3-5, Galatians 5:7-15)

4) If a person’s teachings create a spiritual hierarchy or an elitist division in the Body of Christ (i.e. Some Christians are more spiritual than others because they have certain Gifts of the Holy Spirit, follow The Law, or do or don't do this or that, etc.) have nothing to do with them. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Titus 3:9-11)

5) If a person claims to be either sinless or Christ, or if they claim to know when Christ is going to return, then they are definitely a false prophet. (Romans 3:10-12, Mark 13:21-22, 32-33)

6) If a person tells you that it is wrong to study God’s Word on your own, then they are contradicting Scripture and are a false prophet. (Joshua 1:8, Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21.)

7) If a person presents a new translation of the Bible that changes passages in such a way that the overall message of Scripture is altered (i.e. The Gospel of Jesus Christ) then they are a false prophet. (1 John 4:1-6, Revelation 22:18-19)

8) If a person claims that Jesus’ death and resurrection is not enough to pay for our sins; or that God’s Grace can be earned through works; or that you can gain favor with God by adhering to a specific set of rules; then they are a false prophet. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-7, Romans 6:23, Galatians 3, 5:4)

9) If a person presents you with a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible, then they are a false prophet. (John 1:1-5, John 10:30-33, Hebrews 1, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-20)

10) If a person claims that the Church (The Body of Christ) was or is apostate, then they are a false prophet. (Matthew 16:18, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

11) If a person teaches that it is wrong to go to church, or that you should not meet together regularly to study God's Word and fellowship with other believers, then they are a false prophet. (Hebrews 10:25)

12)  If a person makes a prophesy of any kind and it does not come to pass, then that person is a false prophet. (Deuteronomy 18:22)

    There are of course many other signs that a person is a false prophet—often times one simply has to take a close look at the person’s lifestyle to see that they are not following Christ. But the twelve points I have listed above are far more subtle, and therefore far more dangerous to the Christian Walk.

    However, the list above can best be summarized into the very first point: If a person willingly contradicts the Scriptures with their teachings, don't believe them.
    That is why it is so important for us to study God’s Word. It is only by knowing God’s Word that you can defend yourself against those who would seek to pervert it. (2 Timothy 3:16)

“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.”

~ Romans 16:17-18 New Living Translation (NLT)

See Also:

The Struggle for Unity in the Church

Holiday or Heresy: Should Christians Celebrate on Pagan Holidays?

It is no secret that the issue of holidays, and whether or not those who are in Christ should celebrate holidays, has been a topic of heated debate for many years. The reason for this debate generally stems for the belief that many of the days and traditions we generally associate with Christian celebrations are, in fact, rooted in paganism: most notably the traditions surrounding Christmas and Easter.

    December  17^th -23^rd was originally Saturnalia, a Roman festival dedicated to the worship of Saturn; during which time it was common for the acceptable social norms of Roman society to be completely overturned, resulting in wide-spread hedonism and general debauchery for the duration of the carnival.  Likewise the Christian celebration of Easter has been associated with numerous festivals devoted to various pagan gods and goddesses. As one would expect, these pagan fertility celebrations—observed on or near the spring equinox—also involved a good deal of debauchery, as well as the usual rituals and sacrifices common to pagan cultures of the day.

   That being said, there is a growing movement among believers that condemns the observance of these holidays, as well as many others. But nearly two millennia of tradition is hard to ignore, and so the question remains: should Christians celebrate holidays?
    While I cannot speak for all Christians, I personally feel that choosing to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25^th and his resurrection on Easter Sunday is perfectly acceptable. It does not matter on what day these world-changing events took place. All that matters is that they did. Furthermore, we know from Scripture that the so-called "gods" who used to be worshiped on or near these days are not really gods at all. (1 Corinthians 8:4-7, Galatians 4:8)  
    That being said, I also acknowledge that there are many Christians out there who feel convicted about celebrating God on days that may be linked to pagan festivals, and the Bible makes it very clear that neither I nor anyone else are to judge them or do anything to cause them to stumble. (Romans 14:10-13, 1 Corinthians 8:7-12) So if you are one of these individuals, then I would encourage you to do whatever you feel God has called you to do. If you feel that it is wrong to celebrate holidays that may have pagan origins, then you are well within your rights to choose not to celebrate them. I cannot, in good conscious, tell you that you are wrong. After all, the Bible says in Romans 14:23 that if you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

    However, we do have freedom in Christ. Our God is the God who redeems. He bought us all with his blood and freed us from both sin and the law through his resurrection. (Galatians 3:19-29, 4:8-12, Romans 3:21-22, Hebrews 8:7-13, 9:1-10, etc.) My God is greater than the pagan "gods", and he is greater than "their" festivals. So I feel that I am free to worship God on the days He has redeemed—including Christmas and Easter. If we were not allowed to celebrate what God has done for us on the days pagans use to worship their deities, then we would never be able to celebrate Him at all—the Brahman religion alone would see to that. After all, there are more Hindu gods than there are days in a year! Therefore, it stands to reason that there are pagan holidays and rituals going on somewhere in the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year. Which, if we’re completely honest with ourselves, doesn’t leave much room to worship the True God.

    Ultimately however, the decision to celebrate holidays comes down to personal conviction. I feel that I am free to celebrate holidays based solely on the fact that I have been made holy through the blood of Jesus Christ. I cannot condemn anyone who disagrees with me. Nor can they condemn me. (Romans 5-6, 14:1) We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow travelers on the road of life. Our destination lies before us, and it is our duty to help each other along. If we allow our personal convictions to divide us we succeed only in hurting ourselves and weaken the body of Christ as a whole.

“So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

  “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.”

~ Colossians 2:16-23 New Living Translation (NLT)

See Also:

What Should Christians Do?

Should Christians Pay Taxes?

One Year of Evidence

March 29th, 2015 will mark the one year anniversary since God put it in my heart to begin writing down my thoughts and musings. It has been an interesting adventure to say the least, with thousands of hits pouring in from all over the world: from The United States to China; to Poland and Russia.  God has even used this blog to take his truth as far as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. 



It is at times like this that I remember what God's Word says:

"The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."

~ Isaiah 55:10-11New Living Translation (NLT)

And in another place:

"We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ."

~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5New Living Translation (NLT)


One year has passed; a new year begins. And I am curious to see where God will do next.

Infinite Universe?

Last night I came across a scientific article that left me utterly speechless. 

After years of continually trying to make the universe older than it appears in order to prop up the theory of evolution, scientists have finally come to the conclusion that the universe could be infinite; that is to say, it has always existed and has no beginning. 

I guess it's easier to believe that the universe has always existed, rather than to try and explain the lack of evidence for evolution—especially when the laws of physics completely undermine the theory. 

(To read the entire article, click the link below) 

Big Bang, Deflated? Universe May Have Had No Beginning

So where does that leave us? The way I see it, there are only two logical outcomes.

1) Evolution: The belief that an infinite universe created man. 

2) Creationism: The belief that an infinite God created both the universe and man. 

The similarities are striking, aren't they? The only thing missing from science's "religion" is a god—even though that's basically what they've turned the universe into.

No matter how you look at it, you cannot have everything we see in the universe—all of life's complexity and order—without having some sort of rational cause. The belief that everything came into existence by chance, simply because it "had to exist" is ludicrous. There is no logic to that statement whatsoever. Yet, if you remove the creator from the creation, this is exactly the sort of flawed reasoning one would expect to find. And sadly, this is precisely what we see in the minds of our greatest intellectuals today: men and women who have exchanged the truth of God for the fallibility of human wisdom. In an attempt to rid themselves of God they have instead crippled both themselves and science, replacing the only logical conclusion to centuries of scientific observation and experimentation with a lie.

"... ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

   "Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools."
~ Romans 1:20-22New Living Translation (NLT)

Where is Noah's Ark?

Editor's Preface, 09/16/2025: In my article My Journey Out of YECism, I explain why I no longer hold to young earth creationism. That shift in perspective is important context for what follows. The essay below was written while I was still working within a YEC framework, and it reflects the kinds of arguments and assumptions common in that community.

I’ve chosen to preserve it here because it illustrates how—even on YEC’s own terms—there are strong reasons to conclude that Noah’s Ark no longer exists. In that sense, this piece is less about defending YECism and more about showing how its internal logic can lead to unexpected conclusions.

Noah's Ark: The Holy Grail of Creationism.

For millennia, people have scoured the slopes of Mount Ararat in pursuit of this ancient, sea-faring vessel with mixed success. Many have claimed to have found it, only to have their discoveries disproved. Even to this day many Christians continue to search these remote, Turkish mountains for the remains of the vessel that could prove the validity of the Genesis account. But still the question remains: where is Noah's Ark?

Now while I would be ecstatic if the Ark were found, It is my belief that the vessel has been all but destroyed.

Think about it for a moment. Noah's flood was an apocalyptic event the likes of which the world has not seen since. The entire world was covered by water, mud, and volcanic debris. The ecosystem was all but destroyed--save for the specimens carried within the Ark--and the very earth itself had been shattered by intense, seismic activity when the fountains of the deep burst open. Not only that, all traces of human civilization had been washed away as well, just as God had intended. (Genesis 6:1-8) In that sense, the world Noah and his family would have encountered upon exiting the Ark would have been post-apocalyptic in every sense of the word.

Because of this, it is my hypothesis that the Ark itself would have served as shelter for Noah's family and their descendants for quite some time after the flood, as they waited for the ecosystem to recover. Grasses and fast growing plants like wheat and barley would have been the first crops they would have been able to produce--and indeed the first plants to grow in the post-flood world. It would have taken decades for the earth's forests to repopulate, resulting in a marked lack of timber resources for building and fuel.

Because of this, I feel that Noah's descendants would have reacted in much the same way we ourselves would if we were faced with the prospect of surviving in a post-apocalyptic environment, meaning that they would have made use of all available resources--most notably, the Ark itself.

After the flood, Noah's Ark would have been the largest timber resource in the Ararat region. As such, I present to you the hypothesis that early human settlements were in fact built from the salvaged remains of the great vessel itself. The Ark's timbers would have been ideal not only for constructing settlements, but also as a fuel source, seeing as how the Ark had been coated with pitch both inside and out. (Genesis 6:14)

Additionally, it is important to note that Mount Ararat itself is in fact a dormant volcano in an incredibly unstable seismic zone. Meaning that there is a high possibility that the remains of the Ark were lost to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes thousands of years ago. Assuming the Ark remained on Ararat, and was not disassembled by early settlers.

Of course this is all speculation, and not at all relevant to the message of Jesus Christ. While the discovery of Noah's Ark would give unprecedented credence to both the Bible and the Creation Account, it is not necessary for salvation, nor is it the foundation of the Christian faith. All that matters is knowing who Jesus is, and what he has done for you. Everything else, while fascinating, is peripheral. In the end Jesus is all that matters. (Acts 4:12)

Unto us a Child is Born

Joy to the world, the Lord has come! May we all remember to take time to thank God for this, the ultimate gift; the gift of himself, on this Christmas morning.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Isaiah 9:2-7New Living Translation (NLT)

2 The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

⁶ For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

Was Jesus' Physical Body Raised from the dead?

In my previous article,  "Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?"  I set out to prove from the available evidence that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. In light of this, I feel that the evidence weighs overwhelmingly in the affirmative: Jesus rose from the dead. However, one question still remains: If Jesus did rise from the dead, did he do so in a physical body? Or was his resurrection merely a "Spiritual Resurrection"? 

    Now it may surprise you that this idea of a “Spiritual Resurrection” actually has its origins in the late first century. At this time there was a psuedo-christain movement known as Gnosticism, who believed Jesus was never a mortal being. According to Gnostic teachings, all things material are inherently evil; only the spiritual is good. Therefore Jesus could not have existed as a physical being. Rather, they taught that he exists as a divine spirit, and only had the appearance of being human. Ergo, he was not a human being. He did not actually die. And he most certainly did not rise from the dead in a physical body—it was a “Spiritual Resurrection.”

    Despite the fact that the Apostles themselves identified the Gnostic movement as a cult and condemned its founders as false teachers, the Gnostic belief in a “Spiritual Resurrection” has survived to the present day. However, if one looks at what Jesus himself said and did after his resurrection, it soon becomes clear that he did in fact rise from the dead in a physical body.

    “‘Why are you frightened?’ he asked. ‘Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.’ As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
    “Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched.”
~ Luke 24:38-43 New Living Translation (NLT)  [Emphasis Added]

    “Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’
    “‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed.
    “Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’”
~ John 20:26-29 New Living Translation (NLT)

    Jesus made a point of eating in front of his disciples in order to show them that he was not a spirit or ghost. He was a living, breathing, human being; complete with flesh, bone, and appetite—as Jesus himself stated in Luke 24:39

    There was no “Spiritual Resurrection.” In fact, the concept of a “Spiritual Resurrection” was completely foreign to the Jewish culture. The Greek culture of the day, however,  had no trouble believing in a spiritual afterlife; it was the idea that a man could come back from the dead that gave them pause, as seen in Acts 17:32. 
    Gnosticism drew its inspiration primarily from Greek philosophers, and openly mocked both Judaism and the Jewish God. In contrast, the people to whom Jesus appeared—the Apostles who would later pen the New Testament—were all Jews. When they said that Jesus had been raised from the dead, they meant a physical, bodily resurrection. There was no such thing as a Spiritual Resurrection in their culture. To be raised from the dead literally meant coming back to life. This is further emphasized by the fact that every resurrection recorded in the Bible involves someone coming back from the dead physically. ( i.e. 1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:1-37, 2 Kings 13:21, Luke 7:13-15, Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 28:5-7, John 11:43-44, Acts 9:36-42, Acts 20:9-12, Revelation 20, etc.)

    In short: The physical resurrection of Jesus was the cornerstone of the Apostle's faith and is the very foundation of Christianity itself, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:12-23.

    Therefore, it is clear from the available cultural evidence and historical accounts of Jesus' resurrection, that Jesus Christ was indeed raised from the dead in a physical body. To argue otherwise would mean contradicting not only God's word but also Jesus Christ himself:

    “‘All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
    “‘What!’ they exclaimed. ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?’ But when Jesus said ‘this temple,’ he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.”
~ John 2:19-22 New Living Translation (NLT)  [Emphasis Added]

Where is God when we suffer?

Suffering.

We have all experienced suffering before—some more so than others. And often times the biggest question we have during these times of tragedy and sorrow is: Where is God?

This link below will take you to a video done by an old pastor of mine; a man who's youngest daughter passed away in December 2012, five days before Christmas. It is a long video, but definitely worth the time. In the midst of tragedy, God is the one foundation we can cling to. He will never leave us or abandon us; and He will cary us when no one else can.

Turn off the Dark- Fresh Life Christmas 2012

  "Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?

  My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
      like a root in dry ground.
  There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
   He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

 "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

 "He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.

Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
 He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

 "But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels."

          ~Isaiah 53New Living Translation (NLT)