Biblical Contradictions — The things that cause much confusion. They are what bring many, if not most or all, people to investigate Rightly Dividing OR to abandon religion altogether. We KNOW the Bible does not contradict itself, but look at these verses:
Scroll through these Biblical Contradictions and click on a card to see a discussion.
— Matthew 7:14
— Romans 4:5
— James 2:24
— Ephesians 2:8,9
— Matthew 6:14-15
— Romans 5:1
— Hebrews 10:26
— Romans 8:1
— John 8:31
— Ephesians 1:13
— John 5:29
— Romans 8:1
These terms are highlighted and clickable to see the definitions where ever you see them.
Matthew 7:14 vs Romans 4:5
In the "Sermon on the Mount", Matthew 5-7, Jesus presented to the Jews
God's righteous standard for Israel, calling them to
faithful, obedient covenant living that would prepare them to enter
the near coming Kingdom. He was not exaggerating — under Israel’s
program faithfulness was costly and demanding.
By contrast, Paul’s gospel is deliberately and repeatedly described as
simple, clear, and restful — Christ did the hard part.
James 2:24 vs Ephesians 2:8-9
James, writing AFTER the Cross, to his readers that works are
required to be justified.
But Paul is stating that salvation is through faith. He also wrote
this:
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
apart from the deeds of the law."
— Romans 3:28
They can't both be true - UNLESS James was writing to one group and
Paul to another.
That is exactly what was happening. James was writing to
while Paul was writing to the
.
Matthew 6:14-15 vs Romans 5:1
Is our salvation conditional upon our forgiving other people? Not according to our Apostle, Paul. In Romans 5:1 he said we are "justified by faith." I can't emphasize enough, Jesus was speaking to while Paul was writing to the .
Hebrews 10:26 vs Romans 8:1
The writer of Hebrews is saying that by sinning wilfully one will lose his salvation. But, Paul said that if we are in Christ Jesus we have no condemnation.
John 8:31 vs Ephesians 1:13
Jesus said His listeners were His disciples IF they continued following His word. Who were His listeners? As stated in the James 2 vs Ephesians 2 explanation above, John was writing to the same group as James above - . Paul on the other hand tells us, the , that there is no condition to our relationship. At the moment we trust HIM for our salvation, and nothing of ourselves, we are SEALED by the Holy Spirit.
John 5:29 vs Romans 8:1
Jesus said that there is a time coming when the dead will be resurrected to a judgement of either life or condemnation - conditioned on our their behavior before death. A message perfectly applicable to . But, Paul, on the other hand tells us, the , that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. I could also add, again, Ephesians 2:8-9 which state that our salvation is by faith in HIS works on the cross, not on our own works. No conditions to meet. And at the moment we trust HIM for our salvation, and nothing of ourselves, we are SEALED by the Holy Spirit.
More Biblical contradictions straightened out to come.
