The Bible is Full of Contradictions - Vol 11 No 2

“The Bible Is Full of Contradictions” Until You Actually Read It

“The Bible is full of contradictions,” Dr. Williams said. “It’s unreasonable. It’s not a philosophical system, so it’s not something we should use to validate arguments.”

That’s not an uncommon claim. It’s often stated with confidence—like something everyone already knows.

But in the middle of the room sat Mike.

Seventy-six years old. Silver-haired. Enrolled in senior-level philosophy courses with students five decades younger. He didn’t look rattled. He didn’t look impressed either.

He just raised his hand.

“Would you name one?”

The question hung in the air longer than expected.

Dr. Williams paused.

“No,” he said finally. “Because the Bible is not reasonable.”

Before the moment could fade, a student jumped in. “I’ve got one. The Bible says, ‘Judge not lest you be judged,’ but then it gives commandments and makes judgments. That’s a contradiction.”

Now the conversation had something concrete to work with.

Mike nodded. “That’s from Matthew 7:1, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you read the next verse?”

The student hesitated. “Not exactly.”

Mike continued, calmly, “Jesus says, ‘For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.’”

He paused, letting the words settle.

“So He’s not forbidding judgment altogether. He’s warning against a certain kind of judgment, hypocritical judgment.”

The student pushed back slightly. “But it still sounds like ‘don’t judge.’”

“It would,” Mike said, “if you stop at one sentence, but Jesus explains what He means. He’s addressing people who judge others harshly while ignoring their own sin.”

He glanced around the room.

“So the issue isn’t judgment itself. It’s holding others to a standard you refuse to apply to yourself.”

The student leaned back. “So you’re saying it’s not a contradiction?”

“I’m saying it’s a clarification,” Mike replied. “The Bible often does that—it states something, then explains how to understand it.”

Then, gently but directly, “If we’re going to call something a contradiction, we should make sure we’re reading all of it first.”

What Just Happened?

That short exchange reveals something bigger than one classroom discussion. The claim was bold: “The Bible is full of contradictions.” But when asked for just one example, the room struggled, until someone offered a familiar line, pulled from memory but disconnected from context.

And that’s often how it goes.

Most alleged “contradictions” aren’t the result of careful reading—they’re the result of partial reading. A verse is quoted. A conclusion is drawn. The surrounding explanation is ignored. But the Bible doesn’t speak in isolated soundbites. It speaks in context—sentences, paragraphs, arguments, narratives. And often, what seems confusing at first becomes clear when you simply keep reading.

The Difference Between a Contradiction and a Misreading

A real contradiction would mean the Bible teaches two opposing truths at the same time, in the same way. That’s a serious claim, but what Mike demonstrated is something far more common:

Not contradiction—but clarification.

Not inconsistency—but completion.

“Judge not” isn’t overturned by the rest of Scripture—it’s explained by it.

Jesus isn’t removing moral judgment. He’s exposing moral hypocrisy.

A Simple, Powerful Question

Mike didn’t dominate the room. He didn’t argue loudly or try to win a debate. He asked one simple question: “Would you name one?” And when an example came, he didn’t dismiss it—he opened the text. That’s the difference, because the Bible doesn’t fall apart under scrutiny. It stands up to it.

Final Thought

In a culture full of confident claims about Scripture, the real issue often isn’t contradiction; it’s whether we’re willing to read carefully. Not selectively. Not casually, but honestly. And sometimes, all it takes to uncover that is a quiet question:

“Have you read the next verse?”

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