FLOYD ROGERS, TEXAS GOSPEL CANADA VOLUNTEER

I’ve been told there are things in the Bible that are contradictory; therefore, they say the Bible is in error. Oddly enough, most of the folks who have said this to me also maintain that the Bible means whatever a reader wants it to mean, and this is where the real problem lies. If one believes Bible verses have no intrinsic meaning, of course readers can see “contradictions” if that’s what they want to see.  To be clear, this does not mean the Bible contradicts itself. It does demonstrate that if one falsely believes the Bible’s meaning changes depending on desire, then people who desire to find contradictions will do so. But does the Bible’s meaning change?

The Book of John tells us when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. Mark tells us, to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive…” I believe these scriptures, and others like them, tell us that knowing God’s word is a gift.  I believe it’s the same as grace and faith. Ephesians says, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

By the way, the Bible isn’t unique when it comes to people quarreling over meaning.  Legal contracts, charters, constitutions, ALL have been misinterpreted to match people’s wants and desires. Isn’t this alone a good reason to ask God to open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in His law?

What are your thoughts?