Alleged Scriptural Contradictions: A case for the merit of rigorous and systematic explanation of Scriptures.
"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and SLAY THEM before me."
Jesus of Nazareth.
If you are wondering if that's in your Bible, you should check Luke 19:27, without even going back to ascertain who said it, you can tell, it's in red, showing that it's spoken by the Christ (Bible publishers convention). I came across a video where a Muslim cleric threw a Christian Bishop off balance in a discussion, asserting that Jesus supported the Jihad, using the above scripture.
At first, the bishop scorned the Muslim Cleric, that those words were not in the Bible when the cleric recited them. Then, when the man quoted the citation and the Bishop opened his Bible and saw it, all he could do was laugh nervously and mumble some incoherent phrases. The Muslim cleric, with much glee and air of triumph declared, 'most Christians don't know their Bible!'
A sad truth. Do this simple test: If you handled your school books, the same way you handle scriptures (plain, ordinary, non-investigative/comparative reading), would you have passed enough to get a WAEC certificate or even a BSc?
To know scriputure does not mean know quotations, the pharisees in Jesus' day were the theolgians of that day, they knew the Torah (the Old Testament) well yet Jesus said to them, "ye know NOT the scriptures or the power of God." To know scriptures would thus mean, going beyond awareness of content to mean to be acquainted with it's message.
I may come back and tie up why I started with this story of a Christian Bishop and Muslim Cleric, please be patient, read without a bias and evaluate reason in what I'm hoping to pass on.
The mind can be so hacked by preconceived notions that seeing what is clearly put in front of one becomes impossible. Let me say what I just said again using other words; what you think, something SHOULD BE, can so cloud your mind that you won't see WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS . This phenomenon and the isolation of random verses and portions of scripture, is a foundation of wrong doctrine and the reason for the hatred most people have for any explanation of passages.
I've taught in small and large groups, often, in the small groups, to demonstrate how preconceptions can hinder the obvious, I sometimes write out the words of the all too famous John 3:16 on a piece of paper, OMITTING SON in the quotation (purposely). I hold the paper with the quote, written in capital letters, in front of the people and tell them to read WHAT IS IN FRONT of them.
The results are almost always the same: about 70 to 80 percent of the people look directly at the paper and while reading, MENTION SON as part of the quotation even though, it's NOT written on the paper they're reading from. It's the curse of preconceptions—the blinding power of a powerfully entrenched supposition. It hinders perception.
One thing that should inspire you to not abhor detailed explanation, among many others, is the ALLEGED numerous contradictions of the Bible, all of which disappear ONLY when properly understood and explained.
The words of the book do not hold private interpretation—thus even when you read where Jesus said, 'if any man comes to me and does not HATE his father, his mother, his wife, his children...he cannot be my disciple' (Luke 14:26, I know of where it is recorded as love more than in lieu of hate, but here says it like this). You'll need explanation, else that thought, taken verbatim, would clash with all other places where he talks about loving even our enemies.
Also, very famous among Christians is two scriptures, which following surface style explanation, will comprise self contradiction: 'For God so love the WORLD...'and 'Love NOT the world, neither the things therein...' Yet, we are supposed to be imitators of God! If exegetical and hermeneutical basic principles are not taught, how does the average ordinary church member resolve this?
Isaiah, a Jewish prophet, largely held as one of those who spoke volumes of the Christ, called him, among many names, PRINCE OF PEACE. But when Prince of Peace showed up, guess what he said, 'Think not that I am come to send Peace on the earth, I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE but a sword.' If a person ignores explanation that can be applied from a spectrum of exegetical tools, he'd arrive at psuedo-contradictions in the book.
When I was in junior secondary school (and understandably more uninformed), we had a rich, educated, Muslim tenant, a Pilot, living in our house. He was a very friendly man. He once got me into a private discussion and threw me off balance about the deity of Christ.
He quoted several words of Jesus including, 'And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.' (Mark 10:18). I had no reply, I didn't go back to resolve those scriptures, like most of us Christians do, I just slept till I forgot about the clash he had stirred in my mind.
Dear sir, ma, guy, lass, that agree that you believe on Jesus Christ, i.e Christian brothers and sisters, all I've attempted to do so far is to show, on an even superficial level, that you shouldn't, in your mind, equate explanation of Scriptures as 'watering down the message!'
If that's not what you are used to, at first, it's hard but calm your mind down, when people take out time to explain scriptures, laboriously. They are not removing 'ancient landmarks' of the Gospel; many a teaching are ancient quite alright, but they are not based on accurate interpretation of the Bible and on close examination, fail to align with the character of apostolic truths handed down by the first servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't be irritated when you hear, in a teaching, where they're investigating context of any kind, grammatical, historical or looking for the original language meaning of certain words.
The Bible scribe of the book of Hebrews, though writing to Jews using the Greek language, brought to fore a thought of theological significance in the justification (Righteousness) and peace by reverting to the original language meanings of the Hebraic names, Melchisedec and Salem (Hebrews 7:2).
When next you're reading the gospel of Mark and come across any of these: 'eli eli lema sabachthani', 'Talitha koum' and 'Ephphatha', know that the writer is mentioning Aramaic words not native or familiar to his Greek audience, hence he, almost always follows it with any explanation of the Word or phrase in the original language to his hearers.
It is true that all of us cannot be scholars of original Bible languages (that's not what the advocacy this post is about as access to a Greek and Hebrew lexicon doesn't make one automatically a Greek scholar or guarantee accuracy of interpretation but at least, one is opened up to more). This post is about paying more attention to the study of Scriptures and we must be diligent with it. I have a personal rule of not arguing with someone who has studied a matter that I haven't studied personally, but only heard things about.
At the giving end, doctrine was given of God by His Spirit through the inspired writers in the container of language, spread by language and must be understood and preserved, on the receiving end by the help of that same Spirit in paying attention to language which is governed by rules. We must pay attention both to the rules of grammar and Bible interpretation.
Don't use our recent forebears/heroes of the Faith as an excuse; 'Did Smith Wigglessworth know Greek words in order to raise about 20 dead people in his life time? Did William Seymour need knowledge of scriptural context and all these grammar to manifest the power of God? Did Garricks Sokari Braide even go to school before he singlehandedly reduced the British Empire liquor sales in South South Nigeria by mere preaching and the miraculous?'
(Garricks Sokari Bride, Google Photos)
That argument, against being detailed and studious in scriptures, is as weak as your Uncle's nephew's cousin's wife's son, whom you last saw in 1998, traveling from the village to Abuja to visit and stay with you without calling you ahead of time. His reason? 'In the olden days, people used to visit without calling.' What?!
These guys didn't have all the opportunities, God has granted us; FREE, rich Bible study apps on Google Play Store, loads of free online books with sound teachings, they didn't have the privilege of mp3 audio files of those who had studied and could share with them.
You, you do have all these and more, what's your excuse again?
Now, I mentioned that opening text and the scenario with Muslim cleric and the Christian Bishop to show that, those diligent in studying and explaining scriptures are not the bane of Christianity as 'end time brethren' like to believe.
Their effort is that which works at ensuring no scripture is made to appear as of 'private interpretation', by rightly dividing scriptures; providing the understanding of the difference in the testaments, the literary genres of biblical books and how to interpret each (a poetic book, a historical narrative, an epistle, etc, are not necessarily interpreted same way).
You'd respect these efforts and labors in doctrine when you collided with an intelligent unbeliever or atheist who has sat down to read the Bible from beginning to end, he, lacking the spiritual understanding and temperance you have from godly reverence, but armed in ferocity with the laws of grammar and the logical cohesion of thought, will arrive at and pick out all the pseudo-inconsistencies in the book.
Note that I didn't write this post to explain any 'knotty scriptures', including those mentioned herein, this is written to vie for the appreciation of systematic explanation and sound teaching of Scriptures, as a means to indoctrination rather than the preaching of blank, random statements. Also to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, of all ages, to overcome that tendency to reject a teaching solely because it's not the first one you heard rather than by it not conforming to the doctrine of Christ and the logical reason of the written language.
I have not written this because I consider I'm all straightened out in doctrine, on the contrary, I can write this because I have felt them and I'm more aware now than ever the need to grow and learn.
(PS: Just so you know, people explaining scriptures are not just 'talking empty grammar', there's the flow of the Spirit in supernatural too! This one is fact. I am learning, I write to you, from the place of an honest brother, who wants us to grow together.)
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