God's Plan From The Beginning

There is a belief in the Christian world today that Jesus Christ originally came to establish a kingdom on this earth, but that because mankind wasn’t ready for it, He was rejected and crucified. Many believe Jesus will come again at some future point to establish this kingdom, and this time He will be successful and rule here on earth. The problem with these concepts is that they contradict with multiple scriptures in the Bible which plainly show us that what happened in the first century was actually God’s intent from the very beginning, and that things played out exactly according to His plan when Jesus was crucified.

The Bible provides every proof we need to understand God’s design was from the beginning, and there are many. For instance, we know from the Bible record that Joseph and Mary were the parents of Jesus. The Apostle Matthew starts his gospel with a genealogy of Jesus coming from the line of Abraham, going through the tribe of Judah to King David and down to Joseph (Matthew 1:1-16). He specifically points out Jesus being the son of David and this would help Jewish people understand that their prophecies concerning a future and eternal king from David’s lineage (2 Samuel 7:16) were fulfilled by Jesus. The Apostle Peter makes this connection plain in Acts 2:29-36. Matthew further explains that Mary was actually a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth because she was with child from the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18). This is why it is so important that in Luke 3 we have the record of Jesus’ genealogy through Mary’s side of the family as well. Mary’s lineage goes through King David, but Luke significantly then traces it all the way back to Adam. Recall that when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised Eve’s seed would bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).  We can see fulfillment of this prophecy with Jesus Christ’s great victory over Satan on the cross (Hebrews 2:14), thousands of years later. God had carefully planned it all from the very start.

The erroneous belief in an earthly reigning messiah which is prevalent in our society today is not new.

The ancient Israelites of Jesus’ day were waiting for the Messiah (Savior), but they expected and wanted a physical earthly messiah to literally sit on a throne like King David did, as evidenced by them trying to make Jesus their earthly king (John 6:15). They did not expect a messiah who would save others by sacrificing Himself and then rule a spiritual kingdom from Heaven. When on trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus personally settled the matter by stating His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36).

In Acts 2, the Apostle Peter states that Jesus was killed according to God’s definite plan and with His foreknowledge (v.23). God didn’t make anyone sin, but He knew it would happen and provided mankind an escape from our own wrong choices. The Apostle Paul records that God sent His Son in the “fullness of time,” or just at the proper time in human history (Galatians 4:4), not at an inappropriate time when man wasn’t ready. Would a perfect God choose the wrong time? We know He chose the perfect time for Jesus to come. The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:18-19 that Christians are redeemed by Jesus’ blood. If Jesus had not come and died on the cross, we would not be redeemed; this was all according to plan. 

So what is the point? The point is that all these verses, and many more, lead us to the unavoidable fact that God has had a plan to save man since before the world was created. This plan included sending Jesus to earth on purpose to die for the sins of mankind (Ephesians 1:4-6, 1 Peter 1:18-21). A sacrifice has always been required for our sins, and Jesus dying, innocent of any crime and living a perfect life, makes this sacrifice a complete and perfect offering to God for us. This means when Jesus came to this earth and voluntarily submitted to an illegal execution, it was all according to God’s plan. The cross looked like a defeat to those not understanding that we aren’t waiting for an earthly reigning messiah, (note the mocking of Jesus in Matthew 27:39-43), rather we know it was and is the power of God to save (1 Corinthians 1:18). Jesus’ death on the cross was a certain and complete victory.  We are not waiting for a future victory from Jesus because He has already accomplished God’s will on this earth (John 17:1-5) and is currently reigning over His kingdom, His church (Matthew 16:18-19). We aren’t waiting for a future kingdom to enter, we are in it now. Note what the Apostle Paul says God has already done for Christians, “Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love…” (Colossians 1:13). This kingdom to which Christians already belong will be delivered to God (1 Corinthians 15:20-26) by Christ at the end of time. 

Jesus didn’t fail in an attempt to set up an earthly kingdom, rather He succeeded with His sacrifice and God has exalted Him to reign as the head of His kingdom, the church (Ephesians 1:22-23, Matthew 16:18-19). After this life, we won’t have more chances to be obedient (Hebrews 9:27), so let’s get busy living the life of faithful servants in that kingdom right now.

Jeff S. Mullen

Minister, Blanco Hills Church of Christ

blancohillschurch.com

blancohillschurch@gmail.com

830-554-0701

Should We "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy?"

This article comes by way of request from a young Christian, wishing to see what the Bible says about the Sabbath day and if it should be observed by Christians today.

God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days and rested (ceased from work) on the 7th day. God later told the ancient Israelites that they too should cease from their labors on the 7th day of the week, calling it the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:11). This day, the 7th day of the week, is Saturday.

The command to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” is part of The Ten Commandments we find in Exodus 20:8. We often hear we must keep and follow the Ten Commandments but as Christians, we need to understand the Ten Commandments are part of the (Old Testament) Law of Moses, which was a system of laws specified for a single nation, the Hebrews of ancient Israel. God gave this law specifically to them at Mt. Sinai (Mt. Horeb) after they were rescued from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:1-5).

Christians today are God’s chosen people (1 Peter 2:9), the new Israel (Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 6:16). Why wouldn’t they be subject to the laws we find in the Old Testament, like keeping the Sabbath? The Bible clearly states that as Christians we belong to a new covenant and are not subject to the Law of Moses in any way. It is not only wise but necessary to learn and understand as much as we can from the Old Testament teachings to help us learn about God’s character, sin, justice, punishment, forgiveness, fulfillment of prophecies, etc. These things validate and factualize our faith in God and His promises, however, the laws given to the ancient Hebrews are not for us today. In Jeremiah 31:31-35, from the Old Testament, we read that God planned for a new covenant to come. In Hebrews 7:12, in the New Testament, we read that in this new covenant we have new laws. One of the great things Jesus Christ did with His sacrifice was abolish the old covenant with all its laws and ordinances, and enable Gentiles and Jewish people together to be fellow citizens in God’s house (Ephesians 2:11-22). We are those Gentiles, and with the Old Law completed Jesus gifts us an opening to be the chosen of God and the hope that comes with that.

In the first century A.D., one big problem the church at large was dealing with was Christians of Jewish background expecting Gentiles who obeyed the Gospel to continue observing the discontinued laws from the old covenant. The Apostle Paul wrote extensively denouncing these practices. In Colossians 2:13-16 he clearly points out the Sabbath day observances (part of the Law of Moses) were not applicable to Christians. Jesus had effectively nailed these laws to the cross, cancelling the debt that stood against everyone. We might think of this as a “PAID IN FULL” stamp placed across an invoice. The point here is that Christ’s sacrifice gave us a new covenant, established by the blood He spilled on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:25), and the old covenant (including the Ten Commandments within it) has been fulfilled and has passed away.  

Further, we can read in the New Testament (which contains our new covenant with God through Jesus) of many laws for Christians concerning worship, daily living, how to treat God and our fellow man, etc. None of those laws include examples or direction to revere the Sabbath day in any way, just like we don’t have to offer animal sacrifices or comply with the myriad of other old law requirements. These have been replaced with a new set of laws meant for the Christian. This change was predicted throughout the Old Testament and gives us a glimpse of our all-knowing God.  

So, under this new covenant we are directed to assemble and worship God on Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2), not on Saturday as practiced under the old covenant.
Ok, but should the first day of the week then become the “Christian Sabbath” with no work being done? For a number of reasons, the answer is no. We have already covered the fact that the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses were given to a different nation, and that Law was abolished by Jesus Christ. Further, the first day of the week was a normal workday for everyone in the 1st century and continued as such until Emperor Constantine’s edict in 321 A.D., where he declared it a day of no labor. While the sentiment behind the edict may have been honorable, it didn’t come from God and isn’t found anywhere in the Bible, so for hundreds of years faithful Christians worked and worshipped on Sundays. Also, early writings about Christians from the 2nd - 4th centuries (Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Justin Martyr, Eusebius, etc.) show that Christians worshipped on Sundays, and Eusebius specifically points out that Christians didn’t observe the Sabbath day (Church History 1:4:8). Of course this information comes from secular history, but it is still important as these people where very close in the timeline to the writers of the New Testament.

We must be extremely careful not to create edicts or doctrines made from man’s traditions and not approved of by God (Matthew 15:9). He specifies how and when to worship Him and teaches us through His word. Approaching God in worship on Sunday is approved and required by Him. All other days are yours to use as you will in walking in His light and sharing the Gospel with others.

Jeff Mullen

Minister, Blanco Hills Church of Christ
blancohillschurch@gmail.com

www.blancohillschurch.com

830-554-0701

Are We Getting The Point?

Have you ever been sure you knew something, knew you were right, but it ended up that you were mistaken and had missed the point? I think we all have. We can read about this type of correction throughout the Bible. There were those whose entire jobs centered around being experts in the scriptures (Scribes, Pharisees, lawyers, priests, etc.) who would challenge Jesus since His teaching was very different from theirs, and they were convinced they knew better. Jesus’ answers left them speechless and unable to argue their original point (Matthew 22:46, Mark 12:34, Luke 20:40). These people put themselves forward as experts, but were not. We can certainly see application for us today. 

In one such incident recorded in Luke 10:25-37, we read where Jesus is asked a very important question, “...what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” This question is profound and one we should all ask. Unfortunately, this ‘expert’ wasn’t genuinely seeking an answer…he was well versed in the law (God’s Old Covenant with Israel) and was testing Jesus (v.25) to undermine or invalidate His ministry. The lawyer’s attitude of self-justification (v.29) also speaks to his motive.  Jesus let the lawyer answer his own question about inheriting eternal life. The man was technically right, in answering we must love God with our whole being and love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves (v.28). Shortly after this the lawyer, seeking a loophole in the law, asked Jesus who his ‘neighbor’ was, and Jesus responded with the famous parable of the Good Samaritan (vv.30-37) which we all can learn lessons from. It is easy to look harshly at the lawyer, but instead a self-examination might be warranted to keep us from this type of attitude. How is our service to God and our fellow man? Are we really on the right track?

Commonly, the parable of the Good Samaritan is preached about on Sundays as a tool to help people see that we shouldn’t be selfish and need to help people. This teaching isn’t wrong of course, but there is much more to this parable to help us in our walk of faith. As background to the story, it may be helpful to note that the ancient Israelites despised the Samaritans. They were considered half-breeds, unclean, and unrighteous in their worship since they did not worship God in the temple in Jerusalem. Jewish people traveling north would often avoid Samaria and cross the Jordan River twice, adding significant time to a journey due to their disdain. Also of note is that the Jewish city of Jericho was the home of a great number of Levites (the tribe of ancient Israel which took care of all that went with temple worship), so there was much travel on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. This road was relatively short (~17 miles) but famous for being dangerous because of robbers. 

In the parable, a traveler on the road is mugged and left half dead on the road. The first two people to come near are a priest and then a Levite, who pass by without helping. These men are both from the tribe dedicated to serving God in worship, yet they don’t stop and even make an  effort to distance themselves. A Samaritan man comes by next and does stop though. He provides first aid, takes the victim to a place where he can recover, and pays for his care. Notice carefully that this isn’t just a moment where someone says to themselves, “well, the right thing to do is help”, it is much more than that. Verse 33 reveals that the Samaritan had compassion, which here literally means to be moved in the inward parts. Are we moved in our ‘inward parts’ when we help others? The Samaritan had real feelings that moved him to action. Verse 37 records what he did was ‘mercy’, that his help was heartfelt and true.

Recall that the parable from Jesus is in response to the question of “who is my neighbor?”, which the lawyer rightly understood was someone to which God expected him to have agape love for (v.27). Agape love is unselfish, ready to serve, values and esteems the person in question (W.E. Vine, vol. 3, p.22). The lawyer may have understood ‘neighbor’ to be someone who he had affinity with, someone in his chosen nation, who may have lived next door, worshipped like him, someone he might have had tender affection for. However, Jesus taught by this parable that our ‘neighbors’ include people who may not be worshipping according to God’s law, might not belong to ‘our people’, may have mistreated us, and may even be classified as enemies. Agape love is not only an obligation we need to complete, it is heartfelt and involves esteem, true compassion, and real mercy. We all know what it’s like to be helped from obligation, to feel like you are a burden to someone, to be on the receiving end of this type of ‘help’. This is not agape love. How is that “moved in our inward parts”? If we help people just because we must, an attitude change is needed. 

We learn from the parable that being an expert in the law of God or being from God’s chosen people (like the lawyer, priest, and Levite were), doesn’t mean that we are being righteous.  This still applies today. Christians are now designated as God’s chosen people and a nation of priests (1 Peter 2:9). God has blessed us with all the knowledge needed to be faithful Christians, but are we missing the point of who we are to be? Are we just collecting the knowledge and missing  the point? How to achieve eternal life was the original question in Luke 10:25, and it’s still pertinent today. God teaches us that the pathway to eternal life involves complete and total dedication to Him, as well as heartfelt love, involving an inward deep compassion and mercy to our fellow man.

Jeff Mullen

Minister

Blanco Hills Church of Christ

830-554-0701

blancohillschurch@gmail.com

blancohillschurch.com

Did Paul Misremember?

In 1 Corinthians 10:8, in warning the church in Corinth about sin, Paul said Israel’s sin of “sexual immorality” resulted in “twenty-three thousand” falling “in one day.” Skeptics of the Bible say this passage contradicts what Moses wrote in Numbers 25:9, where he wrote “those who died by the plague were 24,000.”

Did Paul simply misremember? Some have defended Paul by saying he was probably going off memory and just made a simple mistake. If it was you or me depending on our memory of something we studied in school decades earlier, I’d understand a mistake like this. But that’s what this and the past two articles have been about. The writers of the Bible did not make mistakes. If Paul or any of the other 39 men who wrote the Bible made mistakes, then they were not inspired by God.

The claim is made over 3,800 times in the Old Testament alone that Scriptures are the words of God. In Exodus 17:14, Moses wrote, “Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Write this in a book as a memorial.’” David is recorded in 2 Samuel 23:2 as saying “The Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me and His word was on my tongue.” God told Jeremiah, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.” (Jeremiah 1:9). Jesus affirmed the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures when he said in Matthew 5:18 “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” That is a pretty strong statement about a document.

Neither Paul nor any other apostle had to rely on his own memory. Unlike you and me and every person born since the end of the first century, they were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said he would send the Holy Spirit to the apostles to “teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26). He told them the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). Christ had already assured them they need not worry about what to say, “But when they deliver you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” (Matthew 10:19-20)

The apostles echoed this resource of truth over and over in their letters. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?” (2:11). In other words, I cannot know what’s on your mind unless you reveal it to me. Then Paul goes on to say that the Corinthians could know the mind of God because the Holy Spirit had revealed it to the apostles, and they in turn had shared it with the Corinthians: “So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit...” (1 Corinthians 2:11-13).  Later in the same epistle, Paul said, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you,…” (1 Corinthians 11:23). In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul wrote, “we also thank God without ceasing that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God...”

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote that, “all Scripture is God-breathed” or “inspired of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). This ‘inspiration’ is not the same as we often hear today. E.g., a person said their father inspired them to become a doctor; or one was inspired by nature to write a poem or song. The Bible was written by men directly inspired by God the Father, Christ, or the Holy Spirit. They were told what to write. In Acts 1:16, Peter said “Scripture had been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David…” Likewise, Peter wrote that, “no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:21). In Ephesians 3:5, Paul said that what he wrote had “been revealed by the Spiri to his holy apostles and prophets...” In his letter to the churches in Galatia, Paul wrote, “that the gospel which I am proclaiming as good news is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12). He told the Thessalonians that what he taught them was “by the word of the Lord” (1 Thess 4:15). Finally, Peter recognized the inspiration behind Paul’s epistles when he said they were often twisted and distorted like  “the rest of the Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:16).

So, how do we reconcile Paul’s 23,000 and Moses’ 24,000? Some say Paul was just approximating. I.e., am I wrong if I said I paid $3/gallon of gas if the price was actually $2.95/gallon? If Paul was not inspired, I could buy this explanation. Some say it was a scribe’s error. I hate to think that I must rely on uninspired, fallible scribes to ensure the accuracy of God’s word. If they erred here, might they have erred somewhere else?

I believe the simple answer is in one piece of information Paul provided which Moses did not. Paul said 23,000 died in one day. Moses said nothing about time, he simply said 24,000 died.

By careful study, sound logic, and an open heart, we can easily see that the Bible is completely reliable and accurate. Feel free to contact me about anything in this article or about the Blanco Hills Church of Christ.

Buz Turk

830-554-0701

www.blancohillschurch.com

Alleged Contradictions

Last week we mentioned that many do not believe the Bible is inspired because they have heard it contains many contradictions. In this article we’ll look at a few such “contradictions” to see if they have merit.

In Galatians 6:2, Paul told the Galatians to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Three verses later he said “for every man shall bear his own burden.” So which is it? Can a Christian help his brother out, or must one bear his own burdens alone?

The alleged contradiction is easily explained. Paul used two words with slightly different meanings that are translated into English with the same word. In verse 2 the Greek word translated “burden” is baros, which is defined as a weight, burden or  trouble. One Greek expert described “baros” as “an experience of something that is particularly oppressive.”  In verse 5 Paul uses the word “phortion,” which is often translated as a load or a light burden.

Other texts in the New Testament support the fact that a “baros” burden was relatively heavier than a “phortion” burden. In a parable found in Matthew 20, some disgruntled workers who were not happy that they were paid the same as others that had worked less, said “These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”(20:12) They believed their burden (baros) of working longer hours was worth greater pay. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul wrote that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight (baros) of glory.” Paul clearly states that our eternal reward will be much weightier (baros) than any personal affliction. Finally, in Matthew 20:12, Jesus said “My yoke is easy and My burden (phortion) is light.” Each of these texts support Paul’s use of these two different Greek words. A Christian is certainly accountable for his burdens, but at times may benefit from the help of others.

Another accusation is made that the Bible contradicts itself when it comes to God changing. In Malachi 3:6 we read “For I am the LORD, I do not change.” Jeremiah records in 15:6 that God said “I am weary with repenting.” Since repenting is changing one’s mind, does God change? Malachi said he doesn’t. Jeremiah indicates He’d done it so much He was weary. Isn’t that a contradiction?

David supports Malachi in Psalm 102:25-27: “…You laid the foundation of the earth…They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same.” In the New Testament we find the brother of Jesus echoing Malachi when he wrote in James 1:17 of the Father: “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”  Finally, in Hebrews 13:8 we find “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The issue is not that God has never changed. In Jeremiah 18:8-10, God said “if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it... if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.”  In Hebrews 1 we read how throughout history, God changed the way He communicated to man. Malachi meant that  His character has not changed. He has always hated and punished evil. He has always loved and rewarded good. His character is consistent. Malachi and Jermiah meant different things. They do not contradict each other.

The fifth of the Ten Commandments is to “honor your father and your mother.” (Exodus 20:12)  Yet skeptics have alleged that Jesus contradicted these scriptures when He taught (Luke 14:26) that His disciples must hate their father and mother. Can that be true? When you turn to this passage, you find that the answer is yes, He did say that! In fact, He went on to say that a disciple must also hate his “wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life.” If the word “hate” 2000 years ago meant what it means today, then, yes Jesus would have contradicted many teachings about love in the Bible. But is that the case? Look at the story of Jacob and his wives Rachel and Leah.

In Genesis 29, we learn that Jacob agreed to work seven years to be able to marry Rachel. However, at the end of those seven years, he was deceived by his father-in-law and was given the older sister Leah as his wife. In exchange for another seven years, Jacob was given Rachel as his wife. In the King James Version, Genesis 29:30 says “and he loved also Rachel more than Leah…” In the very next verse we read “And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated…” Here we learn that the KJV translators equated “hated” with “loving less.” Jacob didn’t despise or hate Leah; he simply loved Rachel more. So going back to Luke 14, the idea is not that disciples must hate their fathers and mothers, but they must love them less than they love Christ. Christ must come first. A disciple must be willing to sacrifice everything – even the love of family -  to follow Christ.

When I read of allegations such as these, I wonder about the integrity of the those that make them. Does anyone really believe Jesus demanded that his disciples hate their parents? Is that congruent with a man that, as he was about to die, ensured his mother was taken care of?

As always, I encourage your feedback on anything in this article. Please know you are welcome to worship with us at the Blanco Hills Church of Christ.

Buz Turk

830-554-0701

www.blancohillschurch.com

Contradictory or Just Different?

There are any number of reasons why people don’t believe the Bible is inspired by God. They may have been taught from childhood that it was a book of fairy tales. They may have never taken the time to open a Bible and therefore don’t know of or are indifferent to its content.  Perhaps they’ve watched their “Christian” neighbors behave in ungodly ways that expose their hypocrisy and have decided they don’t want any part of that group. Some undoubtedly have opened the Bible and know some of what is in it, but don’t want to live up to it; they don’t want to be told what to do. They choose not to believe because they’d be compelled to change their behavior.

All of the above reasons might be given by every culture since the Bible was completed almost 2000 years ago. Possibly the most frequently cited reason for rejecting the Bible is because of Bible errancy. It is alleged that it contains mistakes or contradicts itself. There are numerous websites that list hundreds of alleged mistakes of a historical, geographical, or scientific nature. It’s no wonder that many don’t accept the Bible as inspired when they read statements like “Every analyst of the Bible should realize that the Book is a veritable miasma of contradictions, inconsistencies, inaccuracies, poor science, bad math, inaccurate geography, immoralities, degenerate heroes, false prophecies, boring repetitions, childish superstitions, silly miracles…” (The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy), or “the basic writings of the Christian religion are so full of absurdity, contradiction, and discord that the only way to maintain the truth of Christian doctrine is to ignore the Bible itself” (The Atheist’s Introduction to the New Testament). Sadly, but likely true, the author of that book goes on to write “…fortunately for most Christian churches, this is not a problem, because most Christians do not read the Bible seriously, and are woefully unaware of its contents…”

I’d be the first to admit that if the writers of the Bible made mistakes in their writings, then they were not guided “by inspiration of God” as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16. The question is: did the writers of the Bible make mistakes, or are these alleged mistakes or contradictions just misinterpreted? One who is honestly trying to understand any document written centuries ago from a culture far distant from their own will consider some basic principles of interpretation that allow for a fair and reasonable analysis of the work.

The world is changing every day. I’m 68 and have traveled around the world multiple times, but I might as well be hearing Greek when listening to some of the modern-day questions asked these days on my favorite TV show, Jeopardy! I often have to pause the show and ask my wife what “this or that word means.” In our daily lives, we often say or hear things that make no sense to us or those listening to us. Sometimes I ask myself, “did I hear that right?” Sadly, too often I assume I did understand it and berate the speaker for saying something wrong or illogical. When we say something that is misunderstood, we want the chance to clarify our statement. In order to be as fair with the Bible writers as we would want others to be with us, there must be some fair means of interpretation.

For example, is it possible that more than one interpretation of an event is correct? Matthew and Mark recorded that “robbers” insulted Jesus while He was on the cross (Mt 27:44, Mk 15:32), whereas Luke wrote that “one” of them blasphemed Him (Luke 23:39). These accounts are different, but are they contradictory? Did Luke err, or can all three be true?

Another item to consider is the context of a statement. If you read the statement “that guy is on fire!” you can’t know what is meant without understanding the context. Was the speaker watching Michael Jordan in the 1990s, or might he have been watching a 1960s newsreel of the Vietnam war?  In Matthew 24:29, Jesus said “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Then a few verses later Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” I read where a man said this text alone was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for convincing him the Bible was wrong because 2000 years have come and gone and “the sun is still shining, the stars still twinkle in the sky.” Is it possible that Jesus was not talking about the Judgment Day at the end of time, but rather used figurative language to describe what the Roman army under Nero and Vespasian would do to Jerusalem forty years later in 70 AD? The events  of 70 AD happened in time for the generation to whom Jesus was speaking in Matthew 24 to witness them. This apparent contradiction is easily explained with a little study.

For some reason, many people forget about the need to understand a statement that on its face appears to be contradictory when it comes to the Bible. In reality, statements that appear “different” are what we would expect to find in a book compiled from over sixty separate books, authored by forty men from different cultures across a time span of 1500 years. In the next two weeks I will examine a number of “alleged Biblical contradictions” to demonstrate how they are not mistakes, but merely contain statements that are misunderstood or different, not contradictory.

Please feel free to contact me about this article or any question you may have about the Blanco Hills Church of Christ.

Buz Turk

830-554-0701

www.blancohillschurch.com

blancohillschurch@gmail.com