136
BIBLE “CONTRADICTIONS” … ANSWERED (Contradictions 21-25)
A Booklet by Brad McCoy, Th.M.
© Copyright 1985 Reprinted with
author’s permission. May be distributed freely but not sold.
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Note: I thought it would be
interesting for a few posts, to consider some alleged Biblical
contradictions. I hear this all the time, but no one who makes the
complaints will sit down with me and study them. Brad McCoy was my
Theology Professor in Seminary. He is an outstanding theological scholar
and teacher. At my request, he provided me with a booklet he
self-published in 1985. The booklet can be reproduced, but not sold. - dh
**
UPDATE ** Recently, I conversed with Dr. McCoy and he confirmed directly
with me that I can post from his booklet. In addition, he informed me
that the book was recently updated to – “150 Bible Contradictions Answered!” He sent me this self-published manuscript
which, by the way, is excellent. If you would like the new manuscript,
let me know and I will pass it on to Dr. McCoy. I see it cost him about
$5.00 to send it to me, so you should be willing to make a contribution to Dr.
McCoy's church to help defray the mailing cost and perhaps a bit more, maybe
$20.00 or so.
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(This
booklet is a response to the pamphlet “136 Bible Contradictions” printed by
Crusade Publications of Redmond, Washington.)
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“Contradictions”
21-25
#21
Leviticus 3:17 and its regulations against eating fat and blood is contrasted
with Colossians 2:20-21 which denies that believers are subject to ritual food
regulations.
Leviticus
3:17 is a small part of the overall Old Testament food regulations given to the
nation of Israel in the Mosaic Law. 1500
years later in Colossians 2:20-21, the Apostle Paul warns New Testament
believers against thinking that they are still under the Law (since Christ)
fulfilled Mosaic Law. Before the coming
of Christ the Mosaic Law was given to the nation of Israel as a “pedagogue”
(Galatians 3:24) to prepare/lead them to the Messiah. But New Testament believers living after the
cross, are no longer subject to the pedagogue, as Romans 10:4 says, “Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
#22
Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 22:39 “the golden rule” which commands, “do unto
others as you would have them do unto you” is contrasted with 1 Corinthians
10:24 which states that one should not seek his own good, but the good of
others.
Leviticus
19:18 and Matthew 22:39 are general statements governing a person’s normative
interpersonal relationships with other people.
In context, 1 Corinthians 10:24 exhorts believers to bend over backwards
not to give needless offense to other Christians who not understanding their
spiritual liberty in Christ may have stricter standards in certain gray areas
of behavior and lifestyle not directly discussed in the Scripture. It instructs believers to lovingly moderate
the application of their Christian liberty in order to seek the good of
others. Properly understood, 1
Corinthians 10:24 is in fact a specific application of the general principle of
“the golden rule”.
#23
Contrasts Numbers 11:33 in which God causes illness with Job 2:27 where Satan
inflicts illness.
This
is a both/and not an either/or situation.
God can and does at times directly cause physical illness (1 Corinthians
11:29-32). At other times He allows
Satan to inflict physical illness (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). The same means can be used for different
purposes! At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese
and the United States both fired weapons against each other. However one side – the United States was
bravely using her weapons in righteous self-defense, whereas the other side –
the Japanese were involved in a deliberate, surprise, criminal attack. The same means (guns and bullets) do not
necessarily equate purpose or moral culpability.
#24 Contrasts Numbers
15:25 which states that animal sacrifices produce forgiveness of sins with
Hebrews 10:11 which states that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament
could never take away sins.
The
Old Testament animal sacrifices were object lessons teaching the need for blood
sacrifice as propitiation for God’s righteous wrath against sin. These rituals however were ceremonial only,
anticipating the future one time for all sacrifice of the Messiah. Actual salvation and forgiveness was always
based on an anticipation for the future work of “the Lamb of God” (see John
1:29) who would be the ultimate fulfillment of the prophetic meaning of the Old
Testament animal sacrifices. Isaiah
53:4-11 makes this very clear. The death
of the Messiah on the cross, bearing the sins of the world, was the fulfillment
of the entire Old Testament sacrificial system (see Ephesians 5:2). Hebrews 7:27 refers to the Old Testament
sacrifices in the same way that the Old Testament itself does, but then the
author of Hebrews moves on later in the book to point out the insufficiency of
these sacrifices to produce more than a ceremonial cleansing from sin. In Hebrews 9:13-14 the relationship between
ceremonial forgiveness and actual forgiveness is explained, “. . . if the blood
of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been
defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of flesh (external/ceremonial cleansing)
how much more will the blood of Christ who . . . offered Himself without
blemish to God cleanse your conscience (true/inner spiritual cleansing).” The whole point of the book of Hebrews is
that the benefits of Christ’s salvation and cleansing from sin are real and
spiritual, while the benefits of the Old Testament sacrificial system were only
ceremonial and superficial when divorced from the work of the Messiah.
#25 Contrasts Numbers
30:2 which states that a person should keep his oath with Matthew 5:34-37 which
prohibits the taking of oaths.
Numbers
30:2 teaches that if/when a person makes a formal oath/promise that he is to
follow through and fulfill that promise.
In Matthew 5:34-37, the Lord Jesus prohibits the common Pharisaic
practice of entering into complicated, misleading oaths and promises, which
like the “fine print” on modern legal contracts were actually designed to be
manipulated later for personal advantage in violation of the explicitly
expressed promise of the oath. Both
Numbers 30:2 and Matthew 5:34-37 affirm the same basic truth, namely that
believers should keep their promises.
The Bible consistently teaches that we should say what we mean and mean
what we say.
Doug
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