Are There Contradictions in the Bible?

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Okay, so here's the thing. A contradiction, strictly defined, would mean that the Bible affirms and denies the same thing in the same sense at the same time.

[00:00:11]But we don't find that anywhere in scripture. Now, Christians have long recognized that some biblical passages are difficult to reconcile, but none of them rise to the level of a true logical contradiction. What we actually find are things like differences in emphasis or complementary perspectives or passages that require careful interpretation. And guess what? That's exactly the kind of thing we would expect to find in authentic historical testimony. For example, many alleged contradictions arise from comparing parallel accounts, especially in the Gospels. Right? For example, Matthew might mention one angel at the tomb, while Luke mentions two.

[00:00:55]But these accounts aren't contradictory, they're complementary. One writer highlights a single figure, while another includes both. And that's exactly what we would expect to find from independent eyewitness testimony.

[00:01:08]There's also the issue of context and genre. The Bible contains a lot of different genres, historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, parable, apocalyptic imagery. And so, for example, we can't read poetic language like when Psalm 19 says that God has set a tent for the sun and interpret it as a scientific claim.

[00:01:30]The same thing goes for apocalyptic imagery, which is notoriously symbolic.

[00:01:34]And so, apocalyptic literature shouldn't be interpreted as straightforward literal description in every detail. And some apparent contradictions also arise from not recognizing that God's revelation unfolds over time. So, later scripture might clarify or expand or fulfill earlier scripture. For example, the sacrificial system in the Torah isn't contradicted by the New Testament.

[00:02:01]It actually points to and was fulfilled in Christ.

[00:02:05]And so what appears to be tension is often a movement from promise to fulfillment. And sure, in a few cases we find differences in numbers or wording.

[00:02:15]For example, in historical accounts that reflect manuscript variations or translation decisions. And here's the thing. These are all well documented and they actually don't undermine the the overall reliability of the text. Just like with any ancient document, minor textual variants exist in the Bible. But interestingly, none of these variants affect any of our core doctrines or the central message of scripture. So, in the Bible we find plenty of mysteries and paradoxes, but there are no genuine logical contradictions.