Isn’t the Bible Full of Contradictions?

“The Bible is full of contradictions” is something I hear a lot – usually from people who are skeptical of Christianity. It’s also a question that many Christians struggle to handle well because it feels like a trap. If we deny that there are any contradictions in Scripture, we sound like cult members with ideological blinders on. But if we concede that the Bible contradicts itself, it sounds like we’re discrediting God’s Word.

So does the Bible contradict itself or not? My most honest answer to that question is “No, there are no contradictions in the Bible because a contradiction, by definition, is irreconcilable.” While there are clearly some discrepancies in Scripture (some of which I will detail below), they can be reconciled when understood in context. It’s important, however, to acknowledge that I’m a Christian who reads the Bible through the lens of faith, and for people who don’t share my faith, the line between biblical “contradictions” and “discrepancies” seems irrelevant.

To the skeptic’s mind, if Christians claim the Bible is perfect, then any differing details, historical errors, or mixed messages ultimately expose the Bible – and Christianity more broadly – as a sham. So how can we address this question in a way that leads to better conversations with unbelievers?

First, it’s important for Christians to not be defensive or dismissive of the questions people ask. Anytime skeptics care enough to ask questions about Christianity, it’s a sacred opening. We should be honored – and never offended or insecure.

You don’t need a PhD to find seeming contradictions in the Bible. Anyone can go to ChatGPT and find a list of dozens of them. With that in mind, how can Christians explain these apparent contradictions in Scripture?

Not all biblical discrepancies are created equal, so it’s helpful if we think about them in terms of three categories: Intentional, Illustrative, and Immaterial.

Some of the supposed contradictions in the Bible are actually there on purpose to point the reader toward a greater truth. We’ve seen some good examples of this in The Story’s recent message series as we’ve explored the book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon. In addition to Ecclesiastes, Solomon also wrote Proverbs,  and when you read them side by side, it’s hard to believe that the same man wrote both. I’ll show you what I mean:

Why does the same Bible say two different things about money, women, and the meaning of life? Because in his younger days, when he wrote Proverbs, Solomon loved the Lord. He prayed often and pursued God’s wisdom. But as he grew older, Solomon made choices that took him further and further away from God. He pursued women, money, and power instead of God. He married women who didn’t believe in God, and he let them bring their false idols and pagan practices with them into Israel.

One mistake led to another until Solomon barely knew God at all as he reached the end of his life. One reason why Ecclesiastes is included in the Bible alongside Proverbs is to expose what happens to a person who forsakes God and loses his way. In this way, the contradictions between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are intentionally included in Scripture to serve as a cautionary tale against falling away from the Truth.

In like manner, the apparent contradiction between 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 is clearly intentional:

A skeptic may ask, So which is it? Did God tell David to take the census, or was it the Devil? 

The answer is almost certainly both. Samuel was written two or three centuries before Chronicles, so the Hebrew scribes who wrote that Satan incited David to order the census were well aware of 2 Samuel’s earlier claim that it was the anger of the Lord that compelled the king. Therefore, their choice to point the finger at Satan was intentional, but why? To reveal a deeper truth. When God’s people are living in open rebellion against His will (like the people of Israel were in those days), we provoke the wrath of God (because He is just), and because we are separated from God, we become more susceptible to the influence of Satan.

Therefore, what appears to be a contradiction in Scripture is actually an intentional inclusion meant to teach believers a deeper truth about the importance of humble obedience.

Some of the apparent contradictions in Scripture are meant to illustrate something profound about God. Take the creation stories in Genesis, for instance. In Genesis 1, God created the universe in six days in this order:
Day 1: Light and darkness
Day 2: Sky and water
Day 3: Dry land and vegetation
Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars
Day 5: Fish and birds
Day 6: Land animals and humanity (male and female)

But in Genesis 2, it appears as though God created everything in a very different order:
1. The Earth (dry dirt) (2:4-5)
2. The Man (Adam) (Gen 2:7)
3. The Garden of Eden (Gen 2:8–9)
4. Animals and Birds (Gen 2:19)
5. The Woman (Eve) (Gen 2:21–22)

Some people look at these differences and assume the Bible can’t get its story straight. But the truth is that Genesis 1 and 2 differ for a reason: to illustrate something profound about God and humankind. Genesis 1 is cosmological – it tells the Creation story from God’s point of view. God speaks things into existence in a supernatural, orderly fashion.

Genesis 2, on the other hand, is anthropological – it’s the same story, from a human, earth-bound perspective. God gets His hands dirty, forming the man from the dust of the earth and planting a garden.

Instead of seeing these two stories in competition with each other, we should read them in concert. In the first story, God is all-powerful and incomprehensible, and in the second, He is here with us in the dirt, on the ground, dirty hands and all. Which version of God is true: high and mighty or meek and lowly? When you read the rest of Scripture, He is clearly both. He is described elsewhere in the Bible as both just and compassionate, the Lion and the Lamb, full of Grace and Truth. The two Creation stories in Genesis 1-2 are meant to illustrate the fullness of God’s character.

As Christians, we shouldn’t run and hide from these apparent contradictions; we should embrace them for the profound Truth that they illustrate.

Although some of the discrepancies that people point to in the Bible are real, they are ultimately inconsequential to the matter at hand. An example of this type of contradiction would be the differing details found in the four gospels’ resurrection accounts. For example, how many women were present at the tomb that morning? Matthew claims that two women went to the tomb that morning. Mark says there were three. Luke mentions at least four. And John only names one: Mary Magdalene.

And how many angels were there? Matthew and Mark say there was one angel at the tomb, Luke suggests there were two, and John doesn’t mention any angels.

For Christians, the resurrection is the most important event in the Bible, so skeptics are right to wonder why these discrepancies in this story exist. But let’s look at it another way. Imagine if, instead of four distinct accounts in which some minor details differ, all four resurrection stories – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – all recorded the same story, verbatim. Wouldn’t that reek of manipulation and collusion? Of course it would, and it would raise even more questions about the Bible’s credibility.

The more you think about it, the more these different details lend MORE credibility to the story, instead of detracting from it, especially when you realize that all four gospel writers agree on the one thing that matters most: the tomb of Jesus Christ was empty. If the tomb was empty, it doesn’t matter much if there was one woman witness or one hundred, and it doesn’t matter if there was one angel or two.

If Jesus walked out of his tomb, nothing could possibly matter more. And on that point, all four gospels agree.

Whether an apparent contradiction in the Bible is intentional, illustrative, or immaterial, there’s one thing they all have in common: they are part of God’s Word for a reason, to show us something more about God or something more about us.

I’ll close by looking at one more apparent contradiction in Scripture. In Matthew 5, Jesus  said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds…” but in Matthew 6, he said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others…” 

What seems like a blatant contradiction is easy to resolve when you understand Jesus’ heart for sinners like us – if you keep reading in Matthew 5 he says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” In other words, if you do good works before others, your only goal should be inspiring them to praise God. 

And when Jesus says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others,” he also adds, “…to be seen by them,” which is the operative phrase in this teaching. If you do good works because you’re in front of others, that’s all about you. So what appears to be a contradiction is really just a warning for Christians to examine our motives for doing good deeds. Jesus wants us to be motivated by our passion to make God known and not by our desire to make ourselves known.

I hope this discussion about the apparent contradictions in the Bible has helped clear some things up for you, and I hope it inspires you to have deeper conversations with the people in your life.