Search

APOLOGETICS
Session 39
Internal Consistency

Discussion Questions
  1. He says in this video that a contradiction is not a bad thing. What does he mean? What are some of the Scriptural examples he uses?
  2. He suggests that there are multiple authors at the human level, and one author at the divine level. Why is this significant?
  3. Anything else stand out to you from this video?
  4. What is your one take-away from this video?

The Bible was written over a period of 1400 years, in 3 languages (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic), by 40 authors, on 3 continents.
​
"The Bible is a marvelous unified whole. There are no contradictions or inconsistencies within its pages... it quickly becomes apparent that no human being(s) could have orchestrated the harmony of the teachings of the Scripture. The divine authorship of the Bible is the only answer." -Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, Moody Press, Chicago, page 155)
​Categories of problems with the Bible from Norman Geisler

(In his article "Are There Any Errors in the Bible," Norman Geisler discusses the following categories.  If you'd like to read the article, you can find it here.)
  1. ​Assuming the unexplained is unexplainable.
  2. Assuming the Bible is guilty of error unless it is proven innocent.
  3. Confusing our fallible interpretations with God's infallible revelation.
  4. Failure to understand the context.
  5. Failure to interpret the difficult by the clear.
  6. Forgetting the Bible's human characteristics.
  7. Assuming a partial report is a false report.
  8. Assuming the new Testament citations of the Old Testament must be verbatim.
  9. Assuming divergent accounts are false.
  10. Presuming that the Bible approves of all that it records.
  11. Forgetting that the Bible is nontechnical.
  12. Assuming round numbers are false.
  13. Neglecting to note literary devices.
  14. Forgetting that only the original text is inerrant.
  15. Confusing general with universal statements.
  16. Forgetting that later revelation supersedes earlier ones.
Discussion Questions:
  1. Which of these categories stands out to you personally?  Explain.
  2. Are there any that you don't understand or would like to discuss as a group? Take some time as a group to discuss.
At the end of his article, Geisler quotes Augustine:

“If we are perplexed by an apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, The author of this book is mistaken; but either 1. The manuscript is faulty, or 2. The translation is wrong, or 3. You have not understood.”
-Augustine, City of God