Questions tagged [contradiction]
At points the Bible seems to display contradictions in parallel accounts or the understanding of a given concept. Questions with this tag are (usually) seeking a resolution to the (apparent) contradiction.
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Can non-disciples of Jesus cast out demons in Jesus' name or not? Mark 9:38-40 vs. Acts 19:11-16
Mark 9:38-40 (ESV):
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for ...
2
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3answers
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1 Kings 20:35, 37-40 Isn't God telling the prophet to lie a violation of the commandment you shall not lie
1 Kings 20:35 By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.
1 Kings 20:37-40 The prophet found another man and said, ...
2
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2answers
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According to Mark 14:68 the first rooster crowed after Peter's first denial, wasn't it supposed to crow after his third denial?
According to Mark 14:30 before the rooster crows twice Peter would deny Jesus three times:
Mark 14:30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you ...
2
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1answer
34 views
Are Song of Songs 6:11-12 words from the groom or the bride?
In Song of Songs 6:11-12 (NLT)
Young Woman
11 I went down to the grove of walnut trees and out to the valley to see the new spring growth, to see whether the grapevines had budded or the pomegranates ...
3
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2answers
86 views
Is the writer of James attacking Paul's position?
In James 2:14-16,24 (NASB)
What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need ...
2
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4answers
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Deuteronomy 8:2 didn't God already know what was in the hearts of the Israelites
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep ...
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3answers
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Was Jesus rich or poor? Matthew 2:11 vs. Matthew 8:19-20
Matthew 2:10-11 (ESV):
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. ...
2
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4answers
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Are all followers of Christ guaranteed to achieve complete sanctification or not? 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 vs. 2 Peter 2:20-22
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (ESV):
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He ...
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6answers
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Are 1 John 1:8 and 1 John 3:9 contradictory?
In 1 John 1:8, John says
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
And in chapter 3, verse 9, he says
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his ...
0
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6answers
108 views
How to reconcile Matthew 24:36 and Revelation 22:12a?
Matthew 24:36
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Revelation 22:12a
Look, I am coming soon!
We know that Christ will return ...
2
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4answers
73 views
did Jesus come to bring peace?
Did Jesus really come to bring peace or is there a contradiction?
We have;
Matthew 5:38–39 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a ...
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7answers
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Why did Jesus not appear after resurrection to the Pharisees and Scribes?
Came across this verse that seems to point to why Jesus did not(was not to) show himself to the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. But then I have this question, why did Jesus say this? Did he not ...
2
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2answers
280 views
What is meant by “secret” in John 18 20?
During the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin:
John 18:19 [NIV] ~ Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus ...
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3answers
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Why was there no need for the gift of interpretation of tongues (1 Cor 14) at Pentecost (Acts 2)?
The gift of interpretation of tongues is a very important gift according to 1 Corinthians 14. It enables the person with the gift to understand and interpret what someone with the gift of tongues is ...
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3answers
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In John 4, why does Jesus say he was not honored in his own country yet he was welcomed?
“For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for ...
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5answers
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Did Satan want Jesus crucified or not? Matthew 16:21-23 vs Luke 22:3-6
Many interpret Jesus' words in Matthew 16:23 as evidence that Satan manipulated Peter into attempting to dissuade Jesus from going to the cross (see the top answers to this related question for ...
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1answer
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The Land of Israel Joshua 21:43-45
I was reading Joshua 21:43-45
Joshua 21:43(A)Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 (B)And the ...
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1answer
47 views
Are humans made of body + spirit or body + soul + spirit? Genesis 2:7 & Ecclesiastes 12:5-7 vs 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [closed]
Genesis 2:7 gives the idea that a human being is the combination of a physical body (from dust) and a spirit (God's breath of life):
7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and ...
2
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2answers
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Jesus became a life-giving / quickening spirit (1 Cor 15:45), yet he denied being a spirit (Luke 24:39). How to reconcile the apparent contradiction?
1 Corinthians 15 touches on the nature of resurrected bodies, making a contrast between earthly bodies and heavenly bodies:
40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the ...
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1answer
26 views
are the twelve stones in Joshua 4 in the Jordan (Joshua 4:9) or in Gilgal (Joshua 4:20)
Joshua 4:9 says
Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day
...
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2answers
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Is Jesus spirit or not? 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 vs Luke 24:39
16 but whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as ...
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2answers
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How does Judas hang himself and then fall headlong? [duplicate]
Matthew 27:5
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away
and hanged himself.
Acts 1:18
With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field;
there he fell ...
2
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3answers
401 views
Is believing based on evidence good or bad?
In John 20:24-29, Jesus praises those who have faith in the absence of evidence:
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told ...
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2answers
101 views
How should we understand Colossians 2:9 in contrast to [Isaiah 7:14-16, Matthew 1:22-23]?
How does a Human fully God not know how to reject bad and choose good?
Colossians 2:9 [NASB] "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form"
Yeshayahu יְשַׁעְיָהוּ֒ | "...
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5answers
413 views
How to reconcile Philippians 2:5-8 with Numbers 23:19 and Hosea 11:9?
Philippians 2:5-8 is commonly interpreted by many as a description of the incarnation of Jesus:
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of ...
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2answers
398 views
In Christ - believers remain One (εἷς) non-ethnic genderless body [Galatians 3:27-28], unless it helps to be Jewish [Acts 21] or Roman [Acts 22]?
In Galatians 3:27-28 [NASB], Paul claims all baptized in Christ lose ethnicity and gender.
[27] For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is ...
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3answers
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Christians don't circumcise their flesh, because baptism circumcised their flesh?
Based on the following verses - Are Christians required to circumcise their flesh or not? - "Paul" (Παῦλον) seems to contradict himself regarding circumcision.
Colossians 2:11
"[11] and ...
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4answers
320 views
Who was the Rock in the Old Testament? God or Christ?
Psalms 18:2 (ESV):
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 (ESV):
...
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1answer
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Hebrews 12:16,17 seems to incorrectly reference events in Genesis 25:29-34 & 27:35-38
Allow me to be much more succinct, per feedback received.
It seems to me that Esau clearly states, at least in his belief, that the birthright and the blessing are two separate and distinct things ...
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2answers
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When was Peter's mother-in-law healed? Chronological contradiction?
Jesus cured Simon Peter's mother-in-law after he cleansed the leper. Mt.8:1-15.
Jesus cured Simon Peter's mother-in-law before he cleansed the leper. Mk.1:30-42; Lk.4:38 to 5:13.
Peter's mother-in-law ...
2
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3answers
58 views
One Lord or two Lords? Deuteronomy 6:4-5 vs Psalms 110:1
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV):
4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Psalms 110:1 (...
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5answers
382 views
Is Ezekiel 20 talking about works-based salvation when it says “my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live”?
Ezekiel 20:13 (ESV):
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my ...
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1answer
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Is there any evidence to support the “different calendar theory” often invoked to resolve chronological discrepancies in the gospels?
Is there any evidence that there was a confusion of calendars in the first century, such that dates reported within the NT might vary as to the "actual" date of an event, and some authors (...
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1answer
161 views
Does Leviticus 23:6 contradict Exodus 12:18-19?
[Exodus 12:18-19 NLT] (18) The bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of that month. (19) During ...
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1answer
60 views
Why does Jeremiah refer to Zedekiah as Jehoiakim?
In Jeremiah 27 the chapter begins by discussing the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, but in verse 3 pivots to talking about Zedekiah.
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of ...
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4answers
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Why did Pilate refer to Jesus as Christ/Messiah?
Why did Pilate refer to the fact that Jesus was called (by some) Christ/Messiah during his debate with the Sanhedrin...given that Pilate knew it was envy that motivated their accusations against Jesus ...
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6answers
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How can we make sense of God's repentance and grief (Genesis 6:6) from the viewpoint of His perfect foreknowledge?
For this question, I'm taking it as an axiom that God has perfect foreknowledge of future events (nothing extraordinary to be honest -- most hold this view).
Genesis 6:6 (YLT) tells us the following:
...
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4answers
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Bible passages (like in Psalms) that seem legalistic (and maybe even sanctimonious) Vs Colossians verses warnings against legalistic behavior
Some bible scripture verses (especially those in the Psalms) can seem legalistic and also sanctimonious.
Psalm 101:2-4
2 I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You
come to me? I will walk ...
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4answers
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Perfect love that casts out fear vs Fear of God - Are 1 John 4:18 and 2 Corinthians 7:1 talking about different concepts of fear?
1 John 4:18 (ESV):
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV):
Since we ...
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2answers
332 views
How long did Saul reign?
In 1 Samuel 13:1 (BPT09)
Saul era de meia-idade, quando se tornou rei de Israel e reinou cerca de vinte anos.
which translates to
Saul was middle-aged when he became king of Israel and reigned for ...
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3answers
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Why did God bless Abraham's marriage with Sarah if she was his sister and incestuous relationships are categorically prohibited in Scripture?
Abraham married his sister:
11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister,...
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8answers
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Is Jesus against or in favor of the law of retaliation (“eye for eye, tooth for tooth”)?
The law of retaliation can be found in Exodus 21:22-25 (ESV):
22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall ...
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2answers
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King David will not be with God as he is a descendant of an illegitimate child?
King David's ninth father, Phares the son of Judas, according to the Old Testament, was a bastard. Does this mean that David the king, a great and pious messenger and the ancestor of Jesus (according ...
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1answer
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Relation between Judges 4 and Joshua 11
In Judges 4:2 (NASB)
So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
From Joshua 11:1-11 ...
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4answers
261 views
Are men and women equal or not? Galatians 3:26-29 vs 1 Timothy 2:11-15
On the one hand, they appear to be equal:
26 For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with ...
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3answers
130 views
Why is God referred to as “Lord” and Jesus as His “holy servant” in Acts 4:23-31, in contrast to what Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 8:6?
Acts 4:23-31 (NASB):
23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported everything that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard this, ...
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4answers
121 views
If human beings were created perfect in Genesis, then why is it necessary to change our natural bodies into spiritual/angelic bodies?
1 Corinthians 15:40-46 (ESV) reveals the mystery of the natural and heavenly/spiritual bodies, and that human beings will be granted the latter at the resurrection:
40 There are heavenly bodies and ...
2
votes
5answers
224 views
Is John 21:24 contradicting Luke 1:3?
At the beginning of his gospel, Luke states that (1:3):
3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you....
4
votes
4answers
147 views
How could the earth form before the sun?
In the Bible it clearly states
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
and then in
Genesis 1:16 "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule
...
2
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2answers
79 views
The Holy Ghost will be sent or was already sent? Luke 3:22 vs John 14:26
At Jesus' baptism, the Holy Ghost descends upon Him:
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him,
and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in
thee I ...
