The Bible is Filled with Errors
As a missionary to my Jewish people in New York City, I met with an orthodox Jewish man named Leon at his apartment in Brooklyn. Leon didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah and gave many a reason why he held to such a position.
I asked Leon a simple question, “Have you ever read the account of Jesus’ life in the gospels from the Brit Chadashah, the New Covenant Scriptures (New Testament)?” “No”, he responded. His lack of exposure to the New Testament is common for religious Jewish people who don’t know Messiah Jesus, for some rabbis prohibit the reading of what they consider a “false document,” while others simply discourage their congregants from “wasting their time”.
I then told Leon that I liked him and thought he was a smart man, which he was. But I also challenged Leon in so many words, “Your assessment of Jesus is based on ignorance, not information. I challenge you to read one of the gospels and then tell me what you think about Jesus. Then I’ll respect your viewpoint, because it will be at the very least an informed viewpoint!”
Leon didn’t usher me to his door and say “goodbye.” Rather, he replied in the affirmative, saying, “You’re right. I need to read the New Testament and find out for myself.”
As we continue to address how to effectively answer questions and objections to the Christian faith, I tell that story to introduce us to a common objection to the Christian faith that has been raised since the Holy Scripture was canonized:
The Bible is filled with errors.
As we continue to tackle questions and provide answers, again, we want to make the issue personal, when possible, and always with love.
The initial response should be not with an informational defense, which we can and should provide in due time, but rather with a loving personal challenge:
“Can you please show me one?”
This simple yet powerful question will reveal the motive of the questioner. For we all have to defend statements of faith. And while my claim to believe the Bible as God’s Word is a statement of faith, so is another’s claim that it is not!
Hence the question.
In my Christian experience, I’ve posed this question to the people making this disparaging statement. And you know what? There have been times the individual couldn’t show me an error. And we have to wonder, rationally, “If the Bible is filled with errors, you could at least show me one.”
A natural follow-up question to the one who can’t show you an error on the spot is, “Have you ever read the Bible yourself?”
Just like in my interaction with Leon, the goal is to compel individuals to read the Bible for themselves, then come to their own conclusions. As a follow-up, you might ask, “Do you want to know if the Bible truly is God’s Word?” Again, we want our response to be personal.
If someone is knowledgable enough to show you an apparent error or errors, then it’s appropriate to ask if they’d be interested in examining information that would answer their objections regarding the Bible and its apparent mistakes.
An initial comeback goes something like this: “The Bible claims to be God’s Word. Jesus claimed it to be true (John 17:17). Apparent contradictions in the Bible are just that—apparent. In fact, as a piece of ancient literature, the Bible is more credible and reliable than any other. And if you’re interested, I’d be happy to provide you evidence that supports the veracity, credibility and reliability of the Bible.”
If someone is set in their position of rejection, then no amount of information will alter their viewpoint. Let it go. Respect where they are at the particular moment in time, and pray that some soon tomorrow, their heart would soften to the point of interacting with the truth claims of the Word.
On the other hand, if someone is open and willing to interact with a viewpoint supporting the veracity, reliability, and credibility of the Bible, we can proceed.
Here are some online resources I trust can be helpful to your defense of the Scripture:
> A solid article about Josh McDowell and his approach to defending God’s Word.
> a short 2-minute video by Chad Miller, highlighting an appropriate initial response – “Can you show me one error?”
> Excellent article dealing with 100 specific claims of biblical errors/contradictions by Jay Smith, one of the foremost Christian apologists/evangelists to Muslims.
> The “granddaddy” of them all, a webpage with a myriad of resources tackling the issue in depth!
These will give you ample ammunition for the honest inquirer or honest skeptic.
As we conclude our thinking on this important issue of biblical veracity, reliability, and credibility, one more line of questioning I think is appropriate.
Find out if they believe in God. If they believe in God on any level, ask them to ask God as they know Him, to reveal the truth about the Bible, “God, is the bible Your Word or not?”
If someone has the courage and faith to go to the source of truth, He can accomplish above what we can hope or imagine!
For those still walking in the dark, blind, lame and deaf to the truth of God’s Word, He desires to open the eyes of the blind, make the lame walk, and the deaf speak for His glory!
May the Lord grant us wisdom and discernment as we participate in this aspect of the long war on the truth of God’s Word, being a powerful witness to others and being strengthened ourselves in the process.
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).