More alleged Bible contradictions

Sam Shamoun

Osama has recruited some new writers whom he thinks will be able to write rebuttals refuting the Holy Bible and Christianity. One such writer who has been desperately trying to expose the Holy Bible is a convert to Islam named Abdullah Smith. Mr. Smith has recently published a paper where he presents passages showing that the Lord Jesus allegedly contradicted himself (here).

Since this paper is pretty much representative of the kind of quality and level of argumentation Osama’s new batch of writers are producing, we decided to address the points raised by Mr. Smith in order to show that there is no substance to any of the charges.

All scriptural quotations will be from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless we indicate otherwise.

First Contradiction

"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid (John 8:14)

Contradicts:

"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. (John 5:31)

RESPONSE:

Let us read the immediate contexts of the above references in order to get a fuller understanding of what is actually being said:

"So the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.’ Jesus answered, ‘EVEN IF I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, FOR I KNOW WHERE I CAME FROM AND WHERE I AM GOING, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.’ They said to him therefore, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’" John 8:13-19

In this passage Jesus is speaking in reference to himself, that as far as he is concerned his testimony is valid on the basis of his awareness of who is and where he came from. In other words, Christ is stating that EVEN IF he were to testify about himself this would be valid because of who he is, the Son of God. But realizing that the Jews didn’t know who he was Christ goes on to produce another witness on his behalf, namely the testimony of the Father, in order to convince them that he had come from God. He repeats this point regarding the Jews needing witnesses in the next passage cited by the author:

"I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" John 5:31-47

In this context, Jesus states that as far as the Jews are concerned his testimony is invalid. That is why he appeals to the testimony of John, his miracles, the Father, the scriptures and Moses for verification of his divine claims. But even here Jesus repeats the point he made in John 8, namely, he doesn’t need the witness or testimony of men because he knows who he is and where he came from.

Second Contradiction

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. (John 7:7)

Contradicts:

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:19)

RESPONSE:

The first passage is wrenched out of its immediate context:

"After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews’ feast of Tabernacles was at hand. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing. For no man works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his brothers did not believe in him. Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil.’" John 7:1-7

Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Christ and were therefore of the world. Jesus’ disciples, on the other hand, were believers and were therefore not of the world.

Third Contradiction

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

Contradicts:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

RESPONSE:

In the first place Jesus’ instructions about loving each other were in reference to the relationship that fellow believers must have with one another; the Lord wasn’t addressing the relationship between believers and unbelievers. Jesus was telling his followers that they must love each other even as Christ has loved them. Jesus’ comments in Luke 14:26, however, were dealing with one’s commitment to Christ taking precedence over all other commitments, that one must not love anyone more than the Lord Jesus and must be willing to forsake, if necessary, all for him even if it be family and friends.

As far as whether Jesus meant that believers must literally hate their families for his sake, we will let our good friend Christian philosopher and apologist Glenn Miller answer this one:

Several points:

1. When you say 'miseo' means 'hate', it is important to realize that language is just not that simple. When I say "Compared to Lime Sherbet, I hate vanilla", most readers will not know how I will respond to the question "would you like a scoop of vanilla" on a hot day. In this example, hate does not have the intensity or extension range that would be present in "I hate crimes against the elderly." In other words, usage and context ALWAYS play a critical element in understanding that a word means IN A SPECIFIC CASE. And all honest attempts to understand a text-biblical, political, scientific, philosophical--must begin with this understanding of the richness and flexibility of natural language. All attempts to 'force' a word into a narrow range of meaning are subject to the possibility of error.
   
   
2. In this case, we have three data points that help us determine the range/intensity of the word miseo:
   
   
1. Semitic usage patterns of love/hate in bipolar contexts;
   

The Semitic mind of OT/NT would state relative comparisons as absolutes, and this would even show up in the same passage. Cf. Genesis 29.30-31:

"Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah (mem proposition)...When the LORD saw that Lead was not loved (lit. hated)"

This text shows that "hated" could mean IN CERTAIN CONTEXTS "love less than"... (You also have a similar use of hate in Deut 21.15-17 wherein one wife is preferred over another and the word 'hate' is used of the 'less preferred'. In other words, the Semite reader would not make the harsh and rigid conclusions that one from a western culture might.

2. Semitic range of miseo
   

We have extra-biblical data that argues that while miseo to Greeks has a more narrow word content, to Semites using miseo, the range was considerably wider, including the sense of 'leaving aside', 'renunciation', or 'abandonment' (cf. F.F. Bruce, The Hard Sayings of Jesus, Downers Grove: IVP, 1983, p.592.)

3. the parallel passage in Matthew 10:37 using paraphrase
   

The parallel account of this message is given in Matthew 10.37:

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

When Matthew paraphrases the words of Jesus in this passage, he makes sure that the range and intent of the utterance in seen in its SEMITIC LIGHT. In other words, he preserves less of the ambiguity of the original saying of Jesus in order to make sure that the correct nuance is made explicit. In so doing, he shows us the Semitic idea of 'lower preference' seems to be the correct meaning behind miseo in this passage.

3. One final word on approaching this passage, GK. This is now the third one of your posts I have examined carefully, and I have noticed a recurring mistake in your treatment of the texts. You seem to be trying to force the text into a 'western world' framework or some kind of rigid linguistic system. The language and content of the bible is much, much richer and more powerful (like most classics) than one-dimensional approaches allow. The book must be allowed to provoke honest interaction, not just assumption and conclusion. We must submit our interpretations to it for 'dialogue' (like we have to do with the works of Shakespeare or Hume or Kant). To merely say, "this verse is a contradiction" without going through the possible answers honestly, borders on slander or misrepresentation. I encourage you to use the background you have to anticipate the first round or two of the opposing views. It will make your case much better, and your credibility more apparent. For each of the 'standard problems' raised, there are typically 5-10 different solutions. The challenge for us is often 'which one makes the best sense?' and/or 'which one can I hold before my God of truth and say I believe this one'. You could probably bypass some of the "solved-a-hundred-times-before" passages you have been advancing (e.g. the above and the Peter/Rooster one) and get on to the really juicy ones! (Source: Jesus, the hate-monger?)

We now turn the tables on the author to see if there is any contradiction in the Quran regarding how believers are to view their families:

O ye who believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for friends if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith. Whoso of you taketh them for friends, such are wrong-doers. S. 9:23 Pickthall

You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the latter day befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Apostle, even though they were their (own) fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk; these are they into whose hearts He has impressed faith, and whom He has strengthened with an inspiration from Him: and He will cause them to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein; Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him these are Allah's party: now surely the party of Allah are the successful ones. S. 58:22 Shakir

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." John 6:38

’s will then Jesus has every right to refuse her demands and to correct her seeing that he is her very Lord and Savior.

More importantly, even if Mary’s demands were not necessarily out of line she still needed to realize that Christ doesn’t operate under her schedule or timetable, but only does and says exactly that which the Father commands:

"So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me." John 8:28

"For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment--what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me." John 12:49-50

"but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here." John 14:31

Eleventh Contradiction

And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: (Mark 9:36-37)

Contradicts:

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (Revelations 2:23)

RESPONSE:

Smith has obviously not bothered to read Revelation 2:23 carefully. That text isn’t referring to physical babies or young children, but to Jezebel’s spiritual children who were not small kids by any means or stretch of the imagination:

"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, AND THOSE WHO COMMIT ADULTERY WITH HER I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.’" Revelation 2:18-23

It is clear from the context that children here refer to Jezebel’s followers, not to young biological children. The terms "children," "child," "sons," or "son" are often used throughout the Bible in reference to a person’s followers or to younger believers who are not children but grown adults:

"I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church." 1 Corinthians 4:14-17

"To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." 1 Timothy 1:2

"She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son." 1 Peter 5:13

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1

Furthermore, even if Jesus were referring to small physical children in Revelation, this still wouldn’t be a contradiction. As we just saw above Jezebel’s children were those who shared in her idolatry and immorality, and thus were not true believers. In Mark, however, the children whom Jesus blesses are those who belong to him:

"And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child IN MY NAME receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’" Mark 9:36-37

The phrase "IN MY NAME" implies that these are Christian children, young boys and girls who name the name of Christ. In either case, there simply are no real contradictions between these passages.

Twelfth Contradiction

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44)

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, (Luke 6:27)

Contradicts:

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me. (Luke 19:27)

But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me." (NIV)

RESPONSE:

The author again shows his confusion and inability to comprehend what these texts are actually saying. Matthew 5 and Luke 6 are directing the disciples on how they are to treat those who hate and persecute them. Believers must not persecute those who persecute them but entrust their enemies to God’s will, whether he will grant them repentance unto salvation or hand them over to judgement. Neither text denies that unbelievers will be punished by God, but are simply instructing believers on how they are to treat their enemies.

Yet the same Holy Scriptures plainly teach that God will bring judgment on those who refuse to believe the Gospel and who seek to harm believers because of their love for Christ:

"For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved--so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last!" 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16

"This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed." 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been." Revelation 6:9-11

This is what Luke 19:27 is talking about since this is referring to Christ’s return when he will bring judgment on those who refused to believe in him:

"As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, ‘A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, "Engage in business until I come." But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us." WHEN HE RETURNED, HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOM, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, "Lord, your mina has made ten minas more." And he said to him, "Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities." And the second came, saying, "Lord, your mina has made five minas." And he said to him, "And you are to be over five cities." Then another came, saying, "Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow." He said to him, "I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?" And he said to those who stood by, "Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas." And they said to him, "Lord, he has ten minas!" "I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me."’" Luke 19:11-27

In this parable Jesus is likening his ascension to and return from heaven to one who goes far away to receive his kingdom and comes back to deal with those who refused to acknowledge his reign. Basically, Christ is talking about his second coming where he will judge both the righteous believers and unbelievers, along with false Christians.

Paul beautifully sums up all of the above points:

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:14-21

Thirteenth Contradiction

That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none. (John 18:9)

Contradicts:

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:12)

RESPONSE:

How is this supposed to be a contradiction is simply beyond us. Jesus said that he has lost none, and will never lose anyone, whom the Father has given him to save:

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:37-40

"Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.’" John 10:25-30

"When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.’" John 17:1-2

Judas did not belong to God and therefore wasn’t one of those whom the Father had given the Son to save:

"Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him." John 6:70-71

"During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, … Jesus said to him, ‘The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’… ‘I AM NOT SPEAKING OF ALL OF YOU; I KNOW WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, "He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me." I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.’ … After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.’ So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’ Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night." John 13:2, 10-11, 18-19, 21-30

That is why one of the very texts cited by Mr. Smith calls Judas the son of perdition, i.e. the one destined for destruction. Thus, the Lord Jesus truly lost none of those whom God had chosen to save through his glorious Son.

Fourteenth Contradiction

But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:33)

But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. (Luke 12:9)

Contradicts:

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." (Mark 14:30)

Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75)

RESPONSE:

The author assumes that Jesus allows no room for genuine repentance and restoration to be granted to those who deny him. Even though it is true that the Lord Jesus will deny anyone who denies him, the Lord is also willing to forgive and restore all who repent of their faithlessness since his desire is that none should perish:

"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die." Ezekiel 18:20-24

"So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:7-11

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15

"Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, "Pay what you owe." So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you." He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.’" Matthew 18:21-35

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when YOU HAVE TURNED AGAIN, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32

Note here that Jesus says he will pray for Peter which results in Peter turning back to Christ again, showing that Christ desires that even those who deny him should turn to him.

"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:12-13

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:7-10

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2

The foregoing basically shows that the Lord Jesus is willing to forgive even those who have denied him provided that they repent and acknowledge their sins.

Fifteenth Contradiction

The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. (Matthew 26:24)

* If Judas betrayed Jesus, then he cannot sit on the throne!

Contradicts:

That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:3)[sic]

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28)

RESPONSE:

The problem does not lie with Jesus, but with the author’s ability to read carefully. We highlight the one specific part that the author apparently failed to see:

"Then Peter said in reply, ‘See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, YOU WHO HAVE FOLLOWED ME will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’" Matthew 19:27-28

Christ’s promise is conditioned on the apostles’ faithfulness in following him. Judas disqualified himself since he failed to follow Jesus faithfully. This becomes clearer from the very Lukan passage alluded to by the author:

"And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!’ And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’" Luke 22:20-30

Christ promised that only those who continue with him in his trials would sit on thrones to judge Israel. That this promise did not include all of the twelve, specifically Judas, can be seen from the fact that Jesus had just indicated that one of them would betray him. This means that since Judas was going to betray Christ, Jesus could not have been including him in the promise.

Later on, the Lord Jesus chose Matthias to replace Judas thereby receiving the promise of sitting on one of the twelve thrones:

"All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ‘Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ (Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ‘For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it"; and "Let another take his office." So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.’ And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." Acts 1:14-26

Matthias was one of those who had been with the Lord Jesus from the very beginning and had also shared in his trials and tribulations. Amazingly, heavenly Jerusalem is built on the foundation of these twelve apostles:

"Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed-- on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Revelation 21:9-14

It seems rather odd that the author failed to include the verses that precede Luke 22:30 (not 3). The author seemingly knew that when read in its immediate context the passage fails to support his false assertions since the context clearly demonstrates that Christ’s promise was based on the condition that his followers had to remain faithful till the end. Otherwise, they would lose the promised blessing.

Sixteenth Contradiction

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Contradicts:

TAKE CARE not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward reserved for and awaiting you] with and from your Father Who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1, Amplified Bible)

RESPONSE:

Matthew 5 and 6 are dealing with two different contexts and do not contradict. In Mathew 6, Jesus is dealing with hypocrisy and self-glorification:

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:1-8

Jesus is warning his followers not to do things for the praise of men, but to make sure to do everything solely and completely for the praise of God. If one fears that their acts of righteousness are being done so that they can receive honor from men then Jesus provides a remedy for that. In those situations it is better to perform your acts and prayers secretly so as to prevent self-righteousness and self-praise from taking place. And yet in so doing, one will eventually learn to be humble and acquire a sincere heart which in turn will bring glory to God from others who will be able to assess the pure intentions of the believers’ acts of worship.

Seventeenth Contradiction

This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49)

Contradicts:

Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matthew 21:31)

RESPONSE:

Context is key in understanding Jesus’ point regarding tax collectors and harlots entering the Kingdom:

"What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind (metameleetheis) and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds (metemeleetheete) and believe him." Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus likens the tax collectors and the prostitutes to the son who said he wouldn’t do his father’s will but then changed his mind and did it. Jesus’ reference to changing one’s mind and to the belief of the tax collectors and prostitutes in John the Baptist presupposes that these individuals repented of their sins and changed their course of life. They didn’t remain in their sins, since believing John’s message resulted in confessing and turning away from one’s sinful lifestyle:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins… He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’ And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’ Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’" Luke 3:1-2, 7-14

In fact, one of Jesus’ purposes in coming was to convert sinners such as tax collectors and prostitutes by offering them the hope of God’s love and salvation:

"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’" Matthew 9:9-13

Eighteenth Contradiction

Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

Contradicts:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Everyone will be salted with fire. (Mark 9:49)

RESPONSE:

We really do not see how Matthew 7:13-14 contradicts the previous two passages since the meek and the poor will be part of the few who will find life in Christ. Furthermore, Mark 9:49 has nothing to do with believers being salted with fire since the context defines who the "everyone" are:

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire. Mark 9:42-49

The "everyone" in the context are all those who will end up in hell, i.e. that everyone who is in hell will be salted with fire.

More importantly, it is the Quran which contradicts itself regarding whether believers will enter hell or not:

Not one of you there is, but he shall go down to it; that for thy Lord is a thing decreed, determined. Then We shall deliver those that were godfearing; and the evildoers We shall leave there, hobbling on their knees. S. 19:71-72 Arberry

The above has everyone entering hell including believers! The Quran also says that entering hell is Allah’s way of abasing or disgracing persons:

Our Lord, whomsoever Thou admittest into the Fire, Thou wilt have abased; and the evildoers shall have no helpers. S. 3:192 Arberry

This means that Muslims are being disgraced and abased by Allah. Yet the Quran says that Allah will not humiliate the believers:

O you who disbelieve! do not urge excuses today; you shall be rewarded only according to what you did. O you who believe! turn to Allah a sincere turning; maybe your Lord will remove from you your evil and cause you to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, on the day on which Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him; their light shall run on before them and on their right hands; they shall say: Our Lord! make perfect for us our light, and grant us protection, surely Thou hast power over all things. 66:7-8 Shakir

Perhaps Mr. Smith can help reconcile these blatant Quranic contradictions. For more on this subject of Muslims entering hell please read the following:

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/muslims_in_hell.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/muslims_in_hell2.htm

Nineteenth Contradiction

I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11)

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (KJV)

Contradicts:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire: (Matthew 3:11, KJV)

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (NIV)

RESPONSE:

We have already addressed this here and here.

Twentieth Contradiction

But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." (Matthew 17:12)

* Jesus said John the Baptist is Elijah.

Contradicts:

They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." (John 1:21)

* Yet John denies being Elijah!

RESPONSE:

The dilemma here is one that only exists in the author’s mind. The author obviously failed to understand (obviously due to his failure to read the texts carefully) that John was denying that he was the same person as Elijah, a sort of Elijah reincarnated, whereas Jesus was not claiming that John was the OT Elijah. Rather, Jesus was simply claiming that John is a type of Elijah, doing what Elijah is supposed to do when Christ was to appear. This is seen from the following citation:

"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and ELIJAH, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one FOR ELIJAH.’ … And the disciples asked him, ‘Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?’ He answered, ‘Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17:1-4, 9-13

Here Elijah himself appears with Moses on the mount and talks with Jesus, and yet at the same time the Lord identifies John the Baptist as the Elijah of Christ's first coming. This basically proves that Jesus wasn’t claiming that John was the actual Elijah back from the dead but that the Baptist was an Elijah-type who did the exact same work that the actual Elijah was to do. This is precisely what the angel announced to Zechariah regarding the birth of his son:

"But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." Luke 1:13-17

Notice the angel’s words that John is coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, not that John is actually Elijah himself. As it stands, there are no real contradictions between these texts.

Twenty-First Contradiction

He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Matthew 12:39)

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. (John 13:13)

Contradicts:

He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." (Mark 8:12)

"I do not accept praise from men, (John 5:41)

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' " (Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7)

RESPONSE:

First, the author has apparently confused the settings of the Matthean and Markan texts and presumably assumed that they refer to the same situation. Jesus’ words in Matthew 12 were said at an earlier point in time than Mark 8:

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.’" Matthew 12:38-42

The Matthean parallel to Mark 8 is found in Matthew 16, not 12:

"And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red." And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ So he left them and departed." Matthew 16:1-4

And now compare this with Mark:

"The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.’ And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side." Mark 8:11-13

Now the author has assumed that since Mark omits the clause from Matthew regarding the sign of Jonah this implies that there must be a contradiction. This is obviously the result of his bias against the NT documents, based more on his unwarranted assumption that the NT books are not inspired and accurate records. As a result of this a priori position he then proceeds to read these texts unsympathetically in order to find as many discrepancies as he possibly can.

If we assume that these texts are accurate witnesses and grant the authors the benefit of the doubt then one can easily see that Mark has summarized the words of Jesus at this point while Matthew has provided a fuller account of the conversation. We do know that Mark wasn’t intending to convey that Jesus would perform no other miracles in confirmation of his claims since he goes on to record the following:

"And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’" Mark 8:31-33

Mark obviously believed that Christ’s death and resurrection would be the greatest sign, the premiere event, that would verify Jesus’ Divine messianic claims which even the unbelieving Jewish authorities would not be able to simply brush off as mere tricks or sorcery. After all, no amount of divination or satanic power can ever resurrect someone to immortality and God doesn’t vindicate blasphemers by raising them from the dead!

From the foregoing we can infer that Mark’s point was that Jesus had provided the ruling authorities with enough supernatural verification for his messianic claims and no more would be given to them. Yet the resurrection would be an exception, not so much because this event would be another sign specifically for the scribes and Pharisees, but because of the inevitable fact that they would be witnesses to Christ’s empty tomb and then to the apostles’ proclamation that they had seen the risen Lord Jesus.

Twenty-Second Contradiction

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:18)

* Jesus claims having the power to raise himself

Contradicts:

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. (Acts 5:30)

* It was God who raised Jesus, he didn’t have the power to raise himself

RESPONSE:

First of all, Peter did not say that Christ didn’t have power to raise himself. That is reading something into the text which is not there, a classic case of eisegesis. Furthermore, this same Peter testified that Jesus is the very Author of Life:

"and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." Acts 3:15

Being the Author of Life implies that Jesus is the very Source of Life. Thus, Jesus did have power to raise himself from the dead even according to Acts.

Third, the author has committed the fallacy of false dilemma since he presents these passages as an either/or situation, i.e. either God raised Christ or Jesus raised himself. The author apparently didn’t bother to think whether he is dealing with a both/and scenario, that both God and Christ raised the Son.

In fact, it is passages such as these which drove the Church to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity. The Church saw from the Holy Bible that there are three distinct Persons who are identified as God and are able to do what God alone can do. For instance, the Holy Bible teaches that God the Father, Jesus Christ his beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit raised Christ and will resurrect the dead at the end of the age, a work which only God can perform:

God the Father

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." Acts 2:22-24

"And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power." 1 Corinthians 6:14

"knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence." 2 Corinthians 4:14

"Paul, an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—" Galatians 1:1

God the Son

"Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will YOU raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken." John 2:19-22

"Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead WILL HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs WILL HEAR HIS VOICE and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment." John 5:25-29

"For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." John 10:17-18

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." Philippians 3:20-21

God the Holy Spirit

"Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD." Ezekiel 37:12-14

"concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 1:3-4

"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11

The Church also saw that the Holy Bible plainly teaches that there is only one God. When the Church pieced all these references together they rightly ended up with the doctrine of the blessed and most holy Trinity!

Mr. Smith on Jesus Lying

Mr. Smith just recently posted a paper where he accuses the NT of teaching that the Lord Jesus was a liar (here.

He writes:

 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. (John 7:1-10)

How many Christians have overlooked this verse? The footnote regarding John 7:8 says

"Some early manuscripts do not have yet". The word ‘yet’ was added to later manuscripts to cover up the lie.

RESPONSE:

We must again repeat the point we have made throughout this paper. The problem doesn’t lie with what the text says, but with Mr. Smith’s shallow reading of the Holy Bible. Let us highlight the points he missed due to his zeal to try and show that the NT presents Jesus as a liar in a similar manner to the Quran’s teaching that Allah is a liar and the best deceiver of them all:

"After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret IF HE SEEKS TO BE KNOWN OPENLY. If you do these things, SHOW YOURSELF TO THE WORLD.’ For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, ‘MY TIME HAS NOT YET COME, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, FOR MY TIME HAS NOT YET FULLY COME.’ After saying this, HE REMAINED IN GALILEE. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, NOT PUBLICLY BUT IN PRIVATE." John 7:1-10

Jesus’ brothers were asking him to go up and publicly present himself to the people, obviously with the intention of trying to get him killed. Jesus doesn’t deny that he will go up to the feast, but says he won’t go up and present himself publicly since the time for him to do that had not yet come. The text shows that later on Jesus did go up, but not publicly, since the time had obviously come for him to go to the feast but in secret. Basically, the Father had granted Jesus the permission to go up privately since it still wasn’t time for him to show himself openly. As it stands the text nowhere supports the erroneous assertion that Jesus lied, especially when we find statements such as these later on in the very same chapter:

"And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, he is leading the people astray.’… ‘The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him IS TRUE, and in him THERE IS NO FALSEHOOD.’ John 7:12, 18

The last thing that John would try to do is present his Lord and Savior as a blatant liar like Allah of the Quran.

Furthermore, is it any wonder that some scribes felt the need to add the word "yet" in light of the author’s blatant distortion of the text? (This assumes of course that this word is not part of the original reading). They apparently realized there would be weak-minded Christians who may misunderstand Jesus’ meaning here, as well as deceivers who would try to use such passages to pollute the minds of believers much like Mr. Smith has unsuccessfully tried to do.

The rest of his points have already been addressed and refuted both here and elsewhere, so no need to repeat ourselves.

Recommended Reading

Mr. Abdullah Smith has also produced a list of so-called contradictions from the book of Psalms, all of which have been addressed and refuted here.

So need to reinvent the wheel.

Another writer named Bassam Zawadi has produced some alleged errors which he thinks have no good answers (here).

He even thinks that there is an evolution occurring within the NT documents (here).

The fact is that his lists, which he has simply plagiarized from Atheist websites, have been thoroughly answered time and again:

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/hway.html
http://www.inerrancy.org/
http://answering-islam.org/BibleCom/index.html
http://answering-islam.org/Bible/Contra/index.html
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/shorrosh_1a.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/shorrosh_1b.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/realjesus.htm

We have yet to find any good refutations to these answers. Maybe Zawadi wants to prove us wrong by mustering up the courage to refute these responses.

Furthermore, our good friend Quennel Gale has also written some recent responses to both Mr. Smith and Osama that we recommend:

http://answer-islam.org/bible_errors_regarding_heaven.html
http://answer-islam.org/challenge_to_christians1.html

We also want to highly encourage our readers to please visit Osama’s site and compare the alleged rebuttals to our Quranic contradictions list and Polemical rebuttal section:

http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/index.html
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/index.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/index.htm#common_questions

In order to see the vast difference in the level and quality of argumentation being presented by both sides.

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Alleged Bible Contradictions
Rebuttals to Answering-Christianity
Articles by Sam Shamoun
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