Understanding the Gaps in Scripture

Grand Canyon from the South Rim, near the NPS Visitor Center

Back in 2003, my wife and I had an unexpected opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona.  We never thought we could afford to go there.  But our Lord is an amazing God, and He provided.

One of my sisters and her husband graciously allowed us to stay in her time share condominium in the beautiful town of Sedona, Arizona.  Sedona is a fabulous Southwest vacation destination, also referred to as Red Rock Country.  And I used my sky miles from all the business travel I had been doing, so that we were able to get two free tickets round trip from Philadelphia.  I also had rewards points with Hertz rental car that enabled us to get a free car during our stay in Arizona.  Lastly, I had enough Marriott rewards points accumulated, so that we could stay at the very nice Courtyard Marriot in Phoenix on our first night there, before we traveled to the time share condominium in Sedona. I can't forget to mention that my wife's parents were gracious enough to watch our three girls for a week, while we took this fantastic get away.  All of this was unexpected.  The Lord provided it all free of charge as a wonderful surprise to us.

One of the things about the Grand Canyon is that when you stand next to it, you are overwhelmed with awe at the deep, vast expanse.  It's incredibly wide and deep.  I think the bottom of the canyon is about a mile down from where you stand on the rim.  Another thing about it is that when you look across the tops of some of the rock formations at certain angles, such as you see in the photo above, you cannot always tell that there is a huge gap between them.  It's not until you view them from a different angle that you see just how large a gap there is.

The Scriptures are like that, too.  There are some verses in the Bible that skip over large periods of time without any indication that they are doing so.  And when you read about the same events in other portions of Scripture, you get a view from a different angle, so to speak.  Sometimes you find out there was actually a large gap of time between two sentences. It’s important to be aware of this, so that when you read these passages and others like them, you can properly understand the meaning.

Here are some examples:

The First and Second Coming of Christ
The prophet Isaiah wrote: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God…” (Isa 61:1-2)

About seven hundred years later, when Jesus began His public ministry, he began by reading this passage from Isaiah in the synagogue.  “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, ‘THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.’ And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’"  (Luk 4:16-21)

Notice how Jesus stopped before reading the words “and the day of vengeance of our God.”  When He came the first time, it was not for the sake of vengeance, but to preach the gospel to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and to proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor.  As Paul later wrote, “Behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION.’” (2Co 6:2).  When Jesus came the first time, it was not to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God.  That will be when He comes the second time to execute judgment and punish His enemies.

So in Isaiah’s prophecy, there is a gap of at least two thousand years between two phrases in the same sentence: “the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God.”

The resurrection and the ascension
At the end of Luke’s gospel account of Jesus, He records the events that occurred from Jesus’ resurrection until the day He was taken up to heaven.

In the passage where he records Jesus’ appearance to His disciples in the locked room in Jerusalem, he states: “While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, ‘Peace be to you.’"  (Luk 24:36).  From that point, the passage continues until the end of the book, where Luke states, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luk 24:50-51).

In this passage, it all seems to be one continuous event, as though Jesus led the disciples from that locked upper room all the way to Bethany on the same day, and then ascended into heaven.

However, in Luke’s second account of these events in Acts, he expands on this further and reveals that there was a span of forty days between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension.

His second account begins like this: “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” (Act 1:1-5)

Following his description of some of what Jesus said that day, Luke states: “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’” (Act 1:9-11)

So it becomes clear that there were forty days and many detailed events that occurred between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension, which Luke left out in His first account.  It was apparently for the sake of brevity that he did not expand on these events the first time.  As John states in His gospel, “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Joh 20:30-31) The gospels are not an exhaustive record of everything that Jesus said and did.  So when you read the last chapter of Luke, you need to be aware that this gap exists.

The Ascension and post-Pentecost Events
In Luke’s gospel and Acts, he give two different accounts of what happened after the ascension.  In his gospel, he states, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.” (Luk 24:50-53).  So in this record, it appears that the disciples returned to Jerusalem after the ascension and were immediately took up the practice of praising God continually in the temple.

However, in Acts, he clarifies that there was a gap of ten days that occurred between the ascension and their time of continual praise and rejoicing in the temple.  Luke records that immediately following the ascension: “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” (Act 1:12-14).  Here it is obvious that they first returned to the upper room in Jerusalem where they devoted themselves to prayer until the day of Pentecost.

Jesus’ death on the cross occurred on Passover, and his ascension was forty days later, according to Luke’s account in Acts 1:3.  The Feast of Pentecost occurs fifty days after Passover, so by simple math, we can determine that there was a period of ten days between the ascension and Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out.

The disciples were obedient to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit before they went into public to be witnesses for Jesus.  They knew they needed to first be endued with power in order to be His witnesses.  So it wasn’t until ten days after Jesus’ ascension that the disciples began to continually praise God in the temple courts.  This is another one of those gaps that occurs in Scripture. Luke’s first account leaves a period of ten days unaccounted for in Luke 24:52.  It was only later in his second account that Luke unpacked that further for us.

Paul’s first trips as a disciple to Damascus and Jerusalem
Luke leaves another gap in his record of events, and this time it is between Paul’s first visits to Damascus and Jerusalem as a Christian.

He records the events that occurred during Saul’s visit to Damascus immediately following his conversion to Christ: “But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.” (Act 9:22-28)

In this passage, it seems like Paul went directly from Damascus to Jerusalem.  However, in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he said his first trip to Jerusalem was three years after his Damascus road experience.  He wrote, “Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother.” (Gal 1:18-19). This corresponds with Luke’s account, which says, “When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.” (Act 9:26).

So what seems like an immediate trip to Jerusalem in Luke's account did not occur until an period of three years had elapsed!

In the same epistle to the Galatians, Paul stated that the second time he went to Jerusalem was fourteen years after the first visit, and that Barnabas accompanied him on this second trip.  He wrote, “Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.” (Gal 2:1).  This corresponds to Luke’s account, which states, “But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.” (Act 9:27-28).  Barnabas did not go with Paul until his second trip to Jerusalem, and he was influential in helping Paul to obtain the right hand of fellowship with the apostles.

So what Luke covers in a couple sentences happened over a period of seventeen years total.  This included three years between Paul's trip to Damascus and later to Jerusalem, plus another fourteen years between Paul's first and second trips to Jerusalem.

Putting it All Together
These are just a few examples from Scripture that show how there are sometimes gaps in Scripture, where large periods of time exist between two sentences or two phrases in the same sentence.  These are not always further expanded elsewhere in Scripture, but when they are, it helps us to better understand what took place in the interim during the gap.

If we do not understand that these gaps exist, then we can become confused about the events of biblical history and arrive at wrong conclusions about what occurred.  This can sometimes lead to unbiblical theology, so we need to be careful and pray for a clear understanding of Scripture.

Paul’s instruction to Timothy applies to us with regard to this when he wrote, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2Ti 2:15).  We need to rightly divide the word of truth, and sometimes it requires us to divide phrases or sentences in Scripture.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The photo source is Couleurs de la Terre / Colours of the Earth

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Bible is the Word of God, Read the Bible for All Its Worth!, The Uniqueness of God's Word, All Scripture must be fulfilled and The Bible Never Fails. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

God's Word Never Fails

Can we trust the Bible? Today there are plenty of people who would ask that question, so it's important to give a correct answer.

You see, if we question the infallibility of the Bible, that can give us an opportunity to excuse sinful behavior. In other words, it can lead to disobedience to God.

I personally believe the Bible is definitely infallible. God’s Word never fails. Let’s explore why I think so, as well as what infallibility means, and what it does not mean.

Scriptural Witness
First of all, the Scripture itself tells us that God’s Word is infallible. We learn from Scripture that God cannot lie, and that God inspired all Scripture.

The apostle Paul wrote to Titus, “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.” (Tit 1:2) Just as the writer of Hebrews taught (Hebrews 6:18), so also Paul taught that it is impossible for God to lie.

Other passages refer to the purity of God’s Word. The psalmist wrote: “Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it.” (Psa 119:140). And again, “The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.” (Psa 12:6). Another passage says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psa 19:7-8). My friend, you can trust God’s Word to be pure and undefiled.

So what is the Word? We know that Jesus is the Word of God, according to the apostle John. He began his gospel with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Joh 1:1). This entire passage is clearly about Jesus Christ. He also taught, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14). Therefore, the Word is a Person, named Jesus Christ, who is God.

But we also know that there is the written Word of God. Paul wrote to the Romans “the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.” (Rom 3:2). When Jesus spoke to the Jewish, religious leaders of his day, He said, “thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that." (Mar 7:13). He said that they made the Word of God null and void by their traditions that they placed above Scripture.

Jesus often referred to the written Word of God as Scripture. For example, when he read from the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, he said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luk 4:21).

The Word of God was also the message that Jesus proclaimed. “Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.” (Luk 5:1). They were listening to the Word of God that was spoken by Jesus.

The good news of Jesus Christ was also considered the Word of God and was proclaimed by the early church. Luke wrote about them, “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Act 4:31). The apostles refused to neglect the Word of God. And as a result, “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” (Act 6:7).

Paul preached the Word of God. He said, “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God.” (Col 1:25). He also wrote to the church in Thessalonica and said, "when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God." (1 Thes 2:13).

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” (2Ti 3:16). While men wrote the Scriptures, we know that God inspired what they wrote. This includes the writings of the New Testament, such as those of the apostle Paul, who wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. The apostle Peter referred to Paul’s writings as Scriptures. He wrote, “… just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2Pe 3:15-16). When Peter indicated that some people distorted Paul’s letters as they did “the rest of the Scriptures,” he indicated that Paul’s letters are themselves Scripture.

Jesus and the apostles used the Old Testament in a way that assumed it is inerrant. Jesus taught that every tiny detail of the Law must be fulfilled. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Mat 5:18) In order for every stroke of Scripture to be fulfilled, it would have to be correct down to that level of detail. Paul assumed that when he wrote to the Galatians about the promise given to Abraham and Christ. He wrote, “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.” (Gal 3:16). Notice how Paul trusted the Word of God right down to the detailed level, even to the point of whether a word is singular or plural. We should have that same trust in God’s Word.

There is so much more I could write about the witness of scripture about itself as God’s Word. But this is enough to establish my point. All Scripture is God’s Word. He inspired it all. And since God cannot lie, the Word of God is true.

What infallibility does not mean
I’ve established what I mean by infallibility. Now I’d like to clarify that by saying what it does not mean. The autographs were the original sacred writings, written by the authors, as God inspired them. These were inerrant. But the manuscript copies of those original autographs are not perfect. Infallibility exists only in original manuscripts, and not the copies or translations.

There are instances where scribes have made mistakes in the way they copied the manuscripts. So there is the potential for error in these copies. And the same applies to modern translations, since these are based on manuscript copies. That’s why scholarly translation committees will take this into account and try to use the most reliable manuscripts on which to base their translation. Most of the errors that were made by scribes are not show stoppers. These don’t affect any major doctrines of the faith, so we don’t need to be worried about that. To that end, I think we can view most of the scholarly, modern translations (such as the NIV) as a faithful rendering of the original meaning of God’s Word to the extent that it is necessary for our daily walk with God.

In addition to that, the infallibility of the Bible doesn’t mean there are no errors in the Bible. Here’s what I mean. Not every statement made in the Bible is true. Some people are quoted in Scripture as saying things that are absolutely false. But these false statements are recorded accurately. For example, when Satan is quoted in Scripture, he is quoted accurately, even though we know he is a liar, according to Jesus. Likewise, when the enemies of Christ spoke lies about Jesus, they are quoted accurately, even though their statements were false. So I am not saying everything recorded in Scripture is true, but that God’s Word is completely accurate.

You also need to understand that when I say the Bible is accurate, I don’t mean exact. Sometimes approximations are given for the number of people present or someone’s age. These are not critical and are close enough for us to get the main point. When the Bible says Jesus fed five thousand men, it’s not an exact head count. There were about that many men. And to that you need to add the women and children. But it gives you a correct order of magnitude, so that you know he did not simply feed fifty or a hundred people.

We also find that the quotes of Old Testament passages that we find in the New Testament are not necessarily exact. They may be more of paraphrase. But it is close enough for us to know which passage they were referring to.

And when there is more than one record of the same event, the details may differ. The two witnesses of an event may give slightly different accounts. That’s why you may find slightly different accounts of how things happened, depending on which of the four gospels you read. Four different men wrote them. But the differences are not critical to our understanding of the essential doctrines of the faith.

We see this also in the Old Testament. In one record, it says that God incited King David to take a census count of Israel and Judah. Another record says Satan incited David to do it. One account says, “Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, ‘Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.’” (2 Sa 24:1). Yet another account says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.” (1 Chron 21:1). Which was it, God or Satan? You could get hung up on this. Or you could understand that it was God’s idea and He used Satan to carry out the work.

This understanding would agree with what we read in Job, for example. There we read, “Then Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.’ Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.’ So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:9-12) In the case of Job, the thought is from God, but the action from Satan. God allowed Satan to carry out an evil plan against His righteous servant, Job. Satan was given permission to act within very specific boundaries.

Then there is the passage where it is recorded that David killed the giant named Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4). Yet in another passage, it is written, “There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.” (2Sa 21:19). So in this second passage, it says Elhanan killed Goliath. Which man killed Goliath? Was it David or Elhanan? If you read Chronicles, which is a parallel account of the books of Samuel, it says, “And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.” (1Ch 20:5). So it is only when we read this third account that we understand Elhanan did not kill Goliath, but the brother of Goliath. It appears that when the scribe was copying the manuscript of 2 Samuel 21:19, he made a mistake. He left out the words for “brother of,” and simply wrote Goliath. This is a simple mistake that would be easy to make, and it does not affect any major doctrine.

Jesus once presented a parable saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES." (Mat 13:31-32).

Someone may point out that Jesus said the mustard seed is the smallest garden seed, yet it’s not the smallest seed. You might say the poppy seed is slightly smaller. Based on that fact, a person without faith may challenge the infallibility of God’s Word. He may wonder why Jesus Christ, who made the universe, does not know which seed is the smallest. But here’s another way to look at this with the eyes of faith. Most of the people Jesus was speaking to would not be familiar with the poppy seed. So Jesus used an illustration that everyone would be familiar with instead. Besides, it gave a better picture of the kingdom of God than a poppy seed, because of the contrast between the size of the mustard seed and the tree that it produces. This was a more fitting analogy of the kingdom of God, which starts small at the beginning and grows to be very large, a place where many can find refuge.

What is not the Word of God?
I just want to mention that there are some books of questionable authenticity, known as the Apocrypha, which are included in some Bibles. For example, the Catholic Bible contains these. It's important to note that these books are spurious. They include such books as Tobit, Judith, The Additions to the Book of Esther (contained in the Greek version of Esther), The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, Baruch, The Letter of Jeremiah, The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, The Prayer of Manasseh, 2 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, and Psalm 151.

The authors of these books never claimed to be inspired by God, nor were they ever cited by Christ or the apostles. There are many other reasons why these cannot be accepted as part of the canon of Scripture. But I simply want to make it clear that I am definitely not referring to these books when I use the terms "Bible," "Scripture," or "Word of God."

A word of caution
You should be careful not to jump to hasty conclusions about the Word of God, trying to find fault with it. You can get yourself into trouble doing that.

I saw an excellent video that illustrates this. A man is driving a concrete mixer truck down the street. He’s on his way home from work. He glances down and smiles at a photo of his lovely wife on the dashboard. He’s looking forward to seeing her when he gets home. But as he pulls up in front of the house, he sees a brand new, blue Mercedes convertible parked in his driveway. Unfortunately, he immediately gets suspicious of her.

He stops the truck, walks over to the window of the house, and is shocked by what he sees. Inside he sees a handsome man, dressed in a suit, hugging his wife. He is now certain that she is cheating on him. Assuming that the new sports car belongs to the man he saw embracing his wife, he backs his concrete mixer truck right into the car, denting the shiny vehicle. Then he proceeds to dump fresh, wet cement into the car.

As he is doing so, he looks into the house through the curtain once again. His wife notices him watching and is all excited to see him. She has nothing to hide, but waves her hand, beckoning him in. Then the handsome man that was hugging her stands beside her for a photo in front of the cameras. It is now obvious that his wife has just won a brand new car, and the sponsor of the prize is presenting the keys to her.

As the realization hits the husband that the car belonged to his wife and she was not cheating on him, he is mortified. But it’s too late. The car is filled to the top with cement! It’s ruined permanently. And all this was because he jumped to hasty conclusions. He didn’t trust his wife or think the best of her.

The same thing can happen when you read the Bible with an eye out for errors. If you assume the Bible is not true, then you may come up with reasons to support your assumption. But that’s a faulty starting point that will lead to dangerous consequences! You would be sorry in the end that you did that, just as the man who dumped concrete in his wife’s new car.

Putting it All Together
We know that God cannot lie, and that He inspired all Scripture. That includes both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. His Word is pure and without defilement. The Bible is infallible.

Jesus and the apostles used Scripture in a way that indicated they believed it was without error. All Scripture must be fulfilled, right down to the smallest detail!

But infallibility exists only in original manuscripts, and not the copies or translations. Even so, the errors in the manuscripts and modern translations are so minor that most of them cannot even be detected in the modern languages.

When you do see an inconsistency in the Bible, you should always start with the assumption that there is a good explanation for it. How you handle inconsistencies in the Bible depends on whether you trust the Lord and His Word. Your ability to harmonize Scripture depends on your faith.

If you believe that God inspired all Scripture, and that it is impossible for God to lie, you will not stumble over these things. The writer of Hebrews taught that those who did not mix the Word with faith disobeyed God. “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (Heb 4:2). He goes on to say that they failed to enter their rest, because if their disobedience (Heb 4:6). And he warns us not to follow their example of disobedience. So always begin with an attitude of faith, trusting in the Word of God, Jesus Christ and the Scriptures.

Jesus is the stone that the Father has laid, and upon which the church is built. But he was a stone of stumbling for those who don’t believe (Rom 9:32-33). I hope that you will not stumble over Him.

Lastly, when you read the Scripture, you cannot understand it apart from the help of the Holy Spirit. If you try to, you will simply find the letter of the law. Keep in mind that the Spirit gives life, but the letter kills (2 Cor 3:6). Always pray before you read the Bible, humbling yourself before God, asking for Him to speak to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to show you what the Spirit was saying in the original passage. Look for the spirit of the Word, the heart of God, and the intent of what He meant. If you do, you will see that the Word of God is true, and it never fails.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

Author's note: This post was adapted from a message I recently heard preached at a church in Budapest, Hungary. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Bible is the Word of God, Read the Bible for All Its Worth!, All Scripture must be fulfilled, The Uniqueness of God's Word, and The Bible Never Fails. I also invite you to take a look at my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.