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We hear a lot about Bible “contradictions”  from people these days.  Many say that because of these discrepancies the reliability of the Bible  cannot be trusted.  Especially brought up are the four gospels, since they have many parallel accounts that have surface disagreements with one another.   But let me give you six different ways you can explain these supposedly fatal contradictions:

1.They used “paraphrase”: Saying the same thing in different words.  In first century culture, it was permissible to vary the exact wording when you quoted someone, as long as the meaning of the quote remained intact.  They could vary the amount of detail given for a specific account also.  For example, “two cars collided in the intersection”  might be said also as “the first car crashed into the second car as they both were moving through the intersection of First and Second Street”.  Each describes the same event, one gives more detail, but the basic meaning is not changed.   If the second quote said: “there was only one car in the accident, and it hit a pole” then that would be a contradiction.  But we find none like this in the gospels.

2.They were different witnesses to the same events.  One thing the seeming disagreements in Scripture shows is the absence of collusion. They could even have been designed that way as one more evidence of authenticity. Some of the Bible’s verses, when carefully studied in the proper context, exhibit superficial discrepancies and conflicts which resolve themselves on closer examination. This kind of evidence is exactly what is looked for in a court of law to establish credibility and independence of witnesses. If things agree too well they look artificial and contrived.

3.They didn’t always put things in time order. Some of the Bible writers record historical events out of chronological order to fit whatever theme they are trying to emphasize, but this does not detract from the historicity of the events themselves.

4.Repetition of teachings: Another simple explanation would be that Jesus gave the same essential teachings more than once, with slightly varying words each time. Surely over three years of ministry he repeated certain teachings!

5.Verses taken out of context :  Also, a large number of perceived discrepancies are the result of taking a Bible verse out of context. Many are also due to the prejudice of the critic.  Many of these contradictions are “much ado about nothing.”