Are there contradictions in the Bible?

[Student1975]

Exodus 33:20: "And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live."

Genesis 32:30: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."


When one statement says - "cannot see face" and the other says "saw face", there is no temporary or permanent forms here.

I would have agreed to your argument had one statement been "cannot see me" and the other statement - "saw face" or vice versa.

Why do you not settle with and adress the difficulty in Exo. 33:11 and 33:20? When you quote all sorts of books in the Bible to make your point, it seems to me you avoid the implications in your contradiction being found in a single passage. Now what could this imply? That the scribes did not see this as a problem?

But when we are talking about all sorts of OT books, then notice in the examples people show you here the difference when God appears more modestly as a man or angel and then that glorious/frightening presence of Gen. 33:20. On top of all these physical manifestations/imaginations about God, then add this observation:

1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

That makes sense, since all the OT claims God created them. So differing degrees of manifestation should be the obvious answer to your question.

 

[kenod]

Why do you not settle with and adress the difficulty in Exo. 33:11 and 33:20? When you quote all sorts of books in the Bible to make your point, it seems to me you avoid the implications in your contradiction being found in a single passage. Now what could this imply? That the scribes did not see this as a problem?

A point well made.

 

[Quahom1]

Whether the Bible is the infallible Word of God, is a matter of faith.
Whether the Bible contains contradictions, is a matter of reasoning.

People are sometimes puzzled by what superficially appear to be contradictions, and it is often helpful to see how others reconcile some of these "differences"

Solomon is said to be one of the wisest men that ever lived and yet it appears that he could not even write two consecutive sentences without contradicting himself … or could he?

Proverbs 26:4 & 5
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

​

A fool is to be dealt with as a fool, but we are not to make fools of ourselves in the process.

In otherwords, We do not answer a fool as foolishly as he has spoken (do not bring self down to the fool's level), however we are to answer the fool in such a way as to give him no dignity or satisfaction, or else he might take himself seriously.

Paul also states something to similar effect: " Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity … .
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32).

In this particular case, I fail to find contradiction in the two verses presented for consideration.

 

[Quahom1]

Of course there are contradictions....

A)
Genesis 26:2 "And the LORD appeared unto him, and said"

Exodus 33:11: "And the Lord spake to moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend."

contradicts

John 1:18: "No man hath seen God at any time."

B)
Romans 5:12 Adam alone was responsible for the "original sin."

contradicts

Timothy 2:14 eve alone, and not Adam, was responsible for the "original sin"

______

I don't think that these contradictions can be explained as happenings in different periods of a story or that they mean something else from what is apparent.

In Genesis to appear to someone is not the same as seeing them in their true nature.

In Exodus Moses stood before a pillar of cloud within the tabernacle, and then again he stood before a burning bush, both of which were representations of God, but not His true nature or unshielded self (which no man can see and live). With a web cam, I can see my parents and they can see me when we chat live, but I am not seeing the true nature of them, only a pictoral representation...

In John the fact is no man has seen the true nature of God unshielded at anytime. The only visage of God man has ever seen was that which he could comprehend.

Jacob claimed to see God face to face, but it was the Angel of the Lord he struggled with all night (a representation of God).

Job got into serious trouble with God when he boasted of seeing God in a whirlwind. He heard the voice of God come from the whirlwind but the whirlwind was not the true nature of God.

In Judges, Manoah and his wife (Samson's parents), were frightened when the Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and Manoah exclaimed that they would surely die because the saw the face of God. They obviously did not see the face of God, nor did they fall down dead. Neither did Gideon when he saw the Angel of the Lord face to face.

As far as Jesus is concerned, He being God, took the likeness of men in order for us to comprehend something of Him. Paul was quite specific about this, particularly in Philippians 2.

I believe Romans 5: 12 puts the oneness on Man for the sin, while 1 Timothy 2:14, points out the "fact" that Eve was beguiled, or "fooled".

Adam, was not fooled, but deliberately ate the apple. (My opinion is that his wife was doomed by her foolishness, and Adam made a decision to be doomed with her, rather than lose her. He chose woman over God...).

 

[kenod]

Adam, was not fooled, but deliberately ate the apple. (My opinion is that his wife was doomed by her foolishness, and Adam made a decision to be doomed with her, rather than lose her. He chose woman over God...).

That is a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ who willingly took our sins upon Himself because of His great love for us.

 

[Faithfulservant]

In Genesis to appear to someone is not the same as seeing them in their true nature.

In Exodus Moses stood before a pillar of cloud within the tabernacle, and then again he stood before a burning bush, both of which were representations of God, but not His true nature or unshielded self (which no man can see and live). With a web cam, I can see my parents and they can see me when we chat live, but I am not seeing the true nature of them, only a pictoral representation...

In John the fact is no man has seen the true nature of God unshielded at anytime. The only visage of God man has ever seen was that which he could comprehend.

Jacob claimed to see God face to face, but it was the Angel of the Lord he struggled with all night (a representation of God).

Job got into serious trouble with God when he boasted of seeing God in a whirlwind. He heard the voice of God come from the whirlwind but the whirlwind was not the true nature of God.

In Judges, Manoah and his wife (Samson's parents), were frightened when the Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and Manoah exclaimed that they would surely die because the saw the face of God. They obviously did not see the face of God, nor did they fall down dead. Neither did Gideon when he saw the Angel of the Lord face to face.

As far as Jesus is concerned, He being God, took the likeness of men in order for us to comprehend something of Him. Paul was quite specific about this, particularly in Philippians 2.

I believe Romans 5: 12 puts the oneness on Man for the sin, while 1 Timothy 2:14, points out the "fact" that Eve was beguiled, or "fooled".

Adam, was not fooled, but deliberately ate the apple. (My opinion is that his wife was doomed by her foolishness, and Adam made a decision to be doomed with her, rather than lose her. He chose woman over God...).

For the purpose of discussion..What about Abraham?.. The Lord actually sat in Abrahams tent while his wife served them food.. The lord had 2 angels with Him. Abraham knew right off the bat that The Lord was in fact The Lord... He didnt say hello who are you and the man replied I am the Lord... Most of us believe that Melchezidek was a manifestation of Jesus Christ. But Abraham didnt call Him Lord... Just acknowledged Him as the King of Salem. So many mysteries.. lol

 

[Quahom1]

For the purpose of discussion..What about Abraham?.. The Lord actually sat in Abrahams tent while his wife served them food.. The lord had 2 angels with Him. Abraham knew right off the bat that The Lord was in fact The Lord... He didnt say hello who are you and the man replied I am the Lord... Most of us believe that Melchezidek was a manifestation of Jesus Christ. But Abraham didnt call Him Lord... Just acknowledged Him as the King of Salem. So many mysteries.. lol

For the sake of argument, what about Jesus? Did we see God in all His glory? I suspect no. (somehow the birth of the savior and God made man in a cow stall, is not God in His finest hour...according to man). But then, maybe we did, and missed the point alltogether.