Let's take a look at some ways the Scriptures seem to say two different things about salvation.
WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE
1. The New Testament writers repeatedly mentioned that faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation (John 1:12,13; 3:16; 5:24; 20:31; 1 Timothy 1:15-17).
2. The account of the thief on the cross illustrates salvation by faith alone. There was no opportunity for any other qualifying factor (Luke 23:39-43).
3. The historical account of Acts records people being saved on the condition of faith in Christ alone (Acts 8:26-40; 10:44-48; 16:30,31).
4. The apostle Paul developed carefully worded arguments designed to emphasize faith alone, apart from any meritorious work of human effort (Romans 4:1-5; Galatians 3:1-14, 26-29; Ephesians 2:8-10).
WE ARE NOT SAVED BY FAITH ALONE
1. James boldly declared that we are not saved by faith alone (James 2:14-26).
2. Paul said to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).
3. Jesus told of those professing believers who would call Christ Lord and who would even go so far as to claim to do miracles in His name - yet not make it into the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21).
4. The book of Acts seems to say that repentance and baptism are also necessary requirements for salvation (Acts 2:38).
So what do we do with this apparent conflict? The answer is that salvation is by faith alone. But true faith will not remain alone.
Baptism, for instance, when rightly used, is an important outward expression of faith. In the same way, repentance (literally a change of mind) also accompanies faith. But in both cases, it is the faith - not the works, the ritual, nor the physical act - that qualifies a person for the kingdom of God.
The same is true of "confession." It is with the mouth that a person shows others his faith. But it is not by a person's mouth that he is saved (Romans 10:9,10).
For this reason, the thief on the cross could go directly to paradise. He had faith in the right Person and gave evidence of that faith by what he said.
James forcefully keeps us in balance. He reminds us that real faith always produces works, which in turn declare that we are right with God. His emphasis is in agreement with Paul, who told us to "work out" our salvation, not work for it.
SALVATION IS ONCE-FOR-ALL
1. The New Testament indicates that like physical birth, salvation is an event, not just a process (John 3:3-12; 1 John 5:1).
2. Paul indicated that the event of salvation gives us a new position and condition before God (Romans 5:1,2; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
3. Paul made it clear that where there is a beginning in Christ, the end is as good as done (Romans 8:29,30; Philippians 1:6).
4. We are viewed by God as already "glorified" (Romans 8:30), as having "our citizenship . . . in heaven" (Philippians 3:20), as "translated . . . into the kingdom of the Son" (Colossians 1:13), and as "raised . . . together" and made to "sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).
5. Those who believe in Christ have the Holy Spirit living within. This not only enables us to live like children of God, but it also gives evidence that we are His people - destined for heaven (1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:30).
SALVATION IS CONTINUOUS
1. Both Paul and Peter said that salvation is a future event (Romans 13:11; 1 Peter 1:5).
2. Paul talked about those who are "being saved," suggesting not just an event but a process (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15).
3. Paul spoke of a salvation that seemed to be dependent on the prayers of his readers (Philippians 1:19).
The solution to this contrast is found in the fact that salvation can be seen from several perspectives. God is able to save us from (a) the penalty of our sins, from (b) the power of sin, and eventually from (c) the presence of sin. The first is wrapped up in the event of the new birth (1 John 5:1). The second involves a process by which God repeatedly rescues His people from the power and unnecessary complications of sin (Philippians 1:19; 2:12). The third represents the ultimate rescue that occurs only when the child of God leaves this world for his heavenly home (1 Peter 1:5).
WE CAN COME TO GOD JUST AS WE ARE
1. A tax collector, a member of an occupational group notorious for dishonesty, was accepted by God without first having to go out and change his ways (Luke 18:13,14).
2. The thief on the cross had no chance to clean up his life. He simply acknowledged his need of forgiveness (Luke 23:42,43).
3. Paul was suddenly confronted and accepted by God while in the process of persecuting the followers of Christ (Acts 9). He didn't have a chance to do anything except bow the knee just as he was.
4. The beggar who sat at a rich man's gate with rags on his back, sores on his body, and dogs for companions went directly to paradise when he died (Luke 16).
WE CAN'T COME TO GOD JUST AS WE ARE
1. When the religious leaders of John's day came out to hear him, he called them a brood of snakes and told them to bring him evidence that they were ready to come to God (Luke 3:7,8).
2. Jesus told a rich young ruler that he should sell all that he had and distribute his money to the poor if he wanted to follow Him (Luke 18:22).
3. The Pharisee who went to the temple to offer a prayer of thanks walked away unaccepted and rejected by God (Luke 18:11,14).
What's the story? This sounds like double-talk, doesn't it? Yet there is no contradiction - only two sides of a single truth. The fact is that we can come to God just as we are, as long as we come in true humility and with a sense of genuine need. We don't have to break our bad habits, clean up our act, or improve our reputation before we can be accepted by God. On the contrary, all we have to do is give up any hope of deserving His favor and throw ourselves on His mercy.
On the other hand, God will never accept us just as we are if we come to Him with an attitude of pride and self-sufficiency. He will never accept us until we humbly call on Him for help.
That's not a contradiction. It's one of the most wonderfully consistent truths imaginable. It's absolutely consistent with God's promise to accept anyone who comes to Him in true humility and need.
THINKING IT OVER
1. What evidence is there in your life that you are depending on a salvation that is by faith in Christ alone?
2. Give several Scripture references to show that salvation is the result of trusting what Christ has done for us rather than what we have done for Him.
3. What do you think a friend or fellow worker would say if you asked him whether he thought your faith was real?
4. What would you say to someone who claims that the Bible contradicts itself by describing salvation as both an event and a process?
5. What evidence is there that you are making progress in the "process" of your salvation?
6. How are you showing your hope in the aspect of complete salvation that is yet future?
7. What does it mean to come to God "just as we are"?
8. What would you say to someone who assumes that he can come to Christ without making any changes in his life?
9. Make a list of any other aspects of salvation that seem on the surface to be contradictory and work at resolving them.
DOES THE BIBLE CONTRADICT ITSELF ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIVING?
When it comes to the subject of Christian living, there are a number of biblical contrasts that on the surface appear to be contradictory. Let's consider three examples.
SELF-ESTEEM IS DANGEROUS
1. According to the New Testament, Christians should be humble and willing to think of others more highly than themselves (Philippians 2:3).
2. A religious leader who thought well of himself was rejected by God (Luke 18:9-14).
3. A Christian should be meek in character (Matthew 5:5).
4. Christians are encouraged to see themselves as being helplessly incapable of doing any good on their own (John 5:30; Romans 7).
5. James, Peter, and Paul all warned about the danger of thinking too highly of oneself (Romans 12:3; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
SELF-ESTEEM IS HEALTHY
1. The apostle Paul said that he could do anything God wanted him to do (Philippians 4:13).
2. New Testament Christians are repeatedly reminded to take courage in light of their exalted position and future in Christ (Ephesians 1:1-14).
3. The apostle Paul seemed to have such a healthy view of himself that he encouraged others to imitate him, even as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Is there a contradiction here? Not when you see how beautifully and consistently all of these statements fit together when studied in their individual contexts. The whole truth is that self-esteem is dangerous when associated with self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness. It is healthy when based on a thankful, confident recognition of what God thinks of us, what God has done for us, and what God can enable us to be and do (2 Corinthians 3:5).
Self-esteem is wrong when it results in thinking more of ourselves than we ought to think (Romans 12:3; 3 John 9). It is right when we estimate our worth and significance on the basis of what God thinks of us (1 Peter 1:18,19).
Self-esteem is wrong when we estimate our worth by measuring ourselves by ourselves, or by comparing ourselves among ourselves (Luke 18:9-14; 2 Corinthians 10:12). It is right when we estimate our worth on the basis of what God has done for us (Romans 12:3-8; 2 Corinthians 10:13).
Self-esteem is wrong when it leads us to conclude that we are deserving of God's kindness (Luke 18:11,12; James 4:6). It is right when we realize that by God's undeserved kindness we are members of the royal family, priests, kings, and no less than children of the mighty God (Romans 8:12-39).
Self-esteem is wrong when we do not give others more honor and consideration than ourselves (Philippians 2:3), when we think we can live successfully in our own strength (John 5:30), when we act as though we have not received our abilities and resources as gifts from God (1 Corinthians 4:6,7), or when we think of ourselves as being above hardship and suffering (Philippians 1:29).
WITH FAITH WE CAN DO ANYTHING
1. Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).
2. The Lord said that if we ask anything in His name, it will be given to us (John 15:7,16).
3. The apostle John said that it was possible to get from God what we ask (1 John 3:21,22).
4. The apostle Paul was convinced that by God's grace he was able to handle any circumstance that came his way (Philippians 4:10-13).
WITH FAITH WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING
1. Although Jesus had perfect faith and asked for deliverance from the sufferings of the cross (Matthew 26:39), He had to endure the agony that caused Him to cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).
2. Paul asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh, but he experienced the sufficiency of God's grace instead of the deliverance he asked for (2 Corinthians 12:1-10).
3. Paul suggested that Timothy drink some wine as medicine for his physical problems - something he would not have prescribed if a simple request for sound health would have brought healing (1 Timothy 5:23).
4. Stephen was stoned to death, James was killed with a sword, and all of the apostles endured persecution and imprisonment. They undoubtedly would have avoided these things if they could have been delivered from them through prayer (see Hebrews 11:36-40).
5. Although the apostle Paul expected that God would answer the prayers of His people and deliver him from prison, he expressed his confidence that even if he died it would be for God's glory (Philippians 1:19-26).
What is the answer then to this apparent inconsistency? It is that through faith we can do anything we want to do or receive anything we want to receive - as long as it is in harmony with God's will.
This answer will not satisfy those who have no desire to do the will of God. It won't make sense to someone who has little confidence in the goodness, wisdom, power, and love of God. But for those who find delight in knowing the Word of God and doing what the Lord wants them to do, this is a wonderfully consistent truth. They would no more expect God to give them everything they ask for than they would expect a human father to give his 3-year-old everything he asks for. People who seek God's will are confident that He will not withhold from them any good thing (Matthew 7:11).
The underlying assumption and spirit of all the great prayer promises is that we are praying under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in an attitude of submission to the will of God. Real faith trusts God for the impossible, but it doesn't desire anything that God doesn't want for us.
WE SHOULD FOLLOW MEN
1. The apostle Paul asked his readers to follow (lit. imitate, mimic) him (1 Corinthians 11:1).
2. We have an obligation before God to follow, respect, and obey our leaders (Hebrews 13:7,17).
3. Peter taught us to follow the example of those mature Christian leaders whom God has placed over us (1 Peter 5:1-3).
4. We are to follow the example of godly people who have gone before us (Hebrews 11; James 5:11-18).
WE SHOULD NOT FOLLOW MEN
1. Putting our confidence in men is futile (Psalm 108:12; 146:3-5).
2. Following a group of people can be just as dangerous as following an individual leader (Exodus 23:2).
This might seem to be contradictory advice. But it isn't. We need to see that following God means accepting the authority of those He places over us. Even at that, however, the leader is never the ultimate authority. For instance, wives are told to "submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22). Servants are told to obey their masters "with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (Ephesians 6:5-7). In other words, those who follow a leader properly are not really doing it to follow a man. They are serving and following Christ. In this way we can see that both sides are true.
THINKING IT OVER
1. Do you have as much self-esteem as you should have? Do you think others recognize that you have a confidence that comes from the Lord?
2. What do you think you could ask the Lord for and be confident that He would be pleased to answer? How can you tell the difference between faith and presumption?
3. How would you assess your relationship to human leaders in light of what we have seen? What is the right motive for following a human leader? What is the wrong motive?
DO CONTRASTS EXPLAIN EVERYTHING?
Studies in contrasts, as important as they are, are just one way of looking at the issues of apparent contradictions in the Bible. In his classic book Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible, John W. Haley points out that the alleged discrepancies of the Bible are the result of many factors. The following list is adapted from his book:
1. DIFFERENCES OF TIME. Conditions true at one time may not be true at another. For example, in the Old Testament, God promised His people physical prosperity if they would remain faithful to Him (Deuteronomy 28-30). But in the New Testament, the emphasis of blessing shifts from earth to heaven. God now promises the church that He will reward their obedience in eternity (Romans 8:18-25).
2. DIFFERENCES OF AUTHORSHIP. Statements made by men speaking in behalf of God often conflict with statements made by men speaking only in their own behalf. For example, in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said things out of the bitterness of his own heart that conflict with eternal truths spoken by others who said their words were from God.
3. DIFFERENCES OF PERSPECTIVE. "Truth is many-sided, flinging back from each of its countless facets a ray of different hue" (Haley). If that sounds rather heady, consider the different descriptions of an elephant given by four blind men of different heights who had approached the animal from different directions.
4. DIFFERENCES OF ARRANGEMENT. Certain biblical passages may appear to conflict with one another if one author arranges his content chronologically while another author uses a topical arrangement.
5. DIFFERENCES OF COMPUTATION. Numbers will sometimes differ when the kind of calendar or standard of measure used are different.
6. DIFFERENCES OF LANGUAGE. Eastern language and thought may be misinterpreted and seen as contradictory by a Western mind not acquainted with oriental custom, setting, and style. Eastern language tends to be poetic and rich with emotions and metaphors that must be properly understood or they will appear to be in conflict. For example, in one passage David described God as a rock, but in another place he described God as One who had wings and feathers.
7. DIFFERENCES OF NAMES. Eastern custom allowed for giving the same person different names. For instance, one of the apostles was referred to as: Simon, Simeon, Peter, Cephas, Simon Peter, Simon Bar-Jona, and Simon son of Jonas. Frequently, the names of persons and places were changed after an important event.
8. DIFFERENCES OF WORD MEANINGS. The same word might mean entirely different things depending on the context or usage. Try to imagine the initial confusion of an international traveler who is unfamiliar with the way Americans use the terms hot, cool, sharp, or awesome.
9. DIFFERENCES OF MANUSCRIPTS. A certain percentage of discrepancies are due to errors that have crept into the copying process. We can be thankful that these doubtful passages do not involve more than a small percentage of the total text, and none of them threatens any essential doctrine or truth.
10. DIFFERENCES OF AUTHOR AND READER. Many alleged discrepancies are due to the imagination of the critic who is more interested in finding problems than in finding solutions.
If this seems to raise an excessive number of problems, keep in mind that science, law, history, and medicine are full of situations where conflicting information exists. Yet seldom does anyone toss up his hands and assume that there are no answers just because answers have not yet been found.
DOES THE BIBLE CONTRADICT US?
This might be the most important question of all. Is it possible that the real issue is that we know down deep that the Bible contradicts us? Is it possible that we're critical of the best book in the world because we don't want to be captured by its wisdom? Is it possible that an otherwise objective person might have lost some objectivity along the way?
The fact is that when the Bible contradicts us, calls us wrong, and points us to Christ, it is only to bring us the good news that He loves us, died for us, and rose from the dead to show that our rescue is possible.
That being the case, let's not contradict ourselves and our own chances for forgiveness, life, and happiness. Let's not contradict God by acting as though we can escape hell without His help. Let's instead agree with Him and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Acts 16:31). Only then will we resolve the one contradiction that is as real as it seems to be.
