Is it true that Christians can’t sin? Can God repent? Was Goliath indeed killed by David? These and more questions considered as Contradictions within an Islamic approach of the Bible (IslamicEra.com).
91. Who brought Joseph to Egypt?
KJV "Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they [Joseph’s brothers] drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt." (Genesis 37:28)
It is clear that the term Midianites refers to people from the region Midian and Ishmaelites refer to people of the tribe of Ishmael.
KJV "And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard." (Genesis 37:36)
The Ishmaelites bought Joseph and then took Joseph to Egypt (Genesis 37:28)
Partly right. It were the Ishmaelites from the region Midian.
The Midianites had sold him in Egypt (Genesis 37:36)
Partly right. Ishmaelites are also named Midianites here as they were from the region Midian (Genesis 37:28).
Joseph said to his brothers I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt (Genesis 45:4)
Right. Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Midianites with the intention that he be taken to Egypt by the Midianites.
No Bible Contradiction
92. Does God change his mind?
Yes. The word of the Lord came to Samuel: I repent that I have made Saul King… (1 Samuel 15:10 to 11)
No. God will not lie or repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent (1 Samuel 15:29)
Yes. And the Lord repented that he had made Saul King over Israel (1 Samuel 15:35).
Notice that the above three quotes are all from the same chapter of the same book! In addition, the Bible shows that God repented on several other occasions:
– i. The Lord was sorry that he made man (Genesis 6:6)
I am sorry that I have made them (Genesis 6:7)
– ii. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people (Exodus 32:14).
– iii. (Lots of other such references).
'To repent' has two meanings:
1. to feel great sorrow for something one has done;
Yes, seeing how people make a mess of it, God can feel great sorrow for what He has done (1 Samuel 15:10-11,35).
Take Note. This is not a matter of personal (God's) guilt, but of personal (God's) pain.
2. to feel great sorrow for evil things one has done.
No, God can’t feel sorrow for evil things He has done, as He doesn’t do evil things. Therefore He never takes back his once spoken word (1 Samuel 15:29); rejecting Saul as a king was not a broken promise, but a pronouncement that after Saul's death no son would succeed him.
Take Note. This is indeed a matter of personal (human) guilt.
No Bible Contradiction
93. The Bible says that for each miracle Moses and Aaron demonstrated, the magicians did the same by their secret arts. Then comes the following feat:
Moses and Aaron converted all the available water into blood (Exodus 7:20-21)
No; they only turned the water in the river into blood, as the people dug in the ground for water.
The magicians did the same (Exodus 7:22). This is impossible, since there would have been no water left to convert into blood.
No; ‘did the same’, the similarity is the faculty to turn water into blood. The magicians could show that in another place.
No Bible Contradiction
94. Who killed Goliath?
David (1 Samuel 17:23, 50-51).
Right. David was the first to kill a “Goliath of Gath” and he did it with a sling and a stone and with the sword of Goliath.
Elhanan (2 Samuel 21:19).
Right. Elhanan also slew a “Goliath of Gath”. That was the champion’s title given to the mightiest soldier of Gath. For that reason the addition “of Gath” is always given with this name.
See the article: Did David beat Goliath?
No Bible Contradiction
95. Who killed Saul?
Saul took his own sword and fell upon it…. Thus Saul died… (1 Samuel 31:4-6).
Right. He committed suicide.
An Amalekite slew him (2 Samuel 1:1-16).
Wrong. The Amalekite obviously lied about the matter.
(Advice: Do your homework before you speak.)
No Bible Contradiction
96. Does every man sin?
Yes. There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46; see also 2 Chronicles 6:36; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; and 1 John 1:8-10).
Right so.
No. True Christians cannot possibly sin, because they are the children of God. Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God (1 John 5:1). We should be called children of God; and so we are (1 John 3:1). He who loves is born of God (1 John 4:7). No one born of God commits sin; for Gods nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God (1 John 3:9). But, then again, Yes! If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).
Very wrong.
The verb ‘to sin’ has two meanings:
1. do wrong to others and to ourselves. Christians and non-Christians sin in this way. However, – due to the inward living Christ in the heart of a Christian – the Spirit of God leads the Christian to confession, forgiveness and a process of change to become a better person (1 John 1:8-9).
2. separate from God. This is not possible for a Christian, as the inward living Christ doesn’t leave the heart of a believer (1 John 3:9). He may ‘sleep in the boat’ while the storm is ongoing, but He will do his work as soon as He is awakened (Luke 8:24).
No Bible Contradiction
97. Who will bear whose burden?
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
Yes. We cannot escape from difficulties caused by others. We have to accept them to some degree.
Each man will have to bear his own load (Galatians 6:5).
Yes. Nobody can live the life of someone else. Conclusion: no contradiction.
See the article: To bear or not to bear?
No Bible Contradiction
98. How many disciples did Jesus appear to after his resurrection?
Twelve (1 Corinthians 15:5).
Right. Matthias who took the place of Judas, was a witness of his resurrection (Acts 1:22); so he was with the eleven when Jesus appeared to them. Paul is writing after Matthias’ appointment and rightly speaks of the twelve.
Eleven (Matthew 27:3-5 and Acts 1:9-26, see also Matthew 28:16; Mark 16:14 footnote; Luke 24:9; Luke 24:3 3).
Right. These reports of Jesus’ resurrection were made before the appointment of Matthias, so they are presented in them as the eleven.
No Bible Contradiction
99. Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?
After his baptism, the spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days … (Mark 1:12-13)
Right.
Next day after the baptism, Jesus selected two disciples. Second day: Jesus went to Galilee – two more disciples. Third day: Jesus was at a wedding feast in Cana in Galilee (see John 1:35; 1:43; 2:1-11)
Wrong. There is some confusion here about what is to be seen as the moment of Jesus’ baptism (John 1:29-31) and the testimony of John the Baptist about it (John 1:32-34). Apparently this testimony was made later on when Jesus had returned from the desert.
No Bible Contradiction
100. Was baby Jesus’ life threatened in Jerusalem?
Yes, so Joseph fled with him to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died (Matthew 2:13-23)
No, only when the wise men arrived in Jerusalem it happened to be dangerous.
No. The family fled nowhere. They calmly presented the child at the Jerusalem temple according to the Jewish customs and returned to Galilee (Luke 2:21-40)
Wrong. They didn’t return to Galilee after his presentation, but to Bethlehem. The clause Luke 2:39: “And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee …” includes the flight to Egypt, as this was predicted in the Hebrew Bible (the law of the Lord). ‘All things’ can hardly be taken only for the presentation in Jerusalem.
No Bible Contradiction
101. When Jesus walked on water how did the disciples respond?
They worshipped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God (Matthew 14:33)
Right.
They were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:51-52)
Right, it is stressed here that they didn’t recognize him earlier as being the Son of God; when he multiplied bread. A perfect reason to fall down and worship Him. Their feeling and their worship are two sides of one coin. No contradiction at all.
No Bible Contradiction
Final Conclusion
There are no actual contradictions in the proposed 101 Islamitic Bible Contradictions.