Reconciling Scripture

After reading some blogs I realized something:

People don’t believe in the Bible.

That may sound harsh but I think many people don’t believe in the Bible. They believe in parts of the Bible but they don’t believe in the whole thing. I find this to be the case with myself as well. I know I have had verses that I like and hold dear to my heart. Then there are verses that I don’t care to read and I file away under “that was good for them to hear back then”.

I had to write about this because I will be issuing a challenge tomorrow about this issue. This issue is so prevalent in the Christian culture, especially among end-time and Israel theologians.

Here is the issue.

The Bible, as unified and perfect as it is as a whole, seems to have many contrary or paradoxical verses/thoughts in it. There are places that seem to directly conflict with other portions of scripture. It’s not just between the Old and New Testament. Some of Jesus’ words seem paradoxical to other things He said. .

For example:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

But then later He says:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

How can something so hard to find and make it to the end be so easy? How can God tell us to run after Him with all we got yet “be still”?

Here is where the problem and answer comes. Many people decide to give up and just forget the scripture is there.  God desires us to reconcile scripture and let it form our theology. That’s the problem with many people (and something I have to be careful of) is that they try to make scripture match their theology instead of reconciling everything that is seemingly paradoxical. We need to reconcile it until it flows naturally together. Many people leave out pieces of what God’s Word says about issues. Therefore they build wrong theologies about things that seem scriptural at first. Yet there are some contradictory scriptures that they can’t give an answer to because in reality their theology is based on half-truths. God calls these half-truths lies.

I encourage you to take the time to wrestle with what the Bible actually says. It may go against what you grew up believing but reconcile it till you can prove it by scripture.

Remember:

“All scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. So “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”