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February
18, 2007
Mural
Worthey
Contrary Passages
Purpose: Most religious bodies and believers
wrestle with some passages that do not seem to fit in with their overall
beliefs. What should we do when we encounter
such contrary passages? All false
concepts will run counter to truth. This
lesson will provide some examples of contrary passages and some suggestions on
what our response should be. In
addition, there are passages that are contrary to how we live. What should we do when we encounter such
passages?
Clarification.
Peter referred to some writings of Paul as “hard to be understood.” (2 Peter 3:16.) These kinds of passages can exist for a
number of reasons. It could be the
writer’s fault or the reader’s fault.
However, this is not what I have in mind. I am referring to passages that are often
quite clear and easy to understand, but run counter to what you believe or
thought was the case. These are not just
hard or difficult passages to understand, but contrary passages (opposite of
what you thought or were taught was true).
I believe that it is helpful to consider such passages carefully. It is a part of the self-correction that can
happen when we read and study God’s Word.
His Word is profitable for correction and instruction in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16-17.)
There is something
wholesome and good about contrary passages.
The Bible is always challenging the reader; this is the nature of the
Bible. The moment that you think that
you have it all figured out, there is more.
Our knowledge is never complete; the more we know the more we understand
how little we know. (1 Cor. 8:2.)
Further, it is not just about knowing, but also about becoming and
conforming. One person wrote insightfully:
“There are more people who have a Bible than who read it. There are more people who read it than who
understand it. And there are more people
who understand it than who follow it.”
This is the challenge of the Bible: “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves.” (James
1:22.) What should we do with contrary
passages—contrary to our beliefs and practices?
Some Examples
Acts 13:46-48. “.
. . but seeing you put it away from you and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. . . And when the Gentiles heard
this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed.”
(KJV)
This passage seems
to say that some were ordained to eternal life and others were not. Those who were ordained to eternal life
believed. These are two very different
views of salvation. One view maintains
that God desires everyone to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4) and that each sinner must
respond to the Gospel. All who do so may
be saved. Another view says that God
ordained some to be saved and others to be lost; it is not their choice, but it
is a sovereign act of God. The RSV &
English RV & KJV seems to support the last view. Good News says, “Those who had been chosen.” One translation says, Those who were
predestined to eternal life. The NIV
& ESV say: “. . . and all who were appointed to eternal life believed.”
The solution is
found in the context. In verse 46, some
of the Jews rejected the Gospel, judging themselves unworthy of eternal
life. The text does not say that God had
predestined them to be lost; the Jews rejected their salvation. This does not mean that all Jews did so; many
of the Jews were the first Christians.
It was their choice. If some Jews
counted themselves unworthy of everlasting life; the Gentiles desired or wanted
salvation. The word, tasso, can be
translated disposed to eternal life. It
was a matter of their attitude when they heard the Gospel preached.
Acts 2:23.
“Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God
raised up. . . “
There are
philosophers and believers who deny the foreknowledge of God. They limit God to present events with the power
to affect the future, but without knowing the future. The compelling reason to them for taking such
a position is to maintain the freewill of man.
They reason that human freewill and divine foreknowledge are
incompatible. If God foreknew that Judas
was going to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, then Judas had no
choice. He had to betray the
Messiah. In the midst of trying to solve
this dilemma, they deny a clear statement of the Bible. Here is a contrary passage that contains the
words foreknowledge of God. Forget for a moment the supposed
contradiction between freewill and foreknowledge. The Bible uses the very words under
question. Foreknowledge is from the
word, prognosis, which is used primarily in the medical field today. When you ask a doctor what is his prognosis,
you are asking him to tell you something about the future. A doctor’s prognosis is based on his best
medical knowledge. But God’s prognosis is
for sure.
Isaiah wrote, “I
am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand
and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isa.
46:9-10.) The Psalmist wrote, “Great is
our Lord and of great power; his understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5.) These are all contrary passages for those who
deny the foreknowledge of God. Do these
passages pose a problem for those who believe in freewill? No, there is no conflict between God knowing
what Judas would do and his freewill.
This is a supposed conflict posed by philosophers. God even knows what would have happened if
things went in a different direction.
Jesus said, “If the mighty works has been done in
Matt. 23:9.
“And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father,
which is in heaven.”
This does not
prohibit children from calling their parents, father and mother. Jesus is condemning the haughty attitude of
the Pharisees who loved titles, like rabbi, master, and father. We should not call a religious leader or
teacher by the same name we address God in prayer. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Our
Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” (Matt. 6:9.)
I have a written
interview between an Italian television and radio reporter and John Paul II. The reporter was free to ask anything he
desired and to print the material. The
result was the book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, 1994. The very first question was about Matthew
23:9. John Paul replied: “Have no fear
when people call me ‘Holy Father, Your Holiness, or the Vicar of Christ.’ These expressions, nevertheless, have evolved
out of a long tradition, becoming part of common usage. One must not be afraid of these words
either.” (page 6.)
His answer was,
basically, these expressions have arisen out of tradition; do not be afraid to
use them. But we should be afraid to
disobey the words of Jesus Christ. He
said, Do not use them. We should
understand that there are many attitudes toward the Bible—some reject it out of
hand; others see it as traditions of the past that do not bind us to obey; and
others have a healthy respect for the Bible and are troubled when they find
contrary passages like these. We should
be in the last group. Jesus said, “If
you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make
you free.” (John 8:31-32.)
1 Peter 3:20-21.
Peter compared the salvation of Noah and his family to our salvation
today. As you know, there was a flood in
Noah’s day; most people were drowned in the waters. Eight people were saved by water. Peter added, “The like figure wherein baptism
does also now save us.”
The last sermon in
a book titled Twenty-Five of the Greatest Sermons Ever Preached, edited
by Jerry Falwell, is “What Must I Do to be Saved?” by John R. Rice. He maintained that a sinner is saved by
believing in Jesus Christ—but not just believing, but trusting and depending
upon Him. But he said that the salvation
taught in the Bible is “instant salvation.”
Then he added, “We must realize that church membership will not save us;
baptism does not save, nor does it keep anybody saved.” (page 260.)
Now, what will this preacher do when he reads 1 Peter 3:21? This passage says, Baptism does also now save
us. He said that baptism does not
save. This is a contrary passage to his
belief and teaching. I had a school
teacher in
Jesus gave the
Great Commission to the apostles. He
said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16.)
This is an elementary truth to those who know and love the
Scriptures. It is a part of the first
principles of salvation. It is not difficult
to understand, but it is a contrary passage that many people have to deal with
because of what they have been taught.
Genesis 1 &
2. The six days of creation is a contrary
passage for those who have been taught and believe that God used evolution to
bring about the existence of man as he is today. Some have been told that the world is
millions of years old, but Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day. If a day is eons long, then Adam, having
lived part of the sixth and seventh day, would have lived millions of
years. But the Bible says that Adam
lived only 930 years. (Gen. 5:5.)
The solution often
offered for this contrary passage is to say that the days of creation were more
than our days. We know that a day in
Jesus’ day was the same as ours. Jesus
said, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?”
(John 11:9.) A question to
consider is this: The word day occurs
throughout the Bible; when does it stop meaning eons and start having twelve
hours of daylight? The Bible does not
indicate that change anywhere; therefore, the word means the same throughout
the Bible unless it is used figuratively.
Behavior Not Just Beliefs
What should we do
when we find contrary passages to our conduct of life? We love to talk about what people believe,
but there is another important aspect of the Bible’s teaching. It is what we do in our lives.
Paul wrote: “And
be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind.” (
To our
astonishment there are churches who allow the sinful practice of same-sex
marriages. What do they do when they
read Leviticus 18:22? “Thou shalt not
lie with mankind as with womankind; it is an abomination.” Or Leviticus 20:13? “They shall surely be put to death; their
blood shall be upon them.”
Our world is an
adulterous world; husbands and wives often commit adultery, breaking the sacred
trust of their marriage. The seventh
commandment that God gave Moses on
The Bible is
literally filled with contrary passages to the practices of both believers and
unbelievers. I could not enumerate all
of them. I want to end with this
question: “What do you do when you run across these contrary passages—contrary
to both beliefs and practices of your life?”
This is a very important question.
How you deal with this question will determine your eternal
destiny. Think about it carefully.
Our Response
1)
Some
just reject and ignore all that the Bible says.
They have listened to doubters and infidels who disobey God. They do not respect God.
2)
Some
foolishly say that they are going to talk to God about that when they get to
heaven; or I am going to ask Paul why he wrote that (about women keeping silent
in the churches). See 1 Cor. 14:37.
3)
Another group claims to respect the Bible and to possess faith in God, but they just as quickly set aside whatever conflicts with their beliefs and
practices. This is a dangerous position
spiritually. They claim to honor God,
but in reality they are doing as they please.
4)
Whenever,
we find a contrary passage, we should stop and consider its teaching
carefully. If we respect God and His
Word, we will correct what we believe and how we live. Contrary passages are there for our
benefit and salvation.