Contridictions

May 24, 2021 (Monday)

 

There are times when the Bible seems to contradict itself, at first glance. Thankfully God gave us a brain, well, most of us a brain. Unfortunately this amazing device has not always been used for the best purposes. But with it, and a big heaping of help from the Holy Spirit we can “discern” meaning from apparent contradictions.

 

Personally, I think those points are our greatest learning challenges. Which makes them worth exploring, rather than ignoring. Let’s take a look at a couple easy ones. Let’s start in Proverbs, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” [Proverbs 26:4 – 5 ESV]

 

There are two things to remember when looking at these verses. First, Proverbs is a set of observations used for training people to become wise. It’s not a theology book. There is a lot of good theology in Proverbs but it’s a book that teaches us how to live wisely.

 

Second, the word “fool” does not mean what American culture thinks. It does not mean someone who acts foolish or deliberately ignorant. “Fool” is a theological word. To find its definition we read, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.” [Psalm 53:1 ESV] Technically a “fool” is an atheist in mind and behavior. It’s very dark and depressing to think of a person being “corrupt, doing abominable iniquity, and incapable of doing good.” By that standard, I’m not sure many have ever lived down to that level. That person would truly be “evil” in every sense of the word.

 

Jesus warned us against tagging anyone with “fool.” Jesus made it clear, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” [Matthew 5:22 ESV]

 

Back to Proverbs. What we have is a funny “no-win” situation. Answering an “anti-God” makes you feel and look silly. Not answering them gives them the feeling they have questions that can’t be answered. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry when some smart-alecky asks me “how many angles can fit on the head of a pin?” or “Can God make a rock so large that He couldn’t lift it?”

 

Jesus’ answer to a question like that was, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” [Matthew 22:29 NIV]

 

I promised two, but I’m out of time and space. I’ll let you consider these: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. … For each will have to bear his own load.” [Galatians 6:2, 5 ESV] The word translated “burden” in verse two emphasized the weight of the burden (Vincent). The word translated “load” in verse five is about the fact of carrying the load or service. The way Paul and Jesus use the two words seem interchangeable (see Mathew 23:4 where Jesus uses “load” to mean too heavy to bear).

 

My suspicion is the change in word means we need to discern between the need for everyone to carry their share of the load and the crushing, unbearable, soul-sucking burden. What is a legitimate “load” for one may be a crushing burned for another.

 

Let me completely mess up your thought process, Jesus said: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden (“load”) is light.” [Matthew 11:30 ESV]