Christians believe that Scripture is truthful and coherent because God is its ultimate author. That conviction does not mean every passage is equally easy to understand or every apparent difficulty has a simple explanation.
Some apparent contradictions arise when we overlook context, literary form, or the different purposes of biblical authors. Two accounts may select different details without denying each other. Poetry may describe an experience vividly without functioning as a technical explanation. Other passages require careful study, and it is appropriate to admit when we do not yet have a satisfactory answer.
Questions about science also require care. God is the Creator of the world we investigate and the author of the Scripture we read. His works and his Word do not ultimately conflict. However, our interpretations of Scripture and our scientific explanations can be mistaken.
The Bible is not a modern scientific textbook, but neither is it disconnected from the physical world or history. It makes significant claims about creation, human beings, God’s actions, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. We should not evade those claims simply because they raise difficult questions.
Faithful Christians disagree about some matters concerning the age of the earth and the interpretation of the creation days. Such disagreements should be examined carefully without treating every position as equally persuasive or making every disputed detail a test of Christian faith.
Discipleship includes intellectual humility: listening carefully, distinguishing evidence from assumptions, and refusing both careless skepticism and easy answers. We can investigate difficult questions while continuing to trust the God made known in Jesus Christ.
Read in the Bible
; ; ; ; .