Have We Found Contradictions in the Bible?

Now, Contending for the Faith.In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and TA: Although you claim that the Bible has no contradictions can you explain what seems to be a major doctrinal contradiction in the epistle to the Romans?In the second chapter it says, God will give immortality and eternal life based on the deeds of men.Yet in chapter three it says that no one will be justified by his or her deeds.Sounds like a contradiction to me.

Tom:

Dave, do you want me to read—I have Romans chapter 2 —

Dave:

You’ve got it there in front of you, okay, let’s hear it.

Tom:

All right.I’ll start with verse 5.This is Romans chapter 2, verse 5:“But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life…”I think that’s the crux of that verse.

Dave:

Read that again.

Tom:

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.”Now, let’s go to Romans 3.This looks like a contradiction to the person who wrote this.This is Romans chapter 3 verses 19 to 20:“Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Dave:

Yes Tom, there are tough Scriptures in the Bible, as you know.But I think we could relate this to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul says, “This is the gospel that I preached unto you, by which you are saved wherein you stand, if you keep in remembrance the things that I preached, unless you have believed in vain.”And I think here, Paul has so often said, (and you read one of the verses) “it’s not by works of righteousness that we have done, by his mercy he saved us.”But he is also saying, as James says, “You evidence your faith by your works…” and that if a person really knows the Lord, they really love him, they’ve really been saved by grace, then they will be doing what this says.They will be evidencing the transformation of their lives by the way they live.But he is definitely not saying that this is how you earn your salvation.And I think it’s an exhortation, for example 2 Corinthians chapter 13, examine yourself, prove to yourself, are you really in the faith?But we have so many Scriptures that make it very, very clear, not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us.We are new creatures in Christ Jesus for by grace are you saved, through faith not of yourselves it’s a gift of God, not of works.So the Bible makes that very, very clear, so now I am going to have to understand this in the context of these other verses.

Tom:

Dave, I guess the part that’s difficult and you began, these are difficult verses, and it looks like a contradiction between Romans chapter 2 and Romans chapter 3.Again, God—I’m looking at the last part of verse 5 and on to 6—“God who will render to every man according to his deeds.”But, the problem I have with it is, then it goes on with eternal life, the end of verse 7. “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.”

Dave:

Yeah Tom, “…who will render to every man according to his deeds….”We know, Paul says this to Christians:We will all be judged, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.So, even Christians will be judged according to their deeds.1 Corinthians chapter 3, All of our deeds will be tried by fire, that’s very clear.In other words—

Tom:

But you’re clearly not saying this has anything to do with salvation or eternal life.

Dave:

Not for salvation, he makes that clear.But there are rewards and loss of rewards. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 tells us that if a man’s—all of his works have been burned up, he hasn’t done one good thing since he got saved—now that’s hard to comprehend.I wouldn’t think he was a Christian.You and I could not know, as James says, Show me your faith without your works; I’ll show you my faith by my works.It’s the only way we would know, and yet Paul says, If that man really was in Christ, if he had really put his faith in Christ, he is saved!Even though all of his works are burned up, yet so as by fire, the Scripture says.So, he will render to every man according to his deeds.Tom, that also tells us, I think there are levels of punishment in the Lake of Fire.It’s not just one big lake of fire and everybody is just being consumed.I think Hitler suffers more than someone else.On the other hand, we don’t know.Pride is a horrible sin, flaunts itself before God and so forth.So, I can’t say that, but everyone will be judged according to his deeds and that means Christians as well as non Christians.But a Christian is saved, and even if all of his deeds turn out not to be good he still is saved, okay?Now the tough part is, “to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, they will receive eternal life.”Well, I think this is indicating the genuineness of their faith that they really belong to Him, that they have continued in the faith and He does tell us about that in Colossians, for example.He tells us we are to continue faithful in our confidence in Christ and I think that is all that it is saying here.

Tom:

Dave, as you said, on the other side we have James telling us that if we fall in one place, if we break the law in one place, we are guilty of all.And who can stand and say, oh I did it perfectly. So perfection is the standard that God sets and only Christ could and did live a perfect life.That’s why he can be our sin bearer, that’s why he can be the one who saves us, the only one.

Dave:

We would have it in 1 John, that if we say that we haven’t sinned we deceive ourselves; if we confess our sins he’s faithful and just to forgive us our sins.So. Paul is not holding out perfection unless you are perfect you’re not going to make it, that’s not what he is talking about.Our confidence is in Christ and anyone out there who does not know Christ, put your faith and trust in Him as the one who paid the penalty for your sins.There’s no hope otherwise.