14. Realize that no one has ever proven a contradiction.
Do you realize that no one has ever proven the Bible to be in error? Many have claimed to have found error, but later have been forced to admit their own error by new evidence. Archeology is unearthing much new evidence that sheds light on Biblical texts. It has been said that no archeological find has ever proven an error exists in Scripture, but many times they have proven that those claiming a supposed error were the ones in the wrong.
15. Avail yourself of an “intellectual icebox.”
It is fine—even a mark of integrity—to admit when we do not understand something in Scripture. We should concede that there are “difficulties” in the Bible. That is the time to place the difficulty in an “intellectual icebox” where we hold it while we await further evidence for the resolution of the difficulty. Always leave room for God to provide more evidence concerning a difficult passage.
Having reached the end of our journey, what shall we say by way of summary? When others raise what they label as an error in Scripture, we need to realize that all that is demanded of us is the ability to put forward a possible, rational conclusion to the difficulty. We are not obligated to prove a possible interpretation is the right interpretation. Our task is simply to demonstrate that there is a reasonable solution to the difficulty raised. Since Scripture has proven trustworthy for thousands of years we should declare it innocent until proven guilty of error. Being made up of sixty-six books, having been written over a span of 1,600 years, on three different continents, in three different languages, by more than forty authors, the miracle is that the Bible has such a cohesive, sound text that espouses one singular theme!
Let us remember the burden lies with the accuser of Scripture. They must prove the error they claim exists. Let us never forget that ultimately the real struggle with Scripture is a moral one (John 7:17). Mark Twain reportedly said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand”!
Update: You may find the entire text of this series here.