Can you be forgiven of all sins or not? The Bible implies in some verses that all sins are forgiven but elsewhere says that some sins are not forgiven. How do we reconcile this apparent discrepancy?
Some passages say that Jesus came to bring peace, but others declare that he did not. Isn’t this a blatant contradiction? No, actually. Let’s take a look.
They heard the voice
Acts 9:7, KJV, “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man”
Acts 9:7, NASB, “And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one.”
Acts 9:7, NIV, “The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.”
Problem: When Paul saw the light at Jesus‘ appearance on the road to Damascus, did he fall down to the ground? Yes, he did. The different verses in Scripture are simply describing the same thing in different ways. Acts 9:3-4 and Acts 26:13-14
Problem: When Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 53, Philip asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And the man responds by saying, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” Jehovah’s Witness argue that this supports our need for an interpretive authority like the Watchtower Society: ““in order to understand God’s Word and discern his will we…need the help of his dedicated, organized people. [i.e. the Watchtower Society] The Ethiopian Bible reader acknowledged that fact.”[1] Is this the case?
Problem: Luke records that Simon believed in Christ—along with the rest of the people in Samaria. But when he tried to gain the power of giving out the Holy Spirit, Peter tells him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity 24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. (Acts 8:20-24).” Did Simon lose his salvation?
Problem: This passage states, “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17). Why did Peter and John need to come up to Samaria to preach, and why was there a delay in the Samaritans receiving the Holy Spirit?
Problem: Stephen says that 75 were in Joseph’s family. However, in Genesis 46:27, there are only 70.
Problem: According to Exodus 1:5 there were only 70 descendants who went down into Egypt with Jacob. But, when Stephen relates this same incident in Acts 7:14, he gives the number as 75. This appears to be a flat contradiction. SOLUTIONS: There are several possible ways to explain the difference between these accounts. First, some scholars suggest that Acts 7:14 is incorrect in stating 75. They note that both the Greek translation of the OT (Septuagint) and a Hebrew manuscript found in the Dead Sea area use the number 75 just as Stephen said.
In some verses of Scripture, people see God. But, in other verses, it says they cannot see God? Is this a contradiction? It is not if you understand the Trinity and the context of those verses.
Problem: Critics of the Bible argue that Luke made a historical error here. In Gamaliel’s speech, he mentions Theudas and Judas of Galilee. However, Josephus places Judas at about AD 6 (Antiquities of the Jews 18.4-10) and Theudas at about AD 44 (Antiquities of the Jews 20.97-98). How could Gamaliel (in ~33 AD) refer to someone who wouldn’t lead an uprising for at least another decade? And, why did he mention these men out of order?
Problem: In Acts, a Pharisee named Gamaliel makes mention of a Theudas and Judas of Galilee. Yet, the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus also refers to a Theudas and Judas. Some think that there is a discrepancy between the individuals to whom Gamaliel and the ones to whom Josephus refers.
Shall we obey God’s Law or human law? The Bible tells us to do both, but is that a contradiction? Acts 5:29 and Romans 13:1; I Peter 2:13
Problem: Luke writes, “They even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed” (Acts 5:15-16). How could Peter’s shadow heal these people?
Problem: This verse seems to imply that we need to hear Jesus’ name in order to be forgiven. This would mean that billions of people on Earth will go to hell, because they never heard Jesus’ name. Is this the case: A number of observations can be made.