Author: Ps. Benedict Eghan

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. Forgetting that Later Revelation Supersedes Previous Revelations Sometimes critics of Scripture forget the principle of progressive revelation. God does not reveal everything at once, nor does He always lay down the same conditions for every period of time. Therefore, some of His later revelations will supersede His former statements. Bible critics sometimes confuse a change of revelation with a mistake. The mistake, however, is that of the critic. For example, the fact that a parent allows a very small child to eat…

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. Forgetting that Only the Original Text, Not Every Copy of Scripture, is without Error When critics do come upon a genuine mistake in a manuscript copy, they make another fatal error – they assume it was in the original inspired text of Scripture. They forget that God only uttered the original text of Scripture, not the copies. Therefore, only the original text is without error. Inspiration does not guarantee that every manuscript is without error. Therefore, we are to expect that minor…

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. Assuming that Divergent Accounts Are False Ones Just because two or more accounts of the same event differ, it does not mean they are mutually exclusive. For example, Matthew (28:5) says there was one angel at the tomb after the resurrection, whereas John informs us there were two (20:12). But these are not contradictory reports. In fact, there is an infallible mathematical rule that easily explains this problem: wherever there are two, there is always one – it never fails! Matthew did…

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. Demanding that New Testament Citations of the Old Testament Always Be Exact Quotations. Critics often point to variations in the New Testament’s (NT) use of the OT (OT) Scriptures as proof of the error. However, they forget that every citation need not be an exact quotation. It was then (and still is today) a perfectly acceptable literary style to give the essence of a statement without using precisely the same words. The same meaning can be conveyed without using the same verbal…

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. Assuming that a Partial Report is a False Report Critics often jump to the conclusion that a partial report is false. However, this is not so. If it were, most of what has ever been said would be false, since seldom does time or space permit an absolutely complete report. Occasionally the Bible expresses the same thing in different ways, or at least from different viewpoints, at different times. Hence, inspiration does not exclude a diversity of expression. The four Gospels relate…

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. “if we are perplexed by any apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, the author of this book is mistaken, but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood.” St. Augustine MISTAKE 4: Failing to Understand the Context of the Passage The most common mistake of critics is to take a text out of its proper context. As the adage goes, “A text out of context is a pretext.”  One can…

Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. “if we are perplexed by any apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, the author of this book is mistaken, but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood.” St. Augustine   MISTAKE (3): Confusing Our Fallible Interpretations with God’s Infallible Revelation Jesus affirmed that the “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). As an infallible book, the Bible is also irrevocable, Jesus declared, “Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth…

The Bible As An Inspired Word Of God Series (Apologetic Responses to Critics) Mistakes Critics Make In Misjudging The Bible (Part 2) Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. “if we are perplexed by any apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, the author of this book is mistaken, but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood.”  St. Augustine MISTAKE (2): Presuming the Bible Guilty Until Proven Innocent Many critics assume the Bible is wrong until something…

MISTAKES CRITICS MAKE IN MISJUDGING THE BIBLE Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. While the Bible is the Word of God and as such, cannot have errors, nonetheless, this does not mean there are no difficulties in it. However, as St. Augustine wisely noted, “if we are perplexed by any apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, the author of this book is mistaken, but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood.” The Bible is without mistakes,…

THE BIBLE: ERRORS, NO! Part 2 Note: These are summarized compilations from the book, “When Critics Ask”, authored by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. “Has God Said?” Of course, wherever God has made the truth clear, Satan’s strategy is to cast doubt on it. Whenever God has spoken with authority, the devil desires to undermine it. “Did God really say that?” he sneers (Gen. 3:1). This confusion often takes the following form: “The Bible may be the inspired Word of God in some sense, but it is also human words. It had human authors, and ‘to err is human’. Hence,…