Expert: Eric Christy - 12/16/2008

Question
What are some of the errors?

Answer
Hi Matt,

There are three kinds of errors in the bible: Copyist, Doctrinal, and Logic.

Copyist error is where mistakes were made in names and or numbers. We know of this type because in parallel passages which speak of the same subject, we find differences in names and or numbers between the two accounts of the same event. These are not serious errors, but they are errors nonetheless. An example of this kind of error would be the story of King Ahaziah's age when he began to reign in Jerusalem. 2nd Kings 8:26 gives his age as 22 years old when he began to reign. But in the parallel account of 2nd Chronicles 22:2, his age is given as 42 years old when he began to reign. Clearly, this is a difference, an error in the age of King Ahaziah when he began to reign. A 20 year difference. So you have here a clear error in the descrepancy of the age of King Ahaziah between the two parallel accounts. This error is found in the King James and the New American Standard Versions, but is 'fixed' in the New Internationa Version in the text, (though they admit to the error in the margin notes). There are more Copyist errors throughout the bible, but this is enough to prove they exist.

Doctrinal errors are more serious because they show that textual tampering or changes in doctrines have occured. An example of textual tampering would be the infamous LATE inclusion of 1st John 5:7 which gives the names of the Trinity as being the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. The problem with this passage is that it doesn't begin to appear in the bible until after 1000 A.D.! All copies prior to 1000 A.D. do not have this passage! Some scribe just inserted it at 1st John 5:7, and got away with it. That is, until now. So this is an example of textual tampering having occured with God's Word. And God let it happen. Why? I don't know. You'll have to ask Him. But it proves that serious errors have occured in our bible. Then there's the very embarrassing "Immoral Bible" which God allowed to go to print having, in place of the "Thou shalt not commit adultery" of the Ten Commandments, replacing it with "Thou shalt commit adultery". That's right, God let this go to print, not stopping it until somebody found it...phew just in time...I might add. You can imagine the consequences of THAT change! There are more examples of Doctrinal errors, but this will suffice to show that they exist in the bible. Doctrinal errors are serious, but they can be accounted for and dealt with honestly so that our JudeoChristian faith is not in jeapardy.

Finally, there are the Logic errors, which are very severe and have the power to do untold damage to our JudeoChristian faith. An example of a Logic error would be the many prophecies regarding the Devil's actions in the future, especially regarding his role with the "beast" more commonly called the "antichrist". Here is the problem: Suppose I told you that God said you would go shopping for a car 10 days from now and would end up buying a Ford Mustang GT. Obviously, you could choose not to buy a car, or if you bought one, you could choose to buy some other kind of car. You could prove my 'prophecy' I made in God's name, a false prophecy by choosing to not buy the Ford Mustang GT. Because you have free will, and the intelligence to use it, you can choose to buy, or not to buy. To do, or not to do. The same with the prophecies regarding what the Devil will do in the future. He is supposed to be intelligent and to have free will, so when God gives prophecies regarding the Devil's yet future actions, God just gave the Devil the very ammunition he needs to shoot down God's credibility! The Devil (if he is at least as smart as you and I) would choose to defeat God by choosing not to obey bible prophecy. He defeats God by discrediting God's ability to tell the truth about the Devil's future actions. We know that the Devil's greatest goal is to find a way to legitimately defeat God. Well, here's his chance. All he has to do, to defeat God, is to do...nothing. That's right, nothing! Or, if he is bored with doing nothing, then all he has to do to defeat God is to do something that is different from what is prophesied he will do, and again, he defeats God. Bummer, I know. So God gave to the Devil, the ammunition the Devil needs to shoot down God's credibility, thus defeating Him. But you might say, what if the Devil is forced to obey bible prophecy, so that it still comes to pass? That's fine, but if so, that means that the Devil is merely a puppet on the Puppet Master's strings and, therefore, by extension it is God, not the Devil, who is the true Devil! Are you willing to accept that God is in reality, both God AND Devil? That would be the requirement if you force the Devil to obey bible prophecy.

Of the three kinds of errors in our bible, Logic errors are the most severe, as you can see why. They have the power to completely destroy JudeoChristianity. I have not let THIS cat out of the bag to too many people only because I know its great power to demolish our precious faith. But since you asked, I answered. Don't get me wrong. I love God and Jesus and I know my savior Jesus Christ has saved me from eternal damnation. But I am man enough to admit the TRUTH. The TRUTH is what matters to me, not silly mindless theology which cannot stand up to honest scrutiny.

What are your thoughts,

Eric