Answering 439 Bible Contradictions
Answer: God decrees all things that come to pass, including the sufferings of His creatures.
Problem: Mark 9:17 says a demon made a father’s son mute and deaf, but Exodus 4:11 says God makes man mute, deaf, and blind.
Explanation: The illustration of a billiard player will help answer this apparent contradiction—“apparent” since at first glance there seems to be real disagreements in the Bible but upon reflection there actually are none.
A billiard player takes his stick, strikes the cue ball, and pockets the eight-ball perfectly. This pictures God’s decrees. He stands behind everything that comes to pass. The Baptist Confession defines God’s decree thus: “God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass.”
This means God sovereignly orchestrates all good things that happen, like a baby born with blue eyes, a rainbow after a cloudy day, a touchdown that wins the game, and the election of a righteous president. The LORD says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isa. 46:10). He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). God can show mercy and compassion to whomever He chooses (Rm. 9:15).
God also determines all things bad things that happen, like a building that tips over, the assassination of a godly young man, a blade of grass left uncut by a lawn mower, a ship that sinks at sea, a hardworking, family man that loses his job, and a boy born deaf. Sometimes in God’s decrees, He orchestrates trials directly, like a boy born blind (Jn. 9:1-2). He pockets the billiard ball all in one motion.
But at other times God uses means, like using a demon to make a boy mute (Mk. 9:25). He strikes the three-ball first in order to pocket the eight-ball. For example, God decreed that all of Job’s children should die on such-and-such a day, but he used the sabers of the Sabeans to accomplish this (Job 1:15). God determines that the Jones family should enter Heaven on the first of the year, but He uses a drunk driver to accomplish His purposes.
When calamity strikes, keep three encouraging truths in mind. First, we stand upon the rock-solid assurance that nothing catches God off guard. He declares “the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10). Nothing surprises God and nothing can overturn His plans (Ac. 5:39). Atheists ridicule God, that a good Being would allow such tragedy to occur. But the alternative is that everything happens by chance and no idea is more depressing than that.
Second, God never authors or participates with sin, nor does He remove man’s responsibility. The Sabeans bore the guilt for killing Job’s children. Those who delivered Jesus over to the authorities sinned (Jn. 19:11), though God decreed it should happen (Ac. 4:28).
Finally, all things work together for good to those that love the Lord (Rm. 8:28). Jesus said that God made the boy blind so that He would be glorified (Jn. 9:3). Who would have thought that Joseph’s trials were good? He was kidnapped, slandered, jailed, and forgotten—all evil actions which God used for good in the life of Joseph and the world (Gn. 50:20).