Point: Sometimes when one engage in apologetics the issue of alleged Bible contradiction comes up. There are times when those who assert that there are contradictory verses in the Bible fail to acknowledge that words can have more than one meaning and thus a word used in one context does not mean the same thing in another context. But if one fail to recognize there are differences of meaning of the word being used in two separate contexts, a skeptic can easily assume there’s a Bible contradiction when there are none. Are there any examples of this error to get the point across to a skeptic of their foolish methodology and mistake?
Picture: Think of the English word “left.” There is more than meaning to the term “left.” It can mean left in the sense of the opposite of right. But it also has two other meanings that are opposites and if we don’t acknowledge it then we can easily think someone is stating a contradiction. See the two sense of “left” being used here:
Five left, so there is two left.
Is there a contradiction here? How can there be both five and two left? Of course there’s not a contradiction if one understands that the word left has two different meanings in the two instances the word appears in this sentence..
Left can have the sense of “depart.” Left also have the meaning of remaining. Thus with the first half of the sentence which stated “five left,” we can understand it to mean five departed. Because five people departed therefore there are two left in the sense of two that remained. There’s not a contradiction once one realize the interesting paradox that a word can mean two different things even with two opposite meaning, but that doesn’t necessary mean there is a contradiction when they are used in different senses in a sentence or paragraph.
Thanks…:-)
And thank you for reading them, may the Lord bless your day and your ministry today both online and offline!
Thanks as always!
You’re welcome Wally and thank you for reading this! I hope you have a blessed day! I wonder how you’re doing after the camp? Personally for me ministries that involves a lot of kids usually wipe me out more than ministering to adults!
Yes, the kids are exhausting! Been on sort of a high. We had revival, then camp, two weeks “off” then VBS. I am praying that we can keep the momentum for God going.
[…] via Apologetics Sermon Illustration #41: Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” — The Domain for … […]
Yes, good point. A person “on a mission” is not usually willing to consider reasonable complexities.
Yep, they have made up their minds. Its not only the secular skeptic, its true of those whose beliefs are also unbiblical and cultic…
[…] Apologetics Sermon Illustration: Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
Amen-Amein Brother in Christ Jesus-Yeshua Slim Jim!! God Bless you Brother in Christ Jesus-Yeshua Slim Jim and Your Family members and Friends!!
I Love you all Everyone through Jesus-Yeshua Christ, because HE LOVED 💕 EVERYONE FIRST!!
Love 💕 ❤ Always and Shalom, YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
[…] 3.) Apologetics Sermon Illustration #41: Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
Interesting
[…] GO TO PART 41 […]
[…] GO TO PART 41 […]
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for בֵּן meaning “son” and “grandson” is illegitimate since there’s two possible meaning of the term when one should have one meaning. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for בֵּן meaning “son” and “grandson” is illegitimate since there’s two possible meaning of the term when one should have one meaning. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
I like the analogy this is helpful apologetically.
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for בֵּן meaning “son” and “grandson” is illegitimate since there’s two possible meaning of the term when one should have one meaning. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for בֵּן meaning “son” and “grandson” is illegitimate since there’s two possible meaning of the term when one should have one meaning. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for בֵּן meaning “son” and “grandson” is illegitimate since there’s two possible meaning of the term when one should have one meaning. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
Good analogy. I had to read the sentence twice to understand there is definitely two sense of the the word “left” being used in the same sentence. Seems skeptics makes these mistakes reading the Bible
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for the verb “became the father of” should only have one meaning with the word. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for γεννάω can mean “fathered,” “grandfathered” or simply part of the lineage of someone since there’s so many possible meaning of the term when there should be one meaning of the word. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for בֵּן meaning “son” and “grandson” is illegitimate since there’s two possible meaning of the term when one should have one meaning. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] is not a problem. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ Also consider the examples of even words that have meanings that are opposites in our post […]
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
[…] Some might be stuck with why there are more than one meaning of Temple, as if this is a problem that there can be more than meaning to Temple. See Apologetics Sermon Illustration:Idioms of Love and Bible Contradictions, Apologetics Sermon Illustration: Whoppers and Bible Contradictions, Apologetics Sermon Illustration: Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left”, […]
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] Just in case someone think our consideration of the lexical range of the meaning of the Greek term πάντων is illegitimate because we are saying the word has more than one meaning consider how English and any other natural language also have words with more than one meaning. Consider the example of the English word “whopper,” “love” and ““left.“ […]
[…] Apologetics Sermon Illustration: Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
[…] Some might object that the possible range of meaning for the verb “became the father of” should only have one meaning with the word. But that’s a terrible objection. Terms can have more than one meaning in many languages and not just with Hebrew. For instance consider the lexical range of meaning for the English word Whoppers and the Word “Left”. […]
[…] one meaning see: Idioms of Love and Bible Contradictions, Whoppers and Bible Contradictions, Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left”, Bible Contradiction and Lyrics in Context, Bible Contradiction and Mistaking ‘poppers’ […]
[…] Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
[…] Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]
[…] Apologetics Sermon Illustration: Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left […]
[…] Bible Contradiction and the Word “Left” […]