For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus as the Son of God?
Here are the answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:
Yes, he recognized him immediately.
“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not recognize [d]Him, but He who sent me to baptize [e]in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes [f]in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”” (John 1:29-34)
No, he still wasn’t sure when he was in prison.
“Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”” (Matthew 11:2-3)
“Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”” (Luke 7:19)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the Skeptic Annotated Bible’s track record of inaccurately handling the Bible. See the many examples of their error which we have responded to in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions. Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this claim of a contradiction, which is what the remainder of this post will do. But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages cited by the Skeptic Annotated Bible to see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
- A minor correction: Under “No, he still wasn’t sure when he was in prison,” the second verse on the Skeptic Annotated Bible listed “John 7:19” but its actually incorrect citation; the writer Steve Wells meant not John 7:19 but Luke 7:19. It does make you wonder about the scholarship of the Skeptic Annotated Bible when such obvious errors aren’t corrected on their website. Hereafter below we deal with Luke 7:19.
- The skeptic tries to pit John 1:29-34 against both Matthew 11:2-3 and Luke 7:19. John 1:29-34 was cited as support for the claim that the Bible taught “John the Baptist immediately recognize Jesus as the Son of God.” On the other hand both Matthew 11:2-3 and Luke 7:19 were cited as support for the claim that the Bible taught “John the Baptist did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God as he still wasn’t sure when he was in prison.”
- Even looking at the two claims analytically and granted as true for the sake of the argument there’s not a Bible contradiction. The claim “John the Baptist did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God as he still wasn’t sure when he was in prison” and the claim “John the Baptist immediately recognize Jesus as the Son of God” are not contradictory because they happened at different times. The time John the Baptist wasn’t so sure if Jesus was the Son of God is admitted by the skeptic himself as when John the Baptist “was in prison.”
- While recognizing and not recognizing someone’s identity are opposites are not a contradiction if we understand it happened at different times. For example you can say “I took a hot shower” and “I ate a cold Ice Cream” and the the aren’t logically contradictory. There might be different temperature involved that are opposites but both events can take place at different times (and logically speaking its not a contradiction either since technically you can eat a cold ice cream while also taking a hot shower though its not recommended!). You can even eat hot spicy ramen and eat cold ice cream! It happens more often than you think!
- Looking more closely at the passage we do see the skeptic did cite the verses properly to establish their premises (which is not always a given how they twist Scripture so often). But that goes to show there’s not a Bible contradiction because in context the passages took place at different time. When John 1:29-34 was cited as support for the claim that the Bible taught “John the Baptist immediately recognize Jesus as the Son of God,” this took place during the early days of Jesus’ ministry when He just got baptized by John the Baptist. When Matthew 11:2-3 and Luke 7:19 were cited as support for the claim that the Bible taught “John the Baptist did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God as he still wasn’t sure” this was when later in John’s ministry and when John was in prison.
- Also John the Baptist seem to have recognize Jesus as the Messiah even in the womb; see Luke 1:41, 1:44.
- Knowing that John the Baptist sent messengers to ask Jesus if He’s the Son of God while John was in prison makes sense; people can be discouraged during prison and confinement. So that can explain why John the Baptist sent someone to confim if Jesus was the Messianic Son of God.
- In conclusion there is no Bible contradiction here.
- We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity. The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible. In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview. Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”
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Thank you, Jim, for addressing this contradiction and by showing easy to follow samples for the benefit of those still doubting. On a different note, GOD has a purpose in the case of John the Baptist, i.e. to convey the message that even the hard core (and imperfect) believer can doubt (at least once, especially in the face of despair), and still the perfect SON of GOD is merciful. Also, one can eat hot wonton dumplings soup and still drink iced cold coke few minutes later.
Amen and amen to your comment; you are right to point out the lesson in God’s providence of showing how even faithful men of God can doubt or fear such as Elijah, Moses and Jeremiah. Is wonton noodle soup big or readily available In the Philippines? Last year I met a young seminarian who was Half-Chinese from Manila.
Maybe Enoch was the exemption. Yes, in some restaurants and a fast food chain (i.e. Chowking), they have beef wonton. I think it has branches in California, like San Francisco, Vallejo, San Jose, and Sacramento. Really? Two of my close friends are Chinoy (Chinese+Pinoy). Pinoy or Noypi is a popular slang to mean Filipinos. Filipinos/Pinoys are somewhat a mixed race.
Another great post! Keep em coming!
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
As you point out, both can be true. What human can resist the temptation to doubt their decisions when they have been locked in a hopeless situation?
As usual, the skeptics point to “contradictions ” that never would have occurred to most rational people.
Thanks for this thorough debunking of another one of Steve/Stephen Wells’ alleged contradictions. It seems that John the Baptist had expected that the Messiah would mete out judgement and justice (Luke 3:7-9,16-17) and was puzzled why that had not happened up to that point?
wow that’s a good point to add; it shows that isn’t totally John the Baptist doubted Jesus as Son of God but a specific piece of evidence that hasn’t yet been fulfilled yet. That’s helpful to see its not wholesale doubt. That’s also what believers can normally experience or go through. How’s the weather today???
Thanks, brother!
RE: weather
It was very raw yesterday; 40F and raining. I was chilled to the bone on my morning walk and trip to the grocery. But the forecast is promising. It’s gradually warming up to 75 a week from tomorrow!
Do the atheist check themselves in the mirror? Seems they aren’t in the business of checking things to make sure they got it right
Glad to see you are still explaining so called “contradictions”. Some believers aren’t mature enough in the faith and therefore need some guidance when it comes to attacks on the Bible. Good post.
Great post brother. Jesus is the Son of God and John sure knew it.
blessings.
Thank you.
There’s a kind of doubt that still believes though you might be wondering how to reconcile what’s true with other circumstances. Seems Scripture is rich enough to describe such human experience but the atheists are too dense to appreciate it and therefore label this a contradiction. Man they are dumb!
Great work explaining why the contradiction in non existent.
Keep up the good work –
Blessings
Thanks for reading this Crissy! Thanks for the encouragement. How are you doing this week Crissy?
All well pastor Jim. 😊
The Lord is faithful and by His grace we stand.
[…] 1.) Bible Contradiction? Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus as the Son of God? […]
Refuted!
Keep up the good work Slim
This is why I don’t trust some atheists with their scientific claims. They can’t even interpret the Bible rightly with their sloppy reading
Pretty sure the atheist said this is a contradiction because they want a reason to reject the Gospel. Lame reason though, stupidity confirmed.
[…] Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus as the Son of God? […]
One have to conclude the skeptics are desperate
[…] to write Did John the Baptist recognize Jesus as the Son of God? it made me realize that a great man of God such as John the Baptist could be discouraged during […]
Not that he “still” was not sure … I think the circumstances caused him to have a (human) moment of uncertainty “Maybe I was wrong”, similar to the way Abraham faltered at one point while waiting for the birth of the promised child (the incident with Hagar)