Bible contradiction? Should we let others see our good works?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Should we let others see our good works?

Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes shows a Bible contradiction:

Yes, we should.

“Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12)

No, we shouldn’t.

“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

“Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them. 4 And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. 5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.” (Matthew 23:3-5)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The skeptic tries to pit Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 as affirming the claim “We should let others see our good works” against Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 23:3-5 as affirming “We should not let others see our good works.”
4. The skeptic did not correctly interpret Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 23:3-5.  One cannot extrapolate “We should not let others see our good works” per se from Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 23:3-5.  That is, Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 23:3-5 does not prohibit letting others see our good works in general  but rather Jesus is condemning a certain kind of doing good for others to see that isn’t right.
   1. Let’s look first at Matthew 6:1.  Right after this verse Jesus in Matthew 6:2 makes it clear he doesn’t want those showing their good works to others in a hypocritical fashion: “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”  The word “hypocrite” literally is someone who is “two face:” Their face in public seems like they are doing good for God but their true face is there are not doing good for God.  So in context Matthew 6:1 is prohibiting hypocritical and outward good actions that are done only for show, that seeks praises and high view of the one doing the action.  Such an individual would get their reward already but not true reward from God (Matthew 6:2; see also Matthew 6:4b).
   2. Matthew 23:3-5 in context is similar to Matthew 6:1 in that Jesus is disapproving people’s action for praises of men rather than pleasing God.  Note right after Matthew 23:5 the next two verses shows us that:  “And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, 7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called [d]Rabbi by the people” (Matthew 23:6-7).
5. Given point 4 that Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 23:3 are not a prohibition of doing good works that others will see there’s not a Bible contradiction here.  At the same time the two passages of Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 which the skeptics asserted as affirming the claim “We should let others see our good works” does not contradict with Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 23:3 since neither Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 is saying every kind of good works done with others knowing about it is legitimate.  One cannot cite Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 to say good deeds done with hypocritical or self-promotion is permissible.  Note both Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 makes it clear the kind of works that God approves of which others know about are those that makes witnesses glorify God.
   1. Jesus explicitly said the works He had in mind are those which “glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).
   2. 1 Peter 2:12 explicitly states “as they observe them, glorify God.“
6. There is no contradiction here.  Seems the skeptic needs to learn of How to Handle Bible Contradictions.
7. 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.”