An important principle of Bible study is the need for us to take into account everything that God’s word says on a matter before making our final conclusions about it. A failure to examine every aspect of the information given in the Bible about a particular topic can cause one to make false conclusions, which in turn can lead a person to make false statements and/or take improper actions.

Suppose, for instance, I am a first-time Bible reader, and I read in Matthew 26:69-74 that Peter denied Jesus three times the night before He was crucified. If I stop my reading of the Bible at that point and fail to read the rest of what the New Testament says about Peter, I may erroneously conclude that Peter was a horrible person that no person today should ever imitate. It is certainly true that what Peter did that night was awful. But, that is not the last thing that the Holy Spirit reveals to us about Simon Peter, is it? Other passages in the Bible that come after Matthew 26:74 make it clear that Peter repented of his wrongdoing and went on to serve the Lord faithfully. If I really want to know the truth about Peter, I need to consider all that the Bible says about him. So it is with all other Bible topics as well.

There are critics of the Bible who are constantly trying to find fault with its message. They are convinced that the Bible contains contradictions. What such people fail to do, at least in some cases, is to take into account the totality of information that the Bible gives about a particular topic. An honest examination of the entirety of what the Bible says pertaining to a matter will cause one to see that those apparent contradictions are not really contradictions after all.

God’s word is right (Psalm 33:4). All of His commandments are truth (Psalm 119:151). In one of His prayers, Jesus declared that the Father’s word is truth (John 17:17). We would expect that to be the case from the "God of truth" (Deuteronomy 32:4), would we not?

Since truth cannot contradict itself, then the message of the Bible is free from contradictions. There may be more than one Bible passage in which we read about the same topic, and it may be that the message expressed in two or more passages about that same theme are not exactly the same. A difference in language, however, does not constitute a mistake or contradiction. A contradiction exists between two or more statements only when there is no feasible, workable explanation that harmonizes those statements.

In addition to Bible critics, another group of people that sometimes fails to consider all that the Bible says about a subject are those who are attached to some man-made doctrine. For example, some who advocate the false theory of faith only salvation may be quick to point to Acts 16:31 ["Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house"], but unwilling to look at the verses which immediately follow verse 31 and show that the jailer and others were baptized at the same hour of the night, and they did so only after hearing the word preached and manifested repentance. A fair and honest approach to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" neither emphasizes one Bible verse over others, nor does it intentionally disregard other Bible statements that are connected with that topic. Again, the right approach to Bible study is to turn to, read, and take into account every single bit of information that the Bible gives about a specific matter, and then, and only then, make our final conclusions about it.

There are a number of events in the life of Jesus which are recorded by more than one New Testament writer. While it is the case that some events are recorded by only one writer [such as Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus – Luke 19], it is also true that two writers record other events [such as the birth of Jesus – Matthew 2 and Luke 2], some happenings or teachers are recorded in three books [such as Jesus’ Parable of the Sower – Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8], and there are also those occurrences which are recorded for us in each of the first four books of the New Testament [such as Jesus’ resurrection from the dead – Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20]. It is not only helpful, but absolutely essential, that we read every piece of information about those topics noted above (as well as all others) before we reach our final conclusions.

Perhaps at this point a little practice would be helpful. Other than His own resurrection, the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in each of the first four New Testament books is His feeding of about 5000 men. For our purposes, let us look at what we are told about what took place just before He fed that great multitude. While each of the four writers tells us the fact of the miraculous feeding, each of them provides interesting details that supplement what the other accounts record. Remember: supplementary information is simply the supplying of additional facts and does not constitute a contradiction.

While all of the writers refer to the multitude that was present with Jesus, only John records the motive that at least some of the people had: "And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased" (John 6:2). John is also the only one of the four that tells us that on that occasion Jesus "went up into a mountain" (John 6:3). What about the time element? John, and only John, tells us that "The Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh" (John 6:4). John alone records the conversation which Jesus had with Philip and Andrew about how they could come up with enough food to feed so many folks (John 6:5-9). The fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke did not record these matters as John did does not mean that their accounts are lacking, incorrect, or inferior. Those three, just like John, recorded exactly what the Holy Spirit guided them to write. When we take into account all that each of them said about what transpired just before this marvelous miracle of the Master, it is a harmonious message that presents to us a beautiful, eye-opening picture.

Now let us take into account a unique aspect of what Matthew recorded for us. He alone mentions the fact that Jesus’ compassion moved Him to "heal(ed) their sick" (Matthew 14:14). Thus, before Jesus fed the multitude, He first performed other miracles in their presence. Mark, just as Matthew did, tells us that Jesus "was moved with compassion." However, Mark’s account indicates that Jesus’ compassion was "because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34). So, which account is accurate: Matthew’s or Mark’s? The truth is, what they both wrote is correct – Jesus’ compassion caused Him to both heal the sick (Matthew 14:14) and teach the people (Mark 6:34). The records of Matthew and Mark do not conflict one with the other, but rather completely harmonize.

That brings us to what Luke had to say about the events that occurred prior to Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 men. Remember: Mark noted that Jesus taught the people, and Matthew mentioned His healing. What about Luke? He recorded that Jesus did both: ". . . and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing" (Luke 9:12). This is marvelous harmony in the gospel accounts. In terms of unique information, only Luke tells us the name of the place where the feeding took place: "a desert place belonging to the city of Bethsaida" (Luke 9:10). So, when you and I take into account all that each of the four writers recorded about this occasion, among other things we learn where they were, when it took place, why some followed Jesus, what other miracles Jesus did, and what message He preached.

Consider a second instance connected with the life of the Christ that is recorded in each of the first four New Testament books. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, wrote a title or inscription that he placed on the cross of Jesus. What did the inscription say? Here are the Bible’s answers:

"And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Matthew 27:37).

"And the superscription of his accusation was written over, "THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Mark 15:26).

"And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Luke 23:38).

". . . And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS" (John 19:19).

Which of these four accurately states what was written on the cross? Answer: All of them do. There is no contradiction between any two of them. In order to get the complete inscription, one must include what is written in all four verses. Now look at the four statements in the following order (emphasis is mine, rdc):

"The King of the Jews" (Mark).

"This is the King of the Jews" (Luke).

"This is Jesus the King of the Jews" (Matthew). "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" (John).

What is exactly the same in each of these statements? Answer: the words "The King of the Jews." When we put all four accounts together, what do we have? Answer: "This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews."

As we have observed, it is necessary to consider everything that the Bible says on any given topic. We hope these simple examples have been helpful. It takes time and effort to engage in fruitful Bible study, but our lives are truly enriched by such an undertaking.

-- Roger D. Campbell