14. The Agreement Principle
CHAPTER FOURTEEN The Agreement Principle a. Definition. That principle under which the truthfulness and faithfulness of God become the guarantee that He will not set forth any passage in His Word which contradicts any other passage.
1. There are no contradiction in scripture; there is organic unity. Though there are 66 books, yet it is perfect unity as shown in structure, history, purpose, doctrine, and theme, which is Jesus Christ. There are always critics who declare that the Bible is full of discrepancies, inaccuracies, contradictions, and errors, but the Bible is not a Bible of mistakes, and this is guaranteed by the God of truth and faithfulness – Psalms 119:90; John 17:17.
2. If the Bible is a book of errors, then we must reach one of two conclusions.
(a) The Bible is not God’s book; for God is faithful.
(b) If it is God’s book, then God is not faithful. Both these conclusions may be rejected – Numbers 23:19; Romans 3:4; Deuteronomy 32:4; Titus 1:2. There are a lot of books written by man which do not contain the truth, and many commentaries on scripture do not contain it. God is the Author of the Bible, through the Holy Spirit, and the Bible is a perfect unity, though ridiculed by many modernists. b. Examples of this principle. This agreement principle is illustrated by Bible testimony on topics of human disagreement. There are some things in scripture upon which the scriptures agree, but on which human beings are disagreed.
1. Gathering of the Jews. Many say God is through with the Jew. If you talk of the time when Israel will be the head instead of the tail there will be disagreement among men; hut not so in scripture. God is I agreed all through the Bible concerning the dispersion and regathering of Israel – Deuteronomy 30:1-3; Isaiah 11:12; Ezekiel 36; Ezekiel 37; Jeremiah 23:3; Matthew 24:31; Romans 11:25-26; Amos 9:14-15. The Old Testament and the New Testament are perfectly agreed on this subject.
2. Is the world growing better or worse? People say that it is getting better in spite of the evidences of decay and corruption. Others say it is getting worse – no agreement at all. The Bible is agreed upon this subject as well – "As it was in the days of Noah." "As it was in the days of Lot." ’When the Son of Man cometh will he find faith in the earth?" "In the last days perilous times shall come." Some people seem to think that the Lord will come back because the world is getting so good, but the truth is that the world is so corrupt that He must come.
3. Contrast between the writing of Paul and James – James 2:24; Romans 4:24. Paul says you are justified by faith; James says you are justified by works. But Paul is showing how the sinner is justified before God by faith, and James shows justification before men by works. God sees our faith, but when we say we have faith, men look for works as a proof. Paul is talking about the fact of justification; James about the fruits of justification. Paul is talking about the doctrine of justification; James about the experience of justification. Paul is rebuking the Pharisees for their lack of faith; James is rebuking the people for their license and lawlessness. c. Need for accuracy in the study of the Word of God.
Never preach on a text until you have studied it in the light of your concordance; know every word in your text.
There are many so-called errors which would never be set forth by man if every man were accurate.
1. Some of man’s errors.
(a) A man near Chesapeake Bay was a fisher of oysters, and a Christian. He was a member of the M.E. Church, and wanted the church to grant him the license to preach. Since he was very unlearned, the preacher kept putting him off. At last the preacher said that the next time the presiding elder came, he might preach, and get the opinion of the presiding elder. In due time his opportunity came, and he preached on the text, "Thou art an oysterman." He had the Lord Jesus out in the bay fishing for oysters. When he gave the invitation four people responded. Afterwards the preacher said to him, "You made a terrible mistake." The would-be preacher could not understand why, and then the preacher explained that the text should have read, "Thou art an austere man." – Luke 19:21-22. To which the man replied, "What’s the difference? Didn’t we get four fish?"
(b) A preacher of very little education once preached on the text, "He took him and held him and let him go," and was trying to explain how this was done when a man in the audience called out, "He took him and healed him and let him go" – Luke 14:4. We need to be careful in reading the Bible.
2. How these errors are made.
(a) Some prophecies were spoken; some were written and not spoken; some were both written and spoken.
(1) Matthew 27:9 – "Which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet." Somebody hunts through the book of Jeremiah for this prophecy and cannot find it, and then will locate it in Zechariah. This is proclaimed as another mistake in the Bible, and many explanations are offered:
[a] Matthew wrote from memory and got the names of the men mixed up, so wrote down Jeremiah instead of Zechariah.
[b] It is a slip of the pen.
[c] The reason why "Jeremiah" was written instead of Zechariah was because Jeremiah’s name was used to indicate anyone of the prophets just as Ephraim was put in to indicate one of the tribes.
[d] The thirty pieces of silver were in another prophecy written by Jeremiah, which is There are now lost.
[e] Wordsworth says, "Matthew knew who it was, but wrote Jeremiah instead of Zechariah to show us that it doesn’t make any difference." The fact of the matter is that Matthew does not say that Jeremiah wrote it, but says that Jeremiah spoke it. The Holy Spirit is not limited to a written statement. He could tell just as well what Jeremiah said, as He could tell Moses what the Devil said. Zechariah wrote what Jeremiah spoke.
(2) 1 Thessalonians 1:10.
[a] The people at Thessalonica were waiting for the Son, so the verse says. Some say they were not waiting for the Son, but for the Spirit; that the coming of the Son and the coming of the Spirit were the same thing. Those poor people at Thessalonica, then, were waiting for something that had already happened, for the Spirit came at Pentecost. In this they take issue with the Lord Jesus, because He said He was sending another.
[b] Some say that they were waiting for death.
[c] Others, that the coming of the Lord took place when Jerusalem was overthrown. Any view will be taken except the truth of the Lord’s return. d. Let marks of time be noted.
1. Ezekiel 36:25 – The word, "Then" is the important word; it indicates the time. This verse does not apply to the church at all. Verses 16-24 explain it; as having to do with the restoration.
2. Matthew 24:29 – The words, "immediately after the tribulation" give the key to this verse. e. Let marks of place be noted.
1. Wilkins, concerning the ascension of the Lord, compares Luke 24:51 with Acts 1:9-12, saying that Luke, in the Gospel of Luke, says that Christ ascended from Bethany, and in Acts says He ascended from the Mt. of Olives. He points this out as a mistake in the Bible, and says that since these records differ then is a question as to whether He ascended at all. There is no question about this at all, since Bethany is on the slope of the. Mt. of Olives, and Christ could not ascend from Bethany without ascending from the Mt. of Olives.
2. Sinai and Horeb are the same.
3. Antioch – be sure to differentiate between them.
4. Ramah – there are five of them. f. Dean Stanley, in Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, criticizes Stephen’s discourse in Acts 7. We must be convinced first of all, and once for all, that the Bible is the Book of God.
Mark 7:13 – The Jews put their traditions before the Word of God. The Catholics put their church before the Word of God; the Mormons put their book of the Mormons before the Bible; Christian Science puts "Science and Health" before the Bible. But the words of the Lord are pure words, and these are the words which the Holy Ghost teaches.
Dean Stanley says that in Stephen’s address in Acts 7 there are twelve discrepancies at least, either by variation or addition. Does the Holy Spirit not have the right to make an addition if He wants to do so? Who are we to question Him? An addition is not a contradiction. In His criticism, Stanley says it shows that Stephen handled the scriptures carelessly; and his idea in criticizing is to blast away the foundation truth of the inspiration of the scripture. Here are a few of the so-called mistakes.
1. Acts 7:14 speaks of Jacob and his kindred, which were seventy-five in all. This Dean Stanley compares with Genesis 46:26, which sets the souls that came with Jacob, besides his son’s wives, as sixty-six. There is a difference between the family of Jacob and the descendants of Jacob.
Souls that came besides wives, Genesis 46:26. .... 66 Jacob himself. .................................................. 1 Joseph .............................................................. 1 Joseph’s sons .................................................... 2 Wives of Jacob’s sons ...................................... 5 { not included in Jacob’s family 75 Genesis 46:26
2. Acts 7:20 is compared with Exodus 2:2. Stephen says Moses was exceeding fair, while Exodus says he was a goodly child. Dean Stanley says this is an example of the careless way in which the Bible is written. However, in translating the Septuagint into the Greek, the word which was translated "goodly" in Exodus, is the same word which is translated "exceeding fair" in Acts.
3. Acts 7:22 is compared with Exodus 4:10 – Acts refers to Moses’ education and Exodus to his eloquence. What kind of comparison is this?
Why not compare Acts 7:22 with Hebrews 11:24? It is only common sense to believe that teachers would be provided for the child adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. Stanley puts learning and eloquence as synonyms. Does education always make a man eloquent? No.
4. Acts 7:32 is compared with Exodus 3:3. There is no comparison here. There is a comparison between verses 7:32 and 3:6, 7, but there is no comparison between verses that do not have the same subject.
5. In Acts 7:22 the statement is made that Moses was mighty in words, and in Exodus 4:10 Moses said, "I am not eloquent." You would not expect a man who was trying to get out of a job to say that he was eloquent. In Deuteronomy, however, Moses made one of the most eloquent speeches made by man. God says Moses was mighty in words, hut does not say that he was eloquent.
6. Acts 7:53 and Exodus 19:16. Acts – law received by mediatorship of angels. In Exodus no mention of angels. What of it? Deuteronomy 33:2; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2 – the word "saints" means "holy ones" or "angels." g. Further examples of the use of this principle.
1. Psalms 58:4 – One man says that an adder is not deaf, and so the Bible is not true. One Bible student has said, "When a man makes a statement concerning a contradiction in the Bible, I always go to the Word of God to see what it really says." In this instance, God is comparing a man who will not hear the Word with a serpent which will not listen to the music of the snake-charmer, but stops its ears. God is talking of His people; He speaks and they will not hear. They are not deaf, but rebellious.
2. 1 Samuel 16:17 with 1 Samuel 17:58. David was Saul’s harpist, and when David slew the giant, Saul asked him who he was. This is called a discrepancy. The fact is that Saul asked him who his father was, because Saul had made a promise concerning the father of the man who slew the giant. ,
3. Luke 9:50 and Luke 11:23. These are not contradictory; they are complementary. Both statements are true under different circumstances. The context will solve the difficulty. Neutrality is sometimes as deadly as opposition, and again sometimes neutrality is effectual. Suppose there is a charge against you, and I know you are innocent. I keep silent. My neutrality is against you. Again, there is a charge against you. I know you are guilty and I keep silent. My neutrality is for you. In Luke 9:50 the question is concerning service. While this man was not banded with the disciples, he was not working against them. But in Luke 11:23 it is a question of warfare between Christ and Satan, and in that case there can be no neutrality. Everyone not for Christ is against Him.
4. Galatians 6:2 and Galatians 6:5. Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear ye one another’s burdens," and then in 6:5 "Every man is to bear his own burdens." These refer to two kinds of burdens. There are some burdens which you can help another to bear such as sorrow, grief, and poverty. There are other burdens, such as duty and responsibility, which are not transferable. 6:2 refers to burdens of sympathy, 6:5 to burdens of responsibility.
5. Provo 26:4, 5.
Vs. 4 – answer not approvingly. If you answer in folly then you are lowering yourself to the level of the fool. Do not answer him as if he were wise. Jesus was asked many foolish questions, but He never answered them on the same level.
Vs. 5 – Answer him according to his folly, in such a way as to expose his folly, and in such a way that he will not have an opportunity to feel wise, or that he has superior knowledge.
6. John 8:59 – Where did the people get the stones when they took stones to throw at Jesus? How did they pick up stones in the temple? The Bible does not say they picked up stones in the temple. They no doubt picked them up and carried them in. A stone was their ordinary weapon and was carried as the modern man would carry a revolver. And if the Bible had said they picked up stones in the temple, Edersheim says they could have found them in the court of the Gentiles, which was unpaved.
7. 1 Kings 15:14 with 2 Chronicles 14:1-3. How could he take away the high places, and then not take them away? There were different kinds of high places in Palestine. Asa took away the high places where the idols were worshipped – 1 Kings 3:2; 1 Kings 3:4; 1 Kings 22:43; 2 Kings 12:2-3; 2 Kings 15:3-4; 1 Chronicles 16:39-40.
8. 2 Samuel 24:24; with 1 Chronicles 21:22-25.
(a) The amount paid by David was 50 shekels of silver, as recorded in II Sam., but in I Chron., it was 600 shekels of gold. Why the difference?
(b) Professor Smith says that when the Chronicler came to write Chronicles he thought that 50 shekels were not enough, so he lied in a kindly way and said 600, in order to preserve the honor of David. The writer of the book then, was a kindly liar; and if he wrote one lie, then he probably wrote others.
(c) By reading the context we find that the threshing floor became the site of the temple and you could not build a temple 1000 ft. square on a threshing floor. In the first reference, David bought the threshing floor for 50 shekels of silver, and in the second, he bought the place of threshing-floor (whole field), and paid 600 shekels of gold.
9. Acts 9:7 with 22:9. In Acts 9:7 they heard the voice and then in Acts 22:9 they did not hear the voice. The fact is that they heard the voice, but not the words. The word translated "voice" comes from the Greek, "phone," which contains the idea of disclosure. In the Revised Version it reads, "they heard the sound," which is correct. Another reference is John 12:28-29. The people heard the voice, but not the words.
10. Deuteronomy 31:2 with 34:7. Deuteronomy 31:2 – "I can no more go out and come in." In Deuteronomy 34:7 – "eye not dimmed, and natural forces not abated." The first reference doesn’t mean feebleness, but that his days are at an end. Numbers 27:17 shows what the phrase means.
11. Exodus 20:14 with Numbers 31:18. Exodus says "thou shalt not commit adultery." Numbers says to keep alive the women that have not known men, for themselves. Man says they were to keep the women for their own immoral desires. It was not that, but the women were to be kept as slaves, and as judgment for leading the children of Israel astray.
12. Luke 9:35 with 2 Peter 1:17. Luke says, "This is my beloved son, hear ye him." 2 Peter 1:17 – "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Turn to Matthew 17:5. The Father said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him."
13. Exodus 20:17 with 1 Corinthians 12:31. Exodus says "Thou shalt not covet." I Corinthians says, "Covet earnestly the best things." In Corinthians the word "covet" means desire.
14. Exodus 9:3 with Exodus 14:9. In 9:3 we read about the cattle in the fields of the Egyptians dying. In 14:9 they used horses to pursue the children of Israel. If the cattle died, how could the horses be alive to pursue? In 9:3 it says that only the cattle in the field would be affected, so those kept in the stables for the army would not be touched. The horses of the Israelites were not smitten, and so Pharaoh could take them, as the Israelites were slaves. "All" may be used to mean all varieties, as well as, without exception. You have to decide its use from the context.
15. Numbers 4:3 with Numbers 8:24-25. In 4:3 it gives the age of the Levites as from 30 years old to 50. In 8:24, 25 they were numbered from 25 years up. In 4:3, we have the numbering of the Levite; is 8:24, 25, the service of the Levites. h. Names in Scripture.
1. More than one man may have the same name.
(a) Saul of Tarsus was not the king of Israel: This might be said in a moment of carelessness.
(b) How could Jehoram be king in Israel, and king in Judah? He was not. There were two kings of the same name.
(c) There are three men named James in the New Testament: James the son of Zebedee, James the son of Alphaeus, and lames the brother of Jesus.
(d) There are four Johns: John the Baptist, John the Apostle, John Mark, and just John – Acts 4:6.
(e) There are ten Simons in Scripture.
(f) There are many Herods in the New Testament.
(g) There are six Marys.
(h) We are inclined to speak of titles as names. Abimelech was the title of the king of Philistia, just as the titles king, czar, president, or kaiser. Agag, Caesar and Pharoah were all titles.
2. Not only do different people have the same name, but one man may have more than one name.
(a) Jacob – Israel.
(b) Silvanus – Silas.
(c) Timotheus – Timothy.
(d) Levi – Matthew.
(e) Peter (Gr.) – Cephas (Aramaic) – Simon (Heb.).
(f) Jehoiachin – Coniah – Jechoniah.
(g) Saul – Paul.
(h) Abram – Abraham.
(i) Sarai – Sarah.
(j) Joseph – Zaphnath-paaneah (Egyptian).
(k) Daniel and his friends – Daniel 1.
3. Places may have more than one name.
(a) Antioch – one in Syria, and one in Pisidia in Asia Minor.
(b) There are three Bethsaidas and five Ramoths.
(c) Bethel is also Luz.
(d) Jerusalem is also Ariel (lion of God).
(e) Egypt is called Ham, and there was a small town on the east shore of the Dead Sea called Ham.
(f) Sinai is also called Horeb.
(g) Sea of Galilee also has other names: Chinnereth, Genessaret, Tiberias.
(h) Dead Sea also called Sea of Plain, and Salt Sea.
(i) Dan – Genesis 14. Abraham pursued the four kings unto Dan. Man says Dan was not established until 400 years after, at the establishment of the tribe of Dan. There were two places by that name.
(j) Mt. Hor and Moserah – the same place. Numbers 33:38 says Aaron died at Mt. Hor and Deuteronomy 10:6 at Moserah.
(k) Bethany – on side of Mt. of Olives.
(l) Hai – Ai. i. Inaccuracies in Translation.
We must recognize that this may occur; for the translations are not inspired. Many times so-called translations are not translations, but interpretations. Don’t make a god of the 1611 version, or any other. However, the answer to many apparent contradictions is found in the translations of men.
1. 2 Chronicles 16:1 with 1 Kings 15:32-33.
(a) Chronicles says Baasha came in the 36th year of the reign of Asa, while Kings say that in the third year of the reign of Asa, Baasha began to reign and reigned for twenty-four years, dying in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa. This makes the king appear to be fighting against Asa nine years after he was dead.
(b) Look up the word "reign" and you will find that it was the thirty-sixth year of the kingdom of Asa. Reign means dominion, empire, kingdom, realm, and royalty. So what this really says is, ’the thirty-sixth year of the founding of the kingdom over which Asa reigned" – 2 Chronicles 14:1; 2 Chronicles 15:19; 2 Chronicles 16:1.
(a) Here is a picture of the heavenly beings praising God for salvation. There is no scripture which states that Christ died for anyone but the world. There is no hope given for the fallen angels nor for the Devil. The angelic beings are not included in the redemption provided by Christ – Hebrews 2:9 – "Christ tasted death for every man."
(b) The revised version gives the correct translation. "He hath redeemed men," not us. This translation is indorsed by many great Bible teachers. These creature beings are not redeemed.
3. Jude 1:14 with 2 Peter 2:5.
Enoch is the seventh from Adam, and in Genesis 5 this is confirmed. But in 2 Peter 2:5 God spared Noah the eighth person. In the mind of the person who found this apparent discrepancy this is a contradiction, because Noah would be the tenth person from Adam, according to the generations in Genesis. The revised version is correct – "preserved Noah with seven others."
4. Genesis 1:31 with 2:4. A day may be 24 hours in one place, and in another place may mean a period of time.
Genesis 6:19 with 7:2. This is a repetition with additions. The two animals were for propagation, and the seven for sacrifice.
5. Accounts of creation. There are not two accounts of creation. Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:4 is the introduction to this book of beginnings, of which there are 12 divisions. The over-all account is given in chapter 1 and the details in chapter 2.
6. Genesis 16:4-14 with Genesis 21. A preacher once said that there were two accounts of the expulsion of Hagar. The first record is of the fact that she was mistreated by Sarah and ran away, but the Lord sent her back. Thirteen years later she and her son were cast out.
7. 1 Samuel 6:19 says 50,070 were slain. That is a great number. The Hebrew says he smote 70 men, two 50’s and a thousand, or 1170 men.
8. Judges 12:6, "fell forty and two thousand." We say 42,000 and here there were only 32,000 of them all together. It should be 2040.
9. Luke 24:39.
(1) Jesus in resurrection body is standing in the midst of the disciples. They think He is a spirit. He says "a spirit hath not flesh and bone" as ye see me have."
(2) Mrs. Montgomery’s translation reads: "Spirit hath not flesh and Blood as ye see me have." He didn’t have blood after the resurrection.