Sermon On Enigma Or Contradiction?

Andrea Louise Riseborough, an English actress and producer once remarked: “People are fascinating. They're so unique and I think what's more fascinating is the reason behind the physical characteristic, the enigma, that's where the gold dust is.” Proverbs 1:2-7 reminds us: “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth - Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

According to the dictionary, the words Enigma and Contradiction are said to be semantically related. In certain cases, it is claimed that one can use the word contradiction rather than an enigma. Enigma is defined as a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand, whereas contradiction is said to be a combination of statements, ideas, or features that may be deemed significantly conflicting with one another.

Sceptics or non-believers, in their misconceived way, use every passage that may indicate possible contradictions in the Bible to support their claim that it is erroneous. They state: “How can the Bible be true and accurate if it contains contradictions? Rebuttals should not exist if the Bible is a book to be believed.”

If we look at Matthew 5:33-37, it states: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” This passage has been used as an example of controversy against: Hebrews 14:6: For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” At first glance, the two passages may appear diametrically opposed to each other and imply contradiction. Matthew states that one should not to swear or take oaths, whereas in Hebrews, God, Himself, swears and takes an oath.

If the Bible had stated that Moses had been born into a Hebrew family and elsewhere countermanded that true fact with the claim that he had actually been born into an Egyptian family, there would have been a distinct discrepancy as it relates to the same thing. This would have provided ammunition for the doubters and a foundation stone on which to work. However, consistency prevails throughout the Bible, it is the readers who may misinterpret. Acts 4:12 reminds us: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Oaths are not meant to be forbidden in our lives, they serve a useful purpose which are intended for particular circumstances or occasions. In the United Kingdom, when a new king or queen is crowned, during the coronation, they take an oath of allegiance to the people of the country and to the Commonwealth.

Similarly, oaths may be said or taken in return by officials, to demonstrate loyalty and conviction. A typical example is a Hippocratic oath taken by doctors. These are to confirm and provide assurance of an intent to serve or supply, just as God does in Hebrews 14. His particular oath was not intended to apply to every circumstance in life, but to an individual one. Therefore there is no contradiction to the scripture in Matthew, as deemed by the doubters, as this relates to a completely different scenario.

In Matthew, Jesus is speaking of the intentional, but wrongful use of oaths by the Pharisees purely for the benefit of their own purposes or convenience. False oaths achieve nothing. They become meaningless and worthless. Unity can be destroyed. Trust will be lost and they may even be considered sinful. Deuteronomy 23:21-23 confirms: “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.”