You hear people say the Bible is full of contradictions.
As I was washing dishes, a thought came to me. We live with contradictions all the time.
I tell my children, “Do not talk to strangers.” Next thing you know, I am telling them to go ask the store clerk for something. Isn’t the store clerk a stranger? Yet in different situations, it is not a contradiction.
Another example: I tell my children, “Be generous and share what you have.” And then I tell them, “Don’t share your food with your friends.” (Actually the school does not allow this to avoid passing on germs or possible allergic reactions.) Did I contradict myself? The principles are right in different circumstances.
So it is with the Bible. The Ten Commandments tell us to honor our mothers and fathers. Yet, Jesus says anyone loves his mother and father more than Him is not worthy of Him ( John 10:37). Is Jesus contradicting the commandments of God? When applied to different situations, it is not a contradiction. The passage in John seems to give me an excuse not to take care of my parents, that I just have to love God. But the commandment does not let me off the hook. Combining the two, I have to honor them, as much as I can, without dishonoring God.
Many other passages make sense to me now, when I think how I seemingly contradict myself when I talk to my children.
Unfortunately, most people who assert that the Bible has contradictions have not really read the Bible nor seek to understand it.