The Law of Non-Contradiction

A claim and its opposite cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. "The tomb was empty" and "the tomb was not empty" cannot both be true of the same tomb on the same morning.

The last part of that rule is the part people forget: at the same time and in the same sense. "It is raining" and "it is not raining" can both be true if one was said on Monday and the other on Tuesday.

God Is Not Yes and No

Some in Corinth said Paul spoke out of both sides of his mouth. He answered, "as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not 'Yes' and 'No.'" Then he pointed to Christ: "in Him it has always been 'Yes.'" 2 Corinthians 1:18-20

Jesus asks the same of us. "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'" Matthew 5:37 John says, "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

The First Lie

The first lie in the Bible was a direct contradiction. God said of the tree, "in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die." Genesis 2:17 The serpent said, "You will not surely die." Genesis 3:4 Both could not be true. Eve had to choose which one to believe, and so do we.

In Reading the Bible

This is the law every contradiction list appeals to, and it is a fair law. The question for each pair is whether the two sentences really speak of the same thing, at the same time, in the same sense.

Matthew says "there were two blind men sitting beside the road." Matthew 20:30 Mark names one, "a blind beggar named Bartimaeus." Mark 10:46 Mark never says there was only one. Both can be true. Supposed Contradictions works through hundreds of pairs like that one.