Equivocation

Equivocation uses one word in two different senses inside one argument, as if it meant the same thing both times. Many supposed contradictions are built this way.

Tempt and Test

"God tested Abraham." Genesis 22:1 James says, "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone." James 1:13 In English the words overlap. But a test proves what is real. A temptation tries to pull someone into sin. God did the first. He never does the second.

Hate

Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother... he cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:26 Yet the Law says to honor your father and mother. Matthew records the same teaching in plainer words: "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." Matthew 10:37 Hate here is a word of comparison. Our love for Christ must be so much greater that every other love looks small beside it.

Faith

Christians can do it too. Someone says, "Faith is believing without evidence," and a Christian agrees without noticing the switch. The Bible's faith is trust in Someone who has shown Himself faithful. That is the sense of Faith in the Gospel lesson.

How to Catch It

When an argument turns on one word, stop and ask what that word means each time it appears. Read it in its own sentence. The lesson on A Different Sense gathers many examples.