Should we Believe Everything?
Should we Believe Everything?
One supposed Bible contradiction is if the Bible supports being guilible. 1 Corinthians 13:7 seems to support it while verses such as Proverbs 14:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, and 1 John 4:1 seems to deny it.
1 Corinthians 13:7
"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things," (1 Corinthians 13:7 DRA).
Proverbs 14:15
"The innocent believeth every word: the discreet man considereth his steps. No good shall come to the deceitful son: but the wise servant shall prosper in his dealings, and his way shall be made straight," (Proverbs 14:15 DRA).
1 John 4:1
"Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world," (1 John 4:1 DRA).
1 Thessalonians 5:21
"But prove all things; hold fast that which is good," (1 Thessalonians 5:21 DRA).
One possible answer is Paul was speaking on the intent of people. As one scholar writes: "Believeth all things. Takes the best and kindest views of all men and all circumstances, as long as it is possible to do so. It is the opposite to the common spirit, which drags everything in [the worst part], paints it in the darkest colours, and makes the worst of it. Love is entirely alien from the spirit of the cynic, the pessimist, the ecclesiastical rival, the anonymous slanderer, the secret detractor. Hopeth all things. Christians seem to have lost sight altogether of the truth that hope is something more than the result of a sanguine (or optimistic) temperament (or nature/behavior), that it is a gift and a grace. Hope is averse (opposed) to sourness and gloom. It takes sunny and cheerful views of man, of the world, and of God, because it is a sister of love," (Jones).
Works Cited:
Image by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
The Pulpit Commentary, Volume 8. United States, Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2015.