How do Christians rectify the apparent contradictions in the bible?

Thanks for the examples. Here are my answers to just a few. I'm not gonna say "proof," because while I am completely confident in God, it DOES take faith, which is His gift to us. I'm just answering a few cuz all would take too long :) (Btw, you're right, I am gonna say there are no real contradictions. Some may be worded a bit differently, but all the really important stuff is the same or at least differnt parts/views of the same.)

1st of all, God is too big for us to understand. He CAN be both the God of war and peace etc. at once. Just as I can be angry with someone, but love them at the same time, God can BE 2 seemingly opposite things at once, He's that big.

Many people were at the empty tomb. If you mesh the different gospels together, they're still true. As for who was there 1st, the gospels may "disagree," but that's because while the Bible is God's word, it was still written down by humans, who wrote what they saw, heard, and believed.

The Trinity is confusing. Hard to explain, hard to understand, but not a contradiction. Think of it like this. There is God (stay with me for a moment please.) God has 3 parts. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. All are equal. All are fully God, none are like man, all are above Him. But humans have a problem: we sin. God wants to save us, so the Son part decides (Father doesn't force the other part of Himself) to come to earth and save us. This means He must become human. So, while He is still fully God, He is also fully human. (This may SOUND like a contradiction, but He's God, okay? He can do whatever He wants.) So, Jesus and the Father are still 1, because Jesus is still fully God. They still both equal parts of God. But since Jesus is fully human, His Father is greater than Him in that regard.

The righteous in Christ will live eternally in Heaven, but may be persecuted on earth.

A Christian shouldn't do good things in public to draw attention to themselves. If there is an opportunity, take it! But also do things where no one can see you. Our "light" is the light of Christ. It is our way of living. Love. We aren't always great at it, it would be hypocritical to say we always get it right. But a lot of us try. If we let it the light will shine out of us. But some people try to cover it up.

I know you probably didn't really want a real answer, but here you go. I hope it helps, and if not you, someone else.

Most are easily explained. For instance, just two real quick ones off that list:

1. Rabbits actually do a kind of rumination similar to cows and that has been proven by scientists long ago. Why anyone still uses that one is beyond me.

2. Genealogy differences in Matt & Luke: One was tracing the line through Jesus father Joseph and one was tracing it through Mary. Both were descendants of King David. Genealogical decent from King David was very important for being the Messiah so tracing it from his mother and adoptive father actually lends more proof to Jesus being the foretold Messiah.

It is day time. It is night time. ... is not a contradiction....

it is day time AND it is night time... IS a contradiction...

like day and night, a lot of those inconsistencies in the bible are situational. "being of peace and of war" is not an 'eternal' statement, it can describe the circumstances of different times. this is not contradictory, otherwise humanbeings are contradictory, we fight and makepeace. we change. if that is a contradiction, then clearly, as evidenced by our own existence, contradictions are irrelivent. but most of these are simple misinterpretations, or intential misunderstandings.

Is it folly to be wise or not?

PRO 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

ECC 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

1CO 1:19: "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

PRO & ECC: being the principal thing does not imply it is without its own draw backs. clearly, when we learn as we do in school. we learn about all great human accomplishments, as well as all great human disasters. this is common sense.

1CO: this refers to "god's" otherworldly-ness. destroying the wisdom and understanding is the first step in building a refined and improved updated sense of wisdom and understanding. as children we are constantly re-evaluating out over-all understanding of the world, everytime some new experience occurs. current set of understanding does not accurately reflect the state or way of the world, and so it must be dropped in favor of something new. "all i know is that i know nothing" - socrates, the wisest of men.

I simply believe they do not exist. The entire Bible are all God's words and He cannot lie. =)

Oh to question it would render you a "doubter" so it's better to just shut up and say nothing at all but hide in the panacea for all the wrongs done by an easy answer to believe in the "son" of God but do nothing to better oneself. ExChristian

The carnally minded cannot see nor know that which is spiritual without the Spirit of God, but then they would not be any more carnally minded, and would be able to comprehend that is hid from them now; which then would allow them to rightly divide the Word of Truth. But if you would have known this, then you would not have said what you said.

By ignoring them and claiming they are not contradictions, just different ways of saying the same thing.

there are no contradictions some things are spiritual and some natural they just dont know the differance...all religions have this problem

There is no rectification... I realize and see that where there are errors, flaws, seeming contradictions they are "the errors of man" - it's that simple. It's all about the "...as far as it is translated correctly" idea to me! : )

They don't - they believe it's easier to win an argument with a closed mind and a judgmental tongue