Why does the Bible seem contradictory, and how is that resolved?
The Bible appears contradictory when distinctions such as Law and Grace, and Israel and the Church Age, are not kept separate. It is resolved by recognizing that Scripture is not contradictory but reflects a change of modus operandi. The Church Age was revealed through Paul, so the Church goes to his letters for faith and practice.
Les explains that the seeming contradictions are resolved by keeping God's programs distinct. The Church Age was never revealed until the Apostle Paul, and consequently there is nothing of the Church in the Old Testament or the Gospels. Doctrinally, the Church must go to Paul's letters for its faith and practice, which solves a multitude of problems and confusion. People who thought the Bible was contradictory found that showing the difference between Law and Grace, and between Israel and the Church Age, settled it. It is not contradictory; it is a change of modus operandi. Law was a works religion, while Grace is all of Grace and not of works. Paul's letters, always in the same order in every New Testament manuscript, further confirm the Holy Spirit's control.