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One objection to the divine authority of Scripture concerns the morally repugnant stories that are recorded in its pages. These stories are supposedly inconsistent with the idea of a "holy" Bible. It is true that Scripture does record stories that are morally repugnant. These include: the account of Lot's incest with his daughters, King David's adultery and murder, and the murder of babies at Bethlehem. Many more could be added to this list. Why are these stories recorded in the Holy Bible?
There Was No Cover UpThe fact that these stories are recorded in Scripture only furthers the case for the authority of Scripture. These account are given because they touch upon the main characters in God's plan to save humankind from their sins. Along the way, some of the people fell into gross sin; as was the case with Lot and David. Or people did awful things to keep themselves in power; as did Herod when he ordered the slaughter of the babes in Bethlehem. These accounts are not overlooked or covered up. They are recorded to reveal the truth about what actually occurred in the history of God's dealings with humanity.
Some Stories Are Recorded But Not ApprovedThe morally repugnant stories that are recorded in Scripture are part of the total story of God's people. The fact that their sin is recorded does not mean it is condoned. To the contrary, they are given because they show that God can and does work in spite of gross sin.
SummaryWhile there are stories contained in Scripture that are morally repugnant this has nothing to do with the fact of its divine inspiration. These accounts are recorded because they are important to the story of God's work in history. However the fact that a story is recorded does not mean that God approves of what took place.
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
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