The Bible is Not a House of Cards
1 October 2025 Hits:281
The blog’s title refers to a game I enjoyed playing as a kid—building a tower out of playing cards. It’s very enjoyable and tests a certain level of skill depending on the size and complexity of the structure.
The challenge with this game is to be as careful as possible to prevent the construction from collapsing. One wrong move and you have to start again.
Some people see the Bible as a house of cards. If one part has discrepancies, the whole book collapses. I used to think this—but I no longer do. Why did I change my view?
I’ve Changed
My personal journey with the Bible and my relationship with the scriptures has changed quite a lot since I chose to follow Jesus. In my early twenties, my auntie warned me about the Bible’s contradictions. While I respected her, I couldn’t help but disagree deep down.
Over the next few years, I read and devoured the Bible. By the time I started my theological training, I had a solid understanding of scripture, having read the Bible from cover to cover multiple times. I learned a lot at Bible college, but in hindsight, I also notice some shortcomings.
While various interpretations of biblical themes were shared, we also understood why they were mistaken and why, as Pentecostal believers, we hold the correct view. There was no pride involved, of course! I think back to those days, my own legalism and dogmatism, and the need to be “right” about the Bible—The sin of certainty.
What Changed?
Hopefully, we all become more mellow with age—I certainly have. About twenty years ago, I began exploring and reshaping my faith—more on that in the next week or two. What initially drew me into the room couldn’t keep me there, and I faced some serious questions about the Bible that I needed answers to. What I uncovered has transformed my faith and strengthened my relationship with Jesus and the scriptures.
The Bible is a developing story, a progression of truth called the Arc of Scripture. The Bible’s arc shows how people’s view of, and relationship with, God has matured over time.
Arc Examples
There are many examples I could give, but to keep it brief, I’ll mention just a few. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham didn’t hesitate. Why? Because in the ancient world, child sacrifice was a common form of worship. In the story in Genesis 22, God met Abraham according to his cultural context and then shifted the command from child to animal sacrifice. It’s not that God cared much about animal sacrifice either, as we see later in the Scriptures, but, as I’m sure you’d agree, killing an animal is preferable to slaying a child.
Deuteronomy prohibits Ammonites, Moabites, and their descendants from entering the assembly of the LORD. Yet Ruth is a Moabite woman who marries a Judean immigrant named Mahlon (Ruth 1:1–4; 4:10). When Mahlon dies, she ultimately marries Boaz. The next time we see Ruth, she features in Jesus’ family tree and is very much welcomed into God’s gathering.
Exodus states that God punishes children for their parents’ sins up to the third and fourth generation. That doesn’t seem very kind or loving-God-like, so later in the Bible, Ezekiel corrects this: “The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child.” Ah, that’s better!
The Bible: A Living, Dynamic Book. The Bible is not a static book. It’s alive, changing, and full of energy, much like a flowing stream. Its message is constantly evolving, shifting from endorsing genocide to advocating for loving your enemy. Jesus’ elevation of women challenges the patriarchy, and the mindset of revenge turns to one of grace and kindness, as exemplified in Christ.
Over time, I have grown more comfortable with this way of reading scripture, as it reflects the ongoing story of God’s love for people and His desire to “reconcile the world to himself in Christ.”
His-Story
I’ve realised that my Western upbringing puts me at a disadvantage when interpreting this Eastern book. The Western mindset is focused on facts, while Eastern history is more about communicating meaning through stories.
The Bible does this many times—it even starts with two completely different and conflicting accounts of creation. In Genesis 1, people are created on the sixth day. In Genesis 2, God makes people before plants. I love this because right from the start, we’re shown how the Bible works. When a story is told, it’s not just about the facts. We need to ask what the story means and, most importantly, what it means to us, and how we should live it out in everyday life—the Word made flesh.
Which day is it?
We know Jesus died by crucifixion, but on which day? Matthew, Mark, and Luke state that Jesus was crucified on Passover, following the Last Supper, which suggests Jesus’ death happened after the Passover lambs were sacrificed. John, however, places Jesus’ crucifixion the day before Passover, at the same time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered for the festival (John 19:14). If you have a house of cards view of scripture, this creates a problem because it’s an irreconcilable contradiction. But understanding the context of Eastern history resolves the dilemma. John’s gospel shows Jesus as the Lamb of God (1:29, 36), so it presents Jesus’ death as a sacrificial lamb.
Each gospel writer had specific themes and messages for their audience, which is why their accounts differ. At Bible college, this was seen as a “problem” that needed fixing, and a lot of effort was made to defend the Bible. How arrogant we were (or are) to think any of us needs to defend God’s word.
The Real Word
You’ll notice that I used a small “w” for word. That’s because the capital W is reserved for the real Word of God—Jesus: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In times past, God communicated through various means, including imperfect channels like the prophets. The writer to the Hebrews states, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Jesus is “the exact representation of [God’s] being.” In Jesus, we see what God is truly like, rather than what people thought God was like through the lens of their cultural biases and limitations.
Occasionally, Jesus amended several verses from the Old Testament. Sometimes, Jesus disagreed with Scripture (Mark 10:1-9) or chose not to argue about individual verses and instead showed kindness (John 5:1-14; 8:2-11), a practice that we Christians would do well to follow, valuing connection over correction.
The Revd. Peter Bartel put it this way, “Read the Bible. When anything in the rest of the Bible disagrees with Jesus, listen to Jesus.” C.S. Lewis wrote, “It is Christ himself, not the Bible, who is the true Word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to him.”
Neither Lewis nor I hold a low view of scripture, but a high view of Jesus. The primary revelation about Jesus is found in the small w word. Each page points to him. So, let’s move beyond a house of cards view of the Bible and realise it’s an excellent, ancient, messy, sometimes confusing but beautifully written work of art that can touch and change us in the very depths of our being.
Rob Buckingham
Senior Minister
