Dear Rev. I believe that the original Hebrew version of the Five Books of Moses and the Prophetic Writings are accurate and the true revelation of God. There can be no contradiction in them. I am unconvinced of the authenticity, accuracy, and supposed Divine authority of the New Testament based on inconsistencies I see. Are you and I in agreement regarding the Old Testament that you believe they are 100% the word of God? This is the basis for some of my questions:

1. Do you believe the Old Testament is 100% the word of God or just the originals?

Yes, I believe the Old Testament is 100% the word of God and I believe the New Testament is also. When you study how we got our Bible, you learn that it’s based on copies, not originals. The originals have long since deteriorated and thank God copies were made. They were meticulously copied and examined as the copiers took very seriously what they were doing. However, not all copies are exactly the same. There are minuscule differences between them both in the Old and New Testaments. This would cause some to doubt that the Bible is 100% the word of God. However, nothing of any great importance has been lost and the word of God concerning the way of salvation is clear. The way of salvation is by faith, not by Law or good works. The Old Testament lays the foundation for the New Testament. The New Testament is God’s covenant with Israel and the rest of the world.  It’s by faith in what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. That is; He paid for our sins and forgiveness is offered to all who will humble themselves and repent.

2. If one genealogy is from Mary and one from Joseph, why are there 42 generations in one from David to Jesus, and only 28 in the other? If they both start and stop with the same people, it’s not humanly possible for that to happen. What happened to the 14 missing generations of Matthew’s tree?

The definition of a “generation” isn’t limited to one father. Instead, it includes a body of individuals living around the same time. Matthew’s 28 generations are general, but Luke’s is more detailed as is the nature of his writings.

3. Traditional Old Testament teachings are consistent. The paternal line is all that matters to consider a potential king’s lineage. The Messiah must come from the line of David through the father. If Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, then Joseph’s lineage is irrelevant.

According to prophecy, the Messiah was to be virgin born (Isaiah 7:14). So how could that happen with a biological father? You have to accept that Jesus was legally Joseph’s son, but also the Son of God.

4. Mary’s lineage similarly would be irrelevant, as the king of Israel/ Messiah must be from the house of David through the father. A woman does not transfer tribal affiliation. This is clear from all the Old Testament writings.

Again, the prophecy from Isaiah certainly does place the importance on the woman.  “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” – Isaiah 7:14.

5. Matthew is clearly inconsistent with the I Chronicles genealogy for King David. There are several kings left out. Matthew emphasizes in 1:17 the number of generations, which contradicts the Old Testament.

As I said before, Matthew’s “generations” include more than one father. Keep in mind, Matthew was a Jew himself and I doubt he would be negligent concerning a Jewish genealogy. Also, when you read the genealogical record in I Chronicles, there were several kings in one generation. These kings only reigned for a short time.

6. Therefore if God were planning to have a Messiah born without a biological father, He would not have had the prophecies of the Messiah coming from the house of David.

Then you’d have to reject the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah – “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” – Isaiah 7:14. Do you have a problem with a virgin birth?

7. Even if one is from Mary and one is from Joseph neither genealogy from Matthew or Luke can be an indication that Jesus is a candidate for the Messiah since each one is irrelevant. Based on these questions one would have to conclude that the New Testament scriptures are wrong and therefore not the word of God.

That’s your conclusion based on your arguments.

Thank you for your help and any answers you are prepared to give. I understand you may not have time for this. However, to be fair to Christianity, I want to give an intelligent person like yourself the opportunity to respond to these questions. And while you and I may disagree on the authority of the New Testament, I suspect we agree on the belief in God as Creator, and a system of ethics that help make the world a better place.

Thank you for your commendation. However, I must sincerely point out that salvation is not obtained merely through “believing” in God as Creator. Believing is only the first step. Faith in what Jesus Christ did on the cross is necessary for salvation. We are all born in sin as the Psalmist David said (Psalm 51:5) and need God’s forgiveness. It’s clear from the Old Testament that keeping the Law wasn’t God’s means of salvation. The Messiah came to die as revealed in Isaiah 53 and other prophecies. Therefore, God’s perfect sacrifice – Jesus the Lamb of God, died on the cross for our sins and forgiveness is obtained through Him. Logically, if salvation could be obtained by being a good person there would be no need for a Savior. However, He can be known personally and this is what salvation is all about.