The Law of NonContradiction

The law of noncontradiction states that A cannon be B and non-B at the same time and in the same relationship. 

In our age of advanced intellectualism there is a move towards a teaching that there is no absolute truth. Classrooms across the world are teaching young people that there is “no truth.” Ironically, this statement is actually making a claim as to what is true. The statement is contradicting itself. If it is true that there is no truth then the statement is false.

In order for something to be truly contradictory it must violate this law of noncontradiction. This law states that A (what it is) cannot be B (something else) and non-B (what it is not) at the same time and in the same relationship.  In other words, a contradiction can only take place if you both affirm and deny yourself in the same statement. For example, I cannot say that I am drinking chocolate mild but then also tell you I am drinking strawberry milk.  That would be a contradiction.

Wayne Grudem makes a point of clearly recognizing the law of noncontradiction:

“When the psalmist says, “The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures for ever” (Ps 119: (160)), he implies that God’s words are not only true individually but also viewed together as a whole. Viewed collectively, their “sum” is also “truth.” Ultimately, there is no internal contradiction either in Scripture or in God’s own thoughts.”[1]

God cannot contradict Himself. If He did, we could not believe what He says in His Word much less know how to follow Him. If two people are looking at the same text and give two contradictory explanations either one of them is wrong or both of them are wrong. Both, however, cannot be right. The judgment of God on man proves this point. God punished the first man Adam and the first woman Eve for eating what he forbade them to eat. If contradictions and true were compatible it would be wrong for God to have punished Adam and Eve. How could God find them guilty of eating this fruit if His prohibition against eating it could mean “do not eat the fruit” and “you may eat the fruit” at the same time?

There may be times when something appears to be contradictory on face value. Theologian R.C. Sproul has a good example of this. He cites Charles Dickens famous line “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  This appears at first glance to be a contradiction. It is impossible for something to be both the best of times and the worst of times in the same way and at the same time. But Dickens avoids contradiction with this statement because he means that in one sense it was the best of times but in another sense it was the worst of times.

Here’s one instance that we can see the law of noncontradiction being played out on a daily basis. It is our presupposition that the Bible is the inerrant and inspired Word of God. The law of noncontradiction contends that although the Bible was contains 66 books written by different human authors in different styles and for different time periods, it has only one true author – God.

The belief in noncontradiction is of tremendous import to our belief system.  All of our beliefs hang on this law. Therefore, when a person tries to deny this foundation they are bound to go way off the track.

[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), p. 35.

Posted by Caleb