Does the Bible say that Pi = 3?

And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. (1 Kings 7:23)

One of the very first criticisms I remember ever hearing about the Bible is that the Bible teaches that the value of pi is three. Critics who make this claim are referring to this passage from 1 Kings where the Bible is describing a large basin made for the Temple. I wasn't even a Christian when I first heard this claim but even then I thought it sounded a little weak. It wasn't until years later, though, that I began to look at the claim seriously.

The first thing you'll notice is that the passage doesn't really say, “Pi equals three.” In fact, the passages doesn't mention pi at all. I'm pretty sure that at the time this was written, pi had not even been discovered yet. What the passage does do is give the dimensions of a round object and it is from those measurements that people extrapolate backward to calculate pi.

If you remember high school geometry, the circumference of a circle is equal to its diameter times pi (c=dp). In this case, the circumference of the molten sea is 30 and its diameter is 10. So, 30/10 would be exactly 3 – a geometric impossibility. So does it mean the Bible is wrong? Of course it doesn't. There are at least two factors we must consider that aren't included in the text.

First, we do not know exactly what is being measured. For example, exactly what is meant by the word “brim”? I assume the walls of the vessel had a certain width. Is the diameter of the “brim” measured on the inside where the liquid is held or is it measured to the outside? If the diameter is measured on the inside and the circumference on the outside (which is entirely plausible) then we can actually use the measurements of each to determine how thick the walls were.

Knowing what is being measured is not as simple as you might think. Is the altitude of a plane a measure of its height from the ground? Or is it a measure of its height above sea level? Does a plane lose altitude every time it flies over a mountain? If a plane is about to land in Denver, is its altitude only a few feet or is still a mile up? In a drawn circle, the line around the circumference is assumed to have no width. But in reality, the sides of a real world vessel – like a drinking glass – have width. Was the diameter of the brazen sea measured on the inside of the walls or to the outside? It makes a difference.

But besides not knowing exactly where the “brim” was measured, we also cannot forget the very common and acceptable practice of approximating. For example, as I write this, I'm 49 years old. However, I'm not exactly 49 years old – I'm 49 years plus some months, days, hours, etc. My exact age changes by the minute but it's acceptable to only give the year.

We approximate many things. We only ever express our height in feet and inches but our exact height could fall somewhere between the inches. We express our weight in pounds when it is usually pounds plus some ounces. Our driving speed is given in miles per hour. We talk about our income in even thousands.

Even pi is an approximation. When I was in geometry class, we only expressed pi as 3.14. When I was in machine shop, we were always told to use pi to 5 places, 3.14159. But pi is infinitely long so it can never be exactly expressed. No matter how many decimal places you wrote, you are only approximating pi. It would even be correct to say pi is 3 because that's accurate to zero decimal places.

Given the fact that the Bible doesn't use decimal places, it's very likely that the dimensions given for the brazen sea were only approximates. If the diameter of the vessel was 9.68 cubits and the circumference were 30.4 cubits, it would be acceptable to round those to 10 and 30 cubits respectively. There would be no error. Claiming the Bible is wrong for using approximations is akin to calling everyone who expresses his age in years a liar.

For this criticism of the Bible to be valid, the critic must claim to have special knowledge of 2 things: First, he must know with certainty that the dimensions given for the diameter and circumference were both measured on the outside walls of the brazen vessel. He also must know with certainty that the measurements are intended to be exact and not approximations. He cannot possibly know that either is true. In fact, the opposite is more likely the truth in both cases. Which means that people who stubbornly cling to this criticism are liars.

Predestination: A Series on Election, Part 2 – The Total Depravity of Man

As I discussed in my last post, the 5 points of Calvinism are summarized with the acronym, TULIP. The letters stand for:

• Total depravity of man
• Unconditional election
• Limited atonement
• Irresistible grace
• Preservation of the saints

Fundamental to Calvinism is the idea that mankind is totally depraved. He is a hopeless sinner who is not only completely unable to do good works but also lacks even the desire to do good. Therefore, a man is totally without any power to even call on God to save him. According to Calvinism, a man lacks the ability or desire to be saved in the same way a dead person lacks the ability or desire to come out of the grave. It's impossible.

There are some verses in the Bible that support this concept:

John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing”

Romans 3:10-11, “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God.” (Paul is paraphrasing Psalm 14)

Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

If I read only these verses and nothing else in the Bible, I would have to agree 100% that a man could not and would not come to God by his own will. However, there are other verses that we must consider.

Joshua 24:15, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

1 Kings 18:21, “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.””

Isaiah 1:18, ““Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”

As clearly as the first passages seemed to say we are unable to come to God, these other passages seem clearly seem to say we have a choice. I admit that it seems to be a dilemma. I think the key to understanding all verses in harmony hinges on the realization that God is sovereign but even the sovereignty of God is a difficult subject to grasp.

My point here is not to establish which verses are “correct.” The fact of the matter is that all the verses are correct. Neither am I trying to suggest what is the more likely understanding. Like I've already said, I only intend to discuss the different points of view. As we can see, Scriptural support for either view can be found. It would be rather narrow minded of us to cling dogmatically to one or the other and “explain away” the opposing verses. A better course of action would be to trust that God is loving, merciful, and just and know that He will always do what is right.

We need to simply trust in Jesus as our Savior without worrying about whether or not we were predestined to do so.