24
votes
Accepted
Is Mark 9:24 self-contradictory?
Like many apparent contradictions in the Bible, this comes down to an ambiguity in the meaning of words, so that what is true of a word in one sense might be untrue in another sense. Only lawyers make ...
- 7,053
15
votes
Accepted
Should we ONLY say the Lord's Prayer?
Two comments about the instruction of Jesus in Matt 6:9 -
If Jesus had intended that we ONLY pray the prayer He gave we would have the exact wording recorded precisely. However, the version recorded ...
- 113k
13
votes
Why does Jesus give an action of Yahweh as an example of evil?
When Yahweh's children asked him for bread, he gave them serpents.
But they didn't ask:
… if his son ask bread …
… if he ask a fish …
They complained:
… the people spake against God
… Wherefore ...
- 7,121
12
votes
Why do some translations have a completely opposite interpretation of John 18:37?
Witherington makes a point on the parallel account in Mark 15. Here's what he has to say:
Thus at 15:2 we must envision that the trial has gone through several
stages perhaps, and Mark is only ...
- 9,665
11
votes
Did God forsake Jesus while on the cross?
Yes, God had forsaken Jesus on the cross (for about three hours).
The fact that the Father was Jesus' constant, incessant and unwavering companion throughout Jesus' life, as correctly documented by ...
- 113k
11
votes
Accepted
How can God draw near to us (James 4:8) if He is already wherever we are (Psalm 139:7-12)?
Psalm 139:7-12 means that there is nowhere one can go to escape God's presence. This represents distance.
While it may seem paradoxical, they are not speaking of the same type of nearness.
Drawing ...
- 9,665
11
votes
In Acts 10 why does Peter not know the gospel is not only for the Jewish people?
Yes, the gospel accounts are clear that Jesus required them to get into all the nations, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. They also knew that they were to start in Jerusalem. That was where ...
- 27.5k
8
votes
Accepted
The Death Penalty and Did it Change?
Your quotations are talking about different situations.
The Old Testament references are about the way that society should respond to cases of murder.
The New Testament references are about the way ...
- 7,053
7
votes
Why does Jesus give an action of Yahweh as an example of evil?
The example does not cite an action of Yahweh's evil. It is a standard Greek rhetorical device known as an argument of contrast - man is sinful (and thus evil) contrasted with the perfect and holy ...
- 113k
7
votes
Why does Jesus give an action of Yahweh as an example of evil?
I think Ray Butterworth answers the original question perfectly, with the added comment that God in fact provided manna. This is in response to the objection that the OP added later:
The OP argues ...
- 238
6
votes
Should we ONLY say the Lord's Prayer?
Jesus presents this prayer as a model or example. He is not imposing a rigid formula for prayer. He is providing a framework for prayer. The Lord's Prayer serves as a template such as acknowledging ...
- 9,665
6
votes
Why do some translations have a completely opposite interpretation of John 18:37?
I was about to provide a very literal translation of John 18:37 but noticed that my version was almost identical to the BLB -
Therefore Pilate said to Him, "Then You are a king?" Jesus ...
- 113k
6
votes
Why did Jesus say He wouldn’t drink of the vine when it seems like He did?
This is less complicated than it appears.
First, notice that all the accounts of the last supper never use the word "wine", but always express what was drunk as "the fruit of the vine&...
- 113k
5
votes
How to reconcile Deuteronomy 13 and 18
Jesus helps clear this up. In Matthew chapter 7 he explains how believers can identify false claimants by observing the 'fruits' those false ones produce. That's a way of showing the need to not just ...
- 27.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Why do Matthew & Luke report that Joseph (Jesus' stepfather) had two different fathers?
The genealogies
There have been many explanations proposed to answer the contradiction. The 2 most popular are:
Matthew gives Joseph's genealogy and Luke gives Mary's (the inverse is sometimes ...
- 18.2k
5
votes
Why did Jesus say He wouldn’t drink of the vine when it seems like He did?
There are a number of ways to deal with this apparent contradiction.
Table Fellowship, not wine-drinking per se. Jesus did not say that he would drink no wine at all; he said he would drink no wine &...
- 19.8k
5
votes
Mt. 15:21-28 vs. Mt. 10:5 - What was Jesus doing in the region of Tyre and Sidon?
Luke records that Jesus sent the disciples on at least two missionary training tours, of which Matthew only records the first, but with much more detail. These two training tours appear to be ...
- 113k
4
votes
Does the Lord delight in the death of the wicked?
The answer to this question is found in understanding the difference between a desire and a pleasure. God desired to put those sons to death. He takes no pleasure in doing so.
One can imagine how this ...
- 4,182
4
votes
Does God hate sinners according to Psalm 5:5?
John 3:16 shows that God does not hate the world and wants to save it. But I believe the answer you're looking for can be found in Exodus.
Exodus 20:5 For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, ...
4
votes
Why do Matthew & Luke report that Joseph (Jesus' stepfather) had two different fathers?
Answer
There is no contradiction because these are partly two different genealogies.
Explanation
Luke gives the list right from Adam and Matthew gives the list from Abraham.
The list is the same from ...
- 2,128
4
votes
In Acts 10 why does Peter not know the gospel is not only for the Jewish people?
The OP askes why Peter needed a vision to preach to the Gentiles. But peaching wasn't the issue. Peter preached to whomever would listen. In Acts 8, he even went to help teach the Samaritans, who were ...
- 19.8k
4
votes
How do we explain the apparent conflict in Matthew 6:7?
There is no 'conflict' at all between the vain repetition of words and verbose speech in comparison to 1. the fervent, nocturnal vigil in preparation of a significant sending forth and 2. the ...
- 32.3k
4
votes
"Heads cut off" or "souls cut off" in Rev 20:4?
Word Study - πελεκίζω
Whatever it is, it's fatal and it's done with an axe. In English, "behead" is a pretty nice idiom for that - and it's apparently there in the Greek word - but that ...
- 1,103
4
votes
In John's gospel, Jesus says he cannot do anything of himself but only what God tells him to do. If so, how then can Jesus be God?
If Jesus cannot do anything himself but only what God tells him to do, then how can Jesus be God?
While this is not directly about the trinity, take the trinity for example:
God is three in terms of ...
- 9,665
4
votes
Do eternal ordinances such as the festival of unleavened bread pose a biblical contradiction?
Here, I will assume that the OP is alluding to one or more of the following texts:
Rom 10:4 - Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Matt 5:...
- 113k
4
votes
Accepted
Do eternal ordinances such as the festival of unleavened bread pose a biblical contradiction?
Let's start with the Hebrew. The term “eternal” (Hebrew: עוֹלָם, olam) can mean “lasting for an age” or “perpetual” in certain contexts. The Strong's defines it as:
Definition: long duration, ...
- 9,665
3
votes
Did the sea hold 2000 or 3000 baths?
Several years ago, I completed an investigation on this subject, focusing specifically on volume, various ancient manuscripts, and used modern 3D solid modeling software to analyze the results.
The ...
- 2,654
3
votes
Suffer the sins of your parents (Deut 5:9) or not (Ezk 18:2)
There are several instances in the Old Testament of people misunderstanding God on this matter. The misunderstanding originated long before the Ten Commandments were set in stone, where that bit about ...
- 27.5k
3
votes
Suffer the sins of your parents (Deut 5:9) or not (Ezk 18:2)
It is not only Ezekiel 18 that seems to run contrary to Deut. 5:9. Deuteronomy itself says (24:16):
Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall
children be put to death for their ...
- 19.8k
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