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
14
votes
Accepted
Why so many differing Greek words rendered “one”?
Unlike English, Greek is a heavily (or highly) inflected language.1 In English, one could say/write, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,” and the adjective “one” does not change spelling according to ...
- 12.2k
11
votes
Why so many differing Greek words rendered “one”?
All the words for "one" are different declensions of the same word (εἷς, μία, ἕν in the lexicon). It is declined to match the noun it modifies.
ἓν - is nominative neuter singular
μιᾷ - is dative ...
- 21.9k
7
votes
The word 'believe' in John 3:15-16
There is no doubt in the verses in question that the object of belief is Jesus Christ. The question seeks to sort out any difference between believing the person of Jesus Christ (i.e. who he is), and ...
- 27.5k
6
votes
What is Paul saying in Galatians 2:17-19?
Gal. chap. 2 is wrestling with those who kept coming in to the 1st century assemblies and telling them they had to keep the law; ie. be circumcised, etc. The background then is whether they were still ...
- 10.6k
6
votes
Accepted
What made Moses strike the rock in Numbers 20?
Anger and frustration:
Numbers 20:10 - And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly
together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you
rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”
...
- 9,845
5
votes
What is the meaning of "the faith of Jesus" in Revelation 14:12?
Every attempt being made to understand the meaning of “the faith of Jesus" with spotlight on Revelation 14:12 must be carefully balanced with different scriptures where the word "faith" appears.
To ...
- 3,141
5
votes
What is Paul saying in Galatians 2:17-19?
Why would we think that seeking to be justified by Jesus Christ would somehow suggest that we are found to be sinners?
The notion is that Christ made those Jewish Christians who sought to be ...
- 12.5k
5
votes
In Luke 18 why didn't Christ tell the rich young ruler to believe on Him for eternal life, as He had told many others in the Gospel of John?
I think there is a small error in your premise regarding the rich young ruler. Yes, Jesus did say "keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17), but when the matter was pressed, Jesus fleshed out the answer,...
- 2,227
5
votes
Are we saved by faith alone or by faith with works? James 2:14-17
I think, for Jews there is no rough distinction between Faith and Works as we perceive it today.
For the new testament writers (who were jews) to have faith is to trust in God and accept his ...
- 277
5
votes
Accepted
Can the spouse of a believer be sanctified by simply being married to the believer?
First of all, children are not by-product of a marriage, they are blessings from God, just like we are not by-products of God's creation :)
Answering your question regarding 1 Cor 7:14
Now to answer ...
- 372
5
votes
Did John the Baptist clearly preach that both faith and works are essential for salvation?
There is a difference between saying faith and works are essential for salvation and saying you are saved by faith plus works.
John wasn't saying they needed works plus repentance. He was saying ...
- 21.9k
5
votes
Accepted
What does it mean for the Father to “give” people to Jesus?
The main question - What does it mean for the Father to "give" people to Jesus?
Jesus goes on to answer that, starting from the very next verse after the one you quoted. I will highlight ...
- 27.5k
5
votes
In this particular verse and context, what does “overcome the world” mean here in 1 John 5:4? Sin? Godless system?
Given that this present world is a sinful world, then the overcomers in the context of verse 4 have overcome sin and they have overcome the world. One cannot be done without the other, really. They ...
- 27.5k
5
votes
Is the 'marveled' expression in Greek used in Mark 6:6, Luke 7:9 and Matthew 8:10 the same one?
Yes, all three verbs in Matt 8:10, Mark 6:6 & Luke 7:9 are the same Greek verb, namely, θαυμάζω (thaumazó) which occurs 44 times in the NT text. The various shades of meaning of this verb are ...
- 114k
4
votes
The word 'believe' in John 3:15-16
The actual Greek phrases in question are:
John 3:15 - πιστεύων ἐν αὐτῷ = believing in Him
John 3:16 - πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν = believing in Him
In both cases, the phrase is almost "naked" ...
- 114k
4
votes
Are we saved by faith alone or by faith with works? James 2:14-17
Luke 17:5-10 (DRB) And the apostles said to the Lord: Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said: If you had faith like to a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this mulberry tree, Be thou rooted up, ...
- 9,866
4
votes
Are we saved by faith alone or by faith with works? James 2:14-17
Faith and belief are both from the word πίστις which means 'to be persuaded'. Biblical faith reflects two interlocking dynamics. The first is the mental acceptance of a set of facts which we regard as ...
- 3,538
4
votes
Accepted
Matt. 8:25- "We" in "we are perishing" - Do disciples refer themselves or include Jesus?
A very good and original question, for it deals with an apparent illogicality of the question: if the disciples think that the boat is to sink, then it will sink with all aboard, the sleeping Jesus ...
- 11.2k
4
votes
Is believing based on evidence good or bad?
Jesus didn't say "blessed are those who believe with no evidence." He said "blessed are those who have not seen and still believe." We have the evidence of eye witnesses.
This ...
- 21.9k
4
votes
Accepted
Is faith a gift or earned through spiritual practices?
Faith is a gift, but the strength of one's faith comes through exercise.
Faith Is a Gift
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among
you, not to think of himself more ...
- 6,250
4
votes
What relationship is there between lack of faith ("unbelief") and miracles ("mighty works") according to Matthew 13:58?
The other side of this same coin is what Jesus often said in other places. Recall that "belief", "faith" and "trust" all translate the same Greek noun - pistis, best ...
- 114k
4
votes
What is the faith the Ephesians were saved through (Eph 2:8)
How vital it is to give the context of a single phrase being asked about! And how pertinent the three choices suggested as to what kind of faith the verse speaks of! Given that the context goes back ...
- 27.5k
4
votes
How does the interpretation of 'δικαιωθήσονται' affect the way we understand Romans 2:13?
The Greek in question, dikaiothesontai, is translated "shall be justified". That phrase comes after "...the doers of the law". Please bear with me as I take the whole verse, and ...
- 27.5k
3
votes
How does Jesus' declaration of "You perverse generation" fit into the context of Luke 9:37-43?
HORIZONTAL GENERATION?
The English word 'generation' doesn't mean the same thing as the word (**
מַטָּע**) Yeshua (Jesus) likely used. To get a sense of the original meaning, think of the English ...
- 660
3
votes
Luke 7:9 -Was Jesus, when speaking of "Israel" referring to a people group simply connected by faith or was He referring to a nation called Israel?
I think Jesus' use of "Israel" here and elsewhere ignores Rome's geopolitical impositions and points directly to the nation itself. The people, all of Abraham's natural descendants, are often referred ...
- 265
3
votes
In Romans 1:17, what does Paul mean by “from faith to faith” (ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν)?
How about this:
Subject Phrase
Predicate Phrase
Main Assertion
δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ
ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται
Prepositional Modifier
ἐκ πίστεως
εἰς πίστιν
Translation
For a righteousness from God [that ...
3
votes
Does the Hebrew text of Genesis 15:6 permit more than one understanding?
Good question. First I would suggest not going by a fringe, unorthodox source like Jesuswordsonly.com.
Secondly, I claim no Hebrew expertise, but point out that the normal understanding of this ...
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