12
votes
Accepted
Why does Paul interchange the armour in Ephesians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 5?
The two passages have slightly different contexts.
Paul is writing to the Thessalonians in Chapter 5:1ff on the need to remain watchful because one does not know when the Lord will return (... the day ...
- 12.1k
11
votes
Accepted
Does Phil. 2:10-11 describe Jesus Christ as God?
Phil 2:9-11 is one of a series of NT texts that take OT passages about YHWH or God, and apply them directly to Jesus. The table below lists some of these texts.
OT passage about YHWH or God
NT ...
- 95.9k
10
votes
Does the sower and the planter receive different rewards in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8?
Don't stretch the metaphors too much. While other passages such as 1 Timothy 5:17 do indicate that the ministry of some people is of a higher status than others, what Paul is saying here in 1 ...
- 2,974
9
votes
How to save Paul from the Galatians 3 "seed" vs "seeds" argument blunder?
The answer is very simple.
First, as already noted by the OP, the Hebrew word for seed (zera`) is both collective and singular. Throughout the Hebrew Bible the particular word occurs in the ...
- 16.6k
8
votes
What does Paul mean by 'another Jesus'? 2 Cor 11:4
Paul is not saying to watch out for a person coming along claiming to be Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He is saying to watch out for false teaching ABOUT Jesus Christ, the Messiah. False teaching about ...
- 21.3k
8
votes
Which Preposition is Used Concerning Paul's Body in Galatians 6:17?
The Greek preposition ἐν is predominately translated into English as “in” but is indeed sometimes translated as “on”. The apostle Paul refers to στίγματα (lemma στίγμα), which refer to marks made on ...
- 11.4k
7
votes
Does Paul mention anywhere in his own writings his encounter with Jesus and his coming to belief in the gospel?
Short version: Paul tells us the same basic story: he was persecuting Christians in Jerusalem, he was sent to Damascus, he was converted, he left Damascus, and he went to Arabia before going to see ...
- 1,585
7
votes
Does Phil. 2:10-11 describe Jesus Christ as God?
The triune God is a mystery and we can at best hope to get just a partial understanding or revelation until we see Him face to face.
Only God is worthy of worship, thus the deity of Jesus is without ...
- 79
7
votes
Accepted
In Romans 8:9 is Paul assuming that Christ is God?
My views about the divinity of Christ are well-known on this site (I have been consistently downvoted for them, often). However, let me set out what Rom 8:9 actually says.
If we assume for the moment ...
- 95.9k
6
votes
Accepted
In Galatians 1:19 is Paul saying he saw no apostles "except James" or "only James"?
Paul is referring to James, the brother of Jesus as an apostle. A word for word translation appears here:
ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κυρίου
Other. moreover (but/...
- 12.5k
6
votes
Accepted
In Romans 6:23 why does Paul speak of the "wages" of sin and not the "penalty" for sin?
The term "wages" builds on the earlier metaphor of man being "slaves/servants" to sin. The phrasing emphasizes the idea when we sin, we've earned death. That's your paycheck at the end of a long day ...
- 254
6
votes
1 Corinthians 13:10 - What Will Cease when "The Perfect" Comes?
Ignorance is what will cease.
The “ἐκ μέρους” means that we live and operate within the present where partial knowledge prevails. We only know in part (“ἐκ μέρους”), which is why gifts such as ...
- 16.6k
6
votes
how can we infer/induce/deduce that ( 2 Corinthians 6:14 ) bible verse's use of "yoked"/ "bound" / "close association" does refer to marriage?
The verb in 2 Cor 6:14 is ἑτεροζυγέω (heterozugeó) is a hapex legomenon. In this verse, according to BDAG, it means:
draft animals that need different kinds of yokes because they are
different ...
- 95.9k
6
votes
What does Paul mean by 'one word' in Galatians 5:14?
The "Word" is an allusion to what the OT calls, "words", namely commandments, specifically
Deut 10:4 - Then He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, the Ten Words [ie, ...
- 95.9k
6
votes
What does 'one' refer to in 1 Corinthians 8:6?
It is an important observation, I think, because this verse was used as a proof text by the Arians against the Divinity of Christ1 and continues to be used to this day by the Jehovah's Witnesses (who ...
- 12.1k
5
votes
Accepted
What does the phrase 'ἐν Χριστῷ' in the Pauline Corpus mean?
Common Misconception of a Purely Technical Usage
It is commonly believed that Paul's usage of "in Christ" refers to a particular concept in all cases. That is, that it is a technical phrase "meaning" ...
- 20k
5
votes
In Romans 1:16 why does Paul say "to the Jew first"?
Since you've used the KJV, all the quotations and links in this answer also reference the KJV.
We can trace God's dealings with Israel back to Abraham in the famous passage Gen 12:1-3, where it is ...
- 151
5
votes
Accepted
How does Hebrews 7:18 say the law was weak and useless?
Paul makes it clear in Romans 7:12 that the law is 'holy and just and good'. But the problem lies in flesh : in me, that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing, Romans 7:18.
Flesh and blood does ...
- 29.6k
5
votes
Does the doctrine of Paul coincide with the doctrine of Jesus?
Unless Paul
tells lie saying that he posesses the Mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) and that “not he any more but Christ lives in him” (Galatians 2:20), then we can most definitely and confidently assume ...
- 10.2k
5
votes
The Whole Church?
Not so fast - the word ἐκκλησία (congregation, or assembly) has different meanings in different places depending on context. For example, (according to BDAG) the word can mean any of (see BDAG for a ...
- 95.9k
4
votes
Why does Paul change pronouns in 2 Corinthians 4:12?
I had the same question. But as I did some research and called to mind what I have been taught about this letter, here is my understanding:
The letter is addressed "from Paul an apostle ... and ...
- 41
4
votes
Is Galatians 1:4 referring to the current time and location or an apocalyptic period and world-wide condition?
Should αἰών be translated as age or world?
It should probably be translated "age" instead of "world". I think the ambiguity might be due to the English word “world” and not the ...
- 12.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Is it necessary to assert that Paul has never been to Colossae when this letter is written?
What sets the Epistle to the Colossians apart is a sense of personal distance, with not so much as a suggestion anywhere in the epistle that Paul was writing to people he knew personally, at least not ...
- 12.5k
4
votes
Accepted
What is known about the letter to the Laodiceans mentioned in Colossians 4:16?
The Epistle to the Laodiceans is a possible lost letter of Paul the Apostle, the original existence of which is inferred from the Epistle to the Colossians to send their letter to the church in ...
- 12.5k
4
votes
Accepted
In 1 Corinthians 8:6, who does Paul say is the "one God"?
The One God is the Father. The One Lord is Jesus Christ. This language is being used to differentiate between the two. Paul was a monotheist, moreover the expectation of explicit trinitarian ...
- 383
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