That set of books representing the canon of Scripture, believed to be the inspired Word of God
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1answer
171 views
Who was Theophilus?
Acts 1:1
"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach"
Who was he?
Is it also possible that, since Theophilus means, "friend of God", as Richard ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the meaning of “anything” in Matthew 18:19-20?
In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus says:
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come ...
6
votes
4answers
228 views
Must a Christian accept the Bible to be infallible and/or inerrant? [closed]
Related question: What is the difference between "infallible" and "inerrant"?
I have heard lists of requirements to be considered Christian; among those, I find these the most ...
10
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2answers
174 views
When do we as Christians draw the line on self-defense?
At what line do Christians stop at self defense? Take a look here:
Matthew 5:39
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
...
7
votes
3answers
157 views
How should we judge the trustworthiness of a given Bible translation?
Given that both the humans who actually penned the Bible and the later humans who translated it all had free will, the issue of Biblical inerrancy is a tricky one.
See also: By what mechanism could ...
6
votes
3answers
110 views
What were people supposed to do with an incomplete or nonexistent Bible?
If god wants everybody to be Christian and the Bible is the central text of Christianity, what were people supposed to do before it was completed, much less started?
Also, is there anything on record ...
4
votes
3answers
152 views
How do we resolve the issue with the circular argument that the Bible is the basis for its own authority? [closed]
This is a continuation from the previous question, "Why is the Bible a foundation of theological evidence?"
But this time I'd like the question to focus on the issue of what looks like a circular ...
10
votes
2answers
204 views
Where is the dead body in Luke 17?
Jesus talks about the coming of the Kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-37. This passage raises four related questions for me:
Is this talking about the Rapture?
Where is "a dead body", that Jesus mentions ...
7
votes
3answers
591 views
What is the difference between “infallible” and “inerrant”?
As with many others I know, I believe in both the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.
What is the difference between these two important terms?
If something has no errors (inerrant), then must ...
8
votes
3answers
215 views
Why has God created us?
Why has God created us? The Almighty Lord does not need anyone; he does not need the angels, the heaven, or the earth. Are there any written words in the Bible that tell the reason?
14
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2answers
179 views
By what mechanism could the Bible be inerrant?
For those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible (or those who understand the positions of those who do), how can the Bible have this status given all the opportunities for any message delivered by ...
8
votes
1answer
98 views
What's the biggest time gap between two chronologically consecutive books of the Bible?
What's the biggest time gap between two chronologically consecutive books of the Bible?
Honestly I don't even know the correct chronological sequence of all the books of the Bible, but I am quite ...
10
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3answers
283 views
Is there any correlation between national prosperity and percentage of Christians?
I have heard of anecdotal evidence suggesting that the proportion of Christians in a population directly (positively) impacts national prosperity. In other words, the more Christians in a nation, the ...
16
votes
4answers
714 views
How ambitious should a Christian be?
According to Luke 16:13 (ESV):
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God ...
11
votes
1answer
499 views
How many resurrections (raptures) will there be?
Revelations 20:4-6 NIV
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus ...
9
votes
2answers
473 views
What is the true purpose of animals?
I'm no vegetarian, and I enjoy my fair share of steak. The idea of vegetarianism always intrigued me, because in my eyes animals are to be eaten by humans for nourishment.
Obviously animals serve a ...
4
votes
1answer
175 views
Just how accurate is the Bible? [closed]
Some people say that the Bible is just a book, others say that its 100% accurate. The statistics might lie, so what I want to know is how the Bible compares to other books. Books like the ...
7
votes
5answers
647 views
How would a Christian explain the “contradiction” of homosexuality?
In the bible it is said many times that homosexuality is a sin, however love is the most imortant thing, and compassion is important as well; love your neighbour as yourself.
How would a Christian ...
17
votes
2answers
813 views
Interpretation of the scripture “One Lord, one faith, one baptism?”
Ephesians 4:5 states there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Some Christians interpret this to mean that a single denomination (with its beliefs, doctrines, and practices) constitutes the "one ...
22
votes
3answers
1k views
How is ignoring clear Biblical instructions in Leviticus justified?
Leviticus 11:7-8
And the pig, though it has a split hood completely divided, does not
chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or
touch their carcasses; they are ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
Who were Jannes and Jambres?
2 Timothy 3v8
"Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected."
Who ...
6
votes
3answers
257 views
What is the significance of “Zealot” in Acts 1:13?
When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and ...
26
votes
5answers
2k views
Who were the “giants” mentioned in the Bible?
I've come across several verses in the Bible that speak of "giants". For example:
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the ...
12
votes
5answers
156 views
Is a moral society more open to the gospel than an immoral one? [closed]
One of the answers to Why do many Christians object to same-sex civil marriage? got me thinking. If we work to make the common morals of our society more in line with Biblical morality does that make ...
0
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0answers
127 views
Why does God allow innocent people to believe wrong or false teachings? [closed]
Lets take a hypothetical example:
A new Christian discovers this site. He posts a certain question about what a specific Bible verse means.
He finally receives a response but the answer is ...
0
votes
0answers
155 views
What level of intimacy is generally acceptable for unmarried couples from the standpoint of the Bible? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Sex outside of marriage is a sin. But what about "less than sex"?
Pre-marital sex is generally considered part of sexual immorality, [1] as such we should ...
11
votes
4answers
138 views
Does the Bible give any reason as to why its content is sometimes difficult to interpret?
As evidenced by this site, and the divisions between various Christian denominations, there seems to be a lot of different ways some passages in the bible can be interpreted.
One example is ...
14
votes
4answers
481 views
Is it possible for a human to stop sinning? (Is X a sinner?) [closed]
It's a familiar tale.
The Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They asked if she should be stoned. Jesus (after a bit) said "Let him that is without sin among you first cast the ...
14
votes
3answers
816 views
Why do Protestants allow contraception?
The Catholic Church is strongly against contraception. Most Protestants nowadays accept it; I gather it was less common in the past. Of course it's possible that Protestants have just given in to ...
1
vote
2answers
106 views
Is there a mentioning about the wisdom of a crowd in the Bible?
In the Bible is there any mention of how smart or stupid large groups of people are?
20
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4answers
203 views
Hand Picked Bible Applications
I understand that my question pokes at a sensitive area, but being a nonreligious person in a largely Christian region, I find it extremely dissatisfying to leave such a core aspect of my neighbor's ...
10
votes
1answer
120 views
Who is Immanuel?
In Isaiah 7:13-17
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will ...
4
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1answer
331 views
Biblical passages that relate to Christian unity versus doctrinal accuracy
Christianity is currently split into several denominations due to differences in doctrine. It seems that these denominations consider their doctrinal differences more important than Christian unity. ...
4
votes
1answer
177 views
How do we know the events described in the bible are true? [closed]
Many Christians will quote passages from the bible as proof or evidence when needed. However, given that it is a story written, translated, interpreted, re-written, re-translated and re-interpreted by ...
4
votes
1answer
196 views
Is “Bible In a Minute” accurate?
The Bible In a Minute video by Barats and Bereta has been enormously popular on YouTube, with 3.6 million viewers. The video quite literally goes through the Bible in less than a minute.
Obviously, ...
4
votes
1answer
547 views
What is some relevent scripture regarding having something stolen?
I recently had some things stolen out of my car, and I vaguely remember reading somewhere in the New Testament that you shouldn't desire to get stolen items back. I've been searching for it, but I ...
8
votes
1answer
75 views
What is the most basic Biblical understanding of the nature of the firmament?
Going back to original Hebrew texts where possible, what is the most basic understanding of the firmament (the substance/realm/space that God supposedly stuck between heaven from earth)? I've read a ...
9
votes
1answer
811 views
What does the Bible say about the appearance of angels?
In Christian art, angels are often depicted as winged human-like creatures. However, I'm curious if there is any justification for this in the Bible? I've sometimes heard that there isn't, so that's ...
11
votes
2answers
154 views
Is it right for a church to be wealthy?
Jesus preached that the faithful should give up their wealth and worldly possessions and spend a humble existence in servitude of God. A church must have a certain amount of wealth in order to ...
13
votes
1answer
104 views
Does the Bible itself give us clues about which parts to interpret literally and which figuratively?
I know that the question may seem a little bit self-referential but I ask it anyway:
There is often great controversy among Christians what parts of the Bible are to be interpreted literally and what ...
9
votes
2answers
232 views
Does the Bible say anything about what demons *are*?
I've thought all my life that demons (and evil spirits) were fallen angels, but I recently encountered the viewpoint that these demons are actually the souls of men who have already died but wouldn't ...
2
votes
0answers
152 views
Has the Bible ever lied? [closed]
I'm not interested in supposed contradictions as these are normally caused from the translation process.
What I'm looking for is an irrefutable lie that would hold up in court. Has the Bible ever ...
16
votes
4answers
333 views
Was the flood of Noah global or local?
Genesis 7 and 8 describes the flood of Noah, and says in part:
The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, ...
10
votes
2answers
422 views
Does “Where ever there is more than one of you gathered in My name” apply to the Internet?
I mean I'd like to think so...and people communicate on this site about Christianity, but I was wondering if a virtual gathering counted as well.
The verse I'm referring to is Matthew 18:20:
20 ...
6
votes
6answers
1k views
How does the Bible explain the existence of fossils that are millions of years old? [closed]
People have been finding fossils for many years. Millions of fossils fill museums and storage vaults around the world, and we've yet to find a single one of a human. This suggests that the animals and ...
18
votes
3answers
267 views
What does the Bible say about tithing?
Do we have to tithe? Why does God need us to tithe? What are the results of NOT tithing?
3
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0answers
67 views
Is there a point when “be fruitful and multiply” should no longer apply? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is the commandment to multiply, and replenish the earth in effect today?
Well mainly I'm talking about the multiply bit...there are 7 billion people on the planet, is ...
2
votes
0answers
104 views
How does the Bible say I should find a mate? [closed]
I've read some books on the subject and they always seem to state that you shouldn't really go looking for a woman to date, you should just "let it happen".
However I've also read some books that say ...
6
votes
2answers
188 views
What is the biblical justification for allowing only male pastors? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the biblical justification for permitting female pastors?
What is the biblical justification for allowing only male pastors?
How do churches excluding women ...
11
votes
2answers
3k views
How long did it take to form the Bible?
How long did it take to collect all of the writings that eventually formed the first version of the Bible? In other words, starting with when the first writing was created (i'll say when it was ...
