Hot answers tagged new-testament
17
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 is often understood to prohibit the marriage of Christians with non-Christians:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an ...
16
The canon developed gradually over the course of more than 300 years. In many cases, when decisions were made, they were simply to acknowledge what was already being read in the churches.
The process started early. Already in 2 Peter 3:16, there is a reference to the letters of Paul:
There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant ...
14
This is one of only a very few incidents in the Gospel of Mark that does not appear anywhere else in the other three Gospels. Some commentators have speculated, based on that, that the young man was Mark, referring to himself in the third person much as John did. But that's just speculation; as far as I know there are no other passages that refer to our ...
14
The word for "scripture" in the Greek text is (ἡ) γραφή, often occurring in the plural, (τῆς) γραφῆς, which literally means "writing(s)." The word occurs approximately 50 times in the New Testament (depending on the manuscript used it is 50 or 51) and it seems pretty clear to me from a word search that this almost exclusively refers to the Old Testament ...
12
You can find your answer a few verses earlier in the same chapter:
Matthew 5:17-18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The Law of ...
12
The Bible does emphatically state that Jesus was without sin.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 ESV
Since Jesus was never reported to have been married in the Bible, a sexual relationship would have been a sin. ...
12
Well, the Apostle Paul specifically states that the things written in the past were for our instruction, for encouragement, and to give us hope.
For whatever was written in former days was written for our
instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of
the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:14 ESV
Also, the Old Testament ...
11
This is probably an issue of translation. The Old Testament passage Jesus is referring to here was written in Hebrew. By the time Jesus was born, it was translated into Greek. The people at the time of Christ spoke Aramaic, but the New Testament was written in Greek. So, Jesus likely spoke these words in Aramaic.
The Greek language was much more ...
11
Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots were the four primary religious/political factions of the time.
Pharisees were keepers of the Law and held the entire (what we would call) Hebrew Bible as the word of YHWH. They emerged from the exile as the dominant faction because they (correctly) connected Israel's abandoning of the Law as the reason for the ...
11
No, the Bible does not support the concept of 'balance between two extremes'. What the Bible supports is walking in God's ways, which means operating within boundaries in some areas, and being as extreme as you can be in other areas. In some cases operating within God's boundaries looks like 'balancing between two extremes', but that is not an accurate ...
10
We don't know
The Bible doesn't tell us. The only answer I can give is a tautology - if they were saved, then they went to heaven. But the Bible doesn't tell us whether they were saved.
However, it should be noted that the nature of their punishment does not rule out the possibility of their salvation. Consider 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NASB):
It is ...
10
While this topic is heavily debated, Scripture records an interesting detail in Luke 2. When presented at the table, Joseph and Mary bring the appointed sacrifice:
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ...
9
The Talmud "takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history." (Wikipedia) It was written by ancient Rabbis as discussions and interpretations of the scriptures of the Tanakh (Old Testament).
The New Testament teaches that Scripture must be given by inspiration of God. As the Talmud was ...
9
The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is tradition (mostly Roman Catholic), but actually not in Scripture at all. (I'm not taking a stand on that doctrine for purposes of this question, just pointing out that even Roman Catholics would not, I believe make the case from Scripture.) It mentions that at the time Jesus was conceived by the Holy ...
9
I think the Pharisees understood quite well that their ancestors were not perfect. The fact that they did X does not make X right. The example of David that you bring up is a case in point: He was guilty of adultery and murder. The Bible is unusual in that it holds someone up as a hero at the same time that it freely recounts his character flaws -- sometimes ...
8
Yes, husbands should also submit to their wives. This verse is often taken out of context and should not be.
Verses 25-33 also always seem to be left out. How hard would it be for a wife to submit to a husband that loves her as he should love Christ? I'd say a husband who holds Ephesians 5:22 over his wife probably has not read past it.
Ephesians ...
8
Not at all. Israel itself has many meanings in the OT:
Israel = Jacob, son of Isaac
Israel = The nation of Israel (all 12 tribes of Israel)
Israel = The northern tribes of Israel (as opposed to Judah)
Israel = The people of God
The most common usage in the Old Testament is that it's referring to the nation of Israel (the full nation until Northern ...
8
Who fasts and who doesn't?
Do, and its important
Both the Eastern Orthdox and Roman Catholic churches have required fasting periods for their members, as shown by the links.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are encouraged to fast for the first Sunday of every month, which they call their fast and testimony meeting. Instead of ...
8
Variants of the phrase appear several times in 1 John
1 John 1:5-6 (ESV)
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 2:9-11 (ESV)
9 ...
8
At the time of Jesus, and even for many centuries before, Aramaic was the vernacular or common everyday language. The Tanakh is mostly in Hebrew (in particular, the Torah) but there are a few Aramaic sections - notably, in Daniel. Hebrew was therefore the "high" language of religion but Aramaic was the "low" language of normal life. (Hellenized Jews would ...
7
It is almost certain that this person is Matthew. In the parallel account of this narrative in the Gospel of Matthew, we see that Levi appears to be "renamed" Matthew.
Matthew 9:9 (NIV)
9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
It is ...
7
If God had created Christianity first, people would not have known their need for a Saviour. "What do we need to be saved from?
So God first sets up a do-it-yourself religion; by which I mean that if the Jews followed all the laws they could save themselves earning their right to heaven.
That didn't work. Worse, some people became more interested in the ...
7
The new Jerusalem that comes from heaven in Rev 19 is "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (emphasis added) However, I would understand why some might think that Jerusalem is Christ's bride. In the Old Testament, Israel (or Judah or Jerusalem) is described as God's wife:
For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and
thy ...
7
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 is generally cited in such cases:
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are ...
7
Earlier on in Mathew 22 the Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus with what they probably considered paradoxes or no-win scenarios (ie Jesus picks one side he'll anger the other side). I've always imagined these questions are the kinds of questions the Pharisees argued over in the internet forums of their day (Should we pay taxes to Caesar? Matt 22:15, Will the ...
7
John 21:25:
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
If "the whole world" would not have space for all the things He did do, it is unlikely to have space for all the things he didn't.
7
The revelation of scripture which describes God as existing as one being, with three distinct persons, does not hinge on any particular verse, but is gradually revealed from Genesis to Revelation. If 1 John was removed from the Bible it would have no impact on the concept of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as three distinct persons of the only God. The ...
7
2 Peter 3:9 ... maybe?
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
7
It does not mean:
do not fight temptation to sin
do not defend yourself
Look at the context in which the passage is found:
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And ...
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