26
votes
Accepted
Which tribe did Paul belong to?
The term "Jew" is an Anglicization of "Judean" which comes from the Greek Ἰουδαῖος (Ioudaios). Technically, it can simply be a regional distinction, that is someone who is from Judea. But it can of ...
- 2,134
17
votes
Accepted
If jealousy is sin, how can God be jealous?
"Jealousy" in colloquial English, means either (1) indignation in response to infidelity, or (2) covetousness of the belongings of others. We can immediately eliminate the second case, ...
- 8,051
13
votes
Accepted
John 1:18 - "No one has ever seen God" - How do Trinitarians reconcile this scripture with the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ is God?
From a Trinitarian standpoint there is nothing to reconcile.
As with most things, the answer is found in the context. The whole of John 1:18 reads:
"No one has seen God at any time; the only ...
- 146
11
votes
Which tribe did Paul belong to?
By the time of the New Testament "Jew" and "Israelite" had effectively become synonyms. This is because the large majority of people who returned from the Exile were from the former Kingdom of Judah. ...
- 19.7k
10
votes
Accepted
How long did the drought that Elijah prayed for really last?
There are two common ways to explain this:
The "third year" refers to the third year of Elijah's stay in Zarephath, following a stay of some months at the brook Cherith (Adam Clarke, Barnes,...
- 42.3k
10
votes
Accepted
How do Calvinists explain God's wanting no one to perish and electing some to judgement?
The typical Calvinist response to this question is captured well by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology:
[1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9] speak of God's revealed will (telling us what we should do)...
- 42.3k
10
votes
The Mormon Church teaches that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son. How do you reconcile this when the Bible says the Father cannot be seen?
To get this out of the way first, yes Joseph Smith indeed claims to have seen God the Father, and Jesus Christ, in what is called the First Vision:
Joseph Smith—History 1:17
17 [...] When the light ...
- 5,533
10
votes
Accepted
In what ways do Christian denominations reconcile the discrepancy between Hebrews 9:27 and its Biblical counter-examples?
There is no reason to insist that the Hebrews passage be interpreted as a categorial rule which is devoid of exceptions, especially in light of both the writer and the reader knowing of various people ...
- 504
9
votes
If jealousy is sin, how can God be jealous?
Hard Sayings of the Bible explains this simply:
God's jealousy does not involve being suspicious or wrongfully envious of the success of others, or even mistrusting. When used of God, the word ...
- 42.3k
8
votes
If jealousy is sin, how can God be jealous?
Unlike envy, which is the desire for things you do not rightfully possess, jealousy is the fierce protection of that which is rightfully yours. As such, the premise that jealousy is inherently sinful ...
- 1,402
7
votes
Isn't Israel the firstborn Son of the Lord?
Abraham's first-born son was Ishmael; but God referred to Isaac as Abraham's only son in Genesis 22:12:
Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me
your son, your only son.
...
- 71
7
votes
What evidence does the LDS Church offer regarding claims of degradation of Biblical texts?
As noted in the OP, this is a very extensive subject. I'll offer a very high-level overview of key points, and then drill down specifically on one example.
Scriptural teachings
The most well-known ...
- 11.3k
7
votes
In what ways do Christian denominations reconcile the discrepancy between Hebrews 9:27 and its Biblical counter-examples?
Even though it is a common sense understanding that, by and large, people only die one physical death, the main point of the passage in Hebrews 9 is not to delineate how many times a person may die. ...
- 14.8k
6
votes
Who said "he would be called a Nazarene"?
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:23) [ESV]
In his book, Barney Kasdan states ...
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6
votes
How is Moses' and Jesus' contradictory teaching regarding oaths reconciled?
Various creeds and confessions can be utilized in answering a question like this one. A general view has been that Jesus is denouncing or correcting actions that were abusing oaths and the inherent ...
- 63
6
votes
Accepted
Did God accept a sacrifice that was against His own law?
Jesus was not 'burnt'.
Jesus was not offered to Molech or any other god.
Jesus offered himself, voluntarily. He was not 'offered' by another.
The "commandment of the Father is everlasting life&...
- 23.7k
6
votes
Accepted
How do Latter-day Saints respond to the claim that Alma 7:10 contradicts Micah 5:2 regarding the place of Jesus' birth?
How to give useful directions
If someone unfamiliar with the Dallas-Fort Worth area asked the location of AT&T stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys), the most informative answer would be in Dallas, ...
- 11.3k
6
votes
How could the Pharisees anticipate Jesus’ resurrection before the disciples?
The Pharisees did not believe that a crucified Jesus of Nazareth would ever rise from the dead. Had they believed he was the foretold Messiah, they would have taken the possibility of that seriously. ...
- 27k
6
votes
Are Christians children or brethren of Jesus?
Christians can properly be called brothers of Christ since the Lord does so Himself:
But he answering him that told him, said: Who is my mother, and who
are my brethren? And stretching forth his hand ...
- 649
6
votes
Why does God, according to his own words, "create evil"?
At the outset, we need to grasp the significance of the sentence preceding the one you quoted:
There is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.
This is the Lord God Almighty, creator ...
- 29.8k
5
votes
Accepted
How are John 18:36 and Matthew 13:41 reconciled according to Protestants?
This can be reconciled, like many other apparent contradictions by understanding the context of the passages. See Rules behind resolving alleged Biblical discrepancies.
...the vast majority of "...
- 43.9k
5
votes
Do Matthew and John have a discrepancy with regards to Jesus before Pilate?
John's account of Pilate's questioning of Jesus is more detailed: in Matthew it's given only four verses, 27:11-14, but in John it's given nine verses, 18:33-38, 19:9-11.
In both gospels Jesus ...
- 19.7k
5
votes
According to Catholicism, why does Paul spend so much time arguing that the law doesn't apply, when Jesus seems to indicate that it does?
Acording to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (as usual, emphasis is mine):
577 At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus issued a solemn warning in which he presented God's law, given on ...
- 2,795
5
votes
Did Jesus or any of the New Testament authors ever quote a textual variant?
First, I’d like to give a bit of background on the different OT manuscripts. The OT in English Bibles is almost always based off the Masoretic text and the Dead Sea Scrolls, but some use the ...
- 1,870
5
votes
Scientific contradictions in bible
Thanks for asking here. Christians believe the Bible does not in fact contain contradictions, and the people who say it does have mostly not studied it closely. The specific issues you raise are ...
- 31.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Do Protestants believe Jesus misquoted Psalm 8:2 in Matthew 21:16?
The issue of New Testament quotations of the Old Testament is broad and well-studied, so it's well worth reading a book like John Wenham's Christ and the Bible to get a feel for the complexities.
...
- 42.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Why does God not love Satan if He tell us to love our enemies to be as His Children (Luke 6:35-36)?
Here is my short answer. And please bear in mind, that when I (and others) disagree with some of your points, that is not us trying to "censor" you "just because you don't like my question". People ...
- 27k
5
votes
Is disagreement over Jesus' physical look a problem?
There is not as much disagreement over Jesus' appearance as your question indicates.
In fact there is near unanimity amongst Christians on the matter of his appearance - specifically virtually all ...
- 31.5k
5
votes
What are the strongest alleged contradictions between Luke-Acts and the Pauline letters in John Bowden's, "The Historical Jesus"?
Theissen & Merz (via translation by Bowden) advance 3 arguments against the possibility that Luke-Acts was written by a traveling companion of Paul. I will quote their central contentions and ...
- 11.3k
5
votes
How is the textual discrepancy between Exodus 20:8 and Romans 14:5 explained?
Without going into too great detail of a subject which is at the heart of the Gospel and, indeed, all of God's revelation to us, these two verses do not point up a discrepancy or contradiction but, ...
- 14.8k
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