MATTHEW 20:20 (cf. Mark 10:35)—Who came to talk with Jesus, the mother of James and John or James and John? PROBLEM: In Matthew, the mother of James and John made a request of Jesus. However, Mark states that it was James and John who came to Jesus to make their request. SOLUTION: It is clear […]
MATTHEW 20:1ff—Are rewards the same for all, or do they differ in degree? PROBLEM: Jesus told a parable of His kingdom in which each servant got the same pay even though each had worked a different number of hours. Yet in other places, the Bible speaks of different degrees of reward for working in God’s
Are rewards the same for all, or do they differ in degree? MATTHEW 20:1ff قراءة المزيد »
MATTHEW 19:26—Is anything impossible for God? PROBLEM: According to this verse, “with God all things are possible.” However, Hebrews 6:18 declares that “It is impossible for God to lie.” SOLUTION: The context in Matthew indicates that Jesus is speaking of what is humanly impossible, whereas, Hebrews informs us that some things (e.g., lying) are actually
Is anything impossible for God? MATTHEW 19:26 قراءة المزيد »
MATTHEW 19:16–30 (cf. Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)—If Jesus was God, why did He seem to rebuke the rich young ruler for calling Him good? PROBLEM: The rich young ruler called Jesus “Good Teacher,” and Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Yet on
MATTHEW 16:28—Did Jesus make a mistake about His disciples seeing the kingdom come in their lifetimes? PROBLEM: Jesus told His disciples that some of them would not see death until they saw Him coming in His kingdom. Yet during the life of the apostles, Jesus never returned to set up His kingdom. SOLUTION: This is
MATTHEW 16:20—Why did Jesus instruct His disciples to tell no one He was the Christ? PROBLEM: Jesus commissioned His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Yet over and over again throughout His ministry He insisted that His followers “tell no man” (cf. Matt. 8:4; 16:20; 17:9; Mark 7:36; 8:30; 9:9;
Why did Jesus instruct His disciples to tell no one He was the Christ? MATTHEW 16:20 قراءة المزيد »
MATTHEW 16:18—Is Peter the rock on which the church is built? PROBLEM: Roman Catholics use this passage to support their belief in the primacy of Peter, that is, that he is the rock on which the church is built. But Paul said the church is built on Christ, not Peter (1 Cor. 3:11). Is Peter
Is Peter the rock on which the church is built? MATTHEW 16:18 قراءة المزيد »
Why wasn’t Cain given capital punishment for the murder he committed? PROBLEM: In the OT, murderers were given capital punishment for their crime ( Gen. 9:6 ; Ex. 21:12 ). Yet Cain was not only set free after murdering his brother, but he was protected from any avenger ( Gen. 4:15 ). SOLUTION: There
Why wasn’t Cain given capital punishment for the murder he committed قراءة المزيد »
Does God show respect to certain persons? PROBLEM: God is represented in the Scriptures as someone who “is no respect[er] of persons” ( Rom. 2:11 , KJV ), and one who “shows no partiality” ( Deut. 10:17 ). Yet, this verse tells us that God “did not respect Cain and his offering,”
MATTHEW 16:16—Why does Peter’s confession here differ from that recorded in Mark and Luke? PROBLEM: Peter’s confession of Christ in Caesarea Philippi is stated differently in the three Gospels: Matthew: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Mark: “You are the Christ” (8:29). Luke: “The Christ of God” (9:20). If the Bible