How many children did Abraham have, one or two?Genesis 22:2, Hebrews 11:17, and Galatians 4:22 tell us different things. What about Ishmael and Isaac? Aren’t they both the children of Abraham?
16
Dec
2021
Month: December 2021
15
Dec
2021
Gal. 4:14 – Isn’t it arrogant for Paul to compare himself with Christ in this way?
Problem: Paul says that the Galatians treated him “as Jesus Christ himself” (Gal. 4:14). Should Christian leaders be viewed as Christ himself?
14
Dec
2021
Gal 4:3 – What does Paul mean by the “elemental things of the world”?
Problem: The expression “elemental things of the world” has confused commentators for years. Ben Witherington writes, “The meaning of this last phrase is certainly one of the most debated issues in all of Pauline studies.”[1] This is, no doubt, because the Greek term stoicheia “was capable of taking on a wide variety of specific meanings as it was used in different spheres of ideas.”[2] For instance, the author of Hebrews uses it of the basics of spirituality (Heb. 5:12), and in extrabiblical Greek, Plato used stoicheia of teaching children the “alphabet” or the “ABC’s.”
What does Paul mean by this difficult phrase in the context of Galatians 4?
13
Dec
2021
Gal 3:17 – Was Paul wrong in saying that 430 years passed between Moses and Abraham?
Problem: Paul says that 430 years passed between the time of Abraham to Moses. However, Abraham lived in roughly 2,000 BC, and Moses lived in roughly 1440 BC. This would mean that Paul’s chronology was off by over a hundred years.
12
Dec
2021
Gal 3:17 – Does Paul err in the amount of time between Abraham and the time the Law was given?
Problem: In Galatians 3:17, the apostle states that a period of 430 years elapsed between the time of God’s promises to Abraham (Gen.12:1–3), which was about 2000 b.c., and the giving of the law to Moses, which was around 1450 b.c. This would be a mistake of over 100 years.
11
Dec
2021
Gal 3:16 – Was the seed singular or plural?
Problem: Paul quotes Genesis 22:18 in his letter to the Galatians. He writes, “God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say ‘to his children,’ as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says ‘to his child’—and that, of course, means Christ” (Gal. 3:16 NLT). Paul takes notice of the fact that Genesis 22:18 refers to the singular child (or “seed”) of Abraham, rather than the plural children. However, critics notice that “seed” in the Hebrew was a collective singular noun. That is, even though it is singular, it refers to the entirety of Abraham’s offspring—not a singular person.
10
Dec
2021
Gal 3:13 – Is Christ blessed or cursed?
Problem: Paul declares that Christ was cursed of God, “having become a curse for us.” However, the Bible declares repeatedly that Christ was blessed of God (cf. Ps. 72:17), the one worthy to receive “glory and blessing” forever (Rev. 5:12).
09
Dec
2021
Gal 3:8-14 – Did Paul properly handle the OT?
Problem: This passage is difficult to understand, because it is so tightly woven into the OT. Is Paul handling the OT properly?
08
Dec
2021
Gal 2:16 – Are we saved by grace or works?
Problem: Many people in false religions teach that salvation and forgiveness of sins are obtained by faith and good works. Many appeal to Scripture to support this idea. But, when these verses are examined in context, they do not teach that works of any kind save us. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that were saved without the works of the law. This is because nobody can keep the Law perfectly. God requires holiness (1 Pet. 1:16), nothing less.
07
Dec
2021
Gal. 2:1-10 – Is this passage referring to the Council of Jerusalem (in Acts 15) or is it something else?
Problem: Some scholars believe that Acts 15 and Galatians 2:1-10 are describing the same event from two different perspectives, because these two events have so much in common.[1] First, both passages describe an important event in Jerusalem. Second, both passages have the same people involved (e.g. Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James and Judaizers). Third, both passages seem to be dealing with the same subject (i.e. Gentile acceptance and participation in both salvation and fellowship). Fourth, both passages mention that circumcision is not necessary for salvation. And fifth, both passages refer to the internal struggles of Christian believers. Are these passages describing the same event?
06
Dec
2021
Gal. 2:2, 6, 9 – Why does Paul write that these men were of reputation? Is he being condescending?
Problem: Paul writes about the other apostles in a bizarre way. It almost seems as though he is talking down to them. He writes, “To those who were of reputation…” (Gal. 2:2), “Those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me)…” (Gal. 2:6), and “Who were reputed to be pillars…” (Gal. 2:9) These descriptions almost seem sarcastic. Was Paul trashing the other apostles?
04
Dec
2021
Gal 2:1 – What did Paul do in the 14 year period before his second journey?
Problem: Scholars have referred to this period of Paul’s life as “Paul’s Lost Years.” Many have held that Paul was reflecting on the Old Testament out in the wilderness somewhere like Elijah. Perhaps, during these so-called “Lost Years,” Paul was studying to become an official minister in the church. Is this the case?
03
Dec
2021
Gal 1:15 – Does this passage support the doctrine that God predestines some people to heaven and others to hell?
Problem: Some Calvinist interpreters hold that this passage supports the notion that God predestines humans for heaven or hell, while they are still in their “mother’s womb.” Is this the case?
02
Dec
2021
Gal 1:13 – Did Paul’s personality change after his conversion?
Problem: God personally created us in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13). Therefore, our personality and temperament were created by God. Does God change our personality, when we come to Christ?
01
Dec
2021
Gal 1:11-12 – Did Paul receive the Gospel from man or not?
Many have argued that there is a necessary contradiction between 1 Corinthians 15 and Galatians 1. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul received a creed (formulaic statement of belief) and passed it on to the Corinthians. This creed was probably composed shortly after Jesus‘ crucifixion by various Christians. Many scholars argue that Paul likely received this creed from the Jerusalem apostles (cf. Gal. 1-2). However, Paul says in Galatians 1:11-12 that he did not receive the Gospel from man.