Month: April 2026

13
Apr
2026
James 1:13 – God Cannot be Tempted…But Jesus Was?

James 1:13 – God Cannot be Tempted…But Jesus Was?

According to Scripture, Jesus was Deity in the flesh (John 1:1-5,14; 20:28). He was not sired by man; He was not conceived naturally by woman (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Rather, Jesus came from heaven (John 3:13; 6:38), proved His “mighty God” Messiahship (Isaiah 9:6) through a variety of verified miracles (John 20:30-31; cf. Lyons and Butt, 2006), accepted worship (Matthew 14:33; John 9:38), and claimed a unity with God the Father that even His enemies understood was a profession of Deity (John 10:30,33). Some, however, question the Bible’s consistency of Jesus being God. The argument goes something like this (cf. Wells, 2010): The Bible declares that Satan tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1), and that Jesus was “in all points tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). Yet, the Bible also declares that “God cannot be tempted by evil” (James 1:13). Therefore, the Bible (allegedly) contradicts itself regarding the nature of Jesus. How could He be God, if God cannot be tempted?
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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
12
Apr
2026
Christ’s Finished Work and Triumphant Death

Christ’s Finished Work and Triumphant Death

John 19:30 brings us to holy ground: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” In that single, triumphant word—tetelestai—our Lord declares that the whole work the Father gave Him to do in paying for the sins of His people has been perfectly accomplished. This is not the sigh of a defeated martyr, but the shout of a conquering Surety. The debt of all His people—every sin, original and actual; every omission and commission; every guilt that cried out for judgment—has been fully paid. Nothing remains to be added, nothing can be subtracted. Divine justice is satisfied, the law is fulfilled, the curse is exhausted. The veil is as good as torn, for the way into the holiest is now opened by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Yet John adds a remarkable detail: “he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Our Savior did not die as we do. We die, and then our head falls. But He first bowed His head and then yielded up His spirit. Here is sovereign love in action. He lays down His life; it is not taken from Him. Even in death, He is the active Redeemer, voluntarily offering Himself as the spotless Lamb. He dies in full possession of His strength, in perfect obedience, in conscious surrender to His Father’s will—for needy, hell-deserving sinners such as we are.
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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
11
Apr
2026
Making Scents of Smells

Making Scents of Smells

How many different scents do you think your nose is able to smell? The answer is about 10,000. How does your nose tell the difference between a rose and a skunk? Until only recently, scientists really weren’t sure.

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Posted by petra1000
10
Apr
2026
A Humble Confession

A Humble Confession

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is 53:6)

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
10
Apr
2026
Heb 13:8 – A Change of Heart

Heb 13:8 – A Change of Heart

If God never changes, then how can He change His mind?

Malachi 3:6
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
09
Apr
2026
The Shushan Palace

The Shushan Palace

The Shushan palace is mentioned in three books of the Bible.

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace” (Ne. 1:1).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching, History
09
Apr
2026
Heb 12:4 – Is Marriage a “Good” Thing?

Heb 12:4 – Is Marriage a “Good” Thing?

Problem: Generally, marriage is looked upon by the world around us as a good and acceptable institution. Since the commencement of time, the universal law has been that marriage is proper and beneficial. On the very day that God created the first man, He stated: “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18); thus He created a wife for Adam (2:21-24). Everything God had created and examined up until that point had been “good” (1:4,10,21,25). The one thing He stated as being “not good,” however, was man’s lack of human companionship. Therefore, God created woman to be man’s helper and lifelong companion. It was only after her creation (at the end of the six days) that we read for the first time His creation was “very good” (1:31).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
08
Apr
2026
Mastodon Lunch

Mastodon Lunch

Mastodons were distant relatives of the elephant. Modern science says that one of the main parts of their diet was conifer needles. Supposedly, they died out at the end of the Ice Age because conifers became scarce as the world warmed.

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Posted by petra1000 in Apologetics, Creation, Evolution
08
Apr
2026
Heb 12:11 – Is discipline with force correct?

Heb 12:11 – Is discipline with force correct?

Problem: Many people will agree that for many children a simple “time out” or punishment by not watching TV or no candy simply won’t work. The rod accomplishes things much faster and better. But many will say that even the toughest and most stubborn child to teach can be taught without physical force, and could probably refer to many professionals who have dealt with such successfully. I clearly remember someone who said something along the lines of, “Yeah, ‘spare the rod, hate the child’: how many have beaten their kids to death or made them bleed and said that they were just doing it for the kid’s own good or that they didn’t realize they were going too far?”

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
06
Apr
2026
A Six-Foot Bat

A Six-Foot Bat

Could the giant flying fox be a primate? In the 18th century, scientists weren’t quite sure what to do with bats. Some wanted to classify them as primates, while others thought they should have their own category. Since 1780, all 950 known species of bats have been classified in their own category. The bat order is divided into microbats and megabats. Microbats have an average wingspan of less than a foot. Megabats are larger. The giant flying fox has a wingspan of six feet!

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Posted by petra1000 in Apologetics, Creation, Evolution
06
Apr
2026
Heb 12:6 – Is Jesus’ yoke easy and does he bring love and peace?

Heb 12:6 – Is Jesus’ yoke easy and does he bring love and peace?

The requirements of love might be simple enough in theory, but following them might not always be so easy in practice. This is what Matthew 11:28ff means. And love and peace are there for those who would want them – it doesn’t mean that one is immune from one’s own mistakes and the corresponding correction from God like from a father.

Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
05
Apr
2026
The Judgment Seat of Christ

The Judgment Seat of Christ

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
05
Apr
2026
Heb 11:31 – Did God Approve of Rahab’s Lie?

Heb 11:31 – Did God Approve of Rahab’s Lie?

Whereas many Bible passages in both the Old and the New Testaments indicate that lying is sinful,1 critics of the inspiration of the Bible contend that the biblical teaching on this subject is contradictory. The most frequently cited example revolves around Rahab’s lie in the book of Joshua and two separate, favorable comments about Rahab in the New Testament (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching