A revolutionary design in metal-cutting blades has changed the metal-working industry. These blades don’t cut like a knife. Instead, the blade is fixed in one position while the metal to be shaped spins on a lathe. This new-style blade stays sharp six times longer than the old blade design. And where titanium used to make the old-style cutting blades dull almost the second they were used, the new blades last up to 30 minutes.
Problem: This passage says Moses fled Egypt because he was afraid of Pharaoh’s wrath – quite a natural and obvious reaction. Hebrews, referring either to this flight or the Exodus, says he did it out of faith and looking forward to God’s promises, and out of spite to Pharaoh and not fear. But all Hebrews means is that Moses acted courageously – hence the contrast between faith and fear: motivation versus reaction. It’s like describing a soldier charging at the enemy fearlessly: he will certainly be afraid, but the fact that he’s still doing it is the point.
One of the chief treasures unearthed from the Ur royal
tombs by Leonard Wooley in the 1920s was the Royal
Standard. It is a hollow wooden box measuring 8.5 inches
wide by 19.5 inches long inlaid with a mosaic made of
shell, red limestone, and lapis lazuli.
Problem: Some verses in the Bible seem to stand in such glaring contradiction to other Bible passages that reconciliation appears virtually impossible. But, after looking into the problem with only a small amount of diligence, the solution generally becomes apparent, and the supposed contradiction vanishes like a plate full of chocolate chip cookies in the midst of a group of hungry teenage boys. Such is the case with Hebrews 11:17: “By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.” When this verse is compared to Abraham’s history as recorded in the book of Genesis, we immediately notice that Isaac was not the “only begotten son” of Abraham. In fact, we read that Abraham fathered Ishmael by Hagar (Genesis 16:16) more than a decade before the birth of Isaac. And following the death of Sarah, Abraham took Keturah as a wife, by which he begat at least six more sons (Genesis 25:1-2).
Salvation comes by a certain kind of faith (Rom. 4:18-22).
Paul describes the faith of Abraham that brings salvation). This is a very important passage, because “faith” has different meanings in different contexts, and only a certain kind of faith is saving faith. Many say, “I believe in Jesus,” but they don’t have the faith of Abraham. Jesus spoke of those who call Him Lord and even do wonderful works, but they are definitively lost (Mt. 7:21-23). The most important thing in life is to get saving faith right!
Problem: Did Enoch die as Hebrews 11:13 seems to imply or was he taken as stated in Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5? David Wright explains.
Skeptics will look in every nook and cranny of Scripture trying to find a “contradiction.” And in order to do this, logic and simple grammatical comprehension must be thrown out the window. Now let’s look at the passages in question.