Answers – To Difficult Questions (Gospel of John)

Select A Study:

John 1:1—Is Jesus God or just a god?

John 1:1 – Was Jesus God or simply a god?

John 1:1–5, 29–36 – Why Do Mark and John’s Gospels Not Mention Jesus Was from Bethlehem?

John 1:13 – Does this passage support Calvinism?

John 1:18—Why does John say no one has seen God when other verses declare we will see God?

John 1:18—Was Jesus alone the Son of God

John 1:18 – Was Jesus “begotten” in the sense of being created?

John 1:18 – Can we see God or not?

John 1:18 – Has Anyone Seen God?

John 1:18 – Seeing God “Face to Face”

John 1:19-21 – Was John the Baptist really Elijah?

John 1:19-21 – To the Wilderness—or a Wedding?

John 1: 19-24 Wilderness or Wedding?

John 1:29-36 – Did John the Baptist Know Jesus Was the Messiah?

John 1:33—Did John the Baptist know Jesus before His baptism or not?

John 1:31-33 – Did John the Baptizer Know Jesus or Not?

John 1:37–49—Were the apostles called at this time or later?

John 1:40-42 – Recruiting Violation

John 1:42-43 – Where did Jesus first meet Simon Peter and Andrew?

John 2:4 – Was Jesus being disrespectful by calling Mary “woman”?

John 2:4 – How Rude!?

John 2:5 – Does this passage refer to water baptism?

John 2:8-10 – Did Jesus turn the water into wine or into grape juice?

John 2:12-31 – Chronology and the Cleansing of the Temple

John 2:13-16 – When Did Jesus Cleanse the Temple?

John 2:14-15 – Why did Jesus get so angry? Was his anger justified?

John 3:5 – Does this passage refer to water baptism?

John 3:3—Does being “born again” indicate that Jesus taught reincarnation?

John 3:5—Does this verse teach baptismal regeneration?

John 3:13—How could Christ say no one has ascended to heaven when Elijah had?

John 3:13 – “No One Has Ascended to Heaven”?

John 3:14-15 – How does the story of the brazen serpent prefigure Jesus?

John 3:16 – Does God hate people or love them?

John 3:16-18 – Counting Offspring

John 3:17—Did Jesus come to judge the world or not?

John 3:36 – Does this passage require obedience in order to have saving faith?

John 4:26—Why did Jesus confess He was the Messiah here, but avoid doing it elsewhere?

John 5:10 – Did Jesus Break the Sabbath?

John 5:28–29—Is Jesus advocating salvation by works?

John 5:31—Was Jesus’ self-testimony true or false?

John 5:31 – Is Jesus’ testimony true or not

John 5:31 – Was Jesus’ witness of Himself true or not?

John 5:31 – How Could Both Statements Be True?

John 5:34—Did Jesus accept human testimony about who He was?

John 5:37—Can God’s voice be heard?

John 16:33 – Did Jesus come to bring peace or not?

John 6:35—Why are the “I AM” statements of Jesus only mentioned in John?

John 6:44,65 – Does this passage teach that God will only draw some people to Jesus and leave others for judgment?

John 6:46 – Has anyone seen God or not?

John 6:53 – Does this passage support transubstantiation?

John 6:53–54—What did Jesus mean when He said we should eat His flesh?

John 7:1—Why did Jesus fear death and yet tell His disciples not to do so?

John 7:8—Did Jesus lie to His brothers?

John 7:8-10 – Did Jesus lie and go up to the feast or not?

John 7:8-10 – Did Jesus Lie to His Brothers?

John 7:22-23 – Did Jesus Break the Sabbath?

John 7:52 – Why Do Mark and John’s Gospels Not Mention Jesus Was from Bethlehem?

John 7:53–8:11—Why do some scholars question whether this story should be in the Bible?

John 8:3–11 (cf. Rom. 13:4)—Did Jesus repudiate capital punishment in this text?

John 8:5 – Why were adulterers stoned to death in the Law of Moses?

John 8:14 – Was Jesus’ witness of Himself true or not?

John 8:14 – How Could Both Statements Be True?

John 8:58 – Before Abraham was, “I AM”

John 9:31—Does God hear the prayers of sinners?

John 10:11—Is Jesus the shepherd or a sheep?

John 10:11—Did Jesus die just for His friends or for His enemies too?

John 10:30—Was Christ one with the Father?

John 10:30 – In What Way was God Greater than Jesus?

John 10:34—Did Jesus advocate that man could become God?

John 10:34-36 – Did Jesus believe in many “gods”?

John 10:33-36 – Why are mere men called “gods”?

John 11:4—Did Jesus make a mistake when He said Lazarus’ sickness was not unto death?

John 11:15, 41-42 – Does Luke 16:29 – 31 Contradict John 11?

John 11:26—How could Jesus say we will never die when the Bible declares all will eventually die?

John 11:44—How could Lazarus come forth from the tomb if he was bound hand and foot?

John 12:1-8 – How Many Times Was Jesus Anointed?

John 12:12-16 – A Donkey and Her Colt

John 12:14 – Did Jesus “Find” a Donkey on Which to Ride?

John 12:37 – Did Jesus Perform Miracles Or Not?

John 13:1 – Does John contradict the Synoptics regarding the Passover meal?

John 13:1 – Does the Bible Contradict Itself Regarding the Day of the Crucifixion?

John 13:8 – Does the washing of the disciples’ feet refer to justification?

John 13:18 – Doesn’t this passage imply fatalism for Judas?

John 13:8 – How did Judas fulfill this passage that was originally about David?

John 13:27 – When Did Satan Enter Judas?

John 13:38 – Did the cock crow once or twice before Peter’s third denial of Jesus?

John 14:1-3 – Does this passage support a pre-tribulational rapture?

John 14:2–3—Was heaven prepared from eternity or is Jesus still preparing it?

John 14:15 – Why does Jesus use the term “commandments” here?

John 14:16—Are Muslims right in referring this promise of the coming “helper” to Mohammed?

John 14:16 – Does this passage predict the prophet Muhammad as Muslim apologists claim?

John 14:27 – Did Jesus come to bring peace or not?

John 14:27 – Did Jesus Come to Bring Peace—or Turmoil?

John 14:28—Did Jesus think of Himself as less than God?

John 14:28 – Was Jesus equal with God or not?

John 14:28 – In What Way was God Greater than Jesus?

John 14:28 – For My Father Is Greater Than I

John 15:1—Was Jesus the vine or the root?

John 16:5 – Does God deceive people?

John 16:12—Did Jesus reveal everything to His disciples or hold back some things?

John 17:3 – How many Gods are there, one or many?

John 17:3 – “The Only True God”

John 17:9—Did Jesus ever pray for unbelievers?

John 18:3 – Was a Roman cohort really necessary?

John 18:12 – Who arrested Jesus?

John 18:13-27 – Where Did Peter Deny Christ?

John 20:18 – Did or did not the women tell what happened at the tomb?

John 18:19,24 – At what hour was Jesus crucified?

John 18:20 – Did Jesus lie about only speaking in synagogues and the temple?

John 18:20 – Did Jesus never say anything in secret as He said?

John 18:21 – The Great Commission According to John

John 18:22 – What is the significance of this reception of the Holy Spirit given the fact that the Day of Pentecost would not take place for a number of weeks?

John 18:25 – The Event Could Have Happened Only One Way

John 18:27 – How Many Times Did the Rooster Crow?

John 18:28 – Does the Bible Contradict Itself Regarding the Day of the Crucifixion?

John 18:31—Was it lawful for the Jews to exercise capital punishment?

John 18:40 – Extra, Extra, Read all about it

John 19:1-2 – Was the Robe Placed on Jesus Scarlet or Purple?

John 19:2 – Was Jesus’ robe “scarlet” or was it “purple”?

John 19:2 – Was Either Matthew or John Color Blind?

John 19:2,5 – Was the robe of Jesus Scarlet or Purple?

John 19:14 – What time was Jesus placed on the cross?

John 19:14 – Was Jesus crucified on Friday?

John 19:14 – Does the Bible Contradict Itself Regarding the Day of the Crucifixion?

John 19:14 – At What Hour was Jesus Crucified?

John 19:14 – Was Jesus crucified on the third hour or the sixth hour

John 19:14-16 – At what hour was Jesus crucified?

John 19:16-17 – Who Really Carried the Cross of Jesus?

John 19:17 – Did Jesus or Simon of Cyrene carry the cross?

John 19:19 – Crossed Messages

John 19:19 – What Was the Inscription on the Cross?

John 19:19-20 – First Impressions

John 19:25 – Were the women close or far from the cross?

John 19:28-30 – Why does John cite Psalm 69:21 as a prediction of Jesus?

John 19:30 – Did Jesus Separate from God the Father on the Cross?

John 19:30 – Two “Contradictions” Solved By Remembering Two Simple Rules

John 19:38-40 – Extra, Extra, Read all about it

John 20:1 – Was the stone moved away before Mary arrived at Jesus’ tomb or not?

John 20:1 – How long was Jesus dead in the tomb?

John 20:1 – Addition Does Not a Contradiction Make

John 20:1 – How long was Jesus dead in the tomb?

John 20:1 – The Resurrection Narratives

John 20:1 – Was Jesus’ Tomb Open or Closed?

John 20:1 – Was the Sun Up, Down, or In Between?

John 10:1-2,12 – How many men or angels appeared at the tomb?

John 20:1-12 – How Many Women, Men, and Angels Were at the Tomb of Jesus?

John 20:11-18 – Did Jesus Have the Same Physical Body After His Resurrection?

John 20:14 – Why doesn’t Mary recognize Jesus?

John 20:14 – Who saw Jesus first after His resurrection?

John 20:17—If Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father, how could He have committed His Spirit to the Father?

John 20:17 – Untouchable?

John 20:18 – Did or did not the women tell what happened at the tomb?

John 20:19—How could Jesus walk through a closed door with a physical body?

John 20:22—Was the Holy Spirit given to the disciples before Pentecost?

John 20:22 – Does this support the Pentecostal notion of “Spirit baptism”?

John 20:22–23—Does this passage support the Roman Catholic view that priests have the power to forgive sins?

John 20:23 -Does this passage support the forgiveness of sins through a priest?

John 20:28 – Did Thomas Address Jesus as “God”?

John 20:29 – Does this passage support blind faith?

John 20:30-31 – Did Jesus Perform Miracles Or Not?

John 21 – Is John 21 a later interpolation by the Johannine community?

John 21:1-2 – Christ’s Resurrection—Four Accounts, One Reality

John 21:15-17 – Does this passage support the primacy of Peter as Roman Catholic theologians argue?

John 21:18 – Does this passage preclude the imminency of the rapture?

John 21:24 – Does this passage imply that the Johannine community wrote this book (or final chapter)?