Problem: Luke writes that Mary “was engaged” to Joseph when she gave birth to Jesus (Lk. 2:5). Yet Matthew records that Joseph “took Mary as his wife” when he got the dream from the angel. Which is true?
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Problem: Was Matthew incapable of basic math in his genealogy?
Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus says there were three groups of 14 people from Abraham to Christ, but when you add them up, there are only 41 people, not the expected 42. How do you explain that?
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Why does Joseph (Jesus’s supposed father) have two different fathers listed in Matthew 1:16 and Luke 3:23?
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Problem: Both Matthew 1 and Luke 3 contain genealogies of Jesus. But there is one problem – they are different. Luke’s genealogy starts at Adam and goes to David. Matthew’s genealogy starts at Abraham and goes to David. When the genealogies arrive at David, they split with David’s sons: Nathan (Mary’s side?) and Solomon (Joseph’s side). There are differences of opinion with two main options being offered. The first is that one genealogy is for Mary and the other is for Joseph. It was customary to mention the genealogy through the father even though it was clearly known that it was through Mary.
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Problem: If God never changes, then how can He change His mind?
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Problem: Does the Lord change or not? God does not change His nature. But he does change in how he deals with people. They are different categories of change and present no contradiction.
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Problem: Many skeptics and liberal scholars have suggested that Matthew’s gospel contains an error:
Matthew 27:9–10
Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
The quotation about the thirty pieces of silver is highly reminiscent of Zechariah, and it is, therefore, assumed that Matthew made a mistake. If Matthew did make a mistake, then the concept of scriptural inerrancy is undermined.
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Problem: The gospels all mentioned that Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. However, Matthew mentioned that there were actually two donkeys (mother and colt) while the other three gospels only mentioned colt. There is no contradiction in this. Let’s take a look:
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Problem: If God never changes, then how can He change His mind?
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Problem: Does the Lord change or not? God does not change His nature. But he does change in how he deals with people. They are different categories of change and present no contradiction.
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Problem: The Book of Jonah reports God saying that he will destroy Nineveh but then reports God saying that He will not destroy Nineveh. Is this a contradiction? Is God untruthful? Is He fickle and untrustworthy? What is going on here? Note the verses:
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Problem: The NT writers quote the vast majority of the OT from Genesis to Malachi. There are literally hundreds of citations from every major section of the OT. Yet, the Book of Ecclesiastes is not quoted once. If it was inspired, then why isn’t it cited at least one time?
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Problem: Amillennial theologians believe that Amos’ prediction of rebuilding the Temple is fulfilled in the church. Amos writes, “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11). Since believers are the new Temple (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19), James was claiming that the church replaces or fulfills this promises. Is this the case?
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Problem: The Scriptures teach that all people will be raised bodily from the tomb (cf. Dan. 12:2; 1 Cor. 15:22; Rev. 20:4–6). Indeed, Jesus said that one day “all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth” (John 5:28–29). However, Job seems to say just the opposite, when he wrote: “he who goes down to the grave does not come up” (cf. also Job 14:12; Isa. 26:14; Amos 8:14).
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Problem: Many Jewish rabbis struggled with the theological implications of the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. That is, if forgiveness comes through blood sacrifices, how can the Jewish people be forgiven when the Temple is in ruins? In order to resolve this theological difficulty, many concluded that the prophets had answered this difficulty already, during the first exile (in the sixth century BC). They concluded that God had already provided other means for receiving forgiveness, and blood sacrifices are no longer necessary. Is this the case? Let’s consider several biblical passages and weigh the cogency of this view:
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