God

Help in Distress

Help in Distress

For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong. (Acts 27:23)

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
James 1:17 – Does God Dwell in Light or Darkness?

James 1:17 – Does God Dwell in Light or Darkness?

In the February 12, 2009 Butt/Barker Debate on the existence of the God of the Bible, atheist Dan Barker spent nearly two-thirds of his opening 15-minute speech alleging that the Bible’s portrayal of God is contradictory. Barker alleged several discrepancies (most all of which we have answered elsewhere on our website), including that God cannot logically dwell in light and darkness. Twelve minutes and five seconds into his first speech, Dan Barker asserted:
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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
James 1:13 – Does God Tempt People?

James 1:13 – Does God Tempt People?

Problem: In his February 12, 2009 debate with Kyle Butt, Dan Barker alleged that he “knows” the God of the Bible cannot exist because “there are mutually incompatible properties/characteristics of the God that’s in this book [the Bible—EL] that rule out the possibility of His existence.” Seven minutes and 54 seconds into his first speech, Barker cited James 1:13 and Genesis 22:1 as proof that the God of the Bible cannot exist. Since James 1:13 says: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (KJV), and Genesis 22:1 affirms that “God did tempt Abraham” (KJV) to sacrifice his son, Barker asserted that God is like a married bachelor or a square circle—He cannot logically exist.

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
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
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
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
What Is Saving Faith?

What Is Saving Faith?

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!

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
Heb 9:4 –  What was inside the Ark?

Heb 9:4 – What was inside the Ark?

Problem:  1 Kings 8:9 explicitly states that only the stone tablets of Moses’ Law were inside the Ark. Hebrews 9:4, however, says that Aaron’s rod and a golden jar of manna was in there as well. However, between the time of Moses and the time of Solomon, which 1 Kings 8 talks about, there were about 450 years. Many have noted that the Ark was moved quite a bit and the objects could have easily been taken out and left at the Temple or some other place. Very possibly, the golden jar would have been used as one of the numerous golden articles in the Temple (Exodus 25).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Proof, Bible Teaching
Heb 7:3 – Melchizedek, a Type of the Son of God

Heb 7:3 – Melchizedek, a Type of the Son of God

Problem: “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually” (Hebrews 7:3)

There are some who identify Melchizedek as the pre-incarnate Christ. That is, they believe that Christ Himself appeared to Abraham in Genesis 14. This seems to be based primarily on a misunderstanding of the verse cited above (Heb. 7:3).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
Heb 4:15 – God Cannot be Tempted…But Jesus Was?

Heb 4:15 – God Cannot be Tempted…But Jesus Was?

Problem: 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
Does God Exist?

Does God Exist?

I don’t believe in God. I believe in something, just not in God?.

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Proof, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
Heb 1:8 – Is the Son addressed as “God”?

Heb 1:8 – Is the Son addressed as “God”?

Heb. 1:8-12—“But as to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a sceptre of
uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hast hated
lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy companions.
And, Thou in the beginning, Lord, hast founded the earth, and works of thy hands are the
heavens. They shall perish, but thou continuest still; and they all shall grow old as a garment, and as
a covering shalt thou roll them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the Same, and thy years
shall not fail.”

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