Problem: God, who cannot lie, sent a deceiving spirit that people would believe a lie. Why would he do this? Actually, the demonic force would do what it naturally does in God by giving it permission to go and live. Ultimately, it was used in God’s sovereign plan to accomplish what he desired.
Problem: Some argue that traditional translation of 2 Timothy 3:16 is misguided. They often cite the New English Bible (NEB) as an alternative. The NEB translates 2 Timothy 3:16 in this way: “Every inspired scripture has its use for teaching.” If this translation is correct, then Paul is saying that only some passages of Scripture are inspired—not all—and only some parts of Scripture have a use for teaching. We reject this erroneous translation, and we will look at 2 Timothy 3:16 word by word demonstrate that the traditional translation is indeed correct.
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul says in this passage that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Some think that the word “all” should be replaced by the word “every.” Plus, some believe that the copula “is” should be placed after the remark concerning the inspiration of the Scriptures, not before. In doing so this can lead to the conclusion that some Scripture is not inspired.
Continue reading →
Problem: Here the apostle makes the sweeping statement that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” This appears to be in flat contradiction to Solomon’s claim that “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7). How can both be true?
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul refers to “Jannes and Jambres” who “opposed Moses” (2 Tim. 3:8). However, the OT never refers to either of these men. Who were they?
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul writes that “God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25). Some interpreters argue that we cannot repent, unless God grants this to us (c.f. Acts 5:31). Does this eliminate the importance of freewill in regard to repentance? In other words, are we responsible for repentance or is God?
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul speaks here of God “granting them repentance, so that they may know the truth” (cf. Acts 5:31). Yet in other places, repentance is considered a person’s own act. Jesus, for example, calls on people to “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Paul tells us that God “commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). But doesn’t it have to be either an act of God or else an act of the individual believer?
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul seemed to forbid theological arguments when he instructed Timothy “not to strive about words to no profit” (2 Tim. 2:14) and to “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes” (v. 23). On the other hand, Paul himself argued with the Jews in their synagogues (Acts 17:2, 17) and disputed with the philosophers on Mars Hill (Acts 17:18ff). Indeed, Jude exhorted us “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul writes, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us” (2 Tim. 2:12). The context of “we” in this passage refers to believers in Christ. Can a Christian go to hell, if they deny Christ?
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul affirms in this text that Christ “has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” But death is not abolished, since “death spread to all men” (Rom. 5:12), and “it is appointed for men to die once” (Heb. 9:27).
Continue reading →
Problem: Paul tells Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). What was Timothy’s gift, and why was it given through the laying on of Paul’s hands?
Continue reading →
Problem: Jesus urged the rich young ruler to “sell what you have and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21). The early disciples sold their possessions and laid the money at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:34–35). And Paul warned that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). However, God blessed Abraham and Job with riches, and Paul does not instruct the rich to give away all they have, but to use and “richly enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17–18).
Continue reading →
Problem: According to Paul, God “dwells in unapproachable light.” However, the Bible repeatedly says things like “the Lord said He would dwell in the dark cloud” (1 Kings 8:12) because “He made darkness His secret place (Ps. 18:11; cf. 97:2). Which is it—darkness or light?
Continue reading →
Problem: According to Paul in this passage, God “alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light.” However, in other places, Paul speaks of Christians being raised in “immortal” physical bodies (1 Cor. 15:53) and partaking of “immortality” through the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). But if God alone has immortality, then how can anyone else have it?
Continue reading →
Problem: In some verses of Scripture, people see God. But, in other verses, it says they cannot see God? Is this a contradiction? It is not if you understand the Trinity and the context of those verses.
Continue reading →