Problem: Paul writes, “Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head.” What does this mean? Should men remove their hats when they are in fellowship or while praying?
John 5:24 – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
John 6:37 – All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will [a]by no means cast out.
John 10:28 – And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Rom 8:38-39 – For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Cor 1:8 – who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 1:21-22 – Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Eph 1:4 – who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Phil 1:6 – being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
2 Tim 4:18 – And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
Heb 7:25 – Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Heb 9:12 – Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Heb 9:15 – And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
1 Pet 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
1 John 5:13 – These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Problem: Paul writes, “Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:3). Some Christian theologians hold that Paul’s use of the word “head” (kephalē) implies that men (or perhaps husbands) have authority over women (or perhaps wives). Is this the case?
Problem: Paul writes, “Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you” (1 Cor. 11:2).
Problem: Paul writes, “I also please all men in all things” (1 Cor. 10:33). However, in Galatians 1:10, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” Was Paul a man-pleaser or not?
Problem: Paul states that 23,000 died (1 Cor. 10:8), while Numbers 25:9 states that 24,000 died. Which is true?
Problem: Paul says in this verse that 23,000 people died. In Exodus 32:28, the number of people listed as having died is 3,000. This would seem to be an error.
Problem: Paul cites Exodus 32:6 in this passage to the Corinthians. Why does he quote this passage?
Problem: Paul seems to allegorize the OT in this passage. However, when we allegorize the OT, this misrepresents the message of the original author. Was Paul reading themes into the OT that were not in the mind of the original author?
Problem: In this text, the apostle encourages the believer to “run in such a way that you may obtain it.” However, in Romans, Paul informs us that “it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (9:16).
Problem: Does Paul accurately handle this OT passage, or does he quote it out of context?
Problem: Paul writes, “He who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.” Both Gordon Fee and David Garland argue that “ruined” (apollytai) refers to “eternal loss”[1] or “eternal, final destruction… perishing.”[2] They argue this on the basis that (1) the eating of known idol-meat is a form of apostatizing into idol worship in 1 Corinthians and (2) the term apollytai always refer to utter destruction. Is this the case?
Problem: Paul writes that “there are many gods and many lords” (v.5), but he says that “for us there is but one God” (v.6). Does this mean that there are actually many gods, but Christians just believe in one?
How many Gods are there, one or many? The Bible speaks of both one and many. There is only one God in actuality, but there are many false gods that idolators believe in.
Problem: Paul affirms here that “an idol is nothing in the world.” Yet the Bible repeatedly condemns idolatry (cf. Ex. 20:4), and even Paul said there are demons behind idols (1 Cor. 10:19). Is he then claiming that demons are nothing?