Problem: Should we acquire wisdom or not? Context is vital here. Proverbs 4:7 is stating that a person, on the human level, needs to acquire wisdom. It is good to seek to be wise. Solomon is teaching his son, who is a believer in God and His word, to avoid foolishness and seek wisdom. Of course, true wisdom is acquired from God’s word.
Problem: Some fideistic and emergent interpreters argue that Christianity is “foolish” in the sense that it is irrational, illogical, and contradictory to empirical evidence. Is this the case?
Problem: Paul declares that Christ did not send him to baptize. Yet Christ commissioned His disciples to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Does Paul contradict Christ?
Problem: Some Christian leaders disagree with personal discipleship, arguing that we are all disciples of Christ—not Christian leaders. To say that a human leader “discipled” us would be going against the spirit of this passage.
Problem: Sosthenes was also mentioned in the book of Acts, when Paul went to Corinth (Acts 18:17). Is this the same person?
Problem: Paul writes to a person who is “outstanding among the apostles” (Rom. 16:7). Of course, this does not refer to one of the apostles who could write Scripture like the Twelve or like Paul or James, but rather, someone who held the office of an apostle (i.e. a church planter and leader).
Scholars debate whether this name should be understood as Junia (feminine, see KJV, NRSV, NLT, TNIV, and REB) or Junias (masculine, see NIV, RSV, NASB, TEV, and NJB). Note that the TNIV renders the person as a female, while the NIV renders the person as a male! In Greek, the only difference between the engendering of the names is a simple accent mark. So, which is it? Is this a case of a female apostle (Junia) or a male apostle (Junias)?
Problem: Critical scholars hold that chapter 16 of Romans is a later interpolation on chapters 1-15. They make several observations:
Cyprian argues against heretics in his Book of Testimonies (AD 258). However, he doesn’t cite Romans 16:17 (“keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them”).
Problem: Is God a God of peace or of war or both? The Bible says different things about God in different contexts. Let’s take a look.
Problem: Roman Catholic scholars argue that Paul had been to Rome along with Peter. To support this claim, they point out that Paul stated that he was reminding them again. However, if Paul had never been to Rome, then why would he write this?
Problem: It was the custom of the Jews to come together on the Saturday Sabbath, cease work, and worship God. Of the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17, only nine of them were reinstituted in the New Testament. (Six in Matthew 19:18, murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, honor parents, and worshiping God; Romans 13:9, coveting. Worshiping God properly covers the first three commandments). The one that was not reaffirmed was the one about the Sabbath. Instead, Jesus said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8). Continue reading →
Problem: Ethicists note that submission to government is not always ethical. Sometimes, governments are evil, and it is our civic duty to disobey them. How does this harmonize with Romans 13, which is the most extensive passage on government in the New Testament?
Problem: Shall we obey God’s Law or human law? The Bible tells us to do both, but is that a contradiction?
Problem: Paul’s reference to “burning coals” on someone’s head is very bizarre. Critics interpret this to mean that Christians should literally burn their enemies with fire.
Problem: Some Calvinistic interpreters argue that God gives us faith, so that we can believe in Christ. For instance, Calvinist John Piper writes, “Paul is concerned that people were ‘thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think.’ His final remedy for this pride is to say that not only are spiritual gifts a work of God’s free grace in our lives, but so also is the very faith with which we use those gifts. This means that every possible ground of boasting is taken away. How can we boast if even the qualification for receiving gifts is also a gift? … As Romans 12:3 says, So that we will not think too highly of ourselves. The last bastion of pride is the belief that we are the originators of our faith.”[1] Are we called on to believe, or does God produce faith in us?
Problem: The nation of Israel clearly rejected Christ as their Messiah (Romans 9–10; cf. John 1:10–11). And the Bible says that the promises of Abraham go to his spiritual seed, not his descendants according to the flesh (Rom. 4; Gal. 3). Why then does Romans 11 speak of a future for the nation of Israel?