Difficult Bible Passages Archives

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Difficult Bible Passages: Colossians 2:8

Oct 21, 2019

Does this passage mean we should have nothing to do with philosophy?

As is often the case in this series, this verse is not necessarily all that difficult, but it is routinely abused and misused by many Christians. And since

The Olivet Discourse vs Universalism and Annihilationism

Oct 15, 2019

We must stand with Scripture and reject these two major errors:

These two isms are heresies which orthodox Christianity has always rejected and treated as clear departures from biblical teaching. The first one claims that everyone will be saved while

Difficult Bible Passages: Jude 1:9

Oct 14, 2019

This is without question a rather perplexing text!

There are various biblical texts which can be rather difficult to interpret and understand. This verse would certainly be one of them. The verse in question says this: “But even the archangel

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Peter 1:4

Oct 11, 2019

Is Peter offering us a type of pantheism, or New Age teaching in this passage?

Peter uses a phrase in this passage that is not found elsewhere in the New Testament. While similar sorts of thoughts are found elsewhere, the

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 10:28

Oct 5, 2019

Does Matthew 10:28 refer to Satan or to God?

In this passage we find Jesus saying the following: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 6:1-18

Oct 4, 2019

What did Jesus mean when he warned about praying in public?

There can be at least two difficulties with this portion of Scripture. One, I have seen people misuse and abuse this text, missing the actual point that Jesus is

Difficult Bible Passages: Jeremiah 10:3-4

Sep 29, 2019

This is often one of the most abused and misused texts around:

It seems that mangling, misappropriating, misusing and manhandling Scripture is a regular pastime for far too many believers. Twisting and distorting what the Bible says is certainly a

Difficult Bible Passages: Luke 23:34

Sep 17, 2019

We need to be cautious when we repeat the words of Jesus: “They know not what they do”.

This is another verse which is not necessarily all that difficult as such, but questions can and do arise concerning it. Also,

Difficult Bible Passages: Ezekiel 23

Sep 6, 2019

Some of the most shocking words in all of Scripture are found in the book of Ezekiel.

There are many parts of the Bible – especially in the Old Testament – that lots of people today would be squeamish about.

Difficult Bible Passages: Galatians 3:13

Sep 5, 2019

What does it mean when we are told that Christ became a curse for us?

This first half of this verse says this: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” It is

Do You Care?

Sep 3, 2019

Do you care about the things that God cares about?

I am not asking a rhetorical question here, but a very real one. Do you care? Of course how you reply depends on what you care about. Many folks care

Difficult Bible Passages: Jude 14-15

Aug 23, 2019

How are we to understand NT writers quoting from non-inspired books?

The reason for the difficulty of this passage centres on the issue of the divine inspiration of non-biblical books. Jude quotes from the apocryphal book of Enoch. So the

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:18

Aug 5, 2019

What does it mean when it says in Scripture, ‘perfect love casts out all fear’?

Yesterday I wrote a piece on the fear of God. I spoke about how little of it is found in our churches today, even though

Difficult Bible Passages: Luke 18:8

Jul 28, 2019

I recently posted this passage on the social media, and one friend asked whether the question of Jesus was rhetorical or prophetic. I replied that it might be a bit of each, and added that I might pen a piece

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 5:18

Jul 22, 2019

This is another passage that must be carefully considered, and in context, to do it proper justice. If not, it can lead to faulty, or cultic, or even heretical teachings. For example, some will use it to teach a type

On Tattoos

Jul 7, 2019

OK, I have finally done it – I have penned a piece on tattoos! I have long put off writing a piece on this for various reasons. Indeed, let me open with a few prefatory remarks, which will help explain

Difficult Bible Passages: Luke 17:21

Jul 6, 2019

In this series we have examined a number of passages which are not actually difficult as such, but are simply far too often misused and abused. That has long been the case with this text, especially by cultists, those involved

Difficult Bible Passages: Philippians 1:15-18

May 5, 2019

This is another one of those passages which can so easily be misused and abused by some folks. It has to do with the preaching of the gospel, and those who do it with bad motives and the like. But

On Iconoclasm, Part One

Apr 28, 2019

Let me briefly define things here, then offer a few prefatory remarks. Simply put, iconoclasm – in a religious context – literally means “image-breaking”. It has to do with destroying or removing religious images. Related terms include:
-Iconodulism = the

The Conquest of Canaan – Part One

Apr 23, 2019

Whenever another horrible Islamic terrorist attack takes place – and these are now daily occurrences sadly – you will get various Christophobes and/or Islamophiles trying to argue that Christians are just as bad: they too support violence and bloodshed. And

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Difficult Bible Passages: Colossians 2:8

Does this passage mean we should have nothing to do with philosophy?

The Olivet Discourse vs Universalism and Annihilationism

We must stand with Scripture and reject these two major errors:

Difficult Bible Passages: Jude 1:9

This is without question a rather perplexing text!

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Peter 1:4

Is Peter offering us a type of pantheism, or New Age teaching in this passage?

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 10:28

Does Matthew 10:28 refer to Satan or to God?

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 6:1-18

What did Jesus mean when he warned about praying in public?

Difficult Bible Passages: Jeremiah 10:3-4

This is often one of the most abused and misused texts around:

Difficult Bible Passages: Luke 23:34

We need to be cautious when we repeat the words of Jesus: “They know not what they do”.

Difficult Bible Passages: Ezekiel 23

Some of the most shocking words in all of Scripture are found in the book of Ezekiel.

Difficult Bible Passages: Galatians 3:13

What does it mean when we are told that Christ became a curse for us?

Do You Care?

Do you care about the things that God cares about?

Difficult Bible Passages: Jude 14-15

How are we to understand NT writers quoting from non-inspired books?

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:18

What does it mean when it says in Scripture, ‘perfect love casts out all fear’?

Difficult Bible Passages: Luke 18:8

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 5:18

On Tattoos

Difficult Bible Passages: Luke 17:21

Difficult Bible Passages: Philippians 1:15-18

On Iconoclasm, Part One

The Conquest of Canaan – Part One

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