Difficult Bible Passages Archives

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How should we understand biblical prayers against one’s enemies?

Some might think I got my title wrong, and that I meant to say ‘Pray For Your Enemies’. Yes, there certainly is a place for that, as Jesus stated (Matthew 5:44,

Difficult Bible Passages: Proverbs 18:21

May 14, 2020

This is another passage so often massacred by Christians:

I really must retitle this series. Most of the passages I have looked at are not all that difficult to be honest. But most of them have been massacred by various

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 2:15

Mar 22, 2020

This is another passage that has so often been misused and abused:

It is the second part of this verse that I wish to discuss here. The verse says this: “The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Timothy 3:15

Mar 10, 2020

Does this verse teach that the church, and not the Bible, is the real ground of truth?

If you are aware of some of the key differences between Protestant beliefs and Catholic beliefs, this verse would be well known to

Difficult Bible Passages: Psalm 91:10

Mar 10, 2020

Does this verse mean Christians are exempt from Coronavirus?

With everyone talking about the Coronavirus, many Christians have been appealing to this particular passage. In some translations it says that ‘no plague will come near you’. Are they right to

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 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

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...

How should we understand biblical prayers against one’s enemies?

This is another passage so often massacred by Christians:

This is another passage that has so often been misused and abused:

Does this verse teach that the church, and not the Bible, is the real ground of truth?

Does this verse mean Christians are exempt from Coronavirus?

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

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

This is without question a rather perplexing text!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you care about the things that God cares about?

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

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

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