Difficult Bible Passages Archives - Page 3 of 5

CultureWatch

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

Commenting Rules

Readers are welcome to post comments on the material posted here, but some simple rules apply:

No trolls allowed
I reserve the right to refuse comments.
This site is meant to express my point of view. If you are looking for a soapbox to promote your own views, create your own website or blog site.
Comments should be brief (preferably under 100 words), polite, constructive and informed.
Comments which are simply attacks on myself, or are done in bad taste, or use rude language, or are possibly defamatory will not be posted.
You must state your full name to have your comments posted.
I may reply to some of your comments but will not be able to respond to all.

If you are happy to abide by these rules, then by all means, send in your comments. Happy writing!

Divine Love and Hate, Part Two

Nov 23, 2016

In Part One of this article I offered around a hundred Bible passages which speak about God hating certain things and certain people, and how his people can also follow him in this. The biblical material on this is pretty

Jeremiah 29:11 and the Health and Wealth Gospel

Aug 19, 2016

There are so many memorable passages in Scripture, but they can be misused and abused if not handled correctly. Jeremiah 29:11 is one such passage. It is not really a difficult passage to understand, provided it is read in context.

Was Ancient Israel Meant to Have a King?

Mar 20, 2016

Plenty of debate actually arises over the issue of the monarchy in ancient Israel. Especially when we see imperial presidencies like Obama’s in America (Trump’s could well be the same if he gets in), Christians are now talking a lot

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:2, 15

Feb 24, 2016

These two rather similar verses are not so much difficult passages as ones that can be easily misused. I have had people tell me for example that if we all just adhered to these passages, everything would be good, and

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8

Feb 2, 2016

The main difficulty with this passage is that it is another text which has been utterly mangled by those who seem to delight in twisting God’s word for their own (often evil) ends. The ability of people to distort and

Difficult Bible Passages: Leviticus 10:1-3

Jan 31, 2016

In Leviticus 10:1-3 we find the story of the death of Nadab and Abihu, which is puzzling and troubling to many contemporary believers. God struck these priests down for offering “strange fire” as the KJV puts it. The difficulty here

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Thessalonians 2:11

Oct 15, 2015

Whenever Scripture discusses end times scenarios we must take great care. Much of the apocalyptic genre as found in Daniel and Revelation can be laden with mysterious symbolism and so on which can be difficult to accurately interpret.

And even

Babylon, Its Fall, and the Mark of the Beast

Sep 19, 2015

OK, now you may think I have gone off the deep end: speaking on things that mere mortals must tread so very carefully on. No, I have not gone into a last days’ madness mode, and no, I do not

Difficult Bible Passages Jeremiah 29:11

Aug 27, 2015

Is this in fact a difficult passage? Well, not so much – the difficulty arises when it is rather misused and abused by various believers today. The difficulty arises, as usual, when context is ignored and the passage is used

Do We Have God’s Heart On This?

Jul 10, 2015

One good test to decide if we really are sons and daughters of the Living God is if we share his heart on important issues. The true child of God will of course think as God thinks and even feel

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 5:22

Jul 7, 2015

The main difficulty about the last portion of this verse is pretty evident: Jesus tells us here not to do something which is done repeatedly in Scripture, and even often done by Jesus himself. This threefold warning found here has

2 Chronicles 7:14 in Context

May 2, 2015

One of the most famous and most often recited passages from the Old Testament is 2 Chronicles 7:14. Most Christians know it well and mention it often. It says: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble

Truth and Consequences

Apr 30, 2015

With plenty of public discussion over a recent case of capital punishment, I have regrettably noted an incredibly high level of confusion, misinformation, illogic, and just plain biblical illiteracy about these matters. It seems that far too many Christians are

Polygamy and Scripture

Apr 9, 2015

We expect those pushing radical agendas like the various sexual libertines, especially the homosexual lobby, to try their best to attack and twist Scripture as they seek to rationalise their sordid behaviours. Thus those calling for things like homosexual marriage

Hermeneutics and Blood Transfusions

Apr 9, 2015

If this seems to be yet another rather bizarre or opaque title, just hold onto your hats: all is about to be revealed. Let me start with hermeneutics. For the uninitiated, this simply is about the practice or discipline of

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

Mar 24, 2015

Once again, as is often the case in this series, this passage is not so much difficult and hard to understand, as it is so very frequently misused and abused. I hear this one all the time. It is thrown

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 11:19

Feb 22, 2015

This is another one of those biblical texts which is not so difficult as it is one which is so widely and so often misused and misunderstood. Perhaps I may need to rename this series and call it something like

Difficult Bible Passages: James 2:13

Feb 21, 2015

The last half of James 2:13 says this: “Mercy triumphs over judgment”. This passage is not so much a difficult passage as it is one which is regularly misused and abused. It is often hauled out to say something which

The Sword of Romans 13

Feb 13, 2015

My topic here involves how we are to understand the sword – and the state’s use of it – as found in Paul’s discussion of government authority in Romans 13:1-7. Many scholars understand this to be a reference to the

Difficult Bible Passages: Romans 13:1-7

Dec 3, 2014

I have included this passage of Scripture in my series of difficult Bible texts not so much because it is quite difficult to grasp or interpret, but because it – and what it addresses – has often been the subject

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...

Divine Love and Hate, Part Two

Jeremiah 29:11 and the Health and Wealth Gospel

Was Ancient Israel Meant to Have a King?

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:2, 15

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8

Difficult Bible Passages: Leviticus 10:1-3

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Thessalonians 2:11

Babylon, Its Fall, and the Mark of the Beast

Difficult Bible Passages Jeremiah 29:11

Do We Have God’s Heart On This?

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 5:22

2 Chronicles 7:14 in Context

Truth and Consequences

Polygamy and Scripture

Hermeneutics and Blood Transfusions

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

Difficult Bible Passages: James 2:13

The Sword of Romans 13

Difficult Bible Passages: Romans 13:1-7

Copyright

Useful Links

Newsfeeds

Billmuehlenberg.com