Solutions to Bible “Errors”


Solutions To Bible “Errors”

How do we answer supposed Bible contradictions and difficulties? The list below contains every major Bible difficulty from Genesis to Revelation.

Select A Bible Book

The Gospels

MATTHEW

Matthew 1:8—Is Joram the father of Uzziah or of Ahaziah?

Matthew 1:9—Did Matthew make a mistake concerning the father of Jotham?

Matthew 1:17—How many generations were listed between the captivity and Christ, 14 or 13?

Matthew 2:2—Why does the Bible commend the Magi for following the star, when it condemns astrology?

Matthew 2:6—How can we explain Matthew’s apparent misquotation of Micah 5:2?

Matthew 2:23—Didn’t Matthew make a mistake by claiming a prophecy that is not found in the OT?

Matthew 4:5–10 (cf. Luke 4:5–12)—Is there a mistake in recording the wilderness temptation of Christ by Matthew or Luke?

Matthew 4:14–16—Why does Matthew incorrectly quote Isaiah?

Matthew 5:14—Are believers the light of the world, or is Jesus?

Matthew 5:17–18—Did Jesus come to do away with the Law of Moses?

Matthew 5:29—Is hell the grave or a place of conscious torment?

Matthew 5:33–37—Did Jesus condemn all oath taking, even in court?

Matthew 5:42—Should believers literally give anything to anyone who asks?

Matthew 5:43—Why did the OT prescribe that one could hate his enemies?

Matthew 6:6—If Jesus said prayer should be in private, why does the Bible commend public prayer?

Matthew 6:13—Why should we pray that God would not lead us into temptation when God cannot tempt anyone?

Matthew 8:5–13 (cf. Luke 7:2–10)—Is there a mistake in the accounts concerning Jesus and the centurion?

Matthew 8:12—Is hell a place of darkness, or is there light there?

Matthew 8:22 (cf. Luke 9:60)—Wasn’t it absurd for Jesus to tell the dead to bury their own dead?

Matthew 8:28–34 (cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)—Where were the demoniacs healed?

Matthew 8:28–34 (cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)—How many demoniacs were healed?

Matthew 10:5–6—Did Jesus come only for Jews or also for Gentiles?

Matthew 10:10 (cf. Mark 6:8)—Did Jesus command that the disciples take a staff or not?

Matthew 10:23—Did Jesus promise to return to earth during the lifetime of the disciples?

Matthew 10:34–36—Did Jesus come to bring peace or war?

Matthew 11:12—How can God’s sovereign and peaceful kingdom be entered by force?

Matthew 11:14—Didn’t Jesus say John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated?

Matthew 11:28–30—Is Jesus’ yoke easy or hard?

Matthew 12:1–5—Did Jesus’ disciples break the Jewish Sabbath law?

Matthew 12:40 (cf. John 19:14)—If Jesus was crucified on Friday, how could He have been in the grave three days and nights?

Matthew 13:12—Is God unfair in giving to those who have?

Matthew 13:31–32—Did Jesus make a mistake when referring to the mustard seed as the smallest of all seeds?

Matthew 13:34—Did Jesus always speak in parables or not?

Matthew 13:45—Was Mary a perpetual virgin, or did she have other children after Jesus’ virgin birth?

Matthew 16:16—Why does Peter’s confession here differ from that recorded in Mark and Luke?

Matthew 16:18—Is Peter the rock on which the church is built?

Matthew 16:20—Why did Jesus instruct His disciples to tell no one He was the Christ?

Matthew 16:28—Did Jesus make a mistake about His disciples seeing the kingdom come in their lifetimes?

Matthew 19:16–30 (cf. Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)—If Jesus was God, why did He seem to rebuke the rich young ruler for calling Him good?

Matthew 19:21—Should Christians sell all they have and give it away?

Matthew 19:26—Is anything impossible for God?

Matthew 20:1ff—Are rewards the same for all, or do they differ in degree?

Matthew 20:20 (cf. Mark 10:35)—Who came to talk with Jesus, the mother of James and John or James and John?

Matthew 20:29–34 (cf. Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43)—Did Jesus heal two blind men or just one?

Matthew 20:29–34 (cf. Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43)—Did Jesus heal the blind man coming into or going out of Jericho?

Matthew 21:2 (cf. Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30)—Were there two donkeys involved in the triumphal entry or just one?

Matthew 21:12–19 (cf. Mark 11:12–14, 20–24)—When was the fig tree cursed by Jesus, before or after the temple was cleansed?

Matthew 22:30—Will we be like angels (spirits) in heaven, beings without physical bodies?

Matthew 22:39—Does Jesus want us to love ourself first or others?

Matthew 23:9–10—Is it wrong to call others our father?

Matthew 23:17—Why did Jesus call people fools and yet condemn others for doing the same thing?

Matthew 23:34–35—Did Jesus make a mistake in referring to Zechariah the son of Jehoiada rather than to Zechariah the son of Berechiah?

Matthew 24:29—Did Christ come to earth immediately following the Tribulation or sometime later?

Matthew 24:34—Did Jesus err by affirming that the signs of the end time would be fulfilled in His era?

Matthew 26:11—Was Jesus always present with His disciples?

Matthew 26:34 (cf. Mark 14:30)—When Peter denied Christ, did the rooster crow once or twice?

Matthew 26:52—Is Jesus advocating pacifism and denouncing capital punishment in this passage?

Matthew 27:5 (cf. Acts 1:18)—Did Judas die by hanging or by falling on rocks?

Matthew 27:37 (cf. Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19)—Why are all the Gospel accounts of the inscription on the cross different?

Matthew 27:44—Did both robbers revile Christ, or did only one do this?

Matthew 27:48—Did Jesus die on the cross or just swoon?

Matthew 27:54 (cf. Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47)—What did the centurion really say about Christ on the cross?

Matthew 28:5—Why does Matthew say there was only one angel at the tomb when John says there were two?

Matthew 28:9—To whom did Christ appear first, the women or His disciples?

Matthew 28:18–20—How can three persons be God when there is only one God?

MARK

Mark 1:1—Why does Mark omit giving any genealogy of Jesus like Matthew and Luke do?

Mark 1:2—How can Mark’s misquotation of this OT prophecy be justified?

Mark 2:26—Was Jesus wrong when He mentioned Abiathar as high priest instead of Ahimelech?

Mark 5:1–20—How many demoniacs were there?

Mark 6:5—If Jesus is God, why couldn’t He do mighty works here?

Mark 6:8—Did Jesus command the disciples to take a staff or not?

Mark 8:11–12—Did Jesus contradict Himself by saying there would be no sign given (cf. Matt. 12:38–39)?

Mark 9:48—Why did Jesus say worms would not die in hell?

Mark 10:17–31—Did Jesus deny He was God to the rich young ruler?

Mark 10:35—Who came to talk with Jesus, the mother of James and John or James and John?

Mark 10:46–52—Did Jesus heal two blind men or just one?

Mark 11:2—Were there two donkeys involved in the triumphal entry or just one?

Mark 11:12–14, 20–24—When was the fig tree cursed by Jesus?

Mark 11:23–24—Did Jesus promise to give literally anything we ask in faith?

Mark 13:32—Was Jesus ignorant of the time of His second coming?

Mark 14:12ff—Did Jesus institute the Lord’s Supper on the day of the Passover or the day before?

Mark 14:30—When Peter denied Christ, how many times did the rooster crow, once or twice?

Mark 15:25 (cf. John 19:14)—Was Jesus crucified in the third hour or the sixth hour?

Mark 15:26—Why is the inscription on the cross different in all the Gospels?

Mark 15:39—What did the centurion actually say about Jesus on the cross?

Mark 16:2—Was Mary at the tomb before sunrise or after?

Mark 16:8—Did the women tell of their experience at the tomb or not?

Mark 16:9–20—Why is this passage of Scripture omitted in some Bibles?

Mark 16:12—Did Jesus appear in different bodies after His resurrection?

LUKE

Luke 1:26ff—Was the announcement of the birth of Christ made to Mary or to Joseph?

Luke 1:27—How could Elizabeth be related to Mary when she was from the tribe of Aaron?

Luke 1:28ff—Should Christians worship Mary?

Luke 1:46—Was Mary born sinless as Roman Catholics claim?

Luke 2:1—Did Luke make a mistake when he mentioned a worldwide census under Caesar Augustus?

Luke 2:2—Why does Luke say the census was during Quirinius’ governorship since Quirinius was not governor until a.d. 6?

Luke 3:23—Why does Luke present a different ancestral tree for Jesus than the one in Matthew?

Luke 4:1–13—Is there a mistake in the temptation of Jesus recorded by Matthew and Luke?

Luke 4:19—Why does Jesus not quote this passage accurately?

Luke 6:17—Why does Luke say Jesus gave this sermon on a level place when Matthew declares it was given on the mountain?

Luke 6:17—Why does Luke say Jesus stood to teach them when Matthew declares that He sat to teach them?

Luke 6:20 (cf. MATT. 5:3)—Why does Luke’s version of the Beatitudes differ from those in Matthew?

Luke 6:26—Is a good name a blessing or a curse?

Luke 7:2–10—Is there a mistake in the accounts concerning Jesus and the centurion?

Luke 8:26–39—How many demoniacs were there?

Luke 9:50—Did Jesus contradict Himself when He referred to those who are for Him (cf. Luke 11:23)?

Luke 9:52–53—Did the Samaritans receive Christ or reject Him?

Luke 9:60—How can the dead bury their own dead?

Luke 10:23—Are those who see blessed, or those who do not see?

Luke 13:24—Do all seekers find God?

Luke 16:31—Do miracles prove Jesus’ divine mission?

Luke 18:1ff—Should prayer be continuous or brief?

Luke 18:18–30—If Jesus is God, why did He rebuke the young ruler for calling Him good?

Luke 18:35–43—Did Jesus heal two blind men or just one?

Luke 19:30—Were there two donkeys involved in the triumphal entry or just one?

Luke 22:19—What did Jesus mean when He said “This is My body”?

Luke 23:38—What did the sign on the cross really say?

Luke 23:43—Did Christ err when He told the thief on the cross that he would be in paradise the day Christ died?

Luke 23:47—Is the remark of the centurion about Jesus accurately recorded?

Luke 24:23—Were Jesus’ resurrection appearances physical or mere visions?

Luke 24:31a—Did Jesus dematerialize when He suddenly disappeared from the disciples after an appearance?

Luke 24:31b—If Jesus had the same physical body after His resurrection, why did His disciples not recognize Him?

Luke 24:34—Was Jesus invisible to mortal eyes before and after He appeared?

Luke 24:44—Was the OT divided by the Jews of Jesus’ day into two or three parts?

Luke 24:49—Why did the disciples go to Galilee when Jesus commanded them to stay in Jerusalem?

Luke 24:50–51—Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or from the Mountain of Olives near Jerusalem?

JOHN

John 1:1—Is Jesus God or just a god?

John 1:18—Why does John say no one has seen God when other verses declare we will see God?

John 1:18—Was Jesus alone the Son of God?

John 1:33—Did John the Baptist know Jesus before His baptism or not?

John 1:37–49—Were the apostles called at this time or later?

John 3:3—Does being “born again” indicate that Jesus taught reincarnation?

John 3:5—Does this verse teach baptismal regeneration?

John 3:13—How could Christ say no one has ascended to heaven when Elijah had?

John 3:17—Did Jesus come to judge the world or not?

John 4:26—Why did Jesus confess He was the Messiah here, but avoid doing it elsewhere?

John 5:28–29—Is Jesus advocating salvation by works?

John 5:31—Was Jesus’ self-testimony true or false?

John 5:34—Did Jesus accept human testimony about who He was?

John 5:37—Can God’s voice be heard?

John 6:35—Why are the “I AM” statements of Jesus only mentioned in John?

John 6:53–54—What did Jesus mean when He said we should eat His flesh?

John 7:1—Why did Jesus fear death and yet tell His disciples not to do so?

John 7:8—Did Jesus lie to His brothers?

John 7:53–8:11—Why do some scholars question whether this story should be in the Bible?

John 8:3–11 (cf. Rom. 13:4)—Did Jesus repudiate capital punishment in this text?

John 9:31—Does God hear the prayers of sinners?

John 10:11—Is Jesus the shepherd or a sheep?

John 10:11—Did Jesus die just for His friends or for His enemies too?

John 10:30—Was Christ one with the Father?

John 10:34—Did Jesus advocate that man could become God?

John 11:4—Did Jesus make a mistake when He said Lazarus’ sickness was not unto death?

John 11:26—How could Jesus say we will never die when the Bible declares all will eventually die?

John 11:44—How could Lazarus come forth from the tomb if he was bound hand and foot?

John 14:2–3—Was heaven prepared from eternity or is Jesus still preparing it?

John 14:16—Are Muslims right in referring this promise of the coming “helper” to Mohammed?

John 14:28—Did Jesus think of Himself as less than God?

John 15:1—Was Jesus the vine or the root?

John 16:12—Did Jesus reveal everything to His disciples or hold back some things?

John 17:9—Did Jesus ever pray for unbelievers?

John 18:31—Was it lawful for the Jews to exercise capital punishment?

John 19:14—Was Jesus crucified on Friday?

John 19:14—What time was Jesus placed on the cross?

John 19:19—What did the sign on the cross really say?

John 20:17—If Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father, how could He have committed His Spirit to the Father?

John 20:19—How could Jesus walk through a closed door with a physical body?

John 20:22—Was the Holy Spirit given to the disciples before Pentecost?

John 20:22–23—Does this passage support the Roman Catholic view that priests have the power to forgive sins?

Old Testament

GENESIS

Genesis 1:1—How can the universe have a “beginning” when modern science says energy is eternal?

Genesis 1:1—How could the author of Genesis know what happened at creation before he was even created?

Genesis 1:14—How could there be light before the sun was made?

Genesis 1:26—Why does the Bible use the plural “us” when God refers to Himself?

Genesis 1:27—Were Adam and Eve real people or just myths?

Genesis 2:1—How could the world be created in six days?

Genesis 2:4—Why does this chapter use the term “Lord God” rather than “God” as in chapter one?

Genesis 2:8—Was the Garden of Eden a real place or just a myth?

Genesis 2:17—Why didn’t Adam die the day he ate the forbidden fruit, as God said he would?

Genesis 2:19—How can we explain the difference in the order of creation events between Genesis 1 and 2?

Genesis 3:5—Is man made like God or does he become like God?

Genesis 3:8—How could Adam and Eve go from God’s presence if God is everywhere?

Genesis 4:5—Does God show respect to certain persons?

Genesis 4:12–13—Why wasn’t Cain given capital punishment for the murder he committed?

Genesis 4:17—Where did Cain get his wife?

Genesis 4:17—How could Cain marry a relative without committing incest?

Genesis 4:19—Does the Bible approve of polygamy?

Genesis 4:26—Did worship of God begin here or earlier?

Genesis 5:1ff—How can we reconcile this chronology (which adds up to c. 4,000 years b.c.) when anthropology has shown humankind is much older?

Genesis 5:5—How could people live over 900 years?

Genesis 6:2—Were the “Sons of God” angels who married women?

Genesis 6:3—Does this contradict what Moses said in Psalm 90 about human longevity?

Genesis 6:6—Why was God unsatisfied with what He made?

Genesis 6:14ff—How could Noah’s ark hold hundreds of thousands of species?

Genesis 6:14ff—How could a wooden ark survive such a violent flood?

Genesis 7:24—Did the flood rains last forty days or one hundred fifty days?

Genesis 8:1—Did God temporarily forget Noah?

Genesis 8:21—Did God change His mind about never destroying the world again?

Genesis 8:22—If seedtime and harvest were never to be interrupted, then why were there famines?

Genesis 9:3—Did God ordain the eating of meat or only plants?

Genesis 10:5 (cf. 20, 31)—Why does this verse indicate that humankind had many languages when Genesis 11:1 says there was only one?

Genesis 11:5—How can God “come down” from heaven when He is already here (and everywhere)?

Genesis 11:28—How could Abraham’s family be from Ur of the Chaldees when elsewhere it says his ancestors came from Haran?

Genesis 11:32—Was Abraham 75 years old when he left Haran, or was he 135 years old?

Genesis 12:10–20; 20:1–18—Why did God let Abraham prosper by lying?

Genesis 14—Is the account of Abraham’s defeat of the Mesopotamian kings historically reliable?

Genesis 14:18–20—Who was Melchizedek?

Genesis 15:16—Did the Exodus occur in the fourth generation or in the sixth?

Genesis 15:17; cf. 19:23—Why does the Bible use unscientific terms such as “the sun going down”?

Genesis 19:8—Was the sin of Sodom homosexuality or inhospitality?

Genesis 19:30–38—Does the Bible condone incest?

Genesis 20:12—If incest is condemned, why did Abraham marry his sister?

Genesis 21:32, 34—Did the Bible mistakenly place the Philistines in Palestine at the time of Abraham?

Genesis 22:2—Why did God tell Abraham to sacrifice his son when God condemned human sacrifice in Leviticus 18 and 20?

Genesis 22:2—How could Isaac be Abraham’s “only son” when he already had Ishmael?

Genesis 22:12—Was God ignorant of how Abraham would respond?

Genesis 23—How could the sons of Heth have been in Hebron in 2050 b.c. when their kingdom was in what is now modern Turkey?

Genesis 25:1—Why does Genesis 25:1 call Keturah Abraham’s wife, while 1 Chronicles 1:32 calls her his concubine?

Genesis 25:1–2—How could Abraham have children naturally here when years before he needed a miracle to have Isaac?

Genesis 25:8—Did the Hebrews have a concept of life after death at such an early point in their history?

Genesis 25:31–33—Did Jacob purchase the birthright or get it by deception?

Genesis 26:33—Was Beersheba named by Abraham or later by Isaac?

Genesis 26:34—How many wives did Esau have?

Genesis 27:42–44—Did Jacob return to Haran to flee Esau or to get a wife?

Genesis 29:21–30—When was Rachel given to be Jacob’s wife?

Genesis 31:20—How could God bless Jacob after he deceived Laban?

Genesis 31:32—How could God bless Rachel when she stole Laban’s idols and then lied to him about it?

Genesis 32:30—Can God’s face be seen?

Genesis 46:4—Did God bring Jacob out of Egypt or did he die there?

Genesis 46:8–27—Why does the Bible speak about the twelve tribes of Israel when actually there were fourteen?

Genesis 49:5–7—How can Jacob pronounce a curse upon Levi here and yet Moses blessed Levi in Deuteronomy 33:8–11?

Genesis 49:10—Who or what is “Shiloh” in this verse?

Genesis 49:10b—If Judah was to reign until the Messiah, why was Israel’s first king from the tribe of Benjamin?

Genesis 49:14–15—Why did Jacob predict slavery for Issachar here, but in Deuteronomy 33:18–19 Moses predicted blessing?

EXODUS

Exodus 1:15—How could two midwives take care of so many Hebrew women?

Exodus 1:15–21—How could God bless the Hebrew midwives for disobeying the God-ordained governmental authority (Pharaoh) and lying to him?

Exodus 3:22—How could an all-loving God command the Hebrews to plunder the Egyptians of their riches?

Exodus 4:21—If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, how can Pharaoh be held responsible?

Exodus 4:24—Whom did the Lord meet at the encampment, and why did He seek to kill him?

Exodus 6:3—Was God known by His name “Lord” (Jehovah or Yahweh) before Moses’ time?

Exodus 6:9—Did the children of Israel listen to Moses or disregard his words?

Exodus 6:10–13—Was Moses called by God in Egypt or in Midian?

Exodus 6:16–20—How could the people of Israel have been in Egypt for 430 years when there were only three generations between Levi and Moses?

Exodus 6:26–27—Didn’t someone besides Moses write these verses?

Exodus 7:11—How could the wise men and sorcerers of Pharaoh perform the same feats of power that God told Moses to perform?

Exodus 7:19—How could Israel escape this judgment if it came upon all the land of Egypt?

Exodus 7:20—How could Moses have turned all the water to blood if the magicians had some left to do the same thing?

Exodus 9:19–21—If all the cattle died, then how did some survive?

Exodus 11:3—How could Moses have written these words of self-praise?

Exodus 12:29—How could an all-loving God slay the firstborn of all the Egyptians?

Exodus 20:4—Why did God command His people not to make carved images when He directed them to carve two cherubs for the Ark of the Covenant?

Exodus 20:5a—Does God get jealous?

Exodus 20:5b—Does God ever punish one person for another’s sins?

Exodus 20:8–11—Why do Christians worship on Sunday when the commandment sets apart Saturday as the day of worship?

Exodus 20:13—How could God command people not to kill, and then, in Exodus 21:12, command that murderers be put to death?

Exodus 20:24—Was the altar made of earth or of wood?

Exodus 21:22–23—Does this passage show that unborn children are of less value than adults?

Exodus 21:29–30—Why was capital punishment commuted in the case of some murders?

Exodus 23:19—Why is boiling a kid in its mother’s milk prohibited?

Exodus 24:4—How could Moses have written this when modern scholars say several different authors (JEPD) are responsible for it?

Exodus 24:9–11—How could these people see God when God said in Exodus 33:20, “no man shall see me and live”?

Exodus 24:10—Can God be seen?

Exodus 25:18ff—If it is wrong to make graven images, why did God command Moses to make one?

Exodus 31:17—Can God get tired?

Exodus 31:18—Does God have fingers?

Exodus 32:14—Does God change His mind?

Exodus 33:3—Did God change His mind about going with the Israelites into the Land of Promise?

Exodus 34:20—Were unclean animals to be redeemed with money or killed?

NUMBERS

Numbers 1:1—How could Moses have written Numbers when critics claim it was written centuries after his death?

Numbers 1:1–4:49—How accurate is this census of the tribes of Israel?

Numbers 1:46—Was this census made here or earlier?

Numbers 3:12—If God commanded that firstborn sons from all the tribes be given Him, why was the tribe of Levi given instead?

Numbers 4:3—How can the age for Levitical service be 30, when Numbers 8:24 says 25, and Ezra 3:8 says 20?

Numbers 4:6—Were the staves to remain in the Ark or to be removed?

Numbers 5:13–22—Doesn’t the Bible condone a superstition here?

Numbers 6:5—Does the vow of the Nazarite contradict Paul’s prohibition against long hair?

Numbers 10:31—If God lead Israel by a cloud then why was Hobab needed as a guide?

Numbers 10:33—Was the Ark placed in the middle of the camp or in front of it?

Numbers 11:8—Did the manna taste like a honey wafer or like fresh oil?

Numbers 11:24—Was the tabernacle outside the camp of Israel or inside it?

Numbers 11:31–34—How could God bring judgment on the people for eating the quail that He provided?

Numbers 12:3—How can this statement have been written by Moses?

Numbers 13:16—How can this passage say that Moses called Hoshea by the name Joshua since he was called Joshua in Exodus 17:9?

Numbers 13:32—How could the ten spies report that the land devoured its inhabitants?

Numbers 14:25—Did the Amalekites live in the mountain or in the valley?

Numbers 14:29—If nearly all the men from twenty years up died in the wilderness, why have none of their graves been discovered?

Numbers 15:24—Are there two kinds of sin offerings, or only one?

Numbers 16:31—Was Korah swallowed by the earth or burned?

Numbers 16:32—Were all Korah’s family killed with him or only some?

Numbers 20:1—Was Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin or in Paran?

Numbers 20:21—How could this verse say that Israel went around Edom when Deuteronomy 2:4 says they passed through it?

Numbers 21:9—Wasn’t making this bronze serpent a form of idolatry?

Numbers 22:33—Why did the angel of the Lord try to kill Balaam, since God had given him permission to go to the plains of Moab?

Numbers 24:7—How could this oracle refer to Agag when he lived much later, in the time of Saul?

Numbers 25:9—Why does this verse say that 24,000 died when 1 Corinthians 10:8 offers a different number?

Numbers 31—How can it be morally right for the Israelites to totally destroy the Midianites?

Numbers 33:44–49—Why is the list of places Israel stopped different here from the ones stated earlier (in Numbers 21)?

Numbers 35:19—Why did God permit avenging blood and yet forbid murder?

Numbers 35:30—Does the need for two witnesses mean that it is wrong to condemn someone on other evidence?

DEUTERONOMY

Deuteronomy 1:1—How could Moses have written this when biblical criticism claims it was written many centuries later?

Deuteronomy 1:6ff—How could any from the former generation be present when they all died in the wilderness?

Deuteronomy 1:13—Did Moses appoint the judges or did the people?

Deuteronomy 2:7—Were Israel’s conditions in the wilderness comfortable or destitute?

Deuteronomy 2:10–12—How could this have been written by Moses when it refers to the land of promise which he never entered?

Deuteronomy 2:19—Was the land of Ammon given to Israel or not?

Deuteronomy 4:10–15—Was the law given at Horeb or at Mt. Sinai?

Deuteronomy 5:6–21—How could Moses alter the wording of the Ten Commandments from that which God spoke to him?

Deuteronomy 5:15—Was the Sabbath instituted because of God’s rest from creation or His redemption of Israel from Egypt?

Deuteronomy 8:2—Didn’t God know what Israel would do?

Deuteronomy 9:3—Were the Canaanites destroyed quickly or slowly?

Deuteronomy 10:1–3—When was the Ark made?

Deuteronomy 10:6—Did Aaron die at Moserah, or did he die at the top of Mount Hor?

Deuteronomy 10:8–9—Are priests distinguished from Levites or not?

Deuteronomy 11:25—Isn’t this a false prophecy?

Deuteronomy 12:24—Was the blood poured out as water or covered with dust?

Deuteronomy 14:22ff—Doesn’t this contradict Moses’ other command not to redeem animals with money?

Deuteronomy 14:26—How can this passage permit the use of strong drink when other passages condemn its consumption?

Deuteronomy 15:4—How can this passage say there would be no poor among them when 15:11 says the poor will always be in the land?

Deuteronomy 16:5—Was the passover lamb to be slain at home or at the sanctuary?

Deuteronomy 18:10–22—How can false prophets be distinguished from true prophets?

Deuteronomy 18:15–18—Is this a prophecy about the prophet Mohammed?

Deuteronomy 20:16–18—How can the command for wholesale slaughter of innocent lives be justified?

Deuteronomy 20:16–18—Were the captives to be spared or killed?

Deuteronomy 22:5—Why did God call it an abomination for men to dress like women and vice versa?

Deuteronomy 22:13–21—Why is the method of testing chastity different here than in Numbers 5?

Deuteronomy 23:17—Was homosexuality condemned because it was connected with idolatry?

Deuteronomy 23:19—Why was usury (interest) forbidden only on some but not on all Jews?

Deuteronomy 24:1–4—Is Moses’ teaching on divorce contrary to the teaching of Jesus and Paul?

Deuteronomy 24:16—How can this passage state that children will not be killed for the sins of their parents when there are examples of this in other passages?

Deuteronomy 30:6—Does God circumcise the heart or was Israel to circumcise their own hearts?

Deuteronomy 32:13–14—How could there be sufficient pasture for the herds of 2 million people in a desert?

Deuteronomy 33:2—Is this a prediction of the Prophet Mohammed?

Deuteronomy 34:1ff—How could Moses have written this chapter which records his own death?

Deuteronomy 34:10—Was Moses unparalleled among prophets or were others equal to him?

Deuteronomy 34:10—Does this verse support the Muslim claim that Jesus could not be the predicted prophet (of Deut. 18:18)?

1 SAMUEL

1 Samuel 1:1—Was Elkanah, the father of Samuel, an Ephraimite or was he a Levite as indicated in 1 Chronicles 6:16–30?

1 Samuel 2:30–31—Did God change His mind?

1 Samuel 3:13—Did Eli correct his sons or not?

1 Samuel 6:19—How could Beth Shemesh have a population of over 50,000 men?

1 Samuel 6:19—Why did God strike the people of Beth Shemesh with such a severe judgment for looking into the Ark?

1 Samuel 7:13—Were the Philistines expelled once and for all, or only temporarily?

1 Samuel 7:15—Did Samuel judge Israel all his days, or only until Saul was anointed king?

1 Samuel 8:7–9—How could God condemn Israel’s request for a king when the rules for selecting a king were given by God in Deuteronomy 17?

1 Samuel 10:1—Does the Scripture give contradictory accounts of the anointing of Saul?

1 Samuel 10:20–21—Was Saul chosen by God, by the people, or by casting a lot?

1 Samuel 13:1—What is the correct number in this verse?

1 Samuel 13:5—How could the Philistines have an army of 30,000 chariots?

1 Samuel 13:12–13—Was Saul rejected by God for offering an unlawful sacrifice (1 Sam. 13:12–13), for disobedience (1 Sam. 28:18), or for consulting the Witch of Endor (1 Chron. 10:13)?

1 Samuel 13:13—How could God have promised Saul a perpetual dynasty over Israel when that had already been prophesied of David?

1 Samuel 15:2–3—Why did God destroy the Amalekites?

1 Samuel 15:11—How can God say that He regretted setting up Saul to be king in Israel?

1 Samuel 16:1ff—Did God encourage Samuel to lie?

1 Samuel 16:9—What is the correct spelling of the name of David’s brother?

1 Samuel 16:10—Did Jesse have eight sons as indicated in this verse, or only seven as indicated in 1 Chronicles 2:13–15?

1 Samuel 17:50—Why does this verse say David killed Goliath when 2 Samuel 21:19 says Elhanan killed Goliath?

1 Samuel 17:57–58—Why did Saul not recognize his harp player David as the one who killed Goliath?

1 Samuel 18:1–4—Were David and Jonathan homosexuals?

1 Samuel 18:10—How could a good God send an evil spirit to Saul?

1 Samuel 19:23–24—How could it be said that the Spirit of God was upon Saul when God had already rejected him?

1 Samuel 19:24—Why did Saul strip off his clothes as he danced and prophesied before Samuel?

1 Samuel 21:9—Was Goliath’s armor kept in David’s tent or in Nob?

1 Samuel 28:7ff—How could God allow the Witch of Endor to raise Samuel from the dead when God condemned witchcraft?

1 Samuel 31:4—Was Saul’s suicide justifiable?

1 KINGS

1 Kings 4:26—How can this verse say Solomon had 40,000 stalls when 2 Chronicles 9:25 says he had only 4,000 stalls?

1 Kings 6:1—How can this be an accurate calculation if Ramses the Great was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?

1 Kings 7:23—Doesn’t the calculation in this verse represent an inaccurate value of pi?

1 Kings 9:22—How can this verse claim that Solomon did not make forced laborers of the Israelites when 1 Kings 5:13 says he did?

1 Kings 11:1—How could God allow Solomon to have so many wives when he condemns polygamy?

1 Kings 11:4—In light of David’s sin with Bathsheba, how could this passage say his heart was loyal to the Lord?

1 Kings 12:25—Was Jeroboam’s residence in Shechem or at Tirzah?

1 Kings 15:5—Is this the only sin David committed?

1 Kings 15:14—Did Asa destroy the high places or leave them standing?

1 Kings 18:27—Why was Elijah blessed for ridiculing the prophets of Baal when the Bible urges us to use kind words to our enemies?

1 Kings 18:32–35—Where did Elijah get all the water if there had been a drought for three years?

1 Kings 18:40—Wasn’t killing too severe a punishment for the prophets of Baal?

1 Kings 21:19—How could the prophecy of this verse claim to be fulfilled in the events recorded in 1 Kings 22:37–38?

1 Kings 22:22—How could God use “lying spirits” to do His will since He forbids lying?

1 Kings 22:49—How can this verse say that Jehoshaphat refused Ahaziah’s request when 2 Chronicles says they worked together?

2 KINGS

2 Kings 1:17—When did Jehoram son of Ahab begin his reign as king of Israel?

2 Kings 2:23–24—How could a man of God curse these 42 young men so that they were mauled by she-bears?

2 Kings 3:18–19—Didn’t Israel violate the law of warfare by destroying fruit trees?

2 Kings 6:19—Didn’t Elisha lie to the Syrian troops who were coming to capture him?

2 Kings 8:25—Did Ahaziah become king in the twelfth year of Jehoram or in the eleventh year of Jehoram?

2 Kings 8:26—Was Ahaziah 22 years old when he began to reign in Judah, or was he 42 years old?

2 Kings 9:7—How could God condemn Jehu for bloodshed when God had commanded him to exterminate the house of Ahab?

2 Kings 10:13–14—Were Ahaziah’s brothers slain or were they his brother’s sons?

2 Kings 14:3, 7—Why is Amaziah commended for abhorring Edomites when God said not to do so?

2 Kings 14:29—Are the dead asleep or conscious?

2 Kings 15:27—How can this verse say Pekah ruled over Samaria for 20 years when he took Samaria 8 years before the end of his reign?

2 Kings 17:4—How can this verse mention a king of Egypt named “So” when there are no records of such a king?

2 Kings 17:41—How could the nations fear the true God and serve false gods?

2 Kings 18:13—How can this verse say that Sennacherib invaded Judah in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah?

2 Kings 20:11—How could the shadow retreat by ten degrees on the stairway of Ahaz?

2 Kings 20:12–15—How can these verses speak of the visitors from Berodach-Baladan as coming after the invasion of Sennacherib?

2 Kings 23:30—Did Josiah die at Megiddo or at Jerusalem?

2 Kings 24:6—Did Jehoiakim die in Jerusalem, as this passage suggests, or did he die in Babylon, as 2 Chronicles 36:6 implies?

2 Kings 24:8—How old was Jehoiachin when he became king?

PSALMS

Psalm 1:2—Should Christians meditate, or is this a Buddhist practice?

Psalm 3:1—How could David have written this Psalm when critics insist that most Psalms were not completed until much later?

Psalm 5:5—How can this verse say God hates the wicked when John 3:16 says that God loves the world?

Psalm 10:1—Is God approachable or unapproachable?

Psalm 11:5—How can this verse say God hates some people when John 3:16 says God loves everyone?

Psalm 24:2—Is the earth founded upon the seas or on nothing?

Psalm 30—Why does the subtitle to Psalm 30 make reference to the dedication of the house of David when the psalm says nothing about it?

Psalm 34—Why does the subtitle of this Psalm have the name Abimelech when the name should be Achish?

Psalm 37:9, 34—When the wicked are cut off, are they annihilated?

Psalm 37:25—Do the righteous ever beg bread?

Psalm 44:23—Does God sleep?

Psalm 45:3–5—Is this a prediction of Mohammed?

Psalm 51:5—Was man brought forth in iniquity or made upright?

Psalm 51:5—Does this verse support the position that an unborn fetus is only a potential human being?

Psalm 51:16—Did David disavow the sacrificial system of Moses?

Psalm 53:5—Doesn’t this verse contradict itself?

Psalm 58:3—How can an innocent child be wicked from the womb?

Psalm 73:20—How can this verse talk about God awakening when Psalm 121:3 states that God never sleeps?

Psalm 88:11—Do the dead have remembrance of anything?

Psalm 97:7—Doesn’t this verse imply there are many gods?

Psalm 104:5—Will the earth abide forever or will it be destroyed?

Psalm 109:1ff—How can the God of love in the NT be reconciled with the vengeful God of these cursing Psalms?

Psalm 115:17—Can the dead praise God or are they unconscious?

Psalm 119:110—Is it true that David never erred from God’s precepts or did he go astray from them?

Psalm 137:9—How could the Psalmist rejoice at the thought of little ones being dashed against rocks?

Psalm 139:13–16—Can it be inferred from this verse that the Bible considers abortion to be murder?

New Testament

MATTHEW

Matthew 1:8—Is Joram the father of Uzziah or of Ahaziah?

Matthew 1:9—Did Matthew make a mistake concerning the father of Jotham?

Matthew 1:17—How many generations were listed between the captivity and Christ, 14 or 13?

Matthew 2:2—Why does the Bible commend the Magi for following the star, when it condemns astrology?

Matthew 2:6—How can we explain Matthew’s apparent misquotation of Micah 5:2?

Matthew 2:23—Didn’t Matthew make a mistake by claiming a prophecy that is not found in the OT?

Matthew 4:5–10 (cf. Luke 4:5–12)—Is there a mistake in recording the wilderness temptation of Christ by Matthew or Luke?

Matthew 4:14–16—Why does Matthew incorrectly quote Isaiah?

Matthew 5:14—Are believers the light of the world, or is Jesus?

Matthew 5:17–18—Did Jesus come to do away with the Law of Moses?

Matthew 5:29—Is hell the grave or a place of conscious torment?

Matthew 5:33–37—Did Jesus condemn all oath taking, even in court?

Matthew 5:42—Should believers literally give anything to anyone who asks?

Matthew 5:43—Why did the OT prescribe that one could hate his enemies?

Matthew 6:6—If Jesus said prayer should be in private, why does the Bible commend public prayer?

Matthew 6:13—Why should we pray that God would not lead us into temptation when God cannot tempt anyone?

Matthew 8:5–13 (cf. Luke 7:2–10)—Is there a mistake in the accounts concerning Jesus and the centurion?

Matthew 8:12—Is hell a place of darkness, or is there light there?

Matthew 8:22 (cf. Luke 9:60)—Wasn’t it absurd for Jesus to tell the dead to bury their own dead?

Matthew 8:28–34 (cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)—Where were the demoniacs healed?

Matthew 8:28–34 (cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)—How many demoniacs were healed?

Matthew 10:5–6—Did Jesus come only for Jews or also for Gentiles?

Matthew 10:10 (cf. Mark 6:8)—Did Jesus command that the disciples take a staff or not?

Matthew 10:23—Did Jesus promise to return to earth during the lifetime of the disciples?

Matthew 10:34–36—Did Jesus come to bring peace or war?

Matthew 11:12—How can God’s sovereign and peaceful kingdom be entered by force?

Matthew 11:14—Didn’t Jesus say John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated?

Matthew 11:28–30—Is Jesus’ yoke easy or hard?

Matthew 12:1–5—Did Jesus’ disciples break the Jewish Sabbath law?

Matthew 12:40 (cf. John 19:14)—If Jesus was crucified on Friday, how could He have been in the grave three days and nights?

Matthew 13:12—Is God unfair in giving to those who have?

Matthew 13:31–32—Did Jesus make a mistake when referring to the mustard seed as the smallest of all seeds?

Matthew 13:34—Did Jesus always speak in parables or not?

Matthew 13:45—Was Mary a perpetual virgin, or did she have other children after Jesus’ virgin birth?

Matthew 16:16—Why does Peter’s confession here differ from that recorded in Mark and Luke?

Matthew 16:18—Is Peter the rock on which the church is built?

Matthew 16:20—Why did Jesus instruct His disciples to tell no one He was the Christ?

Matthew 16:28—Did Jesus make a mistake about His disciples seeing the kingdom come in their lifetimes?

Matthew 19:16–30 (cf. Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)—If Jesus was God, why did He seem to rebuke the rich young ruler for calling Him good?

Matthew 19:21—Should Christians sell all they have and give it away?

Matthew 19:26—Is anything impossible for God?

Matthew 20:1ff—Are rewards the same for all, or do they differ in degree?

Matthew 20:20 (cf. Mark 10:35)—Who came to talk with Jesus, the mother of James and John or James and John?

Matthew 20:29–34 (cf. Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43)—Did Jesus heal two blind men or just one?

Matthew 20:29–34 (cf. Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43)—Did Jesus heal the blind man coming into or going out of Jericho?

Matthew 21:2 (cf. Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30)—Were there two donkeys involved in the triumphal entry or just one?

Matthew 21:12–19 (cf. Mark 11:12–14, 20–24)—When was the fig tree cursed by Jesus, before or after the temple was cleansed?

Matthew 22:30—Will we be like angels (spirits) in heaven, beings without physical bodies?

Matthew 22:39—Does Jesus want us to love ourself first or others?

Matthew 23:9–10—Is it wrong to call others our father?

Matthew 23:17—Why did Jesus call people fools and yet condemn others for doing the same thing?

Matthew 23:34–35—Did Jesus make a mistake in referring to Zechariah the son of Jehoiada rather than to Zechariah the son of Berechiah?

Matthew 24:29—Did Christ come to earth immediately following the Tribulation or sometime later?

Matthew 24:34—Did Jesus err by affirming that the signs of the end time would be fulfilled in His era?

Matthew 26:11—Was Jesus always present with His disciples?

Matthew 26:34 (cf. Mark 14:30)—When Peter denied Christ, did the rooster crow once or twice?

Matthew 26:52—Is Jesus advocating pacifism and denouncing capital punishment in this passage?

Matthew 27:5 (cf. Acts 1:18)—Did Judas die by hanging or by falling on rocks?

Matthew 27:37 (cf. Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19)—Why are all the Gospel accounts of the inscription on the cross different?

Matthew 27:44—Did both robbers revile Christ, or did only one do this?

Matthew 27:48—Did Jesus die on the cross or just swoon?

Matthew 27:54 (cf. Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47)—What did the centurion really say about Christ on the cross?

Matthew 28:5—Why does Matthew say there was only one angel at the tomb when John says there were two?

Matthew 28:9—To whom did Christ appear first, the women or His disciples?

Matthew 28:18–20—How can three persons be God when there is only one God?

MARK

Mark 1:1—Why does Mark omit giving any genealogy of Jesus like Matthew and Luke do?

Mark 1:2—How can Mark’s misquotation of this OT prophecy be justified?

Mark 2:26—Was Jesus wrong when He mentioned Abiathar as high priest instead of Ahimelech?

Mark 5:1–20—How many demoniacs were there?

Mark 6:5—If Jesus is God, why couldn’t He do mighty works here?

Mark 6:8—Did Jesus command the disciples to take a staff or not?

Mark 8:11–12—Did Jesus contradict Himself by saying there would be no sign given (cf. Matt. 12:38–39)?

Mark 9:48—Why did Jesus say worms would not die in hell?

Mark 10:17–31—Did Jesus deny He was God to the rich young ruler?

Mark 10:35—Who came to talk with Jesus, the mother of James and John or James and John?

Mark 10:46–52—Did Jesus heal two blind men or just one?

Mark 11:2—Were there two donkeys involved in the triumphal entry or just one?

Mark 11:12–14, 20–24—When was the fig tree cursed by Jesus?

Mark 11:23–24—Did Jesus promise to give literally anything we ask in faith?

Mark 13:32—Was Jesus ignorant of the time of His second coming?

Mark 14:12ff—Did Jesus institute the Lord’s Supper on the day of the Passover or the day before?

Mark 14:30—When Peter denied Christ, how many times did the rooster crow, once or twice?

Mark 15:25 (cf. John 19:14)—Was Jesus crucified in the third hour or the sixth hour?

Mark 15:26—Why is the inscription on the cross different in all the Gospels?

Mark 15:39—What did the centurion actually say about Jesus on the cross?

Mark 16:2—Was Mary at the tomb before sunrise or after?

Mark 16:8—Did the women tell of their experience at the tomb or not?

Mark 16:9–20—Why is this passage of Scripture omitted in some Bibles?

Mark 16:12—Did Jesus appear in different bodies after His resurrection?

LUKE

Luke 1:26ff—Was the announcement of the birth of Christ made to Mary or to Joseph?

Luke 1:27—How could Elizabeth be related to Mary when she was from the tribe of Aaron?

Luke 1:28ff—Should Christians worship Mary?

Luke 1:46—Was Mary born sinless as Roman Catholics claim?

Luke 2:1—Did Luke make a mistake when he mentioned a worldwide census under Caesar Augustus?

Luke 2:2—Why does Luke say the census was during Quirinius’ governorship since Quirinius was not governor until a.d. 6?

Luke 3:23—Why does Luke present a different ancestral tree for Jesus than the one in Matthew?

Luke 4:1–13—Is there a mistake in the temptation of Jesus recorded by Matthew and Luke?

Luke 4:19—Why does Jesus not quote this passage accurately?

Luke 6:17—Why does Luke say Jesus gave this sermon on a level place when Matthew declares it was given on the mountain?

Luke 6:17—Why does Luke say Jesus stood to teach them when Matthew declares that He sat to teach them?

Luke 6:20 (cf. MATT. 5:3)—Why does Luke’s version of the Beatitudes differ from those in Matthew?

Luke 6:26—Is a good name a blessing or a curse?

Luke 7:2–10—Is there a mistake in the accounts concerning Jesus and the centurion?

Luke 8:26–39—How many demoniacs were there?

Luke 9:50—Did Jesus contradict Himself when He referred to those who are for Him (cf. Luke 11:23)?

Luke 9:52–53—Did the Samaritans receive Christ or reject Him?

Luke 9:60—How can the dead bury their own dead?

Luke 10:23—Are those who see blessed, or those who do not see?

Luke 13:24—Do all seekers find God?

Luke 16:31—Do miracles prove Jesus’ divine mission?

Luke 18:1ff—Should prayer be continuous or brief?

Luke 18:18–30—If Jesus is God, why did He rebuke the young ruler for calling Him good?

Luke 18:35–43—Did Jesus heal two blind men or just one?

Luke 19:30—Were there two donkeys involved in the triumphal entry or just one?

Luke 22:19—What did Jesus mean when He said “This is My body”?

Luke 23:38—What did the sign on the cross really say?

Luke 23:43—Did Christ err when He told the thief on the cross that he would be in paradise the day Christ died?

Luke 23:47—Is the remark of the centurion about Jesus accurately recorded?

Luke 24:23—Were Jesus’ resurrection appearances physical or mere visions?

Luke 24:31a—Did Jesus dematerialize when He suddenly disappeared from the disciples after an appearance?

Luke 24:31b—If Jesus had the same physical body after His resurrection, why did His disciples not recognize Him?

Luke 24:34—Was Jesus invisible to mortal eyes before and after He appeared?

Luke 24:44—Was the OT divided by the Jews of Jesus’ day into two or three parts?

Luke 24:49—Why did the disciples go to Galilee when Jesus commanded them to stay in Jerusalem?

Luke 24:50–51—Did Jesus ascend from Bethany or from the Mountain of Olives near Jerusalem?

JOHN

John 1:1—Is Jesus God or just a god?

John 1:18—Why does John say no one has seen God when other verses declare we will see God?

John 1:18—Was Jesus alone the Son of God?

John 1:33—Did John the Baptist know Jesus before His baptism or not?

John 1:37–49—Were the apostles called at this time or later?

John 3:3—Does being “born again” indicate that Jesus taught reincarnation?

John 3:5—Does this verse teach baptismal regeneration?

John 3:13—How could Christ say no one has ascended to heaven when Elijah had?

John 3:17—Did Jesus come to judge the world or not?

John 4:26—Why did Jesus confess He was the Messiah here, but avoid doing it elsewhere?

John 5:28–29—Is Jesus advocating salvation by works?

John 5:31—Was Jesus’ self-testimony true or false?

John 5:34—Did Jesus accept human testimony about who He was?

John 5:37—Can God’s voice be heard?

John 6:35—Why are the “I AM” statements of Jesus only mentioned in John?

John 6:53–54—What did Jesus mean when He said we should eat His flesh?

John 7:1—Why did Jesus fear death and yet tell His disciples not to do so?

John 7:8—Did Jesus lie to His brothers?

John 7:53–8:11—Why do some scholars question whether this story should be in the Bible?

John 8:3–11 (cf. Rom. 13:4)—Did Jesus repudiate capital punishment in this text?

John 9:31—Does God hear the prayers of sinners?

John 10:11—Is Jesus the shepherd or a sheep?

John 10:11—Did Jesus die just for His friends or for His enemies too?

John 10:30—Was Christ one with the Father?

John 10:34—Did Jesus advocate that man could become God?

John 11:4—Did Jesus make a mistake when He said Lazarus’ sickness was not unto death?

John 11:26—How could Jesus say we will never die when the Bible declares all will eventually die?

John 11:44—How could Lazarus come forth from the tomb if he was bound hand and foot?

John 14:2–3—Was heaven prepared from eternity or is Jesus still preparing it?

John 14:16—Are Muslims right in referring this promise of the coming “helper” to Mohammed?

John 14:28—Did Jesus think of Himself as less than God?

John 15:1—Was Jesus the vine or the root?

John 16:12—Did Jesus reveal everything to His disciples or hold back some things?

John 17:9—Did Jesus ever pray for unbelievers?

John 18:31—Was it lawful for the Jews to exercise capital punishment?

John 19:14—Was Jesus crucified on Friday?

John 19:14—What time was Jesus placed on the cross?

John 19:19—What did the sign on the cross really say?

John 20:17—If Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father, how could He have committed His Spirit to the Father?

John 20:19—How could Jesus walk through a closed door with a physical body?

John 20:22—Was the Holy Spirit given to the disciples before Pentecost?

John 20:22–23—Does this passage support the Roman Catholic view that priests have the power to forgive sins?

1 CORINTHIANS

1 Corinthians 1:17—Did Paul oppose water baptism?

1 Corinthians 2:8—How could Paul say the rulers of this world did not know Christ, when Christ came before them at His trial?

1 Corinthians 3:11—Who is the foundation of the church, Christ or the apostles?

1 Corinthians 3:13–15—Does this passage support the Roman Catholic view of purgatory?

1 Corinthians 3:19—How could Paul consider the words of Eliphaz inspired when God rebuked Eliphaz for saying them to Job?

1 Corinthians 5:9—If Paul wrote an inspired epistle, how could God allow it to be lost?

1 Corinthians 6:2–3—How will the saints judge the world and angels?

1 Corinthians 6:9—Was Paul’s condemnation of homosexuality merely his private opinion?

1 Corinthians 6:9—Was Paul against all homosexual acts or only offensive ones?

1 Corinthians 6:13—If God is going to destroy the body, then how can it be resurrected?

1 Corinthians 7:10–16—Does Paul contradict what Jesus said about divorce?

1 Corinthians 7:12 (cf. 7:40)—How can Paul’s words be inspired if he says he is merely giving his own opinion?

1 Corinthians 8:4—If idols are nothing, why does God condemn idolatry?

1 Corinthians 9:24—Does Paul encourage or discourage running to obtain a spiritual goal?

1 Corinthians 10:8—Does Paul make a mistake in quoting how many people died?

1 Corinthians 11:5—Should women wear veils when they pray?

1 Corinthians 11:14—How can nature teach that long hair is wrong for a man when length of hair is culturally relative?

1 Corinthians 12:31—If coveting is wrong, why does Paul encourage coveting the best gifts?

1 Corinthians 15:5–8—Did Jesus only appear to believers?

1 Corinthians 15:5–8—Why did Jesus appear to only a select few?

1 Corinthians 15:10—Was Paul’s boasting contrary to Scripture?

1 Corinthians 15:20—Was Jesus the first one ever to be resurrected from the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:29—Doesn’t advocating baptism for the dead contradict Paul’s teaching that each person must believe individually?

1 Corinthians 15:33—By quoting a pagan poet as part of Scripture, doesn’t Paul thereby pronounce this pagan writing a part of Scripture?

1 Corinthians 15:37—Is Paul teaching that the resurrection body is a different one from the one that is sown—a kind of reincarnation?

1 Corinthians 15:44—Is the resurrection body material or immaterial?

1 Corinthians 15:45—Was Christ a life-giving spirit after His resurrection, or did He have a physical body?

1 Corinthians 15:50—If flesh and blood cannot enter heaven, then how can there be a physical resurrection?

Other Sources On Bible Difficulties

Archer, Gleason L. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Zondervan).

Arndt, William, Robert G. Hoerber, and Walther R. Roehrs. Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions (Concordia).

Bing, Charlie. Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages (GraceLife Ministries).

Clark, Gordon. Can I Trust My Bible (Moody).

DeHoff, George. Alleged Bible Contradictions Explained (DeHoff Publications).

Ellis, E. Earle. Paul’s Use of the Old Testament (Eerdmans).

Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. The Big Book of Bible Difficulties (Baker).

Guillebaud, Harold E. Some Moral Difficulties in the Bible (Inter Varsity).