In the New Testament we read that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:4) and that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10). And yet Ezekiel 40-48 seems to speak of a future temple in […]
Were Annas and Caiaphas Idumeans?
No. Annas and Caiaphas were both Jewish high priests, and therefore of the tribe of Levi. Perhaps you are thinking of Herod, who was an Idumean (also known as an Edomite). Because he was Idumean, he was not allowed in the temple he financed, whereas Annas and Caiaphas were the leading officials in the temple. […]
What does Titus 2 say about a woman’s role today?
According to Paul in Titus 2 older women are not to tell malicious stories, nor drink too much alcohol. They are to be reverent in behaviour, and to teach what is good. Although older women are specifically mentioned I don’t think anyone imagines that it is ok for people other than older women to do […]
How old was Joseph when he became engaged to Mary mother of Christ? What happened to him?
We don’t know how old he was at his engagement, although he was old enough to be responsible to a Roman census and to be required to leave Nazareth to attend his family’s home town, Bethlehem. The last we see of Joseph is in Luke 2 when Jesus was 12 years old. Luke 2:41-42 Now […]
In 1 John 5:16, what is the sin that leads to death?
The questioner also comments: The consensus seems to say that it is sin that continues in the knowledge of the sin. Eventually God gives up. I think I disagree. The passage seems to be referring to something more specific. I think it may be denial of God. What do you think? I think in many […]
Does the Bible speak to God’s position on abortion and the unborn?
The word “abortion” is never used in the Bible and there is no direct commandment in either Old or New Testament that explicitly forbids terminating a human foetus. The closest the Law came to discussing abortion is Ex 21:22-25: When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but […]
How many times has God revealed his will for us in the Bible? Can you list all the verses?
I count twenty-seven verses which speak of the will of God, but there may be more. I have listed them below in the order they appear in the Bible. However, simply counting the verses where the phrase “will of God” appears is probably not a sound method for discovering the will of God. God has […]
Is the King James Version the only true, unchanged version of the Bible?
No. In fact, there are a number of problems with the idea that the King James Version (KJV) is the ‘only true, unchanged version of the Bible’. For one thing, the King James Version of the Bible has its own history of revision.1 For example, changes were made to the text in 1769 (the changes […]
Matthew 18:20 is often quoted out of context. What does it really mean?
Matthew 18:20 is a beautiful sounding verse. In it, Jesus says: For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. As unbeautiful as it might sound, though, the context the verse is in is about processes of discipline within the church: If your brother sins against you, go and […]
If God hates homosexuality, would someone be born homosexual?
God doesn’t hate homosexuality; he hates homosexual acts, just as he hates illicit heterosexual acts. Note that the Bible never speaks of homosexual orientation; it condemns only homosexual acts.