Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1048 If you open your Bible to the end of Mark’s Gospel, you will likely find a note indicating that Mark 16:9-20 does not appear in the earliest manuscripts. Some Bibles place these verses in brackets; others include them with a footnote. This raises an obvious question: are these verses part of Scripture or…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 1064 When studying the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—you’ll quickly encounter discussions about how these three Gospels relate to each other. They share so much material, often in nearly identical wording, that scholars have long debated how to explain the similarities and differences. One popular explanation involves a hypothetical document called “Q.” But what…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 1002 When comparing different Bible translations, readers sometimes discover that verses present in one translation appear in footnotes or brackets in another—or are absent entirely. These differences can unsettle believers who wonder whether something has been “removed” from Scripture. Understanding how textual variations arise and how scholars handle them actually strengthens confidence in the…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 3052 You may have heard the phrase ‘the historical Jesus’ and wondered what it means. Is it different from the Jesus we read about in the Gospels? The term comes from academic scholarship and refers to attempts to reconstruct who Jesus was using historical-critical methods. For Bible-believing Christians, there is only one Jesus, the…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 3057 Jesus was a master storyteller. When crowds gathered to hear him, he often taught through parables: short, vivid stories drawn from everyday life. The sower and the seed, the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the talents, the pearl of great price. These images have shaped the imagination of the world for two thousand…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 3058 The Gospels tell us about Jesus’ birth, his presentation at the Temple, the visit of the Magi, the flight to Egypt, and his family’s return to Nazareth. Then there is silence. Luke alone records a brief glimpse of Jesus at age twelve in the Temple. After that, nothing until his baptism at around…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 3048 Some claim that Jesus never actually said He was God – that this was a later invention by the Church. They point out that Jesus often called Himself the “Son of Man” and referred to God as His Father, suggesting distinction rather than identity. Is this accurate? Did Jesus actually claim to be…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 3015 About halfway through His earthly ministry, Jesus took three of His disciples up a high mountain, and there something extraordinary happened. His appearance changed, His glory was revealed, and Moses and Elijah appeared to speak with Him. This event, known as the Transfiguration, is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels and stands as…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 3011 This is a question that naturally arises from the Gospel accounts. John’s baptism was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). People came confessing their sins and being baptized in the Jordan. But Jesus had no sins to confess. He needed no forgiveness. So why did He insist on…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 3008 This question has been debated by theologians throughout Church history. If Jesus could not have sinned, was His temptation genuine? If He could have sinned, what would that mean for His deity? These are not idle speculations but touch on the very nature of Christ and the reality of His victory over sin….