Hard Questions
Suffering, judgment, violence, hell, slavery, difficult commands, apparent tensions, difficult theology, and sincere questions people struggle with.
Hebrews 5:7-10
According to Hebrews 5, Jesus "learned obedience" through what?
Hebrews uses a surprising phrase about the sinless Son's obedience.
Acts 15:36-41
What happened after Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed about taking Mark on another journey?
Two trusted ministry partners reached an argument they could not resolve together.
Mark 9:14-29
What did the desperate father ask Jesus to do about his struggling faith?
A desperate father gave Jesus one of the Bible's most honest prayers.
Mark 11:12-25
What happened in the temple between Jesus speaking to the fig tree and the disciples finding it withered?
A fig tree story wraps around a confrontation inside the temple.
Ephesians 4:25-32
What does Ephesians say immediately after "Be angry"?
Anger appears in a command that is often quoted only halfway.
2 Samuel 6:1-11; Numbers 4:15; 7:9
Which earlier instruction helps explain why touching the ark was treated so seriously in Uzzah's story?
Uzzah's story feels sudden until you look back at the ark's instructions.
Job 42:1-6
What did Job say after God answered him?
Job does not end with every explanation, but he does end with a changed encounter.
Job 9:32-35
What did Job wish he had between himself and God?
In the middle of his pain, Job longed for someone who could stand between him and God.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
What did Habakkuk decide to do even if everything failed?
Habakkuk does not end with easy circumstances. He ends with a choice to trust God anyway.
Job 1:1, Job 2:11-13, and Job 42:7-9
Why were Job’s friends wrong if some of what they said sounded true?
Job’s friends started by sitting with him in grief, but the story does not end with God praising their words.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and Matthew 26:36-46
Why doesn’t God answer every prayer the way we ask?
The Bible teaches us to pray boldly, but it also shows faithful people not receiving exactly what they asked for.
Exodus 7:1-5, Exodus 8:15, and Exodus 9:12
Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?
Exodus says Pharaoh hardened his heart, but it also says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
Exodus 34:6
Why does God seem so different in the Old Testament?
The Old Testament has wars and judgment. The Gospels give us Jesus. Are we looking at two different versions of God?
Genesis 22:1
Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac if He was going to stop him?
God stopped Abraham before Isaac died. So why ask him to do something so terrifying?
Genesis 4:3-5
Why did God accept Abel's offering but reject Cain's?
Genesis tells us whose offering God accepted, but not the simple reason most of us expect.