In this new study, we will tackle some difficult issues in the New Testament.This will give you skills in interpreting the Bible, affirming its inerrancy, applying its message, and sharing the gospel with others. These challenging NT texts sometimes arise when you share the gospel. For instance, why are some passages not in our oldest and best NT manuscripts? Why does the NT not explicitly condemn slavery? Why do God’s judgments seem so harsh? We will learn and use good principles of Bible interpretation as we solve these passages, so you will be able to apply these guidelines to other passages as well.
- Jan. 11 – #1: Dealing with Sin: Thrill of Victory or Agony of Defeat? Can a Christian stop sinning? Does God take some Christians home early? Why? Why do some of God’s judgments seem overly harsh?
- Jan. 18 – #2: What about Jesus’ Angry & Mean Moments? How did Jesus get angry without sinning? Why did He seem to say mean things to His mother, the Syro-Phoenician woman, and the father of a demon-possessed son?
- Jan 25. – #3: Jesus’ Very Unusual Actions Why did Jesus spit? Why did He put His fingers into a man’s ears? Why did He put mud on a man’s eyes? Why did He curse a fig tree? Why did He do a double zap healing?
- Feb. 1 – #4: Hard Texts in the NT Do some texts not belong in the Bible, like the woman caught in adultery and Mark’s long ending? How should we deal with these texts? How does that practice differ from how Muslims, Mormons, and others deal with their texts?
- Feb. 8 – No class (the really big football game night)
- Feb. 15 – #5: What Does the NT Say about Slavery? Why does Paul give instructions to masters and slaves? What is the Bible’s position on slavery? What is the best NT text to use on this subject?
- Feb. 22 – #6: Mini Miracles Are mini miracles in the NT true miracles? Did Philip get beamed to Azotus? Did Peter’s fish really have a stater coin? How did Jesus know the background of the Samaritan woman?
- Mar. 1 – #7: Surprising QuotationsWhy did NT writers quote from books outside the Bible? Are the books they quoted from inspired? Should we find and read books from which the NT quotes?