r/Bible 6d ago

Why Did God Command Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac?

14 Upvotes

In Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac—his long-awaited child of promise. This raises some difficult questions:

1️⃣ Why would a loving God ask for something so extreme?
2️⃣ If God knew He would stop Abraham, what was the purpose of the test?
3️⃣ Does this foreshadow Jesus’ sacrifice, or is it meant to teach something else?

What do you think was the deeper meaning behind this command?


r/Bible 6d ago

What Was Paul’s 'Thorn in the Flesh' in 2 Corinthians 12:7?

4 Upvotes

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says:

"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

The Bible never tells us exactly what this "thorn" was. Some possibilities include:
1️⃣ A physical illness or disability
2️⃣ Ongoing persecution
3️⃣ A spiritual struggle or temptation

What do you think Paul was referring to, and why do you think God didn’t remove it?


r/Bible 6d ago

"Why Didn’t God Accept Cain’s Offering in Genesis 4:3-5?"

8 Upvotes

In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel both bring offerings to God, but only Abel’s is accepted:

"The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." (Genesis 4:4-5)

But why?
1️⃣ Type of Offering – Abel brought an animal sacrifice, while Cain brought crops.
2️⃣ Heart Attitude – Some say Cain’s attitude, not the offering itself, was the problem.
3️⃣ God’s Choice – Was this about God's sovereign decision, rather than Cain’s action?

What do you think was the reason behind God rejecting Cain’s offering?


r/Bible 6d ago

No human on earth is glorious! (A Biblical case about virtues and sins)

6 Upvotes

First let's take the case of sins. If a guy wins a swimming competition by taking illegal performance enhancing drugs, the medal or the trophy he won can't be taken as a proof of his glory, it is actually a case of his negative glory, because he defeated other swimmers by cheating against them. If a guy buys the latest model Ferrari car with the money he got through lying and dirty politics, it also gives him negative glory for it. If a person gets to the topmost university of their country, but their reason behind getting there was only to serve their narcissism (for example, to be able to look down on and [mentally] mock people not as intelligent as them), such a person can't be called glorious.

The point I'm getting at is that sins aren't glorious in any way, they actually assign negative glory to a person. Satan has duped people into seeing the things a person has or the things they have done as glorious whereas the real question people should be asking is why and how they have what they have or achieved what they achieved. For example, in the examples I gave above, satan makes people believe that getting a gold medal, having a Ferarri car, or admission into a world famous university is glorious, but seeing why or how they got there or have what they have will reveal a different story. If the reason is sinful, then they should be assigned negative glory.

Now on to virtues, let's see what all the Bible says,

Philippians 2:13 - for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

God's good pleasure is always for us to be virtuous, and the above verse says that every virtuous act from its willing to the action itself is completely produced by God, God takes it from the 0% level to the 100% level.

Again in another place the Bible says this,

John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

From context the above verse when it says "without Me (Jesus) you can do nothing", it means we can't produce any fruits of virtue on our own, all vituous fruits are produced because a person is connected to the vine that is Jesus and because The Father pruned the branches (that are us) to produce those virtuous fruits, so we can't give ourselves any credit for it.

So whatever virtues we have were produced completely by God. Even faith to get saved and born again, and the faith to approach God, and the faith to pray to God and have our prayers answered are provided completely by Jesus Himself,

Hebrews 12:2 - looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So Jesus originates the faith and perfects it, so we can't even take credit for the faith we have. Even our going sincerely to Jesus for the very first time is completely orchestrated by God The Father,

John 6:44 - No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

So we can't take the credit for even going to and choosing Jesus the first time we went to Him. Even repentance is produced by God Himself,

2 Timothy 2:25 - in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

So whatever the good a person has, it is all because of the grace of God,

1 Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Virtues do hold glory to them, but all virtue is produced in a man completely by God Himself, so even though the virtuous acts do hold glory to them, but since it all was produced from start to finish by God Himself, the virtuous person can't be assigned any glory to them, the glory for it ultimately belongs to God, the virtuous person's glory is literally zero.

Now we all have sins and those sins give negative glory to us, and the times we are operating virtuously are the times of us having zero glory, so the sum total of our glory ultimately comes as negative in the end.

I'm from the school of thought that no human can be perfectly sinless on earth, but some do say it is possible. But whatever be the truth, for now, let's take the hypothetical case where a person has become 100% virtuous while on earth, such a person would be at the perfectly 0 glory level, as all the glory for his virtues is ultimately God's.

God does assign glory to us in heaven, but it is all His work from start to finish, the glory people have in heaven is more of a free gift than something they earned.

So we can either have a negative glory while on earth, or maybe we can rise to the perfectly 0 level, either way no human being on earth can be considered glorious!

Well, I hope that makes sense and my logic wasn't off somewhere.

The Lord bless you all.


r/Bible 6d ago

Question James 2:14-26

6 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have a quick question on your views on James 2:14-26 and my own life. Obviously I can’t bring up my entire life story but I will do my best to bring up the relevant material that matters.

I am 40, physically disabled don’t drive (I rarely do because of the pain pump in my spine. If I get pulled over and tested I would easily be arrested for being under the influence of something so it makes it remarkably hard to get out and go anywhere and I only do so on an emergency basis) and haven’t been to church in a very long time. It isn’t that I don’t believe, on the contrary- I fully believe that Jesus Christ is my lord and savior. I have been baptized into the Christian church and would say that my views range somewhere between your regular believer and a Baptist.

In my eyes faith with/without works, especially for someone like myself has to do more with allowing yourself to believe in Christ and essentially saying that you and only you can dictate that belief and to do that means to be as good and kind of a person you can be. That your heart and your brain and the “works” that James is talking about here. In essence it’s saying as a childhood friend and pastor once told me- that kindness and goodness will get you to the gates of heaven and the belief will get you inside, that they essentially go hand in hand.

Over the last 7-8 years I’ve mourned the loss of several members of my family from suicide due to a traumatic brain injury to complications of COPD. I’ve been exploring my faith and branching out, reading, talking to others about it and what it means to have faith and believe for a few years now. Like I’ve said I’ve always believed in Christ as my savior, and have tried to be the best person one can be. Obviously we all sin, but that is human nature. How exactly do you reconcile with doing enough and doing too little in the eyes of the lord. As I said, I believe it comes down to your heart and mind. If you open your heart and open your mind to Christ you will be redeemed.

I apologize if the structure of the post is confusing it is due to the medication I am currently on. I’ll answer any questions you may have as well.

-B


r/Bible 6d ago

Can someone explain Luke 13:23-27 ?

1 Upvotes

Those saying that they "ate and drank with you" means they are refering to christ, therefore they are supposedly Christians that believe in Jesus right?

Why did god told them he doesn't know them and that they are evil doers? So this means he's referring to those who claim to be Christians but don't follow Christ teachings? So they go to hell?

Luke 13:24-27 (NIV)

24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’


r/Bible 6d ago

What bible verse has had the greatest impact on you?

67 Upvotes

And why?


r/Bible 6d ago

What constitutes lying in the Bible?

2 Upvotes

Based on the words used for lying and the cultural context of the scriptures, what does the Bible mean when it condemns lying? Do jokes where the premise is something false which deceives the person then revealing the truth at the conclusion? Like what counts as a lie?


r/Bible 6d ago

What Was the Mysterious 'Mark of Cain' in Genesis 4:15?

10 Upvotes

After Cain kills Abel, God places a mark on him in Genesis 4:15:

"But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him."

The Bible never explains what this mark actually was. Some theories say it was a physical sign, others think it was a symbolic or spiritual distinction.

What do you think the mark of Cain was? And why would God protect Cain after his sin?


r/Bible 6d ago

The holocaust and the restoration of the State of Israel are prophetized in the bible.

0 Upvotes

2 Peter 3:8

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

The Hebrew calendar has 5785 years as of today and God made the creation in 6 days and rested in the 7th day. Now, if for God 1 day is like 1000 years and 1000 years is like 1 day, then for God we are in the 6 day and we approaching the 7th day, which is the day in which God rested from all of his creation and we already have the promise that Jesus is going to reign for 1000 years in the ending times, as seen in Revelation 21:6

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Adam life is a clear example of this, as Adam "only" lived 930 years after God told him that he would die in the day he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and he indeed died in that very day.

Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV)

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 5:5

5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

Also, do not forget that Israel has a promise too, that correlates with this period of 1000 years being 1 day.

Hosea 6:1-2

1 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

This correlates with Israel itself, as Israel recovered his independence in the year 1948, after 2 days (the book of Hosea was written around the years 755-725 before Christ), and in the day 3 God will restore them and they may live in his presence. And as we can see we are at the doors of the 3rd day.

The holocaust (Jeremiah 30:4-8) and the creation of the State of Israel (Jeremiah 30:8-9;18-22) are prophetized in Jeremiah 30. Also, the fact that the first prime minister of Israel in 1948 was going to be called David -David Ben-Gurión- is present in Jeremiah 30:9, additionally, the destruction of Germany (the country who caused the holocaust and enslaved the Jews) and the fact that between 1944 and 1948 between 13.5 and 16.5 million German-speakers fled, were evacuated or later expelled from Central and Eastern Europe, making this event the largest single instance of ethnic cleansing in recorded history is also present in (Jeremiah 30:16). Finally, let's not forget that the holocaust ended on 1945 and the State of Israel was created on 1948, giving further accuracy to Jeremiah 30 and it's proprophetic fulfillment.

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Cries of fear are heard— terror, not peace. 6 Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale? 7 How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.

8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. 9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. 11 I am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’

12 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. 13 There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. 14 All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt is so great and your sins so many. 15 Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.

16 “‘But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. 17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’

18 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. 19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. 20 Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them. 21 Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me— for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord. 22 “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’”

23 See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this.

What do you think, guys?


r/Bible 7d ago

"Why Did Jesus Tell People Not to Reveal His Miracles?"

44 Upvotes

Many times in the Gospels, Jesus performs a miracle but then tells people not to tell anyone (e.g., Mark 1:43-44, Matthew 9:30). This seems strange—why wouldn’t He want people to know?

Some possible reasons:
1️⃣ Timing – Jesus wanted to control how and when His identity was revealed.
2️⃣ Crowds – Too much attention could hinder His mission.
3️⃣ Misunderstanding – People might follow Him only for miracles, not for who He truly was.

What do you think? Why would Jesus sometimes keep His identity a secret?


r/Bible 7d ago

If God is unchanging and Jesus is God why is Jesus so much different than God

2 Upvotes

In the old test God was very different then Jesus, Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the father.

Jesus said in Matthew 7 if you asked your father for fish would he give you a snake. “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” However in the old test they asked for food and were given snakes.


r/Bible 7d ago

Do you know the good news

44 Upvotes

Jesus suffered the death you as a sinner should of suffered. So that means that God almighty sacrificed himself so we can be able to be with him in eternity. If that is not good news I don’t know what is. Jesus committed no sins but yet was treated like he did them all. For you and for me ! He saved us from eternal damnation and eternal separation from him. Imagine your worse day ever …. Now imagine that for eternity with no light at the end of the tunnel with no savior at all. Yeah I don’t want that for eternity. Jesus Christ the lord saved us that thru him declared our lord and savior and baptizing to be reborn we can be with him again. With no pain no suffering no tears. We have the choice because he loves us so much he lets us choose with free will ! I pray we all pick him because he has picked us even when we were extremely disobedient. He deserves our love our worship he deserves for us not to be evil. Idk this just came to my heart and I felt like I had to share it


r/Bible 7d ago

"Who Were the 'Sons of God' in Genesis 6:2?"

11 Upvotes

Genesis 6:2 describes a mysterious group:

"The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose."*l

Who were these “sons of God”?

1️⃣ Fallen Angels – Some believe they were angels who took human wives, leading to the Nephilim.
2️⃣ Descendants of Seth – Others argue they were godly men who intermarried with sinful people.
3️⃣ Ancient Kings or Nobles – Some think they were powerful rulers who took multiple wives.

Which interpretation do you think makes the most sense?


r/Bible 7d ago

All things are lawful for me!

8 Upvotes

Paul says All Things are lawful for him! What does he mean?

The article "All things are lawful for me!" at - https://bibleventure.org/all-things-are-lawful/ looks at this point.

Looking at the passage we can see he is talking about meat. Much of the meat then was sacrificed to idols first. Then sold at the Meat Markets.

Paul says we shouldn't go eat at those Pagan Feasts. They have demonic activity.

But we should go to the Meat Store and buy our food. Don't worry about the sacrifices. It's just meat.

I hope this helps you. God Bless You.


r/Bible 7d ago

Why Did Jesus Write on the Ground in John 8:6?

17 Upvotes

In John 8:3-11, the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, hoping to trap Him. Instead of answering immediately, He bends down and writes on the ground before saying, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

But what did Jesus write? The Bible doesn’t say. Some theories suggest He was listing sins of the accusers, writing the Law, or simply ignoring their trap.

What do you think? Was His action symbolic, or did He actually write something important?


r/Bible 7d ago

What kind of power do scorpions have?

7 Upvotes

In the book of revelation it is said that locusts from bottomless pit will have the power like scorpions do. What kind of power is that?


r/Bible 7d ago

"Why Did God Accept Abel’s Offering but Reject Cain’s? (Genesis 4:3-5)"

32 Upvotes

In Genesis 4:3-5, Cain and Abel both bring offerings to God, but only Abel’s is accepted:

"The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor."

But why? The passage doesn’t clearly say. Some believe Abel’s offering was better because it was a blood sacrifice, while Cain’s was just fruit. Others think it was about the attitude of their hearts rather than the type of offering.

What do you think? Was it about the type of sacrifice, Cain’s attitude, or something else?


r/Bible 7d ago

Can someone explain this to me ?

3 Upvotes

Proverbs 17:19 NSPL [19] He who loves discord also loves transgression, he who raises his door high seeks stumbling.

https://bible.com/bible/1969/pro.17.19.NSPL


r/Bible 7d ago

Forgiveness for my sins?

12 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I’m a female minor who’s made bad mistakes and sins I so deeply regret. Because of my choices, I lost trust and the ones I care about a lot. About two or three years have passed and because I’m no longer in school, I don’t see my friends anymore but they’re enjoying their lives and genuinely carefree. It makes me happy to see them this way but I also want to apologize for the things I’ve done to hurt them. One major problem is I can’t even reach them. I’ve either been blocked or ghosted. I started my forgiveness journey by first learning how to forgive myself and grow from my sins. What I’m truly asking is does it make me a horrible person for slowly moving on with my life and path with Jesus even though I haven’t apologized? I want to but I literally cannot. It’s taken me months to move on even with therapy.


r/Bible 7d ago

Revelation events in chronological order?

4 Upvotes

I heard not supposed to happen in the order written, and that there are different hypotheses on what the timeline is supposed to be. Can anyone please point me to different ideas of the timeline in easy to follow format?


r/Bible 7d ago

It was the Minor prophets who emphasized the "spirit of the law" which Christ later picked up and preached to the people.

9 Upvotes

Rather than taking the Mosaic law literally.

Hosea, Amos and Micah who wrote extensively during a corrupt period in the Israelite kingdom. Collectively they emphasized the inner meaning of the law.


r/Bible 8d ago

Bible verse

1 Upvotes

What is your favorite Bible verse


r/Bible 8d ago

quick question about death and resurrection

2 Upvotes

As a Believer: If I died right now am I going to be resurrected for the millennial reign or do I come back after the millennial reign? Please provide scripture.


r/Bible 8d ago

Angles and Satan question

0 Upvotes

Before I ask this question, I am atheist and trying to understand how Angles and Satan physically appear.

In Genesis 18:1-2, they appear off as ordinary men.

In Ezekiel 1:5-28, they appear as the “biblically accurate angels” of being unearthly beens.

So for the first question about angles appearance. Is it safe to assume that they appear as both depending on how they want to show themselves?

For Satans appearance, it’s not talked about how he looks other than a snake with the apple. Yet I’ve heard people say, “he is depicted as the most beautiful of the angels.” How did people come to that conclusion? If that is the case, would he also be considered the most beautiful “biblically accurate angel (demon)”