Scriptural Enigmas?
“Let the Bible speak for itself” -Don Fleming *
Genesis 1: 26, 27, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them.”
Exodus 33: 11, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.’
Exodus 40: 12, 13: “And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him.”
Leviticus17: 2, “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.”
Numbers 27: 23, “And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.”
2 Samuel 12: 8, “I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom.”
1 Kings 8: 13, “I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.”
2 Chronicles 20:20, “Believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.”
Job 38:4-7, “When I laid the foundations of the earth… the sons of God shouted for joy.”
Psalms 45:7, “Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
Psalms 62:12, “Unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.”
Psalms 82:6, “I have said, Ye are gods: and all of you are children of the most High.”
Proverbs 3:8, "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."
Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Isaiah 14:12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer?”
Isaiah 22:20-25, "I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle...and the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder...and I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place."1
Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
Jeremiah 29:6, “Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters.”
Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Amos 8:11, “Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land… of hearing the words of the Lord.”
Matt 3:16, 17, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of god descending like a dove, and lighting upon him; And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matt 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect."
Matt 7:23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Matt 24:13, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Luke 11:49, “I will send them prophets and apostles.”
Luke 14:32, “They said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way?”
John 10:13, “The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.”
John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 17:21-23, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us… that they may be one, even as we are one.”
Acts 1:26, “And the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
Acts 2: 37-38, “They were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, What shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you.”
Acts 3:20-21, “He shall send Jesus Christ… Whom the heaven must receive until the time of restitution of all things.”
Acts 7:55-56, “He, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing of the right hand of God.”
Acts 8:17, "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
Acts 20:29, “After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”
Romans 8:16-17, “We are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”
1 Cor 6:9, “The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Cor 8:5-6, “Even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” #
1 Cor 12:28, “God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets.”
1 Cor 13:2, "Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."
1 Cor 15: 29, “What will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?” #
1 Cor 15:41, "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars."
2 Cor 12:2, “Such an one caught up to the third heaven.”
Eph 1:10, “In the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ.”
Eph 2:20, “Are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”
Eph 4:11-14, “He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God…that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
2 Thes 2:2-3, “The day of Christ is at hand… that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.”
Tim 1:9, “According to his own purpose… was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
2 Tim 4:3-4, “The time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth.” #
James 2:17, “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
1 Peter 3:18-20, “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit; by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient.”
1 Peter 4:6, “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”
2 Peter 1:10, "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."
Revelation 2:17, "To him that overcometh... will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
Revelation 12:7-9, “There was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon…And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil.”
*While it is recognized that some scripture may need some help hermeneutically or otherwise, the vast majority of scripture is to be understood as is—easy enough for a child to understand, as it was meant to be.
# NRSV
