For example, John 3:16 says that we have eternal life by believing in Jesus;
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.Yet Luke 16:19-25 seems to say that the rich who have had an easy life will be tormented in the afterlife;
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.'
When we find these seeming contradictions we can be sure that our understanding and interpretation of one of the verses is incorrect.
The Bible is all about Jesus, and there are multiple verses explaining that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone, such as Romans 10:9;
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.So we can know that our interpretation of any verses that contradict this are flawed.
Once we begin reading the Bible through the lens and light of Jesus' completed work, we find that previously misunderstood verses take on a whole new meaning.
The links to blog posts below give a Gospel-centric explanation to some commonly misunderstood verses. You will find much freedom and Good News in them.
New entries are continually added, so check back.
