⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 3 min read
How Should Christians Approach Hard Bible Passages with Faithfulness and Trust?
What should Christians do with difficult or offensive passages in Scripture?
In this episode of Contending for the Word Q&A, Dave Jenkins addresses a question many believers wrestle with, often quietly and sometimes uncomfortably: how should Christians approach difficult or offensive passages in the Word of God while remaining faithful to Scripture and confident in the character of God?
Some passages confuse us. Others challenge our assumptions. Still others confront modern sensibilities and deeply held cultural beliefs. But hard passages are not defects in Scripture. They are often doorways to deeper trust, greater humility, and more careful study of God’s Word.
Rather than avoiding difficult texts, Christians are called to wrestle with them faithfully, reading them in context, interpreting them with the rest of Scripture, and submitting to the wisdom of God rather than the pressure of the age.
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Key Scriptures
- Isaiah 55:8–9
- Romans 9:14–18
- 2 Timothy 3:16–17
What This Episode Addresses
- Why difficult passages should be acknowledged honestly
- How context helps clarify hard texts
- Why Scripture must interpret Scripture
- How cultural pressure can distort our reading of the Bible
- Why Christians can trust God’s Word even when understanding feels incomplete
Main Points
1. Acknowledge the Difficulty Honestly
Faithful Christians do not need to pretend that difficult passages are easy. Scripture itself acknowledges tension, mystery, and struggle. Admitting that a passage is hard does not mean doubting God. It means approaching His Word with humility rather than defensiveness.
2. Read Difficult Passages in Context
Many texts feel offensive because they are read in isolation. Historical context, covenant context, and literary genre all matter. Laws given to Israel, prophetic judgments, and narrative descriptions of violence must be read within the broader story of redemption.
3. Let Scripture Interpret Scripture
The Bible is its own best interpreter. Clear passages help illuminate harder ones. God’s revealed character—His holiness, justice, mercy, and faithfulness—must guide how we read passages that challenge us.
4. Submit to God’s Wisdom Rather Than Cultural Pressure
Some passages offend us not because they are unclear, but because they confront our assumptions. Modern culture often demands that God conform to contemporary values, but Scripture calls us to be transformed by God’s truth even when it challenges us.
Key Takeaway
Hard passages do not undermine Scripture’s authority. They invite deeper trust in God’s wisdom, character, and purposes.
Conclusion
God has not given His people a sanitized Bible. He has given us a truthful one. Difficult passages remind us that God is God and we are not. They call us to trust His wisdom, submit to His authority, and rest in His goodness revealed fully in Jesus Christ.
For more from Contending for the Word Q&A, please visit our page at Servants of Grace or our YouTube playlist.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
