Episode 301 explores C.S. Lewis’ challenging reflections on forgiveness in Chapter Seven of Mere Christianity. Lewis argues that forgiveness is not optional for Christians, even when the person who has wronged us may seem completely undeserving of it.

Lance Smith examines Lewis’ practical advice: start with the small offenses close to home, understand what it really means to love your neighbor as yourself, and learn to separate hatred of evil from hatred of the person who committed it. Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending wrongdoing isn't wrong, or refusing appropriate justice. It means refusing to enjoy hatred and continuing to desire the good of the person who has done wrong.

Lewis ultimately points us back to God’s love as the model: we are not loved because we are always lovable, but because we are His creation.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

Episode 300 marks another milestone for Bible Difficulties and Answers as host Lance Smith examines an apparent contradiction in Deuteronomy 4:10–15. Why does Deuteronomy refer to the mountain where God gave Israel His covenant as Horeb, while Exodus commonly calls it Sinai?

The episode explains why Horeb and Sinai are understood as two names for the same sacred location, examines scholarly and Jewish perspectives, and considers why different biblical books use different names. Lance also explains why some English translations retain “Horeb” while others, such as the NLT, render it “Mount Sinai.”

The episode closes with a broader lesson: apparent difficulties in Scripture often invite us to look more closely rather than lose faith. Lance also previews the next episode, which examines why the wording of the Ten Commandments differs between Exodus and Deuteronomy.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

Episode 299 examines an apparent contradiction in Scripture: some passages describe the earth as lasting forever, while others—including Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:35—say that heaven and earth will pass away. Lance examines relevant Old and New Testament passages, the scientific context surrounding the future of the universe, manuscript variants, and theological interpretations from several scholars.

The episode concludes that the Bible distinguishes between the present creation—temporary and subject to judgment—and a renewed creation that will endure forever. God’s plan is not to abandon His creation, but to transform and restore it into a new heaven and new earth where the righteous inherit the earth and creation is liberated from decay.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

Episode 298 examines C.S. Lewis’ chapter on Christian marriage and what it means for a husband and wife to become “one flesh.” Lance Smith explores why Christianity views marriage as a lifelong covenant and why keeping that promise is a matter of justice as well as sexual morality.

Lewis also distinguishes the temporary feelings of being “in love” from the deeper, will-based love that sustains a marriage. The episode considers Lewis’ challenge to modern ideas about romance and divorce, as well as his distinction between civil marriage and the Christian understanding of marriage.

Finally, Lance examines Lewis’ discussion of headship through the lens of Scripture. Biblical headship is not domination or dictatorship, but a responsibility to lead, protect, sacrifice, and serve—following the example of Christ. The episode asks what happens when we stop defining marriage by changing cultural expectations and return to the biblical pattern.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

Deuteronomy 2:19: Did Israel Steal Ammon’s Land? Solving a Biblical “Contradiction”

Did God tell Israel not to take any of Ammon’s land, only for Joshua to later say that the tribe of Gad received “half the land of Ammon”?

At first glance, that sounds like a contradiction.

In this episode, Lance Smith examines the geography and history behind Deuteronomy 2:19 and Joshua 13:25. Israel did not conquer Ammon’s homeland. Instead, Israel defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, and received the territory that Sihon controlled—including land that had previously been associated with Ammon.

By looking at Numbers 21, Deuteronomy 2, Joshua 13, and Jephthah’s later explanation in Judges 11, we can see why these passages are not necessarily describing the same piece of land.

The episode also highlights an important lesson from the story: God gave Israel victory, but He also gave them boundaries. Israel had to trust God enough to fight when He said “go”—and trust Him enough to stop when He said “no.”

Sometimes what looks like a biblical contradiction is really a geography problem. And sometimes, putting the map on the table makes all the difference.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

Episode 296 examines the claim that Jesus’ second coming will be invisible based on John 14:19, and compares that passage with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Revelation, which describe His return as public and visible.

Lance Smith looks at the immediate context of John 14, including Jesus’ conversation with His disciples before the crucifixion, and considers how the passage fits with His post-resurrection appearances. The episode also briefly considers the Watchtower’s invisible-return interpretation and other views of the “coming on the clouds.”

The conclusion is that John 14:19 is not describing Jesus’ final return. When each passage is read in its proper context, the supposed contradiction disappears.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

In Episode 295, Lance Smith walks through Chapter Five of C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, one of the book’s most challenging chapters: “Sexual Morality.” Lewis distinguishes Christian chastity from changing standards of social propriety and argues that the problem isn't sex, the body, or pleasure themselves, but the disordered way our sexual appetites can operate.

Lewis affirms the goodness of the body and marriage while calling Christians to faithfulness within marriage and abstinence outside it. He also offers practical encouragement: pursue virtue honestly, ask forgiveness when you fail, get back up, and keep trying with God's help.

But Lewis ends with an even more challenging point: sexual sin isn't the center of Christian morality. Spiritual pride, hatred, cruelty, and the desire to dominate others can be even more destructive. The real goal isn't simply avoiding certain behaviors—it's becoming the kind of person Christ is shaping us to be.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

Episode 294 examines the apparent tension between Deuteronomy 2:7—“you have lacked nothing”—and Israel’s complaints about their difficult wilderness experience recorded in Exodus and Numbers. Lance Smith looks at the context of Deuteronomy 2:7, the Hebrew wording, and several explanations for how Israel could experience hardship while still lacking nothing God needed to provide.

The episode concludes that Israel’s wilderness experience was certainly difficult, but difficulty does not mean divine abandonment. God provided for Israel throughout their journey, even when the circumstances were harsh. The passage reminds us that having what we need from God does not necessarily mean having an easy life.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

After concluding his three-part series on Matthew 10 and Matthew 24, host Lance Smith returns with a bonus episode reflecting on Dr. William Lane Craig's recent podcast addressing the same passages.

Smith explains that while Dr. Craig argues for a future, visible return of Christ distinct from the near-term judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70, that conclusion does not overturn the central point of the series: Jesus was speaking about multiple events, not making a failed prediction about the end of the world occurring within His disciples' lifetimes.

Along the way, Lance highlights the importance of careful exegesis, engaging opposing viewpoints fairly, and remembering that the real debate is one of interpretation—not whether Jesus proved to be a false prophet.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected] 

In episode 292 Lance Smith walks through C.S. Lewis’ chapter "Morality and Psychoanalysis," explaining the difference between psychological healing and moral choice. Lewis argues psychoanalysis repairs damaged instincts, while morality is what we do with the material we’re given.

Key points: bad psychological traits are illnesses, not sins; each choice shapes the kind of person we become; growing closer to God increases awareness of our need for grace.

Join Lance as he ties Lewis’ insights back to Scripture and invites listeners to keep asking honest questions about spiritual growth.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: [email protected]