The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast

Did Jesus tell Peter he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed, or before it crowed twice? Matthew, Luke, and John mention the rooster crowing, while Mark explicitly records two crowings. Is this a genuine contradiction in the Gospels?

In Episode 320 of The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast, Lance Smith examines all four Gospel accounts and explores the historical meaning of “cockcrowing,” ancient manuscript variations, and the possibility that Mark preserves an additional detail rather than contradicting the other writers.

The discussion also considers whether “cockcrow” could refer to a Temple signal and examines what Peter’s failure, and his later restoration by Jesus, teaches us about human weakness, repentance, and grace.

Do the Gospels disagree, or do they simply provide different levels of detail? Join Lance as he works through the evidence and addresses this apparent Bible contradiction.

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

In this episode, Lance Smith begins Book Four of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity with Chapter 1, “Making and Begetting.” Lewis explains why theology matters, even when personal experiences of God may seem more meaningful than creeds and doctrine.

Using Lewis' memorable map analogy, Lance explores why our experiences need to be understood in light of Scripture and sound theology. The discussion then turns to the heart of the chapter: Lewis' distinction between what is begotten and what is created, and why that distinction is essential to understanding who Christ is.

The episode also introduces Lewis' distinction between Bios, our natural biological life, and Zoe, the spiritual life that comes from God. Christianity, Lewis argues, isn't simply about becoming a better version of ourselves. It's about receiving a new kind of life.

With Lewis' memorable image of a sculptor's shop (where we are the statues and some of us are destined to come alive) the episode sets the stage for Lewis' deeper exploration of the Trinity in the chapters ahead.

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

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Email Address: [email protected] 

Did Aaron die at Moserah or Mount Hor? Numbers repeatedly identifies Mount Hor as the place of Aaron’s death, while Deuteronomy 10:6 associates his death with Moserah. Is this a contradiction, or can the passages be understood together?

In Episode 318 of The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast, Lance Smith examines three explanations for the apparent discrepancy: a geographical explanation that connects the locations, a traditional Jewish interpretation that links Aaron’s death with subsequent events, and a source-critical approach that sees the passage as preserving a different tradition.

Lance weighs the strengths and limitations of these explanations and explains why he finds the geographical reconciliation most persuasive. The episode also highlights an important detail in the biblical account: Eleazar succeeded Aaron as high priest, and the priesthood continued.

Listen as we consider the evidence, evaluate the proposed explanations, and ask whether this apparent contradiction is really a contradiction.

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

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Email Address: [email protected] 

Is drinking alcohol a sin? If the Bible warns against drunkenness, why does it also describe wine as a blessing—and why did Jesus turn water into wine at Cana?

In Episode 317 of the Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast, Lance Smith examines Matthew 26:29 and other passages that address alcohol. From Jesus’ first miracle to the restrictions placed on priests and those under a Nazirite vow, we’ll consider what Scripture permits, what it prohibits, and why context matters.

We’ll also look at the biblical language surrounding wine, consider why some Christians practice total abstinence, and explore the balance between Christian freedom, self-control, and love for others.

Does the Bible forbid alcohol altogether, or does it draw a distinction between enjoying a gift and abusing it? Let’s examine the evidence and let Scripture speak for itself.

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

In this episode, Lance Smith explores Chapter 12 of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and the deeper meaning of faith. Lewis takes us to the point where sincere moral effort leads to an important realization: we cannot earn God's favor by simply trying harder.

Lance examines why faith is ultimately dependence on Christ rather than a transaction with God, and why recognizing our inability to save ourselves is not the end of the Christian life—but the beginning of something new.

The episode also explores how faith and good works belong together. We don't obey God in order to put Him in our debt; we obey because Christ is already at work in us. Lewis closes Book Three by pointing beyond morality itself to the One who is the source of goodness and the One who transforms the believer.

With Book Three now complete, the Sunday Series moves next into Book Four and Lewis's discussion of the person of Christ.

Next episode: Book Four — Beyond Personality.

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] 

When was the Ark of the Covenant made? Exodus describes its instructions and construction at Mount Sinai, but Deuteronomy 10:1–3 can sound as though Moses made it decades later. Is this a biblical contradiction? Did Israel have two arks?

In Episode 315 of Bible Difficulties and Answers, Lance Smith examines the surrounding context of Deuteronomy, compares its account with Exodus and Numbers, and considers why Moses says he made the Ark when Exodus identifies Bezalel as its craftsman. Along the way, he explains how biblical authors can group related events thematically rather than present every detail in strict chronological order.

The conclusion: Deuteronomy is best understood as a retrospective account of the renewal of God's covenant, not evidence of a contradiction or a second Ark.

The episode also reminds us that Israel's sin with the golden calf did not end God's relationship with His people. God renewed the covenant and continued to lead them—a reminder of His mercy and faithfulness.

Bible passages: Deuteronomy 9:25–29; 10:1–3; Exodus 25:10; 32; 34; 35:12; 37:1–9; 40:20; Numbers 10:33–36.

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 314 examines an apparent contradiction between the Synoptic Gospels and John concerning the timing of Jesus’ Last Supper and his crucifixion. Matthew, Mark, and Luke appear to present the Last Supper as the Passover meal, while John seems to place Jesus’ death before the Passover meal.

Lance Smith examines the biblical terminology, the meaning of the “day of preparation,” the possibility of additional festival meals, and the theory that different calendar traditions may explain the apparent discrepancy. The conclusion is that the Gospel accounts present a genuine chronological difficulty, but not necessarily a contradiction.

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 313 examines Chapter 11 of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and his discussion of the first two senses of faith. Lewis argues that faith is not believing without evidence or shutting off our reason. Instead, when reason has accepted Christianity as true, faith means holding onto that belief when changing moods, fears, emotions, and desires pull us in another direction.

Lance Smith explores Lewis' practical advice for cultivating faith through prayer, Scripture, and gathering with other believers, along with Lewis' challenge to make a serious attempt to live the Christian life. That effort reveals something important: we cannot earn God's favor or put Him in our debt. Everything we have, and everything we can offer Him, is already a gift.

The episode closes with Lewis' conclusion that recognizing our need isn't the end of the Christian life. It's where real life begins.

Next week, the Sunday Series continues with Chapter 12, where Lewis explores faith in its second and deeper sense.

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 312 examines the apparent contradiction between Deuteronomy 9:3, which says Israel would quickly conquer the Canaanites, and Deuteronomy 7:22, which says they would be driven out “little by little.” Lance Smith explains how these passages can both be true: God would give Israel decisive military victories quickly, while the actual occupation and settlement of the land would take place gradually.

Drawing from Deuteronomy, Exodus, Joshua, and several scholarly perspectives, this episode distinguishes between the speed of individual victories and the length of the overall conquest. The result is a clearer picture of a conquest that involved both rapid military success and a prolonged process of taking possession of the land.

So was the conquest quick or gradual? The biblical answer is: both, but in different senses.

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 311 examines a question raised by the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible: Is death final? Lance Smith explores the apparent tension between biblical passages that describe death as the end of earthly life and passages that promise resurrection, judgment, and eternal life.

From Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Psalms to Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, this episode traces the Bible’s developing picture of death, Sheol, and resurrection. Jesus and Paul then make the answer even clearer: death truly ends this earthly life, but it is not the final destination. The biblical hope is resurrection, followed by final judgment and eternal 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]