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• The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist

  …ster WongMixxMySpaceNetvouzNewsvineoneviewOnlyWirePlugIMPropellerRedditSegnaloShoutwireSimpySlashdotSurphaceSphinnSpurlSquidooStumbleUponTechnoratiThisNextTwitterWebrideWindows LiveYahoo!Email This to a Friend  Link HTML:  Permalink:  If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.Powered by Bookmarkify™ More »There are a lot of mysterious characters mentioned in the Bible we would l…

• Gospel Obedience at Corinth

  Did Paul preach the same gospel at Corinth that he taught elsewhere?  Everywhere else he taught, as part of the gospel, baptism for the remission of sins.  One can go to Acts 16 and read two accounts, in the same chapter, of conversions made by Paul–Lydia and the Philippian jailer–in which in both instances those being converted were baptized.  Paul himself, in his conversion, was baptized.  You may recall the words of Ananias to him…

• Baptized For the Dead

  In 1 Cor. 15:29 Paul says, “Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?” (NKJV)  It is said by commentators that there is broad disagreement as to what is being referred to by the phrase “baptized for the dead.”  It is common to find in most commentaries an extended discussion of the verse with much more space being devoted to it than there is to the average…

• If Baptism is Not Essential for Salvation

  e same as rewriting the Bible.  Does one want to attempt that?   It is awfully easy to overlook a plain statement of scripture in Rom. 6 bearing on this subject.   We overlook it because our practice is to bury things already dead and not to bury things in order to put them to death.  However, if we read Rom. 6:2-8 carefully, maybe needing to read it two or three times and paying special attention to verse 4, we see we are buried in baptism to ki…

• Ways into Christ–How Many Ways Are There?

  e will find baptism. “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this…

• The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

  ieve what the scriptures teach about Jesus–who he was, what he accomplished for us–but faith also commits us to believe the man himself, believe what he said, and act on it.  If faith does not lead to action it is dead faith (James 2:17).  James says it is “useless.” (James 2:20 NAS)  Even in this world as regards worldly matters how can we say we have faith in a man when we will not take the man at his word? The faith the Ephesians h…

• Jesus’ Baptism and You?

  Does baptism matter?  Most Americans have come to the conclusion that it does not, a person can be saved and go to heaven baptized or not.  It is such a settled conviction with most that they are not willing to give the study of the topic the time of day.  It is ridiculous to even consider it as they see it. It seems to me this is taking the same attitude the Pharisees took back in the first century.  They had their settled law and there was no …

• Is Denominational Baptism Scriptural?

  There are many different baptisms being performed today by religious people–different methods and for different purposes.  However, the only baptism that I as an individual facing eternity ought to be concerned with is the baptism that Jesus spoke of when he said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16 NKJV) This is the baptism of the Great Commission when Jesus told the apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of a…

• Christ Did Not Send Paul to Baptize

  Sometimes it is easy to misunderstand passages of scripture and especially so if we are getting all kinds of help doing so.  Paul’s statement in 1 Cor. 1:17 is such a passage.  It reads as follows:  “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” (1 Cor. 1:17a NKJV)  What is Paul saying here?  Is he saying that Christ does not care whether or not disciples are baptized?  Is he saying it is unimportant and mak…

• Obedience of Faith and Justification by Faith–Opposing Doctrines?

  nd Christ (Acts 2:36). So, faith is essential to salvation.  Where there is no faith salvation is impossible.  We must always remember, however, that “faith without works is useless.” (James 2:20 NAS)  “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26 NAS)  Thus in John 12 we find a group of believers who could not be saved.  “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in him but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him, lest they should…

• The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept

  Most people who call themselves Christians are in reality not Christians at all no matter how dedicated they may be to their faith.  The word of God is truth (Jesus speaking–John 17:17) and stands as the one and only standard that is acceptable to the God of heaven and of men.  It, not man, sets the standard for who is a Christian. As there is a political correctness in our land there is likewise a religious correctness that one must adher…

• For By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith Alone

  ;s command he was, you get to choose:  (a) justified by faith (b) justified by works. Let me ask another question.  What if Paul had refused to be baptized to wash away his sins?  Would his faith have been a living faith or a dead faith?  When you answer that one you will know why you will find baptism in a proper exegesis of Eph. 2:8-9.  The way Eph. 2:8-9 is commonly understood today it demands a dead faith for there will be no baptism to wash …

• The Great Commission and Cornelius

  A great many people believe that Cornelius was saved the moment the Holy Spirit fell on him to which I disagree.  It seems to be a topic of interest so I have decided to write on the subject from a different vantage point than is usual. This is really, at its core, a discussion of whether or not water baptism is for the remission of sins as stated in Acts 2:38.  Since that is the basis of opposition every related subject such as conversion, the …

• Saved by Faith or Saved by Holy Spirit Baptism–Which Is It?

  Is a man saved by faith or saved by Holy Spirit baptism?  I personally do not believe either but there are many advocates of one or the other.  (Yes, I believe faith is essential but just not that it is the final step to salvation.) There are a number of people in what is commonly called the Christian community who are thoroughly convinced that one is saved by Holy Spirit baptism.  I do not believe they are in the majority but they are out ther…

• Did Christ Rise From the Dead or is Faith Folly?

  Paul, in answer to the question proposed, would say faith is but folly if Christ did not rise from the dead.  “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Cor. 15:16-17 NKJV)  If Christ did not rise from the dead what hope do we have as we grow old and face the inevitable?  Are we but animals? The evolutionist would say yes we are only animals and talk l…

• Is Holy Spirit Baptism The Baptism That Saves?

  hout hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” (NAS)  Beginning with Abraham if a male child w…

• Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith)

  ge date is down the road a few weeks.  Their hearts have been changed but not their status, not until the marriage ceremony is performed.  Christians are married to Christ.  “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another–to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” (Rom. 7:4 NKJV)  But, one is not married until he/she is marr…

• Peter’s Preaching and the Apostle’s Preaching

  It is not uncommon to hear people express doubts about the harmony of the preaching and teaching found in the New Testament often doing so by making the claim that the various writers of the New Testament differed in what they taught.  Often those who make such claims will pit Paul against James or Peter against Paul. The truth is the scriptures do not belong to Paul, or James, or Peter, or to any other writer even if their name happens to be at…

• Misunderstanding the Grace of God

  t you, if you are honest how about you?  Yes, we are saved by grace for we are undeserving of salvation. Grace is often defined as unmerited favor, the unmerited favor of God toward man, and that hits the mark pretty close to dead center.  When one knows he is a sinner he knows that on his own merits he does not deserve salvation.  I have often thought I needed to be punished, could almost wish I could do it myself.  There is no thought of deserv…

• Ghost Hunting and Consulting the Dead

  in light of the scriptures. In just about everyone of these shows it is not just a matter of walking through a building and seeing what happens but it always, sooner or later, comes down to an attempt to make contact with the dead and that is where the problem comes in.  Why?  Because of what God has said. “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soot…

• What Must a Man Believe to be Saved by the Gospel?

  aised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (NAS) We learn from this passage two things found in the gospel and thus things that must be believed.  (1) Christ died for our sins.  (2) He was resurrected from the dead.  We will discuss each.  We will not discuss his burial for it has never been an issue about which men have doubted. One must believe that Christ died for a purpose, to accomplish a goal–he died for our sins.  He …

• Faith, Works, and Baptism

  h but that is also the place where “we died with Christ.”  When we arise from this death we “should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4 NKJV) and “present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead.” (Rom. 6:13 NKJV)  We have been “set free from sin” (Rom. 6:18 NKJV) but when?  When we died to it, “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Rom. 6:7 NKJV, see also Rom. 6:2)  When …

• Christian Wars–A Misnomer

  n then must confess his faith in Jesus as the Christ, the son of God and Savior of the world.  Rom. 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (NKJV) Those in John 12:42-43 were condemned for this very failure, “Nevertheles…

• Be Faithful to the Lord (The Conversion of Lydia)

  “And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:15 NAS)  In Acts 16:13-15 we find the account of the conversion of Lydia in the city of Philippi.  This is a very interesting conversion account and one that men have debated as to what actually happened.  Yet, when one reads closely,…

• How Does the Blood of Jesus and Baptism Tie Together

  the ghost his blood was then shed in Bible parlance.  John, in John 19:33-34, in speaking of what happened while Jesus was on the cross but after his death said, “But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” (John 19:33-34 NKJV)  To me this event, the piercing of his side, had symbolic import…

• Philip Preaching the Gospel in Samaria

  “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.” (Acts 8:12 NAS) It would be good to read an earlier article on this web site from an earlier time in the book of Acts, an article entitled, “Receiving the Gospel–Acts 2:41,” as Acts 8:12 is pretty much a parallel passage teaching the same thing as Acts 2:41.  …

• What is it a Man Must Believe in Order to be Saved?

  e Father (see John 3:16-17, John 8:16, 1 John 4:14, 1 John 1:3).  In Rom. 4 we are told our faith will be accounted for righteousness.  “It shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (NKJV)  Who raised Jesus from the dead?  God the Father (more on this later).  Man must believe not only in the Lord Jesus but also in God the Father of Jesus. (3) One must believe the truth, not error.  Paul st…

• Christ and Baptism in Colossians

  hout hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.  And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” (NAS) The passage begins with the phrase “in him.”  …

• Faith and Baptism in Paul’s Preaching

  a part of the gospel.  Paul’s gospel included faith and baptism as a part of gospel obedience.  Do not be lead astray by those who teach otherwise for it is the obedience of faith that saves.  Faith without obedience is dead.                                    …

• Bible Contradictions on Salvation?

  221; (Rom. 5:1 NKJV) We all accept these passages and this teaching but too often people do not consider or give thought to what faith is.  Do these passages define faith?  Do they tell you whether this is a living faith or a dead faith as per James?  Is it an obedient faith or a disobedient faith?  Is faith just a matter of the mind alone, a belief held, or is it more than that?  The texts do not tell us. The assumption is we know what faith is …

• Unhappy With the Church of Christ?

  but many, of our problems are mild compared to those in the first century churches of Christ described in the Bible and which we have gone over in this article.  [It is not mine to judge things like whether or not a church is dead or lukewarm, etc.  God only can judge those things.  I am only talking about problems one can observe outwardly without attempting to look into the hearts--a thing we are prohibited from doing.] If one is unhappy with t…

• A New Creation in Christ

  any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of  His resurrection, knowing thi…

• The Church as the Body of Christ–Which Means What?

  pentance is thus required of man for salvation (Acts 2:38). A third condition is a confession of Jesus with the mouth.  “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Rom. 10:9-10 NKJV) The final condition one is met with before it can be said he has entered th…

• Everlasting Life–The Believer of John 3:16

  of hearing with the physical ear but of heeding the words or put another way of obeying those words.  The next verse, verse 25, makes this clear.  “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25 NKJV)  The dead spoken of here are not the physically dead but the spiritually dead and the meaning is not that just by hearing Jesu…

• Christian Circumcision

  e without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, in which you also were raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” (NKJV) Forgiveness of sins is found in Christ.  Salvation is…

• What Does The Phrase “Born Of Water And The Spirit” Mean? (The New Birth)

  t to read it that way. But let us look at some other passages that, relating to the new birth, are even clearer.  “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:4 NASU)  When do we walk in newness of life (hint – born again, the new birth)?  When we have been baptized. Take a look at 2…

• Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts

  The idea is in vogue in some quarters that Cornelius was saved when the Holy Spirit fell upon him (Acts 10:44) without any further action on his part.  One of the verses used to support this idea is 1 John 4:13, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (NKJV)  So, it is said that settles it. I went to take a look at that verse and read it in context.  Now understand I believe the Sp…

• The Washing of Water by the Word–Baptism and Salvation

  Baptism is essential to salvation but there are many non-believers.  I want to deal with one passage today that teaches this but which is seldom used because the word baptize is not found in the passage.  The phrase used is “washing of water” as found in Eph. 5:25-27. Eph. 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,…

• Does God Really Care?

  Over the course of time just about all of us are confronted with the reality of suffering and abuse not just on newscasts but in our own personal world where we live day by day and experience life up close.  Why are small precious children abused?  Why do many of them from all outward appearances not have a chance from the get go due to the circumstances they were born into?  Why do old people often get in such horrible conditions as you find th…

• How Does One Get Into the Church Christ Built?

  e living God.” (Matt. 16:16 NKJV)  Jesus then says, “on this rock I will build my church.” (Matt. 16:18 NKJV)  It was by the resurrection that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power … by the resurrection from the dead.” (Rom. 1:4 NKJV)  Thus one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised from the dead. Jesus Christ as the Son of God is the foundation upon which the church was built “For no o…

• Moses, the Waters of Marah, and a Lesson for Today

  When the children of Israel left Egypt, led by Moses, the first major event one reads about in the book of Exodus after the Red Sea crossing is found in Exodus  15:22-26, the crisis at the waters of Marah.  I say crisis for that was how the children of Israel perceived it.  They had been traveling three days in the wilderness and had found no water to drink during that time. Was that a crisis?  It was when you consider how much water was require…

• Receiving the Gospel (Acts 2:41)

  “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41 NAS)  In my younger days I use to hear about those preachers on tv or radio who would tell their listening audience words to the effect that if they wanted to receive Jesus and salvation just to lay their hands on top the set, say certain words in the form of a prayer, and presto–salvation.  For all I k…

• The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit

  There are many who believe beyond doubt that Cornelius was saved at the time the Holy Spirit came upon him and his household.  It is a topic that ought to be discussed.  While I have written once before on this subject more needs to be said as there has been some objection to what was written.  I know of no person who claims to be a Christian who would deny the fact that the very first gospel sermon ever preached after Christ’s death, buri…

• Faith is Not Just What You Believe

  e in doing so. Much is made about the faith people have.  What I have observed over the years is that many who speak of their faith seem to have a faith that by all outward appearances has driven them to do nothing.  It is as dead as a door nail by all outward measurements.  Many who talk about their personal faith cannot even make it out to worship once a week but they are saved by faith. But, the response is made you are judging, you do not kno…

• Saul’s Conversion

  “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized.” (Acts 9:18 NAS)  In Acts chapter 9 verses 1 through 18 we have the account of Saul’s conversion from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle of Christ.  In the early years of Christianity when a person heard and believed the gospel, accepting it, it always led immediately to baptism.  The reader and Bible…

• Denominationalism’s Sin Against Peter

  The apostle Peter has taken a beating among denominationalists.  I would feel sorry for him save for the fact that I would be feeling sorry for the wrong party seeing as how he was an inspired apostle of God and his antagonists are but mere flesh and blood men and totally uninspired. It was not always the way it is today.  For at least a few hundred years after his sermon in Acts 2 he was honored by those who proclaimed faith in God and belief i…

• Sin in the Desert–Testing God at Massah and Meribah

  gave the account of the rich man and Lazarus both in Hades although in different parts of it?  The rich man was in torment while Lazarus was comforted.  As you recall the rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to his brothers so they would be convinced to change their lives so they would not end up where he was.  What did Abraham tell him?  “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded eve…

• Repentance–How Can I Be Sure?

  , but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31 NKJV) After his resurrection while meeting with his apostles Jesus said, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repenta…

• The Kind of Faith in God That Destroys

  s from a living faith and is far more than mere mental assent. (2) There are two types of faith–the kind that leads a person to take action on his beliefs (a living faith) versus the kind that is merely mental assent (a dead faith).  The latter kind can never save.  James says, “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:20 NAS)  Later he says “faith without works i…

• What Is Baptism (the Sprinkling Hoax)

  e without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”  One is not and cannot be buried by sprinkling or pouring.  Phillip and the eunuch both went “down into the water” (Acts 8:38 NKJV) and “came up out of the water.” (Acts 8:39 NKJV)  They …

• The Kingdom of God and the New Birth–A Matter of Timing

  us look closer at Peter’s statement about Jesus sitting on David’s throne.  Acts 2:29-31 (read paying special attention), “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit …

• Abraham’s Faith (Faith Accounted for Righteousness)

  did Sarah.  “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude–innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.” (NKJV)  Rom. 4:19 tells us Abraham “did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was …

• Why Men Do Not Believe

  Emmaus, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” (Luke 24:18 NAS)  That was said before the disciples generally knew that Jesus had risen from the dead but one wonders if much the same could not be said of Saul in the days of which we speak.  Are you the only one who does not know of the miraculous events occurring here in the name of Jesus Christ? Yet, Saul was an hon…

• Who is the Believer in John 3:16?

  Sometimes things that are the most obvious are also the easiest to overlook.  No passage in the Bible is better known nor been memorized more than Jesus’ statement in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)  This was part of a conversation that Jesus was having with a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who …

• Are Works Essential for Christian Salvation?

  7 NKJV)  “Glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good.” (Rom. 2:10 NKJV)  Are works involved in one’s salvation?  Sounds like it to me. James says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26 NKJV)  Is a man saved, can a man be saved, by dead faith?  To ask is to answer. Jesus said, “I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day.”…

• Repent–How Hard It Is To Do

  an now found himself in torments due to his ungodly life.  He makes the plea to father Abraham to send someone to his living brothers that they might repent.  “And he said, ‘No father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’  But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:30-31 NKJV)  In recounting this Jesus gives his endorsement …

• Canaan and Heaven–How God Gives

  n by works if they want to, that is their choice, but the wise man will obey and not seek salvation without obedience.  To seek salvation without obedience is to seek salvation without any real faith.  “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26 NKJV) and things that are dead no longer have life and are ready to be buried.  Willful disobedience manifests a lack of faith and is rebellion. God’s gifts and grace, in the context of the subject of which…

• Jesus and the Furnace of Fire

  ger matter and especially if they prove inconvenient or troublesome. I love God.  I will be saved.  How do you know?  My heart tells me so.  Just as long as your heart tells you so it makes it so?  Well, Jacob felt Joseph was dead, felt it in his heart, but that did not make it so.  “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 NKJV)  People head to death and judgment with a faith built…

• Resource Sites

  Here are some links to what I consider to be some great sites I highly recommend. Christian Courier  (This site is owned and run by Wayne Jackson who does the writing found on it.  I don’t know where you would go to find more scholarly Christian articles on the web.  The man does his homework which means he does extensive research before he starts writing.  All of this will be readily evident to you once you read an article or two of his. …

• The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification

  tudied here?  One thing that sticks out to me as I look back over the list–the name Christ or God is given in all the references found (the Lamb is Christ in the Rev. 21:9-10 reference, Christ was the firstborn from the dead in the Heb. 12:23 reference).  What is the point? The church built by Jesus does not belong to you or me or man.  It is his and he is the one that is to be honored.  When we give a church a man’s name, or give a church …

• Why Men Today Cannot Be Saved Like The Thief On The Cross?

  ched among men beginning on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Jesus, in speaking to his disciples after the resurrection, said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But …

• How Was Noah Saved Through Water?

  e as we are today (Gen. 6:8, Heb. 11:7).  He was moved so much by faith that it instilled within him “godly fear” (Heb. 11:7) and put a diligent work (or obedience) ethic into his life.  James says, “so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26 NKJV) which is exactly where Noah would have ended up without the works. There is a difference between a work of obedience to God’s command and a work that merits salvation.  The Bible condemns the lat…

• Non-Offensive Christianity

  If someone was to ask you or me what constitutes Christian character what would we say?  Off the top of our head we would most likely say love for God and our fellowman and faith in the Lord Jesus.  As we thought about it more intently we would add things like the fruit of the spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23 NKJV)  We m…

• Was Cornelius Saved Before Baptism? (Cornelius’ Conversion)

  I have written a series of articles on the subject of obeying the gospel in the first century based on the history given in the book of Acts.  The idea has been to cover every such conversion to Christianity listed in Acts.  This is another installment dealing with the same subject.  Why do so?  Because there is absolutely no possibility that Holy Spirit inspired men, some apostles, could have gotten it wrong.  The case of Cornelius is unique in…

• Assorted

  led Christians Will Not Accept If Miracles Have Ceased–the Implications Lincoln’s Tomb and Jesus’ Tomb Abortion Luke 1 – All You Need to Know Non-Offensive Christianity Ghost Hunting and Consulting the Dead Bible Authority, Foot Washing, the Holy Kiss, and Head Coverings Christianity, Homosexuality, and Gay Marriage When Did Obedience Become Legalism? Healing For the Brokenhearted Better to Have Never Been Born Though He S…

• The Prodigal Son–When He Came to Himself

  st all reason and common sense.  Miracle after miracle, miracles that cannot be denied, are performed before their very eyes and yet they cannot believe.  He raises Lazarus from the tomb, from death to life, after he has been dead 4 days (John 11:39).  How is that possible? When he performs all these miracles it is obvious God is with him.  Nicodemus says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that yo…

• Mary of Bethany–Doing What You Can

  d guest along with others which included his disciples (Matt. 26:8), and Martha, Lazarus, and Mary (John 12:2-3), the latter three being a brother and his two sisters.  This was the same Lazarus that Jesus had raised from the dead (John 12:1, 9).  While Jesus was reclined at the table, according to the custom of the time, Mary comes up behind him with a flask of fragrant oil (John 12:5), burst it open, and anointed both his head and feet with the…

• Lincoln’s Tomb and Jesus’ Tomb

  ly with giant oak trees and quiet as cemeteries generally are, very well kept. It was for me a melancholy occasion.  The tomb, or mausoleum, was dark and quiet and one felt as if he was indeed in the presence of death and the dead.  I could not help but think how long it has been and how many years Lincoln’s body has already lain there.  The same could be said of many of the graves in the cemetery outside the tomb.  Many have been dead for years …

• Jesus Defines Repentance

  s not necessarily imply that the one action preceded the other.  Paul, in Rom. 10:9, puts confession before faith, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (NKJV)  Do you think Paul meant to imply that confession is to come before faith?  How would that work?  How could Jesus be Lord if God did not raise him from the dead–if you did not believe t…

• Faith in the New Testament–Different Meanings

  sted, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” (Heb. 11:17-19 NKJV) That is trust (faith) in God to the utmost degree.  It is a faith we all need to develop but note one thing about this faith–note…

• Weak, Defiled, and Seared Consciences

  speaks of Christ’s coming, and of “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God” (Heb. 9:14 NAS) and speaks of its ability to “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Heb. 9:14 NAS) No one has ever become a Christian who has not first had to deal with his/her conscience which was convicting them of sin.  Clean, clear consciences do not lead men …

• Baptism

  d Cornelius Be Faithful to the Lord–The Conversion of Lydia The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer Gospel Obedience at Corinth The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist What is Baptism (The Sprinkling Hoax) Baptized For the Dead Peter’s Preaching and the Apostle’s Preaching Is Holy Spirit Baptism the Baptism That Saves? The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept Denominationalism’s Sin Against Peter Audio Sermons  (by W…

• Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

  blic schools many, many years.  How many students have there been over the years who if they gave it any thought at all thought they would easily far outlive me as I was the teacher and they were the students.  Some have been dead for many years now already.  Just about every year there are two or three who generally very suddenly and without warning are gone often the result of car accidents but sometimes other things as well. Jeremiah, in anoth…

• Preaching Jesus Means Preaching Baptism–The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch

  “And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.  And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:35-36 NAS) This is the account of Philip and his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.  It shows that when Jesus is preached baptism is preached as a part of preaching Jesus to an alien sinner.  When th…

• Things People Do Not Know About the Church

  One should never minimize the importance of the church, the church Jesus built.  I am not speaking about manmade denominational churches.  They are not one and the same.  However, many people do not understand that and have grown unhappy with the old main line denominations and as a consequence have cast them aside and decided they will take Jesus alone and forget about the church.  Years ago this sentiment was popularized by the saying, “Jesus …

• Jesus as the Bread of Life (John 6:48)

  Beginning in about John 6:27 Jesus begins a discussion with those with whom he is conversing that carries through most of the rest of the chapter about himself being the bread of life sent down from the Father (John 6:32-35) that man might eat of this bread and have eternal life.  There are many, many descriptive terms used in reference to Jesus in the Bible of which the bread of life is but one. In the book of John alone Jesus is described as t…

• The Grace of God in Baptism

  Most Americans of a Christian persuasion believe that baptism has little to nothing to do with the grace of God. One wonders have they never read Titus 3:4-7? The truth about God’s grace and its tie in with baptism is clearly set forth in Paul’s passage to Titus which reads as follows: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he s…

• The Silence of the Scriptures

  tself, their church, not in scripture.  There is no need for anyone to get mad over me saying this.  It is established fact.  Their church doctrine overrides scripture.  Where does one find in scripture the idea of praying to dead saints just as an example?  I have got time.  I can wait but it is certain I will be dead before you find the passage teaching such in your New Testament. When one takes the position Luther took one cannot complain too …

• Abuse of the Old Testament

  w that I might live to God.” (NKJV)  He goes on to say “if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Gal 2:21 NKJV)  And in Rom. 7:4 “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another–to Him who was raised from the dead.” (NKJV) And, then, in Gal. 3:24-25 he makes it clear enough that an older elementary school stud…

• Confirmation Sunday–No Bibles Required

  Our local paper has an article in it this week by the woman pastor/preacher (call her whatever you want–she calls herself Rev.) from one of the nearby denominations entitled, “What is Confirmation?” which she wanted to explain since they have a confirmation Sunday planned.  Needless to say since I have never read of such a thing in the Bible and have known many people in this particular denomination over the years I ended up re…

• The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer

  In Acts 16 verses 23 through 34 we have the account of the conversion of the Philippian jailer at the hands of Paul and Silas who preached the gospel to him and his household.  As you recall Paul and Silas had been jailed in Philippi when an earthquake at midnight loosed their bonds and opened all the prison doors.  Being responsible for the prisoners the jailer assumed all had escaped and was ready to take his own life when Paul called out to h…

• Christianity and Multiculturalism

  How does Christianity relate to the concept of multiculturalism?  The answer to that depends in large part on one’s definition of multiculturalism and there are many definitions of it given as you see when you begin researching the topic.  For the purpose of this article I will define it as the idea that all cultures are of equal value, none to be judged as superior to another, that society should be oriented around groups versus a common …

• Ashamed of Jesus and His Words

  In Luke 9:26 Jesus made the following statement, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (NAS)  There are two things here that men are told they must avoid if they are to have any hope of Jesus not being ashamed of them in the day he returns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31) – (1) being ashamed of …

• Peter’s Second Gospel Sermon

  Most people who know anything at all about the Christian faith realize that Peter preached the first gospel sermon ever preached on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2.  The second recorded sermon in the Christian dispensation of time is again a sermon preached by Peter as found in the next chapter in Acts–chapter 3.  That there was preaching being done between Peter’s first sermon and his second there is no doubt for the Bibl…

• A Good and Pure Conscience

  A good and pure conscience is essential to a person’s happiness and sense of well-being.  One can never depend on his/her conscience as an infallible guide for that it is not the function of the conscience, not its role, but nevertheless violate your conscience and the end result is a sense of guilt, sorrow, and unhappiness. The conscience is that which is within us that pricks us, perhaps troubles us would be a better way of putting it, w…

• Demas Has Forsaken Me

  if we had miracles today people would believe and would automatically become Christians strong in a steadfast faith.  I am satisfied Demas saw miracles.  I am sure Paul spoke about seeing Jesus after his resurrection from the dead.  Yet, finally in the end it made no difference with Demas.  It made no difference with the children of Israel who came out of Egypt with Moses.  The miracles did not matter.  If their faith failed ours can too.  Sin do…

• Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door

  fact, it ought to be that way all through life but often it is not. Yes, “the Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9 NKJV)  He is expecting you.  He “was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42 NKJV)  The day is appointed (Acts 17:31).  Christ will be there.  You will kneel and confess that Jesus is Lord and answer for your life.  Are you ready?  If not what are you going to do about it?  S…

• Christianity–Who Rules Reason or Emotions?

  ve in Jesus.  Their emotions ruled them, over rode all reason, and ended up destroying them.  There was no reasoning with them.  The miracles of Jesus were to them like water off a duck’s back.  So Lazarus was raised from the dead.  So what?  But that is the mind set you get into when you are dealing with emotion based (or should I say “emotion ruled”) religion.  You will never change a person whose religion is based on emotion for reasoning with…

• Are the New Testament Scriptures Alone a Sufficient Guide to Heaven?

  gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” In Acts 5:12 Luke says, “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.” (NKJV)  Both Peter and Paul raised the dead through the power of God.  Philip worked miracles in Samaria.  Paul spoke of preaching the gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum with “mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God.” (Rom. 15:19 N…

• Acceptable Prayer

  erely and be willing to obey him if he is to have hope that God will look favorably upon his prayer. We know God always heard Jesus’ prayers.  Jesus himself said, speaking to the Father prior to raising Lazarus from the dead, “I know that You always hear Me.” (John 11:42 NKJV)   Elsewhere he says, “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” (John 8:2…

• Though He Slay Me

  the trouble he had in Asia, “we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.  Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” (NKJV)  Paul speaks as though he was pretty much prepared to die at that point in time. We can get to that point, to a point where we basically have given it all we can give it, done all we can, and have come to the e…

• The Pleasures of Sin

  ly to have done our duty before God and man when our time to depart this world has come?  We need to do that for we read of those who did not do it in Paul’s day, certain widows, of whom he says, “She who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.” (1 Tim. 5:6 NKJV)  The teaching of Jesus is clear–life is to be lived in service to God and man and not for pleasures. (2) The second time we find the word “pleasures” in the New Testament is in …

• The Army of the Lord–the Church

  really our friend? I told my children when they were growing up that one of the worst things that happens with adulthood is that when you reach that point there are few who are willing to tell you the truth even when you are dead wrong.  When we are growing up we have parents, teachers, and other adults who do not hesitate to jump in and let us know we are in the wrong but once a man or woman reaches adulthood suddenly no one is friend enough to…

• Abel’s Sacrifice by Faith versus Cain’s Sacrifice

  Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, is the first person listed among many in Hebrews chapter 11 commended by the Holy Spirit for their faith.  Of Abel it is said, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” (Heb. 11:4 NKJV)  Men have long been troubled by this passage trying to figure ou…

• Faith Based On Deception–Gen. 37:31-33

  n false information or misunderstanding and yet be so strong that one is firmly convinced that the error he believes is the truth. Because of the evidence presented to him (misinformation) Jacob was certain his son Joseph was dead, killed as he said by “a wild beast”. (Gen 37:33 NAS) He was fed disinformation and with good reason, based on the information he was presented with, believed that which was false. Why would he disbelieve? D…

• Faith

  God That Destroys Faith Based on Deception–Gen. 37:31-33 Faith in the New Testament–Different Meanings How Was Noah Saved Through Water? He Feared Though He Slay Me Why Men Do Not Believe Did Christ Rise From the Dead or is Faith Folly? Audio Sermons  (by Waymon Swain) Faith–What it is And What it Does (Part I) Faith–What it is And What it Does (Part II) Test of Faith What Faith Is and Does Why We Believe in God Why I Am…

• Sin

  Honestly Deceived The Pleasures of Sin Better to Have Never Been Born Jesus and the Furnace of Fire Willful Sin–Can Anyone be Saved? More on Willful Sin–Can Anyone be Saved? Three Attitudes That Destroy the Hope of Salvation Disobedience to Jesus Must a Man Seek God Indifference – The Great Destroyer Looking Down Your Nose Ghost Hunting and Consulting the Dead Christianity, Homosexuality, and Gay Marriage The Wicked Shall be Tu…

• The Hardening of the Human Heart

  apparently perfect health while asleep on a couch at the age of 33.  The autopsy found no apparent cause of death.  According to the autopsy report she ought to be alive but she is not.  When your heart quits beating you are dead no matter what state of health you may think you are in or your doctor says you are in. An impenitent heart is a choice.  A hard heart is a choice.  God knows a man’s heart.  Peter said at the Jerusalem council in…

• The Lord’s Supper as a Part of a Larger Meal–Right or Wrong?

  stituted during the observance of the Jewish Passover meal. The observance of this meal was commanded of God as a memorial for what he did on the night when he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. That night he struck dead the firstborn of the Egyptians while passing over the homes of the children of Israel who had sacrificed a Passover lamb and put the blood on their two doorposts and the lintel. One can read about the institution of the…

• God’s Plea–On Christ’s Behalf be Reconciled to God

  :5 NKJV)  When word was sent back to David as to how the battle had gone the first thing David wanted to know was, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” (2 Sam. 18:29 NKJV)  When he was told that was not the case, that Absalom was dead, the Bible gives us some of the most heart wrenching words ever uttered by a father. “O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place!  O Absalom my son, my son!” (2 Sam. 18:33 NKJV)  The Bible …

• The Parable of the 10 Virgins–7 Lessons

  early as it turned out.  Early but not adequately prepared. Being unprepared in one aspect of one’s life is enough to ruin the whole thing.  So I have faith.  What if I do not have works?  James says, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26 NKJV)  The Christian life is a balanced life.  In what area is one to be unprepared?  Is it in faith, in works, in love, in worship, in longsuffering, in self-control?  Where are we to be unprepared?  This…

• The Parable of the Talents–the Sin of Fear

  ys a matter of God’s grace, not man’s works, but if the parable of the talents does not teach the necessity of works along with faith for salvation I do not know what it teaches.  James says faith without works is dead (James 2:26) and I have not argued with him like so many do.  Nothing matters with regards to salvation if you take away God’s grace and the blood of Jesus for without those there will be no salvation period.  How…

• Lessons for the Church from Isaiah (Chapter 1)

  urch calls itself Christian and feels good about itself amounts to about 2 cents if that much.  The measuring stick is not man nor men (singular or plural) but the word of God.  Even Sardis had a name but Jesus said they were dead (Rev. 3:1); the majority of them like the people in Isaiah’s day had defiled their garments (Rev. 3:4). There is only one way to know and understand God.  One must become a faithful and diligent student of the word of G…

• Saved by Jesus Outside the Church?

  all sincerity of heart the Lord adds you to his church.  This adding is to the church universal which consists of all true Christians all over the world wherever they are found and consists both of the living and of those now dead but who died as faithful Christians. Paul, in writing to Timothy, speaks of “the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” (1 Tim. 3:15 NKJV)  He told Timothy he was writing “so that you ma…

• Disobedience to Jesus

  here on misunderstanding) of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith and thus feel that any requirement of obedience for salvation is tantamount to salvation by works.  James tells them “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26) but it is a hard doctrine for them to swallow.  He says, “A man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24 NAS)  No one can work their way to heaven.  Our works would nev…

• Faith, Manna, and Grumbling Against God

  In 1 Cor. 10:10 the Christian is commanded to not grumble (NASB).  Taken in context (1 Cor. 10:1-11) the passage is telling us not to follow the example of the children of Israel in the things they did of which grumbling against God was one and which thing seemed to be a national pastime.  If you read the book of Exodus you soon learn they were continually grumbling against God.  They were a dissatisfied and unhappy lot and their dissatisfaction…

• The Joy and the Danger of a Clean Conscience

  A good conscience is a wonderful thing to have.  Without it there is no inner peace–only turmoil, anxiety, and restlessness.  Anyone who has ever violated his conscience knows of that which I speak. A bad conscience pricks us continually without let up.  It is the perfect tormentor.  Day and night we suffer from its attacks.  Wherever we go it travels with us.  We cannot lose it.  It is determined to give us no rest or relief. Rest can onl…

• Born Again At The Point Of Faith – John 1:12-13

  John 1:12-13 from the New American Standard Version:  “(12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name:  (13) who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will on man, but of God.” [verse numbers added by me for clarification—DS] Many believe that they are born again (become Christians) at the moment they come to believe in Jesus as t…

• Are Paul’s Writings as Authoritative as Jesus’ Words?

  Many years ago as a young man I heard it said by a young lady of my own age that the apostle Paul just had a thing against women with the idea being that what he wrote on the subject of women had no authority but was merely the expression of personal prejudice on his part.  That young lady many years later became a preacher (?) within her denominational body contrary to Paul’s teaching on the subject in 1 Tim. 2:12. Over the course of the …

• Abortion Luke 1 – All You Need to Know

  …ect speech than I am politically correct speech and I think you ought to be too.  Our concern ought not to be how society views a matter or how those who have gained power view a subject but how God sees it. I remind you that there was a time when the vast majority of German society was behind Hitler and I remind you there were a few days in Jerusalem a couple of thousand years ago when the consensus was that a man who had done nothing other than…

• One Church—A Thing Hard to Accept

  Many Americans can remember years ago when O. J. Simpson was arrested and put on trial for the murder of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman.  I remember a comment I heard on TV at the time that simply astounded me.  One lady that was being interviewed, for what reason I no longer recall, made the comment that if she had seen O. J. commit the murder with her owns eyes she would not believe it.  I guess her idea was that she could not trust herself, she …

• Finding Truth in Divided Christendom

  How can one find and know the truth of Christianity that comes from God in a world that is divided over that truth to the extent that today we have thousands and thousands of denominations because they cannot agree with one another over what that truth is.  Many no longer think it is possible to know the truth in any absolute sense.  It is just a matter of individual opinion is a common thought.  Consequently, it is not unusual to hear sentiment…