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

  …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 »Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless o…

• Abraham’s Faith (Faith Accounted for Righteousness)

  Every person who truly believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is interested in having what we might term “saving faith.”  The Bible could not be any clearer than it is on our need for such faith.  Paul tells the Ephesian Christians, “By grace you have been saved through faith.” (Eph. 2:8 NKJV)  To the Christians at Rome he speaks of them “having been justified by faith” (Rom. 5:1 NKJV) and then the…

• The Kind of Faith in God That Destroys

  There is a faith, a so called Christian faith, which destroys.  Those who hold such a faith, while sincere, do not understand faith from a scriptural point of view.  Faith is all too often defined as “what I believe.”  There is more to saving faith than just believing in Jesus, believing he is the Son of God. If faith alone, defined as what one believes, could save by itself then even the demons could be saved for James says, “…

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

  mes when the context demands one or the other.  In John 1:13 there is really no choice unless you desire a Bible contradiction in which case the Bible cannot be true.  When you understand John 1:12-13 you will understand that faith alone is not enough to make you a child of God no matter what anyone tells you. …

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

  The book of Romans begins and ends talking about the “obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5 and Rom. 16:26).  In chapter 1 Paul says that “we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles.” (Rom. 1:5 NAS)  In Rom. 16 he speaks of the gospel being made known to all nations with the purpose being “obedience of faith.” (Rom. 16:26 NAS) Obedience of faith is simply the obedience that grows out of or is the …

• Faith, Works, and Baptism

  Many are the men and women who believe that since the Bible teaches justification by faith (Rom. 5:1) and not by works (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5) that baptism is excluded as an act essential to salvation despite many passages that teach the contrary (Acts 2:38, 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Titus 3:5, Eph. 5:26, 1 Cor. 12:13 compared with Eph. 5:23, John 3:5, Gal. 3:26-27, etc.).  They are greatly mistaken. In the first place the Bible clearly teaches that …

• The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

  Many believe the church at Ephesus (the church being the membership) was cleansed from sin by faith based on the teachings of their denomination and the famous Ephesian passage found in chapter 2 verses 8 and 9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (NAS)  Many, many passages of the New Testament teach that salvation is a matter of …

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

  Why write an article on the topic the kingdom of God and the new birth?  The answer is really quite simple.  As long as people today have a desire to be saved in the way Jesus saved some during his personal ministry on earth–by faith without baptism–there will be a need to show the error of that position.  On this subject timing makes all the difference. When did Jesus become a king with a kingdom over which to rule?  When Jesus was …

• Faith is Not Just What You Believe

  Sometimes I think faith is about the only subject everyone is an expert on but faith is a complex subject involving far more than just the mind and its thoughts and is a subject that needs continual study to mine all its depths. Faith is not just thought but action.  It is a driving force, an inward power that drives man to act and do, to sacrifice, to seek, to suffer, to endure, to commit, and drive on when there appears to be no longer reason …

• Faith in the New Testament–Different Meanings

  word “faith” in Vine’s dictionary I found the Greek word behind it to be “pistis.”  Vine says the word means, depending on the passage in which it is being used, (a) trust (b) trustworthiness or faithfulness (c) what is believed, the contents of belief (d) the grounds for faith, assurance and (d) a pledge of fidelity.  He gives scriptural references for each of these usages. If I was to stop this article now and go …

• Better to Never Have Been Born–Why?

  mother or dad, our wife or our husband, our son or our daughter, our grandchild, our best friend, whoever it may be, is in the exact same place with Judas just as soon as their last breath leaves their body if they are not a faithful Christian when that breath has been drawn.  It is torment to us and unrelenting sorrow to think about what is to become of those we care about and love deeply if somehow or another they do not get their lives turned…

• Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith)

  ith their guilt over this matter in Acts 2:23 and again in Acts 3:14-15.  The good news is that “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6 NKJV) and thus as a result of Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost faith was created, about three thousand (Acts 2:41) responded to the preaching, obeying Peter’s command to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and were forgiven. Would God forgive Saul?  Most …

• Bible Contradictions on Salvation?

  If we believe the Bible is the word of God why do we often interpret it in a way that makes it contradict itself?  Truth is harmonious or else it’s not truth and cannot be.  Jesus says of God’s word, “your word is truth.” (John 17:17)  It does not oppose itself when properly interpreted. Martin Luther was persuaded he had found contradiction in the Bible between what Paul wrote in Romans about salvation being by faith ver…

• Faith Comes by Hearing the Word of God–the Implications

  “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17 NKJV)  On its surface this proclamation by Paul is very simple and easy to understand and yet the failure to grasp its implications has brought much division and strife among those who believe Jesus is the Son of God.  Faith and opinion are mixed and it seems no one is able to separate the two.  It appears to the casual observer that one man’s faith is another man’s op…

• He Feared

  Why men become unfaithful varies from man to man.  The faith of Demas failed because he loved the world; the faith of Diotrephes failed because he loved the preeminence; the faith of the man I am about to talk about failed because of fear. Of course, there is a sense in which faith never fails.  It is the man who fails, fails to have faith in sufficient strength to remain faithful.  It is a challenge to all men to develop a strong faith. Paul, i…

• Does God Really Care?

  thousands including infants and toddlers, why cyclones, why starvation?  And the list could go on and on and on. Does God care?  It is easy to give up on God as one contemplates what he has seen and heard.  It is easy to lose faith.  What is the answer?  This is a subject that is important to study because there has probably never been a person who at some point in time in his or her life who has not thought about these things.  It is important t…

• The Faith of Enoch

  The Bible tells us that, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” (Heb. 11:5 NAS)  Enoch and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) were the only two men to ever be born and not die a physical death.  Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven after a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated him from …

• Ways into Christ–How Many Ways Are There?

  Having firmly established that salvation is found “in Christ” how then does one enter into Christ?  How many ways are there?  The Bible teaches there are conditions for entering into Christ, prerequisites if you will, namely faith, repentance, and confession all of which are absolutely essential to salvation but none of those things by themselves or even taken collectively will put you “into Christ.”  Only baptism is said to do that–no not…

• 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…

• Who is the Believer in John 3:16?

  sus contradicting himself and teaching one man is going to be saved one way in the earlier passages and another way in the later passage.  Surely, all can see Jesus is talking about the same individual. Unfortunately, for the faith only crowd, this makes the believer of John 3:16 who will be saved a baptized person.  The person who is born again, born of water and the Spirit, is the person who led by the Spirit came to a belief so strong as to le…

• Christian Wars–A Misnomer

  k the reader to use a little common sense. Name one passage in the New Testament that teaches that a Christian ought to organize with other Christians and go to war and kill those of another religion in order to establish the faith in a geographic locality.  Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not …

• 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…

• I Can Do All Things Through Christ

  here is strength in the word of God–power to strengthen not only a babe but people of all ages.  If we will only hear the word and believe it with conviction of heart we will find the power to overcome. What is there in faith that gives strength?  The writer of the book of Hebrews says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1 ESV)  It is assurance, it is conviction, that God will be wi…

• Misunderstanding the Grace of God

  t obeying Peter’s directive on the Day of Pentecost as found in Acts 2:38. His position is not unusual.  Millions of people have read Paul’s statement in Eph. 2:8-9, “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (NKJV) and said okay, that is it, no need for further study. I would like to say first of all this is a poor approach to…

• Faith, Manna, and Grumbling Against God

  ” (Ex. 14:11-12 NASB) They did not yet see God as being their Savior nor did they throughout the course of their earthly lives.  They did not trust him for deliverance.  They were grumbling and complaining.  The lack of faith will do that to a man who does not trust in God for salvation. After the end of the crisis at the Red Sea they came to be in want of drinking water at Marah and the Bible says, “the people grumbled at Moses.̶…

• For By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith Alone

  No, Eph. 2:8-9 does not read that way but that is the way most seem to want to read it.  Let me quote the verses for you from the New King James version. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” There is no believer in his right mind who would discount the grace of God in man’s salvation.  You do not believe you deserve to be sav…

• Is Holy Spirit Baptism The Baptism That Saves?

  tles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried …

• Faith

  Paul’s Conversion–Justified by Faith Faith Comes by Hearing the Word of God–the Implications Who is the Believer in John 3:16? What is it a Man Must Believe in Order to be Saved? Faith is Not Just What You Believe Obedience of Faith and Justification by Faith–Opposing Doctrines? Disobedience to Jesus The Faithfulness of Jesus to God the Father I Can Do All Things Through Christ If Miracles Have Ceased–the Implicatio…

• 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…

• Christian Circumcision

  ir own righteousness” (Rom. 10:3 NKJV) and did not submit to the righteousness of God.  Of Israel of old he says they pursued the law of righteousness but did not attain it because they sought it by works rather than by faith (Rom. 9:31-32).  The circumcised of the Old Testament were to “walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.” (Rom. 4:12 NKJV)  This the majority of them did not do….

• Demas Has Forsaken Me

  years of work and losing and wasting all that time, money, and effort for nothing.  How much greater the loss, how much more dire the consequences, when we give up living the Christian life. (2)  We learn from Demas that the faith of the best of men can fail.  We never grow so strong but what we can lose our faith.  Some think if we had miracles today people would believe and would automatically become Christians strong in a steadfast faith.  I …

• 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…

• The Church as the Family of God–Things Found in It

  u may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” (1 Tim. 3:15 NKJV)  Thus the church is our spiritual family, the house of God, and if we live in it long enough and are faithful in it it becomes as close to us as physical family, even a closely knit physical family, and even dearer to us as the years go by and we grow older.  That is the way God meant it to be. What should one experience in…

• If Baptism is Not Essential for Salvation

  was talking about in Acts 22:16 when he told Saul (who was to become Paul the apostle), “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (NKJV)  What sins?  There are none to be washed away if salvation comes at the point of faith.  Surely, after seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus and talking with him Saul was no longer an unbeliever or doubter that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.  Thus Ananias was in great error making any claim that Sa…

• Faith and Baptism in Paul’s Preaching

  le fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.  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 16:14-15 NAS) We are not told exactly what Paul said in his sermon but we know he preached at least the following:  (1) Man as…

• Instrumental Music in Christian Worship–Is it God’s Will?

  could not be saved.  Much of the books of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews discuss this very issue.  We cannot hope to be saved today by animal sacrifice, by worshipping as they worshipped, by observing Jewish festivals, etc.. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).  Where there is no word from God there can be no faith.  Yes, people believe it is okay to use instruments of music in Christian worship but their belief is not based on t…

• A New Creation in Christ

  221; (CEV, NLT), and “a new being (GNB).  You get the idea.  In Christ a new man is created.  The old man of sin is done away with and a new creature comes into being, a spiritual being whose desire is to live a life of faith and dedication, of commitment and obedience to Christ. This new creation has a specific time and place of creation or birth, of coming into being, of coming into existence. Paul said, “This is a faithful saying: …

• A Good and Pure Conscience

  e trained based on correct teaching–the word of God. That said the Bible teaches we must act in good conscience and to do otherwise is sin.  “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23 NKJV)  Why is man condemned if he eats?  Because he doubts whether he ought to be doing it or not and thus cannot do it with a clean, good, and pure conscience…

• Peter’s Preaching and the Apostle’s Preaching

  8216;Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38 NKJV)  Some may be troubled by the fact that faith is not mentioned in that sermon (the Day of Pentecost sermon in Acts 2).  My question is does it have to be when it is clearly implied?  For that matter no mention of faith is made in this Acts 5 sermon either but it i…

• Weak, Defiled, and Seared Consciences

  an idolater, no longer a believer in idolatrous gods, but still he remained susceptible to the call of his past.  It was certainly possible for him to turn again and go back to idolatry.  The Bible talks of various degrees of faith.  There is little faith and great faith and everything in between.  How great was his faith?  That is always a question for every man.  Paul says in the beginning of 1 Cor. 8 in verse 4, “we know that there is no…

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

  ed he was who he claimed to be, proved him to be God’s son, meaning he had the power to forgive sins and save man.  His resurrection was essential.  Paul goes so far as to say, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” (1 Cor. 15:17 NAS)  Why would that be true?  Because without the resurrection it would have shown Jesus to be an imposter. Think about it as follows.  If Jesus was lying all the while he was on ear…

• Resource Sites

  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.  Not only does he know the Bible he also knows what men are saying about it.) Walking by Faith:  Origin of Instrumental Music in Christian Worship  (This is an online copy of what was once a pamphlet consisting of two sermons delivered in the late 1800′s by M. C. Kurfees.  Gives the best definition of fait…

• Are Works Essential for Christian Salvation?

  title of this article, are works essential for Christian salvation, is easily answered by taking one such passage and doing exactly that.  The passage is Eph. 2:8-9 which reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (NKJV)  We read that and immediately answer our question by saying no works are not essential for Christian salvation. …

• New Birth

  Born Again at the Point of Faith – John 1:12-13 Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith) What Does the Phrase “Born of Water and the Spirit” Mean? The Kingdom of God and The New Birth The New Birth and Water A New Creation in Christ The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Born Again When One Obeys the Gospel Things That Happen With Gospel Obedience Why I Am a Christian Keeping The C…

• Everlasting Life–The Believer of John 3:16

  Father). Many cling to John 3:16 with the idea being that all Jesus requires of man for salvation is a belief in Jesus without ever giving any real serious thought as to how Jesus would define a believer in himself, one whose faith is sufficient to save.  They merely assume they know so every man becomes a law unto himself, declares himself a believer, and is in his mind (and often in his family and friend’s minds) saved without ever offeri…

• Israel’s Rebellion at the Red Sea

  The children of Israel that God sent Moses to bring out of Egyptian bondage into the Promised Land were a faithless group almost from the very beginning.  Their rebellion against God began before Mt. Sinai and even before the Red Sea crossing.  The Psalmist said, “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of your mercies, but rebelled by the sea–the Red Sea.” (Psa. 106:7 NKJV)  It…

• One Church—A Thing Hard to Accept

  the other one taught for every one of them was guided in his speech by the Holy Spirit (see Matt. 10:19-20, John 14:16-17, 26, 16:13, Gal. 1:11-12, 2 Tim. 3:16, 1 Cor. 7:40, etc.).  The idea that we have thirty some thousand faithful denominations all chockfull of saved Christians is the thinking of hearts that have been hardened to the point they can no longer reason rationally. If denomination A believes one thing, denomination B believes anot…

• Fornication–Take It Lightly at Your Peril

  “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:  adultery, fornication…and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21 NKJV)  One of two things is true today–the world either believes it can treat God with utter contempt or no longer believes in him and his word period.  Man has always had to battle sexual desire …

• The Parable of the Talents–the Sin of Fear

  at we must go to work?  Can we by work alone go to heaven?  No way!  Salvation is always 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 …

• Confirmation Sunday–No Bibles Required

  this particular denomination over the years I ended up reading the piece all the while knowing that the silence of the Bible on a subject has never stopped a denomination from its own inventions and desires as pertains to its faith, or worship, or religion. After reading the article I went to my e-sword concordance and did a search on the word “confirmation.”   I did find it in 2 locations.  Paul spoke about “confirmation of the…

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

  st these ten times and have not listened to my voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned me see it.” (NASB) Men only test God, or attempt to, when they lack faith, when they do not believe.  When a student takes a test in school it is an attempt on the part of the teacher to see if that student measures up to a set standard.  If we already knew he did (had knowledge of that) the…

• The Struggle to be a Spiritually Minded Man or Woman

  Every person that has ever contemplated the subject of life and death, the meaning of life and eternal destiny, and has chosen faith in Christ as the route he/she desires to walk has found himself/herself in a constant struggle.  On the one hand there is the deep desire to do what is right according to the will of God as we read it in the Bible and on the other hand there is that desire within us that wants to do what we want to do which often m…

• How Does One Get Into the Church Christ Built?

  oes not save men adding them to the church unconditionally. Does this mean that all who are in the church are saved?  No, for some go astray and live in sin and hypocrisy, in indifference and unconcern, without a deep abiding faith and love, who have fallen away.  It does mean, however, that you must be in the church to be saved for that is where those who will be saved are placed by God. Upon hearing the gospel before one can be added to the chu…

• If Miracles Have Ceased–the Implications

    Put yourself in the shoes of those living back then.  Here one comes into your midst claiming to speak for God.  Is he delusional, a mad man?  Is he a charlatan?  Why should I give him the time of day? People speak of blind faith.  The kind of faith the Bible demands of men is not blind faith but faith built upon reason based on the word of God confirmed by miracles.  I believe not because I am naive and will believe anything and will buy bridg…

• Repentance–How Can I Be Sure?

  ll).  There are men and women who are sorry for the things they have done but will not turn to God for forgiveness thinking they have been too evil to be forgiven.  They despair.  This is a worldly sorrow.  It shows a lack of faith in God’s love and willingness to forgive and thus a lack of faith in God and in his word. Others are also sorry for their sins but it is because they have been caught in them and have suffered as a result (adulterers a…

• The Faithfulness of Jesus to God the Father

  Hebrews 3:1-2 reads as follows:  “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him who appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house.” (NKJV) Reading this passage and its surrounding context awhile back got me to thinking about the faithfulness of Jesus.  We seldom think about Jesus being “faithful,” that…

• Gospel Obedience at Corinth

  o evidently Ananias felt pretty sure that Paul still had some that needed to be taken care of.  Many modern day preachers speak as though they know more about it than what Ananias did as they say men are saved at the point of faith without baptism and thus have no sins to wash away.  There is a passage in 1 Corinthians that cause some people trouble on the subject of baptism–1 Cor. 1:14.  Paul preached baptism, personally baptized some, was…

• Though He Slay Me

    Would you have prayed had you been in their shoes?  You know you would have and thus you know they did also. James tells us, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NKJV)  Here is a good that can come from our suffering. Although I consider the New Livin…

• Abortion Luke 1 – All You Need to Know

  … 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 good ought to be condemned to death. Wh…

• Hypocrites in the Church

  or us) was that they might be “sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.” (Phil. 1:10 NASU)  The writer of the book of Hebrews instructs us to draw near to God “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22 NASU)  Enough has been said without going further–God demands of us honesty, sincerity, and not…

• The Grace of God in Baptism

  ins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16 NKJV) The washing was done in baptism. The writer of the book of Hebrews encourages Christians in saying, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and (now watch it–DS) our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22 NKJV) The washing is with water; the washing is baptism. Now back to our original t…

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

  resentative thus to complain against Moses was to complain against God (see Ex. 16:8).  Moses individually had no power to provide them with water and they knew that so the complaint was against God. This manifested a lack of faith in God.  How so?  Back in Ex. 3:16-17 before the plagues, before Moses ever entered Egypt after his exile, God told Moses at the burning bush incident to, “Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to …

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

  beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47 ESV) This gives us a beginning point of both time and place of the gospel message God has for us today.  Those desiring to be saved the way the thief on the cross was saved (by faith without baptism) go back too far, past Jerusalem, past the beginning, and in doing so end up with another gospel. The only way one can have the Jerusalem gospel is to preach what Peter did that day beginning in Jerusal…

• Jesus Defines Repentance

  Son of God and the Savior of the world. The second comment I will make in passing is that the order of the wording does 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…

• Disobedience to Jesus

  Disobedience to Jesus is far more widespread among people who call themselves Christians than what is generally recognized to be the case.  Over the years the doctrine that man is saved by grace through faith alone without any kind of works has become so prevalent in men’s thinking that it seems it has driven out of men’s lives the sense of any kind of responsibility to obey God other than mentally assenting to the son ship of Jesus….

• 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 Denominational Baptism Scriptural?

  a denomination that believes one must be baptized either for the remission of sins or to enter Christ (which is essentially the same thing) although there may be a few that do.  Generally speaking they believe one is saved by faith with or without baptism and prior to baptism.  It is to them either a symbolic act or, in some cases, the means of entrance into their denomination.  In the latter case there is a world of difference between entering a…

• Christianity and Multiculturalism

  anything but unity and it is an utter failure in men and their character, or an acknowledgment of their ignorance of scripture, when they rejoice that every man has a church of his choice different from all others in items of faith and practice when Christ prayed for just the opposite.  When men prefer division to unity the failure is in the men. There are some multiculturalists who fear that to not accept multiculturalism will only lead to troub…

• Canaan and Heaven–How God Gives

  How God gives to men is not only an interesting study but also one of upmost importance as it relates to our salvation, a salvation which is clearly set forth in the scriptures as being a free gift of God to man.  “Being justified freely by is grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24 NKJV)  It is by grace through faith that we are saved and not by works. (Eph. 2:8-9)  Salvation is specifically said to be “the gift of God…

• How Was Noah Saved Through Water?

  fulfill, if he was to be saved.  Being saved by God’s grace does not mean man has no part in his own salvation, that man has nothing to do. There is also one other very important New Testament verse on Noah’s salvation.  “By faith Noah, being divinely warned (God’s grace-DS) of things not yet seen, moved with Godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is…

• Abuse of the Old Testament

  utcome of the Lord’s dealings that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” (James 5:11 NAS) Hebrews chapter 11 is another good illustration.  We are taught by the examples of Old Testament characters what faith is and what it means to have faith.  We are encouraged to persevere as we see what some of those men and women were willing to do and endure to be faithful to God.  We compare our trials with theirs and ours seem but l…

• Ashamed of Jesus and His Words

  that too often, maybe most all of the time, we hold our silence and fail to speak on his behalf?  I think that is generally true. We do not speak because we do not want to be embarrassed or shamed by the world that ridicules faith in Jesus thus are more concerned about receiving honor from men rather than the honor that comes from God alone.  We do not speak because we do not want to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3).  We do not speak bec…

• 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,…

• Looking Down Your Nose

  The expression “looking down your nose” was and is an American idiom used with reference to looking upon someone dishonorably with a degree of contempt.  It is felt that the person so looked upon is beneath the one doing the judging in respect to honor and dignity.  That is the subject of this article. James says: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.  For if there sho…

• The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification

  embership in this body, this church of Christ, this church Jesus built, is granted only on the basis of the new birth (John 3:5).  It begins with the Spirit in that through the Spirit’s word, the gospel message, man is led to faith and repentance and a willingness and desire to confess Christ for who he is–the Son of God–and it culminates in baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16) but more succinctly to put to death the…

• He Went Away Grieved

  s a man in the Bible we read about who came to Jesus for what appeared to be the right motive, a spiritual motive, that he might be saved.  This meant that he saw Jesus as the one who could point him in the right way.  He had faith enough in Jesus to go seek him out and that for the purpose of finding the way of life.  Matthew tells us he was a young man and Luke informs us that he was a ruler thus a young ruler but not only that we also learn he…

• Lessons for the Church from Isaiah (Chapter 1)

  ay things like that was then this is now, we have to adapt the Bible to modern times, etc., we are starting to travel a dangerous road.  Who is the man who is qualified to tell us what changes need to be made in the Christian faith and practice of today versus that of the first century as found in the pages of the New Testament?  There are many who feel they are qualified for they are busy telling us all the time what is allowable today even thou…

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

  re from the Bible for proof is needed that your word is from God when you do such cutting.   After all you will be giving us a new Bible when your cutting is done. Needless to say all such approaches to scripture end up being faith destroying.  How do you have faith if you do not know what to have faith in and what not to have faith in?  Yes, I know these types proclaim their faith but real faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (R…

• The New Birth and Water

  Having written on the subject of the new birth before I was surprised, although I doubt I should have been, to have gotten some comments back to the effect that the water mentioned in John 3:5 where Jesus says, “most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (NKJV) had reference not to baptism but to the water of childbirth.  Probably shows what a sheltered life I have led to be surp…

• Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts

  context, but still in the book of 1 John, it is said if we keep his word we abide in him and he in us. (1 John 2:5, 1 John 3:24)  Thus we have a series of items being listed by which we can measure whether or not we are in a faithful relationship with God. The passage (1 John 4:13) is not talking about initial obedience to God (gospel obedience) for there can be no obedience to what is thrust upon you (baptism of the Holy Spirit).  To say that o…

• Must the Christian Keep the Sabbath?

  (Heb. 8:13 NKJV)  When men try and hold onto the Sabbath they are refusing to allow that part of the old covenant to “vanish away.” “The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Gal. 3:24-25 NKJV)  Remember the law is the Law of Moses and keeping the Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments in that law.  Paul says we are no lon…

• Who Gets to Decide–God or the Church?

  a ton of other things came from denominational legislative bodies, from man, not from God’s word. Hear Paul from 1 Tim. 4:1-3 (NAS), “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons … men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.R…

• The Silence of the Scriptures

  rrant to search your home.  That warrant does not give them the legal right to search your neighbor’s home.  Why not?  Because the warrant is silent, it does not speak about your neighbor’s house.  You cannot have faith in silence no matter how strongly you may feel about what ought to be.  Our faith must be in what is written. We cannot change what is written in the New Testament (the guide for Christians and Christ’s last will…

• Christ Did Not Send Paul to Baptize

  consistent in what they teach, would have to tell you that Ananias was mistaken and could not possibly have meant what he said about Paul having sins to be washed away for they say a man is saved from his sins at the point of faith and thus Paul had no sins to be washed away so they know more about it than the man sent directly by the Lord himself to Paul.  They also would have to tell you, because they believe man has no part in his own salvatio…

• Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

  othing you can do; there is no preparation a man can make to meet God in judgment.  We know he did not tell them that but rather gave them an answer.  The sermon had already made believers out of them so he says nothing about faith but says, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38 NKJV) In further proof of this point that man can do something for himself to be sa…

• Fear God

  have fear banished from his life whether young or old. Just a few verses later John says, “this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments”.  (1 John 5:3)  This freedom from fear is available to any Christian living a faithful and dedicated life, one who is observing all the commandments of God, who truly repents when he does transgress, who puts God first in his life in every respect.  Such a man fears neither man, death, nor the judgmen…

• 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…

• The Parable of the 10 Virgins–7 Lessons

  prepared with proper dress, etc.  They were also prompt, on time, in fact 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…

• When did Obedience Become Legalism?

  abandon all rational exegesis.  We simply say it does not mean what it says.  It means what we say it means and of course all our conclusions are based on real love, love the way we, not God, define it.  We are perverting the faith and making up our own religion as did the Jews of Jesus’ day.  They were “seeking to establish their own righteousness” (Rom. 10:3 NKJV) and we seem to be doing the same thing. Jesus said, “But why do you call me ‘Lord…

• Baptism

  Water? The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus The Washing of Water by the Word–Baptism and Salvation A New Creation in Christ Christ and Baptism in Colossians Christian Circumcision Christ Did Not Send Paul to Baptize Faith and Baptism in Paul’s Preaching Is Denominational Baptism Scriptural? What Does the Phrase “Born of Water and the Spirit” Mean? The New Birth and Water Who is the Believer in John 3:16? Faith, Works, …

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

  look at 1 Cor. 12:13, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (NKJV)  “By one Spirit” is the same as “by the word” in Eph. 5:26 for the word is the mind of the Spirit, the Spirit speaking to us, leading us to faith and obedience. Paul also tells us elsewhere how we enter this body of Christ, enter Christ himself spiritually speaking.  “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NKJV)  See also…

• What Is Baptism (the Sprinkling Hoax)

  m you were also circumcised with the circumcision made 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 “cam…

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

  What is it a man must believe in order to be saved according to the Bible?  If salvation is dependent on faith which the Bible clearly teaches then it is essential to know what it is that the Bible teaches we must believe.  This is not a subject that is studied a whole lot for the answer seems so evident–we must believe in Jesus.  Yes, that is true, but what does that mean?  I will talk about that later in the article but there are other t…

• The Prodigal Son–When He Came to Himself

  t as the case may be there was only one reason for it whatever the cause–sin.  Sin changes a man to the point he does not reason correctly. Not long ago I learned of a Christian man, extremely well thought of and liked, faithful by every measurement apparent to an observer, married for 39 years, who announces to his fellow Christians he is leaving his wife divorcing her to marry a divorced Christian woman in the same congregation.  They had…

• Christ and Baptism in Colossians

  The fact that baptism is essential to becoming a Christian and being saved is written on page after page in the New Testament despite being rejected by most who call themselves Christians.  I have never understood how something so clearly taught can so readily be rejected by so many other than through the power that tradition and religious heritage exerts on people. Error believed has the same faith affect upon a man or woman as truth believed a…

• Unhappy With the Church of Christ?

  New Testament church was to exist on earth today with a single name, identity, belief, and practice then it would destroy denominationalism which is the very thing denominationalism cannot allow and will not accept.  If your faith and practice in your congregation was identical to that of a New Testament church, say the church in Jerusalem or Antioch of the first century, do not kid yourself into thinking that the denominations would admit it or…

• Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door

  o be living?  We have today.  We ought to make use of it for “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2 NKJV)  Today is the day God will accept us if we will accept him by faith and obedience to the gospel.  But as life has well taught us today is here and gone tomorrow.  Yes, of course, today is as long as our life lasts but we have all been to the cemetery too many times to fool ourselves in…

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

  is. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?’ And he recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.’” (NKJV) Faith can be based on 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 certa…

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

  upon them.” (NAS)   It was necessary for Peter to complete that message which included baptism.  But let us look at it from another point of view.  What if Cornelius had told Peter “no thanks I have been saved by faith and grace.  I believe in Jesus.  I think I will just pass on the baptism.”  Would he have been saved?  Many preach today that he would have for the gospel they preach has no water in it unlike Peter’s gospe…

• God’s Willingness to Forgive–King Manasseh

  ommitted. We tell ourselves the temptation was too great and thus God understands even though he has said in his word through Paul the apostle that, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13 NKJV)  We thus go on living pretty much the w…

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

  Should the Lord’s Supper be incorporated as a part of a larger meal in the worship of God in the Christian religion? Some are today arguing for such a practice. All any of us can know about what we should or should not do is found in the Bible, at least that has been the traditional view of conservatives. Today there is a liberal element in Christianity who feels they no longer need Bible authority for what they do. That being the case they feel…

• The Hardening of the Human Heart

  one grows ever more comfortable in a non-Christian or unfaithful lifestyle.  Sin becomes ever more comfortable as each day passes by.  This is a part of the deceitfulness of sin.  Things seem to go fine without God or without faithfulness.  That is until the day it is too late. In Heb. 6 the Bible speaks of Christians who have gotten themselves into a situation where it is impossible to renew them to repentance: “For in the case of those wh…

• Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers

  Most of us prefer a version of the Bible today that is a little more up to date in its language than is the old original American Standard Version of 1901 or the King James Version thus making the Bible a little easier to read and understand.  However, in a few passages scattered about the Bible even the new literal translations like the ESV, NASB, and the NKJV, all excellent translations when taken as a whole, have led us slightly astray with i…

• Who Governs the Church if We Follow the Bible?

  Who governs the church ought to matter a great deal to all those who want to be Christians and Christians only by following what the Bible says.  I know of no other way to be just a Christian, that and nothing more, other than to follow the Bible as closely as humanly possible.  That means one must ignore the traditions of men in religion and must ignore all teachings that cannot be found in book, chapter, and verse in the New Testament. Too oft…

• Why Men Do Not Believe

  the Thessalonians asked the brethren to “pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.” (2 Thess. 3:2 NAS) The question I want to deal with in this article is why do men not believe?  This is a question that has bothered me over the years for it seems to me only natural to believe.  Yet, I cannot …

• They Loved the Praise of Men

  desire lead us into sin.  When one gets to the point where he cares more about what people think than what God thinks and what God commands he is in trouble, in trouble with the Lord and Savior. In studying the subject of why faith fails we find an account of a group of men who had this very problem–the desire for the praise of men. “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess H…

• Jesus’ Baptism and You?

  ense it looked forward and was a promise.  We have this in our everyday lives all of the time.  If I do this then I am promised that even though that may be down the road a ways.  Paychecks are like that.  We work trusting by faith the promise that we will be paid.  This was John’s baptism. Does this mean their actual forgiveness lay down the road somewhere in the future and was not immediate?  No, for it was a certainty, not just a promise, that…

• 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 …

• God’s Hardening of the Human Heart

  decision.  You say how can this be?  It is one of the great mysteries of God how God can have foreknowledge and yet man have free will.  Some things are beyond man’s ability to understand.  Some things we must accept by faith. The point to be made is that God does not harden a man for destruction who was going to repent if given more time to do so for God knew already what the man would choose.  There is no evidence in the Bible to support …

• 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…

• Assorted

  he Fragrance of Christ Deeper Spiritual Understanding Things God Cannot Do Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers The Christian, Politics, and the Government Why Men Do Not Believe Did Christ Rise From the Dead or is Faith Folly? Denominationalism’s Sin Against Peter Which Denomination Did Jesus Build? What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible?   Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain)    The Burden of Life The P…

• The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer

  to do is believe in order to be saved is that they leave out repentance all together.  That ought to save the demons then, hadn’t it?  They believe and no repentance required for salvation.   Yes, I am sure Paul taught faith in the Lord Jesus and when understood properly that will save a man.  However, faith in the Lord Jesus means you believe everything Jesus taught and believe it so strongly you obey him without question.  Faith in the L…

• Saved by Jesus Outside the Church?

  t 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 may know how you ought …

• Bible Conversions

  nd audio sermons (sermons by a friend of mine–Waymon Swain) discussing mainly conversions recorded in the book of Acts with the emphasis on baptism.  Why that emphasis?  Because very few, if any, debate the necessity of faith, repentance, or the need to confess Christ. Receiving the Gospel – Acts 2:41 Peter’s Second Gospel Sermon Peter’s Preaching and the Apostle’s Preaching Philip Preaching the Gospel in Samaria The…

• Repent–How Hard It Is To Do

  le. I want to deal with that in just a minute but first I want to suggest this.  While belief and repentance are two separate factors yet they are closely tied together.  If a person truly had the depth of conviction (call it faith or belief) that hell was real and as bad as the Bible teaches it is and believed they were going there I think most men would repent.  Who volunteers to be tortured?  None if they believe it will happen. Jesus said in …

• Mary of Bethany–Doing What You Can

  are not saved by works.  If we were Lazarus would probably have little to show.  His condition was such as to not be able to help himself let alone help others.  Yet, he did all he was capable of and if that consisted only of faith then that was all that was required of him. There will come a time most likely, if we live long enough, where we will be unable to obey one or more of the commandments of God.  People often get to the point physically …

• The Army of the Lord–the Church

  Paul’s admonition to Timothy where he tells him, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim. 2:3 NKJV)  If we are honest we realize that is an admonition to us as well if we desire to be a faithful Christian. We ought to put emphasis on the phrase “must endure hardship” for it is easy to think in our day and age and in our country there is no hardship to be endured as a Christian.  Wrong!  Paul made it clear i…

• Why Do Men Run From God?

  not want to be in the next life but for here and now you can find a place of comfort, a place where they will tell you the lie you are living is nothing other than God’s truth. The Bible only teaches one church and one faith and it does not teach a thousand different competing doctrines.   ”There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of al…

• Spiritual Mirages

  ell; we see no need to repent thinking our life is pleasing to God and we are being blessed because of our godly life all the while knowing we cannot read specific Bible passages without them condemning us–our life, our faith, or our conduct.  We like the Jews of old will not listen to God’s specific word.  We convince ourselves in one way or another that things have changed today and the passage or passages that prick us are no longe…

• Parable of the Tares–No Middle Ground

  ” (2 Thess. 1:7-10 NKJV)  We see no middle ground.  One has either obeyed the gospel or he has not. It brings me great deal of sorrow and sadness to know people I care about and realize that to them gospel obedience and faithfulness is no big deal.  What they are thinking (or how) I will never know, I guess, and that saddens me too?  I am not sure they know.  Do they think the Bible is a fairy tale?  Do they believe you cannot trust GodR…

• Deeper Spiritual Understanding–How do I Acquire It?

  A person who is a sincere Christian, a true believer from the depths of his/her heart, is a person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matt. 5:6) desiring deeper spiritual understanding.  There is always a desire to know more and understand better.  There is an inner longing to draw nearer to God and feel closer to him and so the way is sought to do so. But the question is how do I do this or accomplish this which I so desire?  If I just …

• God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit

  Does God Really Care? Things God Cannot Do Jesus as the Bread of Life Jesus and the Furnace of Fire Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door The Need to Preach on Sin What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible? Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Wonderful Jesus Who Is Jesus? Born To Die The Appearance of Jesus All Spiritual Blessings Are in Christ Enemies of Christ The Holy Spirit (Part I) The Holy Spirit (Part II) The Holy Sp…

• 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 Need to Preach on Sin

  There is a great need to preach on sin today.  I am not at all sure that sin is any worse or more prevalent today than in generations gone by for one can go back in history and find unimaginable sin.  Human sacrifice, cannibalism, idol worship, all forms of sexual debauchery, witchcraft, mass murderers (think Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot), you name it and you can find it in the history of the sins of mankind.  History teaches us just how bad man…

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

  and I to eat of this bread, keeping in mind the language is figurative and spiritual, means simply that a man must be willing to take advantage of Christ’s death on the cross for the remission of man’s sins and by faith and obedience to the gospel surrender his life to Christ. It means we allow ourselves by following after Christ to be remade in the image of Christ.  “But we all (speaking to Christians–DS), with unveiled f…

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

  g stones, are being built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV)  The church is spiritual made up of men and women and boys and girls of accountable age who each in their individual spirits have submitted to Christ in both faith and obedience.  “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:9 NKJV)  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14 NKJV)  “If …

• Jesus the Foundation of and the Builder of the Church

  16 NKJV) is the rock Jesus built the church on (Matt. 16:18 NKJV) Catholic doctrine to the contrary notwithstanding.  No one can enter the church built by Jesus who does not believe this foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. Jesus is described by Peter as a living stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious (1 Peter 2:4).  He goes on a couple of verses later to say, “it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I l…

• Singing and Playing in Christian Worship

  be included in the word just by common usage as is often the case today in that we just expect entertainers to play as they sing.  Living on might, maybe, and it could be is not very satisfactory to a man who wants to live by faith.  The man of faith wants word from God so he can have some grounded faith, faith placed on a strong and solid foundation.  Such a man lives in confidence trusting in the word of God. The other man trusts as well but hi…

• The Christian, Politics, and the Government

  much of a Christian as he/she can be every single day of his/her life.  What does that mean?  It means I ought to live a spiritual life daily.  “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.   Against such there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23 NKJV)  Just above this passage in Gal. 5:19-21 are listed the “works of the flesh” (V. 19) of which I would like to list two of those wor…

• Religious Titles Forbidden in Christianity

  ght have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” (1 Cor. 4:15 NKJV)  Paul also referred to Timothy as his “true son in the faith.” (1 Tim. 1:2 NKJV)  He referred to Titus (Titus 1:4) and to Onesimus (Philemon 1:10) in a similar way. In 2 Cor. 12:14 Paul implies that the church at Corinth is his children (making him their father) and likewi…

• Never Give Up

  . There is no doubt that Moses was a great man of God.  He spoke with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration prior to Christ’s suffering thus we know he was a saved man.  The Hebrew writer says of Moses, “And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant.” (Heb. 3:5 NKJV)  Yet, we know God would not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land because of his own sin.  What was that sin? While the children of Israel were traveling through the …

• 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…

• Keep Your Heart With All Diligence

  ey were saying “you go ahead and struggle I am depending on God’s grace” which translated means I will pretty much do in my life what I want and let God’s grace cover me in the end.  We are suppose to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12 NKJV) and have been given a sword (the word of God–Eph. 6:17) and a shield (faith–Eph. 6:16).  Where is the fight in liberal Christianity (a misnomer)?  Paul said he had “fought the good fight…

• Work Out Your Own Salvation

  rit of God gave the word, there is power in the word of God (Heb. 4:12), the word is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), it (the word) is the tool the Spirit uses to move us. Take the word of God away and there is no work of faith, there is no obedience, there is no works of righteousness (“all your commandments are righteousness”–Psalm 119:172 NKJV), there is no man who works righteousness (obeys God’s commands).  Man is to walk uprightly…

• The Conscience as a Witness

  ithout violating his conscience when fully persuaded he ought to just like Saul was.  No one can advocate violating one’s conscience when not fully persuaded for that in itself would be sin.  “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23 NKJV)  We need to read and study God’s word with an open mind and heart and be willing to accept whatever we find written there. The conscience gives witness to the kind of heart we hav…

• The Joy and the Danger of a Clean Conscience

  t, often much family history involved, friendships, and so on that it is very hard to be fair, that is objective, with the scriptures. We need to study the scriptures objectively but our human emotions will not allow it.  Our faith is the correct one just because it has to be that way; there are no other possibilities, at least none we are willing to consider. There is one other factor that makes it very difficult for one to change his religion, …

• Which Denomination Did Jesus Build?

  saved too because they believe in Jesus. I have long felt people do not know what it means to believe in Jesus.  Today it seems to mean you can believe he is the Savior but you cannot believe another word he uttered.  Is that faith in Jesus, the faith that matters, the faith that saves?  Or, we just take the approach that he said it but it does not matter.  If you want to believe it and obey it okay but it does not matter either way as regards yo…

• Christianity–Who Rules Reason or Emotions?

  A man is either led in life by his reason or his emotions and which makes all the difference in the world.  A life ruled by emotions is a life destined for disaster, a life where reason is always found in the back seat where it cannot be heard over the roar of the engine of emotion as it propels an individual down the road of life. When emotions rule your life everything is done on the basis of feelings with minimal thought being given to truth …

• Healing For the Brokenhearted

  ear my prayer and help me then if I am not a righteous person I need to take the steps necessary to become one.  That may be by obeying the gospel from the heart if one has never done so.  For those who have but have not been faithful then to be a righteous person one needs to repent, pray for forgiveness, and seek to live righteously henceforth.  For those who are faithful they need to believe the Lord is near them and will deliver them out of t…

• Indifference – The Great Destroyer

  e, if he gets that high, then realistically what kind of hope do I have of salvation? To be indifferent is to not care. If you do not care about God, about his will, about going to heaven, if you are disinterested in living a faithful Christian life what joy do you bring to God? Grief and sorrow yes but joy no. A lot has been made of the fact that salvation from sin is a free gift from God. This while true when properly understood is seldom under…

• Things People Do Not Know About the Church

  “I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” (John 10:9 NKJV)  The saved are in the church (Acts 2:47, Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:24). To enter into Christ is to be baptized into his spiritual body (based upon a genuine faith, repentance of sins, and a willingness to confess him with the mouth)–“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (1 Cor. 12:13)  Baptism is into Christ (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27).  “He who believes and is…

• Acceptable Prayer

  d out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.” (Isa. 1:15 NASU) For a person’s prayer to be found acceptable to God one prerequisite is to be a faithful child of his.  Actually there are two prerequisites in that–(1) be a child of God and (2) be faithful.  Does this mean God will not hear the prayer of one who is not a Christian? That depends.  Is the person o…

• Three Attitudes That Destroy the Hope of Salvation

  il in itself but only in that it is worldly putting worldly things ahead of God and influencing us to do the same. Living successfully as a Christian is a battle. Paul calls it a fight and says, “Fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Tim. 6:12 NKJV)  He says he had fought that fight (2 Tim. 4:7 NKJV).  One of the biggest parts of that fight is no doubt the battle within, the battle of maintaining Christian attitudes.  Of the miser the wr…

• The Pleasures of Sin

  Is there pleasure in sin?  The Bible teaches that sometimes there is–that is for a time.  You are probably familiar with the passage in the Bible found in Heb. 11:24-25 that speaks of the “pleasures of sin for a season” (KJV) or “the passing pleasures of sin” as the New King James puts it.  “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God…

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

  trine.  Why not? Because of that which Paul spoke of earlier in 2 Tim. 3:16-17 that makes a man complete for every good work.  It is the completed scriptures.  In Eph. 4:13 he says, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man.” (NKJV)  That perfect man is the mature man, the man who has been made complete by the scriptures, the perfect man of Eph. 4:13 (NKJV) is the complete man…

• More on Willful Sin—Can Anyone be Saved?

  d be lost.” You will be hard pressed based on my research to find a commentator anywhere that would disagree.  Virtually every commentator will tell you that the passage has reference to one whose intent is to leave the faith altogether.  He willfully chooses to go another direction.  I do not think this person is one who necessarily ceases to believe.  I say that because of verse 27 where there is with this individual “a certain fear…

• Bible Authority, Foot Washing, the Holy Kiss, and Head Coverings?

  n ideas about what to bring into worship and placing them on the same level with God’s commands. There is in the New Testament one verse that settles this question about whether or not we need Bible authority in the Christian faith and practice and worship once for all to those who are willing to listen.  “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17 NKJV) What does…

• The Book of Ecclesiastes

  popularity, pleasure upon pleasure, honor upon honor, and still never be satisfied. Satisfaction for the soul can only come from living a godly life, knowing all is well with you and God and your fellowman for you have lived faithfully and lived a life of love, a life of faith and obedience, a life of good works.  Solomon thus admonishes man to, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth” (Eccl. 12:1 NKJV) and “before…

• The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist

  o do so.  One must necessarily be a disciple before he can be saved.  How can you be saved without first learning of Jesus and being willing to follow him? And, the final point.  If people were commonly saved in those days by faith alone apart from baptism why did Paul bother to take these men and baptize them? Here is the clincher– why did Paul just assume they had been baptized?  He says in Acts 19:3, “Into what then were you baptiz…

• The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit

  one elsewhere?  Does God show partiality toward some?  Are some saved one way and others in a different way?  The Bible says, “there is no partiality with God” (Rom 2:11 NKJV) and Paul says there is but “one faith” (Eph. 4:4) while saying also of one who preaches another gospel “let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8).  All of this being the case then how does one account for the fact that in the account of Cornelius&…

• Mt. Sinai and the Day of Judgment

  fear and the one who fears is not perfected in love (1 John 4:18).  I am sure Paul did not fear God as in trembling fear but the fear of the Lord is one of the things that keeps us from sin (Ex. 20:20) and keeps us walking in faithful obedience so that we can develop that perfect love which in our spiritual maturity destroys fear altogether.  That day comes when we are able to say as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished …

• Diotrephes Loves To Have the Preeminence

  ainst us with malicious words.  And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.” (3 John 1:9-10 NKJV) Diotrephes, was a Christian man whose faith failed.  In that he had the power to put brethren out of the church one suspects that he was an elder who had gained preeminence over time above the other elders.  He had become so emboldened that he would not even acc…

• How Does the Blood of Jesus and Baptism Tie Together

  fe unless the blood of Jesus has cleansed him?  Newness of life comes to a man upon being raised up from the waters of baptism.  God placed the cleansing blood in the waters of baptism.  In that act, when done from a heart of faith, the blood of Jesus cleanses a man from all sin.  But, objection is made by man and it is said baptism is a little thing.  Is the blood of Jesus a little thing?  If one can be saved without baptism into the death of Ch…

• The Blessing of Affliction and the Goodness of God

  s account of the father and his prodigal son is in reality about God as our Father and we as the prodigal son. James tells us, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (endurance in the NASU-DS).” (James 1:2-3 NKJV)  The Hebrew writer says, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him; for whom the Lord loves he …

• Honestly Deceived

  In 1 Kings 13:1-33 we read of a man of God, a prophet, who came from Judah to Bethel to prophecy against the altar there.  Jeroboam, the king of Israel, was present at the altar.  Jeroboam was the king who had made the two golden calves for the children of Israel to worship one of which resided at Bethel (1 Kings 12:25-33).  On the altar there sacrifices were made to the golden calf that resided there.  As the prophet arrived he found Jeroboam a…

• King Saul–As Long as It Glorifies God

  Paul said, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4 NKJV)  The NIV translates the first part of that verse as follows, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us.” Paul had reference primarily to the writings found in the Old Testament when he made that statement.  As we read the Old Testament we need t…

• The Wicked Shall be Turned into Hell

  David, in Psalms 9:17, made this statement:  “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (NKJV)  That is strong, strong language and language people do not want to hear.  Some would probably call it hate speech.  People do not want to hear about hell and many reject God because of the concept of hell as taught in the Bible.  I suspect it is highly likely many who look at what I write from time to time…

• Regrets

  ged Israel all the days of his life (1 Sam. 7:15) and, furthermore, he was a prophet of God ((1 Sam. 3:20).  In the New Testament we find him listed in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, along with others in what one might call faith’s all of fame.  And, yet, we find this.  “Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.” (1 Sam. 8:1 NKJV)  And then a little later we find this, “But his son…

• Lincoln’s Tomb and Jesus’ Tomb

  e here in the flesh.  Were we kind with people; were we gentle, patient, and understanding?  Did we care about people?  Did we love?  Were we forgiving?  Did we seek God?  Did we obey the gospel and his commandments?  Were we faithful to Jesus and did we accept him as Lord?  Did we worship and serve God?  These are the kinds of things that matter.  These are the kinds of things that will matter when death comes. But as I thought on this visit at …

• Can one be Just a Christian in Christ’s Church without being in a Denomination?

  Many years ago I asked a lady this very question–can one be just a Christian in Christ’s church without being in a denomination?  Her answer was that while that was once possible it is no longer possible today.  I have never understood that kind of thinking.  To her the church that is Christ’s simply cannot exist today alone by itself outside of denominationalism.  That raises all kinds of problems. If what she said is true then of what va…

• The Sin of Being Unthankful and the Need for Thanksgiving

  When we are unthankful it tells a lot about our character.  It tells all who can see that we are unloving and uncaring.  Not only is it a sin to be unloving it is also a sin to be unthankful (actually the two are tied together).  In writing to Timothy, Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit lists a long list of sins in 2 Tim. 3:1-5, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lover…

• The Chastening of the Lord

  People often have a misconception about God.  They cannot imagine that God would ever bring upon us trials and tribulations, punish us for our sins, or do anything in this life but bring us good–good as we measure it.  God is love, God is grace, and the very idea that God would ever send upon us anything but that which is most pleasant is abhorrent to their way of thinking. There is no doubt that when one looks at the big picture that God …

• The Heart of Man from a Biblical Perspective

  The Bible has much to say about the heart of man.  The word “heart” in the New King James Version of the Bible is found 835 times in 775 verses according to the E-Sword concordance for the NKJV.  The study of the heart of man is thus a massive study and I might add from a human point of view a complex one.  God knows all of our hearts, “For you alone know the hearts of all the sons of men.” (I Kings 8:39 NKJV)  The question is do you and I know …

• A Heart Right With God (Test Your Heart)

  NKJV)  “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me,” says Jesus. (John 14:21 NKJV)  “He who does not love me does not keep my words.” (Jesus, John 14:24 NKJV)  A man loves with his heart.  “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13 NKJV)  Do you really want to test your heart–just read your New Testament and every time you come across a verse that gives a command as…

• Grace

  Misunderstanding the Grace of God For by Grace You Have Been Saved by Faith Alone The Grace of God and the Parable of the Laborers How Was Noah Saved Through Water   Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) How God’s Grace Works The Gospel of the Grace of God Noah Found Grace …

• Philip Preaching the Gospel in Samaria

  says “they were being baptized” when they believed.  In Acts 2:41 when they received Peter’s word what did they do?  They were baptized.  Thus we see that in the beginning of the church, of Christianity, of faith in Christ, that when the gospel was preached and believed or received it led to people being baptized.  There has to be a reason for that. Is baptism a part of the gospel?  Is it a part of the good news?  It is if it i…

• Saul’s Conversion

  id not tell Saul what he must do then who did?  It was not Christ for he could have done it on the road to Damascus if he was going to be the one who did it.  Now what did Ananias tell Saul?  Did he tell Saul you need to have faith in Jesus?  Did he need to tell him that?  Had not Saul become a believer already?  Did he tell Saul you need to repent?  Had he not done that?  If his experience on the road to Damascus had not wrought these things wha…

• Ignorance Does Not Excuse Sin

  d to be a propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10) which simply means Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so that we will not have to which allowed God to be just in punishing sin and yet give unto us a way to be saved through faith in Jesus.  This is the gospel story. We need to make applications of these truths.  What can we learn from what we have said? (1) The person who has never heard the gospel is lost.  Everyone of us has a tendency to say…

• Case of Cornelius

  Was Cornelius Saved Before Baptism? The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit The Great Commission and Cornelius Saved by Faith or Saved by Holy Spirit Baptism? Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts …

• Things God Cannot Do

  d cannot be tempted to do. True, there will be problems that enter my life but they will be for my growth and improvement.  “Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NKJV) (4) God, Titus tells us, “cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2 NKJV)  Titus tel…

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

  joiced in tears to have seen her son at her bedside, just one time, as she passed from this world into the next.  However, that was not to be. When I came to know the mother and dad they were devout church members.  I am sure faith in God is all that allowed them to live all those many years from middle age on into old age.  The one who suffers the least in these family breakups is the alienated.  They feel justified, maybe a sense of getting eve…

• Jesus and the Furnace of Fire

  are not obeying him) how are you going to avoid the furnace of fire? But people say I know what the word of God says about this or that but I know how I feel in my heart and thus the standard for being saved and for living a faithful obedient life, for determining what is and is not sin, ceases to be what the book, chapter, and verse of the Bible teaches and becomes instead the feeling in the heart.  That feeling becomes the standard for salvati…

• Three Benefits of Being a Christian in This Life – Hope, Love, Peace

  ork together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 NKJV)  We can believe that even though things are hard in our life God will work it out for us if we will be faithful.  Remember Job? The Hebrew writer tells us as Christians that “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we may bold say:  ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  W…

• Children of Israel

  Israel’s Rebellion at the Red Sea Moses, the Waters of Marah, and a Lesson for Today Faith, Manna, and Grumbling Against God Sin in the Desert–Testing God at Massah and Meribah Mt. Sinai and the Day of Judgment Canaan and Heaven–How God Gives The Chastening of the Lord …