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• King Saul–As Long as It Glorifies God

  …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 »Paul said, “For whatever things were written before were written for our l…

• Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith)

  The conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who was soon to be known as Paul the apostle, is one of the most interesting accounts of conversion to Christianity found in the Bible.  One can read about Paul’s conversion in 3 different accounts given in the book of Acts–Acts 9:1-19, 22:1-16, 26:9-20.  Saul of Tarsus was one of the really bad men we read about in the New Testament which makes his conversion even more dramatic.  How bad a man was S…

• 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…

• Why Men Do Not Believe

  …ersecutor of Christians and then says, “I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Tim. 1:13 NAS) Thus there was a time in Paul’s life when he was an unbeliever.  Yet, Paul, then known as Saul, was an honest man for he says elsewhere in Acts 23:1 while standing before the Council or Sanhedrin that “I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (NAS) or, as the NK…

• 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 …

• Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers

  s not something we are incapable of doing anything about.  All sin begins in the heart unless one is talking about sins of ignorance.  If the Bible teaches anything at all it teaches that men and their hearts can be changed.  Saul had a hand in seeing Christians put to death (Acts 26:10) but God and his word changed him into the apostle Paul.  Paul said there was a reason for that–that he might be an example. I use the New Living Translatio…

• God’s Willingness to Forgive–King Manasseh

  …thren.  So, we see two groups–one feeling that God will forgive without a thought about my state of mind or spirituality and the other thinking God will never forgive.  Both are in error.  I believe a study of Manasseh, king of Judah could prove profitable for both groups. I want to give you an account of a man so evil that we are horrified as we read about the things he did.  I read from the English Standard Version of the Bible about King…

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

  …st include repentance (I believe it also includes baptism upon a confession of faith) and is thus used very often as a synecdoche, a part standing for the whole.  So I believe it is used in Acts 15. But, let us take a look at Saul (Paul).  When Saul was being converted Ananias came to him and told him to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (Acts 22:16 NKJV)  If we are saved by Holy Spirit baptism is this not strange lang…

• Praying to God to Bless the Bread–Really?

  …ied.” (1 Cor. 14:16-17 KJV) This is so simple as to be nearly impossible to misunderstand.  To bless in prayer means to give thanks. Since the word “bless” is only used 10 times in a total of 9 verses in the King James Version of the  New Testament it will not take long to run through those listings, check them out, and see what we can find, namely, see if we ought to continue this practice of asking God to bless the emblems at …

• Deeper Spiritual Understanding–How do I Acquire It?

  …t you hear?  Only then (emphasis on this) will you be given more.  Fail to do that and even what you have will be taken from you. All of scripture teaches this same lesson.  I am reminded of the words of Samuel as he spoke to Saul after Saul proclaimed that he had “performed the commandment of the Lord.” (1 Sam. 15:13 NKJV)  That commandment was to destroy utterly the Amalekites and all they had.  Samuel says to him, “What then is this bleating o…

• Does God Really Care?

  …  The Psalmist says, “God is angry with the wicked every day.” (Psalms 7:11 NKJV)  In reference to Jesus the Psalmist further states, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.  You love righteousness and hate wickedness.” (Psalms 45:6-7 NKJV) We often see Jesus as just a New Testament personality but Paul in 1 Cor. 10:4 in talking about the children of Israel coming out of Egypt says that…

• The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit

  …hat is pretty much the end of the story.  Yes, the case of Cornelius was unique and an exception to the rule but it is not the only such case for when God has seen a need he has acted for the specific purpose he had in mind.  Saul was converted and became the apostle Paul not because he heard the gospel in the normal way and responded.  We doubt that would ever have happened with Saul left to his own devices with the attitude he had.  But, God ac…

• Mary of Bethany–Doing What You Can

  … means we long and desire to give to him and his work. We cannot bestow our goods on Jesus directly as did Mary of Bethany but we must remember that the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18, 24) and that when Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the church and Jesus met him on the road to Damascus he said to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4 NKJV)  When we give to the church (notice I said “the…

• If Baptism is Not Essential for Salvation

  r or the Holy Spirit as being a teacher of error.  (4)  If baptism is not essential for salvation Ananias is proven to be nothing less than an old (?) fool who did not know what he 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 r…

• Things People Do Not Know About the Church

  …hrough John the apostle he said, “He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1 John 3:14 NKJV) (6)  When one persecutes, or belittles, or makes fun of the church (Christians are the church) he is doing it to Christ.  Saul who later became the apostle Paul was a great persecutor of the church as you are well aware.  When Christ confronted Saul on the road to Damascus he says to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4 NKJ…

• Disobedience to Jesus

  …age, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (NAS – see also the ASV, ESV, RSV, NRSV, LITV, GNB, and the ISV)  The New King James Version translates it, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (NKJV)  At first glance it might we…

• The Need to Sing in Worship

  … (Ex. 15:1 NKJV).  This is very important.  Please note that they sang to the Lord.  The singing was worship.  So it is today.  17 times in the Old Testament the phrase “sing to the Lord” is found based on the New King James Version and the E-Sword concordance.  There is thus no doubt as to whom the singing is addressed.  Singing is an act of worship. In Rom. 15:8-9 (ESV) Paul says, “For I tell you that Christ became a servant t…

• A New Creation in Christ

  …follows.  In the sense that “faith” is the source of all allegiance and obedience it can be said that such faith saves but we have to remember that the reason faith saves is that it does lead to an acceptance of a king (King Jesus) and of a Lord (Lord Jesus) to whom we must give our lives in total acceptance and obedience.  It leads to “obedience to righteousness” (Rom. 6:16 NKJV) thus leads to repentance, confession of Ch…

• Christianity–Who Rules Reason or Emotions?

  …based (or should I say “emotion ruled”) religion.  You will never change a person whose religion is based on emotion for reasoning with them is out of the question.  They do not think with their minds but with their feelings. Saul, who became the apostle Paul, was a perfect example.  If Jesus had not directly intervened miraculously on the road to Damascus it is exceedingly doubtful he would ever have been converted.  He could take an active role…

• Misunderstanding the Grace of God

  … does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21 NKJV)  When Peter said, “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38 KJV), when Ananias told Saul, “arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16 NKJV) I wonder was that the will of the Father in heaven?  Was that grace?  What do you think?  Can you be saved without doing the will of the Fa…

• I Can Do All Things Through Christ

  …ed a vision of a heavenly being.  Paul did not know who this was who spoke to him for he says, “Who are You, Lord?” (Acts 9:5 NKJV) Without word from Jesus (although Paul did not know that this was Jesus until Jesus told him) Saul might well have left thinking he was being punished by the loss of his sight for not doing enough to destroy Christianity for remember Paul was thoroughly convinced that the course of action he had been pursuing was the…

• 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. …

• A Heart Right With God (Test Your Heart)

  …p to pray.  Every person you read about in the Bible that transgressed God’s law thinking it would be all right, God would accept what he was doing and he would get by with it, was a person who trusted in his own heart.  King Saul (1 Sam. 15) and Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10) come readily to my mind. I am really not much interested in having any man or woman telling me how his/her heart is right with God or in what their heart is telling them about t…

• The Heart of Man from a Biblical Perspective

  .  The will in his heart was to do his own will, not God’s.  It is very difficult to convert a strong willed person who has been brought up on false doctrine.  (A radical Islamist would be a good example.)  Samuel speaking to Saul said, “Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Sam. 15:23 NKJV)  We must have the will to do God’s will but we must make certain it is his will and not our version of what we would like his will to be. (3)  The 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…

• 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…

• The Christian, Politics, and the Government

  … it to the wrath of God.” (Rom. 12:19 ESV) The Bible teaches we ought to pray for those in authority.  “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to …

• Spiritual Mirages

  …d send the Babylonians resulting in death for many and Babylonian captivity for those that were left alive.  Only the very poorest of the land were left in Judah to till the land under the leadership of a man appointed by the king of Babylon for that job, Gedaliah. Due to some outside intrigue by the king of Ammon men were sent to assassinate Gedaliah which mission they accomplished.  This put great fear into the Jews left in the land fearing tha…

• The Hardening of the Human Heart

  …e must remember the question Job asked, one which we must answer, “Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?” (Job 9:4 NKJV) I want to close this article out with a short discussion of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, a man who hardened his heart against God.  I quote the following text: “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.  He also did evil in the sight of …

• Faith is Not Just What You Believe

  …appened: “’But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?’  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ’O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if no…

• The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept

  …that he was not lying, faith that he had not lost his senses, faith that he was not deluded, faith that he said exactly what he meant to say, faith that he spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, faith that when Ananias told Saul “arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16 NKJV) he knew that Saul still had sins to be forgiven, that he was not cleansed of sin on the road to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him and fait…

• Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts

  …n exception to the rule. One needs to be careful lest he take the exception to the rule and make it the general rule.  We do not do that in life and we should not do it in Bible study.  We do not say that the Lord appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus therefore unless the Lord appears to you personally you cannot be converted.  There was a reason Jesus appeared to Saul and that reason is not applicable to either you or me.  We understand this….

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

  … and is thus not a reference to water baptism.  If they are correct then in Heb. 10:22 the physical body was washed with pure symbolism.  That is certainly sound reasoning isn’t it?] There is more.  In Acts 22:16 Ananias told Saul to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (NKJV)  What was Saul going to be baptized in?  Water.  What was going to happen as a result?  The washing away of sins. I have heard people who do not understand bap…

• The Conscience as a Witness

  …annot.  I only argue that our conscience must be trained by the word of God as found in the New Testament, God’s law for man today, and that we may need to retrain our conscience to bring it into accord with that word.  Saul, who was to become the apostle Paul, had to when he met up with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  His conversion experience (read about it in Acts 9, 22, and 26) immediately convinced him that the things he used to believ…

• Bible Characters

  Mary of Bethany–Doing What You Can Demas Has Forsaken Me Diotrephes Loves to Have the Preeminence The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist Never Give Up (Moses and David) Regrets He Feared (Peter) Honestly Deceived (the young prophet and Eve) He Went Away Grieved (the rich young ruler) King Saul–As Long as it Glorifies God They Loved the Praise of Men Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Moses–The Fork in the Road …

• The Grace of God in Baptism

  …d carefully. How did Jesus cleanse the church at Ephesus? “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” (Eph. 5:26 NKJV) The washing is done with water. It is baptism. Ananias told Saul, soon to be Paul, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16 NKJV) The washing was done in baptism. The writer of the book of …

• Peter’s Second Gospel Sermon

  …d like to somehow or another get rid of it.  One common way is to try and pit Peter against Paul mistakenly thinking Paul taught something different on salvation (he did not).  That effort will not succeed.  Paul, then called Saul, was not converted until Acts chapter 9 some 3 years after the church was established and after the gospel was being preached (dating according to “The Oxford Companion to the Bible,” edited by Metzger and C…

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

  …ration, they know he preached the gospel, but their religious tradition will not allow them to accept it. Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:12), Philip also in preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-38), Ananias in preaching to Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:17-18 and Acts 22:16), Peter in preaching to Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:48), Paul in preaching to Lydia (Acts 16:14-15) and to the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31-33), Paul again in Corinth (Ac…

• Christian Living

  …iracles Have Ceased–the Implications Work Out Your Own Salvation Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door Looking Down Your Nose He Went Away Grieved Bible Authority, Foot Washing, the Holy Kiss, and Head Coverings King Saul–As Long as it Glorifies God When Did Obedience Become Legalism? Christianity–Who Rules Reason or Emotions? Healing For the Brokenhearted Deeper Spiritual Understanding They Loved the Praise of Men The Chaste…

• Regrets

  …ing “having faithful children” (Titus 1:6 NKJV), due to the kind of lives one or more of their children lived. David was another great man of God.  Here is what God thought about David after his death, speaking of King Abijam, the scripture says, “His heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.” (I Kings 15:3 ESV)  And then in the latter part of verse 4 of the same chapter we read, R…

• Worship

  The Lord’s Supper as a Part of a Larger Meal–Right or Wrong? Praying to God to Bless the Bread The Need to Sing in Worship Instrumental Music in Christian Worship–Is It God’s Will? Singing and Playing in Christian Worship Confirmation Sunday–No Bibles Required Bible Authority, Foot Washing, the Holy Kiss, and Head Coverings King Saul–As Long as it Glorifies God Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) The Lord’s…

• Old Testament Studies

  Abuse of the Old Testament The Book of Ecclesiastes King Saul–As Long as it Glorifies God Canaan and Heaven–How God Gives Must the Christian Keep the Sabbath? Spiritual Mirages  (a lesson from Jeremiah) Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Moses–The Fork in the Road When Your Walking Stick Comes Home The Valley of Dry Bones The Weaver’s Shuttle Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks On to Canaan But He Lingered The Day of Decision …

• Must a Man Seek God?

  …e knows are often two different things.  How can you know God when you never read nor study his word, when you don’t even know what he has said? Who is the man God commends?  Jehu said, speaking on God’s behalf of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God.” (2 Chron. 19:3 NKJV)  King Jehoshaphat w…

• Work Out Your Own Salvation

  …ect translation of the Greek text?  It is according to the American Standard Version of 1901, the English Standard Version, the Holman Christian Standard, the International Standard Version, the New International Version, the King James, the New King James, the New American Standard, the New American Standard Update, the NET, and the Revised Standard Version.  There were a vast number of Greek scholars behind these translations so I think the que…

• Faith in the New Testament–Different Meanings

  … I have entitled An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W. E. Vine.  This is a standard work, a word definition book quite well known by Bible students.  This book allows you to take the English word found in your King James Bible, look it up in this dictionary, and it will give you the Greek word or words behind the English, and give you the meaning of those Greek words as used in the scriptures in the first century.  When I looked u…

• The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification

  …fessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, in Matt. 16:16, Jesus’ responded by saying, “on this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18 NKJV) but then in the very next verse he tells Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 16:19 NKJV)  Jesus thus uses the terms the church and the kingdom interchangeably making them one and the same. The kingdom of God is not something that in our own time is yet down the road in the …

• Ghost Hunting and Consulting the Dead

  …sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord.” (Deut. 18:10-12 NKJV) The phrase “calls up the dead” is in the old King James Version the word “necromancer” which means, according to Albert Barnes the well known commentator, “one who interrogates the dead.”  In fact, he says that is the literal rendering of the Hebrew if I understand him…

• Fear God

  …verses from the Old Testament before turning to the new.  What is the whole duty of man?  Solomon concluded in Eccl. 12:13, NKJV, that it was and is to “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” or as the old King James version put it, “this is the whole duty of man.” What are the blessings to those who fear God?  “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.”  (Psalms 34:7 NKJV)  “Oh, fear the …

• Receiving the Gospel (Acts 2:41)

  …;Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day ….”   The International Standard Version translates this way, “So those who welcomed his message were baptized ….”   The New King James Version says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized ….”   I guess one who does not believe that baptism is essential for remission of sins can choose his poison here.  What had Peter p…

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

  … were those words?   Was it not the same words Peter had preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2?  Was it not the same words spoken by Philip in Samaria and before the Ethiopian eunuch?  Was it not the same words spoken to Saul by Ananias?  Is there more than one gospel that will save?  It has already shown in previous articles, as taken in chronological order, that in every instance the preaching by these inspired men immediately led to bapti…

• Ways into Christ–How Many Ways Are There?

  …why on the Day of Pentecost when God told the people, speaking through Peter, to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins the people did it.  Why?  Because they believed God’s message.  That is why Paul, then known as Saul, was baptized when God speaking through Ananias told him to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins.  Why?  Because he believed what God, speaking through Ananias, told him. Faith or belief has been perverted today…

• Ashamed of Jesus and His Words

  …into their hearts” and so you cannot believe these words about baptism for the forgiveness of sins that Peter spoke on behalf of Christ. You can go to other passages and try and convince them.  For example, Ananias told Saul, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (NAS)  To them Ananias did not know what he was talking about Holy Spirit or no Holy Spirit for they say baptism cannot wash away sins…

• Bible Conversions

  …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 Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch Saul’s Conversion Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith) Cornelius’ Conversion The Conversion of Lydia The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer Gospel Obedience at Corinth   Audio Sermons  (by Waymon Sw…

• Christian Wars–A Misnomer

  …each what Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and that only.  He will not preach it because he does not believe it. It doesn’t matter what Peter said about baptism (1 Peter 3:21), it does not matter what Ananias told Saul (Acts 22:16) concerning arising and being baptized and washing away his sins, and it doesn’t even matter what Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not bel…

• The Joy and the Danger of a Clean Conscience

  …Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14 NAS) Memory will not be erased but we can put the past behind us and move ahead with confidence that God will forgive us.  We can once again walk with a good conscience. For one like Saul, who became Paul the apostle, one who was not a Christian, we can do as he did.  He came to faith in Christ, repented of his sins, and was baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. (Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38)  His con…

• Baptized For the Dead

  …me of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11 NKJV)  Does the word “washed” here remind you of the word “wash” as in “wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16), the words of Ananias to Paul when he was yet known as Saul.  So the church at Corinth, meaning each Christian in it, had been washed of their sins the same way Paul himself had in the waters of baptism where the blood of Jesus is contacted spiritually. What does all of this hav…

• Christ Did Not Send Paul to Baptize

  … or not then why was Paul baptized?  Was more required of Paul than anyone else in becoming a Christian?  The command to Paul by Ananias, a man sent directly by the Lord himself (see Acts 9:10-16) to Paul (at that time called Saul), was “arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (Acts 22:16 NKJV) Most today, if they were to be consistent in what they teach, would have to tell you that Ananias was mistaken and could not possibly…

• The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

  …ad been baptized.  Why not?  Paul doesn’t ask them because he knows what it takes to become a Christian and be saved.  “Why tarriest thou?  Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins.” (Acts 22:16 KJV, Ananias speaking to Saul, a believer, prior to Saul’s baptism) One also ought to note the first thing Paul did with these 12 men, after learning their situation, was to have them “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:5 NAS)  Yes, P…

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

  …e road to Damascus there was no doubt but what faith came instantly to him.  Salvation by faith only advocates have Paul saved at this point in time.  They have him saved by their human doctrine but God does not. Paul (called Saul at that time) spends the next 3 days in Damascus neither eating nor drinking (strange behavior for a man who should be rejoicing in his salvation) (Acts 9:9).  He prays (Acts 9:11).  Now, according to the salvation by a…

• Bible Contradictions on Salvation?

  …em, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,’” while preaching the first gospel sermon ever heard after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:38 NKJV). Saul was told, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (Acts 22:16 NKJV) Jesus says, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  (John 3:5 NKJV) Paul, …

• Christ and Baptism in Colossians

  …us heritage exerts on people. Error believed has the same faith affect upon a man or woman as truth believed and can thus provide peace and comfort until the time truth exerts itself with such force that it cannot be denied.  Saul, before he became Paul the apostle, believed error and acted in all good conscience (Acts 23:1) while persecuting Christ (Acts 26:14).  He believed error and was at perfect peace with himself while sinning continually&#…

• Ignorance Does Not Excuse Sin

  …. In closing I reiterate ignorance does not excuse sin with God.  That being the case we have an obligation to live a life of knowledge which means for all of us it is time to get the Bible out and read and study it.  The old King James Version says, “study to show thyself approved to God.” (2 Tim. 2:15)  Let us not sin because of willful ignorance of God’s word–willful in that we prove ourselves to be too indifferent and lazy to study it a…

• How Was Noah Saved Through Water?

  …gs salvation to some (Mark 16:16) will bring death to others who are willingly disobedient to the command. This brings us to Peter’s use of a word somewhat strange to many–the word “antitype” used in verse 21 in the New King James version and also the word that is found in the Greek text.   Let me quote that to you again.  “There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism.” (NKJV)  Some of the more modern versions phrase it like…

• 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…

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

  …e man legislative powers in the realm of religion as Christ has all authority.  “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18 NKJV) were some of the last words Jesus spoke while on earth.  He is the king of a kingdom and not a president of some kind of a democracy.  This being the case, and as Christ the head has spoken and given his will in the pages of the New Testament, why have men not been content to be guided by h…

• Christ the Savior of the Body but Which One–the Matter of Timing?

  …s hard to write to a body not yet established, to something that does not exist.  The church was begun on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 commencing with those who responded to Peter’s preaching that day.  In Acts 2:47 the New King James version of the Bible reads, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  Much more could be written on the establishment of the church but that is not the purpose of this particular articl…

• A Good and Pure Conscience

  …eaven.  If they could be forgiven of such grave sins in violation of conscience surely we can be forgiven also of our sins in violation of conscience. The exact phrase “good conscience” is found 6 times in the New King James Version of the New Testament in Acts 23:1 (previously mentioned above), 1 Tim. 1:5, 1 Tim. 1:19, Heb. 13:18, 1 Peter 3:16, and 1 Peter 3:21.  It would be good to take a quick look at the 5 verses not yet mentioned…

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

  …ly over Absalom.  It would take up too much space to retell the story of David’s relationship with Absalom so let me speak here only of David’s love for Absalom even after Absalom rebelled and had sought to overthrow David as King and possibly take his father’s life. Prior to David’s army going into battle against the army of Absalom David commanded Joab, the commander of his own army, to “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” (2 S…

• The Faithfulness of Jesus to God the Father

  …mself became subject (willingly) to the Father. The Hebrew writer makes this clear when he says: “But to the son he says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.  You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions.’” (Heb. 1:8-9 NKJV) Jesus who was himself God (read the …

• What Is Baptism (the Sprinkling Hoax)

  …nmade laws added.  I need not tell a Bible student this for they already know it.  What is the difference today?  In Matt. 15 we have an example that parallels what I am talking about.  I quote verses 1 – 9 from the New King James Version:  “Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ‘Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat b…

• Is Denominational Baptism Scriptural?

  …s” or “gestures” it might help but when I tried it I only got one hit on the word “symbol” and it related to the head covering in 1 Cor. 11.  I also tried the word “sign” and the word “figure” and came up dry as well. The old King James does use the word figure in 1 Peter 3:21 related to baptism but it does not help those who want baptism to be just a figure for it says, “the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” and that is n…

• Jesus Defines Repentance

  …re proud cannot humble themselves and confess they have sinned and repent.  They will pay for their arrogant spirit.  The men of Nineveh will not be of their number. What more did the people of Nineveh do?  Jonah 3:8 says the King decreed that “every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.” (NKJV)  What did they do?  They ceased doing evil. Let us summarize the events that transpired here in a city that Jesus said r…

• Abraham’s Faith (Faith Accounted for Righteousness)

  …forever.” (Gen. 13:15 NKJV) We next read of Abraham building another altar after having moved to Hebron (Gen. 13:18) and then read of Lot’s captivity and rescue by Abraham and later of his meeting with Melchizedek king of Salem (“priest of God Most High” – Gen. 14:18). Finally, we come to chapter 15 where “the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your …

• Abuse of the Old Testament

  …ens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (NKJV) Everyone readily admits that Jesus gave to man commandments to obey.  A commandment is nothing other than a law to be obeyed.  Disobey a law of God and you sin.  As the old King James puts it in 1 John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law:  for sin is the transgression of the law.”  In our day the law that is transgressed bringing sin is the law of Christ, not t…

• Demas Has Forsaken Me

  …to the church at Closse (Col. 4:14). Again in the book of Philemon in verse 23 and 24 he along with Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, and Luke send greetings to Philemon and Paul says these men are his fellow workers or in the old King James language his “fellowlabourers.”  The book of Philemon is said to have been written around AD 60. However, by the time Paul wrote his last letter, the book of Second Timothy, dated anywhere from AD 64 to AD 68, Pau…

• Better to Never Have Been Born–Why?

  …respect him for who he is–God. We will not be seeing Jesus in his unglorified state (as a man) on the Day of Judgment.  You are not going to see Jesus setting on his throne as a flesh and blood human being but rather as king of kings and lord of lords.  When Jesus was transfigured the Bible says his face “shone like the sun.” (Matt. 17:2 NKJV)  Peter in referring to this event later says he and his companions “were eyewitn…

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

  …), the good shepherd (John 10:11), the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), the true vine in which one must abide or be cast out and thrown into the fire (John 15:1,6), and the king of the Jews (John 19:19) and this list is not exhaustive of every term found in that book that in one way or another is descriptive of Jesus.  Nave’s Topical Bible lists a full page and a half of names, appellatio…

• The Need to Preach on Sin

  …orgiven.  Men need to be convicted of sin in order to motivate them to turn from it and turn to God. Well what is sin and what makes it so bad?  “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4 KJV) or as the New King James Version puts it, “sin is lawlessness.”  It is disobedience to the law of God whether willful or otherwise.  What makes it so bad?  It displaces God as the rightful ruler of the world and puts man in Go…

• The Silence of the Scriptures

  …fully to what Jesus told him just prior to his question and would have believed what Jesus said he would not have needed to ask the question.  Hear Jesus in the verse just prior to verse 38, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37 NKJV) Now let me ask a question about w…

• God’s Hardening of the Human Heart

  …Isaiah passage says, “their eyes they have closed” (Matt. 13:15 NKJV) and Paul says exactly the same thing in Acts 28:27.  Compare Matt. 13:15 with Acts 28:27 (Jesus and Paul) and you will see, at least in the New King James version, the exact same wording in both verses which I quote: “For the heart of this people has grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their e…

• Things God Cannot Do

  The Bible teaches there are things God cannot do.  Why not?  It is certainly not because he is wanting in power or knowledge but it is a matter of who he is, his nature or character.  We can understand that.  There are things you and I could do but our character would never allow it.  I thought it would be good to use an online Bible concordance for the New King James Version and type in the word “cannot” and see what came up.  I was…

• The Fragrance of Christ

  …other offensive.  One man’s heart is hardened by the gospel of Christ while the other man’s is softened and made tender but it is always a personal choice as to which it will be for either way we allow it. In Eph. 5:2 the New King James version of the Bible talks of Christ’s sacrifice of himself for us as “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”  I think the International Standard Version states it best as far as the meani…

• Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

  …eath is coming and we must either go prepared for it or unprepared.  Put another way we must prepare to meet God in judgment.  Whatcha gonna do? Daniel Webster, the great statesman, said, “One may live as a conqueror, a king, or a magistrate; but he must die a man.  The bed of death brings every human being to his pure individuality, to the intense contemplation of that deepest and most solemn of all relations – the relations between …

• Never Give Up

  …this sin began when, because of outside stimulus, his heart ceased to be pure. Yet, despite his sin, as horrible as it was, the Bible speaks highly of him.  Here is what it says in comments that are being made about Abijam, a king that came later down the road after David.  “His heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.  Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up…

• He Feared

  …, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV)  We need to concentrate on building our faith. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 16:13 that we are to “watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (NKJV)  The old King James version says, “quit you like men” and tells us to “be strong.”  So, it is our choice.  We can be cowardly and fearful and like the children of Israel be afraid to obey God and, consequently, fail to enter the Prom…

• He Went Away Grieved

  People came to Jesus while he was on earth for different reasons.  Some came because they felt he could provide them with the necessities of life.  After having fed the 5,000 the crowd intended to take him by force to make him king (John 6:15).  Jesus said to them, “You seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (John 6:26 NKJV) Others sought after him that they might be healed of sickness and dis…

• Forgiveness

  God’s Willingness to Forgive–King Manasseh Willful Sin–Can Anyone be Saved? More on Willful Sin–Can Anyone be Saved? The Need to Preach on Sin The Peace Found in the Forgiveness of Others Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Forgiveness Contacting the Blood of Salvation No Condemnation Is Your Name Written There? The Goodness and Severity of God Are You Ready? …