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• Everlasting Life–The Believer of John 3:16

  …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 »Who has everlasting life?  Is it the man Jesus spoke of in John 3:16 when …

• Who is the Believer in John 3:16?

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

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

  vation.  God is not a rewarder of the passive believer but of the diligent seeker. To the church at Laodicea Jesus said, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16 NKJV)  God requires diligence of his people. (2) One must believe in God the Father.  Here we are talking of a specific God, the Father of Jesus Christ.  We are not talking about Allah or the God of some other religion …

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

  ut we all (speaking to Christians–DS), with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18 NKJV)  As Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave hims…

• Finding Truth in Divided Christendom

  the Father’s who sent Me.” (John 14:24 NKJV)  John the Baptist was speaking of Jesus when he said, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” (John 3:34 NKJV) Jesus made other statements to this effect as follows:  “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority.” (John 14:10 NKJV)  “I speak to the world those things which I heard fro…

• Walk in Truth—the Joy of John the Apostle

  een any recent surveys on the question of how many Americans believe Jesus is God’s son to give an exact percentage of the number of people who hold that belief). The apostle John in his two short epistles, 2nd John and 3rd John, talks about people “who have known the truth.” (2 John 1 NKJV)  What did they know?  Did they know “a truth” or “the truth?”  What did John say?  Read it for yourself. In 3rd Joh…

• The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist

  anyone if it was not necessary in making Christians, if it was not necessary in obedience to the gospel, if it was not a part of the gospel? In Acts 19:2 Paul talks of that time “when you believed.”  Then in verse 3 immediately following he says, “into what then were you baptized?”  He ties belief and baptism together.  If you believed you were baptized is what he is saying.  All of the conversion accounts in the book of A…

• Does God Really Care?

  0, “I and My Father are one.” (NKJV)  In John 14:9 he says, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (NKJV) Other passages teach the same thing.  “God was manifested in the flesh.” (1 Tim. 3:16 NKJV)  “Shepherd (feed in the old KJV–DS) the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 NKJV)  “‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall…

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

  o violate his law and run amok without consequence.  No one respects a law or its maker if the law can be broken without a penalty being imposed for doing so.  “Sin is the transgression of the law” of God. (1 John 3:4 KJV) God cannot be glorified by men who show disrespect by violating his laws at will.  When men violate God’s law by sin it shows disrespect for God and dishonors him.  God will not allow that to happen.  “D…

• Disobedience to Jesus

  to obey God other than mentally assenting to the son ship of Jesus.  Disobedience to Jesus is thus not considered a sin that will damn you just as long as you believe. What does the Bible have to say on the subject?  In John 3:36 we find this passage, “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…

• Christian Wars–A Misnomer

  an attack on the average Catholic man or woman.  Catholicism is basically a religion one is physically born into, an inherited religion, and in that sense far more like Judaism than Christianity.  One is not born again (John 3:3-5) into the Catholic Church.  This is not to say one cannot be converted to Catholicism but when he is that is exactly what has happened—he was converted to Catholicism, not to Christianity. If one has never known anythi…

• Lessons for the Church from Isaiah (Chapter 1)

  hristianity today to suit himself is found in the fact that there are hundreds if not thousands of denominations.  They all argue they know God.  Do you believe it?  I don’t. Reminds me of the church of the Laodiceans in Rev. 3:14-19 in that Jesus said of them, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-.“  (Rev. 3:17 NKJV)  The fact an in…

• The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

  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 God’s grace (Acts 15:11, Rom. 3:24, Gal. 2:21, 5:4, Eph. 1:7, 2:5, 2 Thess. 2:16, 2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 2:11, Titus 3:7, 1 Peter 1:10, 1 Peter 1:13).  I have listed most of them here so the reader will know I am well aware of them. I might also add here I am…

• 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…

• Jesus’ Baptism and You?

  rk 1:4 NKJV), “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”  We know that Jesus never sinned and when Jesus comes to John to be baptized John is hesitant.  In Matthew 3:14 we are told that, “John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’” (NKJV) Now note carefully how Jesus responds.  “But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be …

• 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…

• How Does One Get Into the Church Christ Built?

  died for our sins and was raised from the dead. Jesus Christ as the Son of God is the foundation upon which the church was built “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 3:11 NKJV)  He is the “chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20 NKJV) of the church (cornerstone being the rock upon which the church is built).  So a man must believe these things about Christ to be saved.  Faith then is essential.  W…

• Who Gets to Decide–God or the Church?

  There are approximately 38,000 denominations in the world today calling themselves Christian according to the results I found on the subject doing a Google search.  I was astounded and find that number hard to believe but be that as it may we all know there are a vast multitude of them and I suppose the number you come up with depends on how you decide to count them.  If this number is correct we have gone from 1 church in the New Testament to 3…

• Israel’s Rebellion at the Red Sea

  me to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.   Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.’” (Ex. 3:6-10 NKJV) Moses was instructed to go to Egypt, gather the elders of the people together, tell them of God and the mission he had sent Moses on, and specifically (for the purposes of this article) tell them, “I (God&…

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

  Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (NASU) and then a couple of verses later clarifies his statement when he says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5 NASU) This passage has greatly troubled people over the years to the extent that many have just c…

• The Faith of Enoch

  was the great grandfather of Noah (see Gen. 5:21-29).  We also know that Enoch was a prophet of God in the seventh generation from Adam (Jude 14) and that he is found in the genealogy of Christ on Joseph’s side in Luke 3 (see Luke 3:23-38, especially verse 37).  So little is known about Enoch we can quote all the Bible has to say about him in the passages that follow along with the passage quoted above. “And Enoch lived sixty-five ye…

• Demas Has Forsaken Me

  ut cannot prove and do not bind it upon you, that Demas just got tired.  I do not believe he wanted to go off to commit adultery, cheat, lie, and steal.  I don’t think he left because he wanted a first century equivalent of a 3 car garage and a multi million dollar home.  I don’t think he quit and left Paul and God because he wanted to be rich and famous.  I think he left because he wanted out of the line of fire, wanted an easier life, wanted to…

• 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…

• 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…

• Christian Circumcision

  in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” (Rom. 2:29 NKJV)  “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Phil. 3:3 NKJV)  The “we” in this passage are Christians.  Yes, circumcision matters–circumcision of the heart, not circumcision of the flesh.  The heart must be right in God’s sight. In Col. 2:9-13 Paul ta…

• Ways into Christ–How Many Ways Are There?

  I want to drive home here is that salvation is found “in Christ” and not “out of Christ.”  Paul speaks of “the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Tim. 2:10 NKJV)  Redemption “is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24 NKJV)  Elsewhere Paul says Christ “is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5:23 NKJV)  The body of which he is the Savior is his spiritual body, the church, for the church is his body (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18) which makes bei…

• Resource Sites

  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 faith I have ever read…

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

  verses.  (2) There is always a begetting before a birth.  (3) By Paul’s conversion experience. Paul most certainly believed when confronted by Jesus himself on the road to Damascus (Acts 22) but when Ananias came to him 3 days later he told Paul to “‘Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’” (Acts 22:16 NAS)  Do you not find it strikingly strange that a man who believes with his whole he…

• One Church—A Thing Hard to Accept

  nk out of a high school or college class for they will not accept factual statements or any kind of sound reasoning.  Show them a passage like Acts 2:38 on baptism for the remission of sins (add to that Acts 22:16 and 1 Peter 3:21) and they will say the text cannot mean what it seems to be saying, that would be impossible from their point of view, for like the lady with O.J. it simply cannot be so.  It cannot be so for the heart has already made …

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

  who cared, no one close enough to you to even know your need? While the phrase “the family of God” is not found in the New Testament the concept is.  We are the children of God, “Beloved, now we are children of God.” (1 John 3:2 NKJV)  Christians are born of God, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” (1 John 5:1 NKJV)  We are begotten of God in that he has “according to his abundant mercy…begotten us again.” (1 Peter 1:3 NK…

• Is Church Attendance Essential for Christian Salvation?

  y approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25 NKJV) This passage clearly commands the Christian to assemble with other Christians.  That being the case the next 6 verses should terrify the Christian who will not attend services (verses 26 – 31).  The passage is too long to quote in its entirety so let me just pick out a few phrases.  “For if we sin willfully…no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…fearful expectation of judgment…fiery indignation…trampled the So…

• Mary of Bethany–Doing What You Can

  be taken away as she poured the oil onto the Lord’s head and onto his feet wiping his feet with her hair (John 12:3).  It was not cheap.  A footnote in the New Living Translation of the Bible at Mark 14:5 says that the 300 denarii cost of the oil would be the equivalent of 300 day’s wages. What lessons can we learn from this account?  There are several.  (1) When you love someone money doesn’t matter.  If you have it you are mo…

• Christianity–Who Rules Reason or Emotions?

  otion rules whatever the issue. An emotion based religion is a religion that will in time no longer see the need for Bible authority even though those holding to such a religion call themselves Christians.  Paul said, in Col. 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (NKJV) It is a little hard to see how one can do a thing in the name of the Lord Jesus about whi…

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

  n inspired writer (as well as a gospel preacher) then Peter was in error for he said of Paul’s writings that some twisted them “to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:15 NKJV)  Not only does Peter compare Paul’s writings with the rest of the scriptures but also says his writings can be twisted to one’s destruction.  That would be a little hard to do if they were uninspired w…

• The Need to Preach on Sin

  self as regards sin.  So what?  Does that make a man a success just because he can find others worse than himself?  Does that make me sin free?  No way!  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 NKJV)  “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8 NKJV)  “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23 NKJV)  We all live condemned before the God of…

• The Kind of Faith in God That Destroys

  ieve–and tremble!” (James 2:19 NKJV)  What they believed was that there was one God but by studying the gospel accounts one also knows they believed in Jesus for they often confessed him.  One such example is Mark 3:11, “And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, saying, ‘You are the Son of God!’” (NAS) Another example is found in Luke 4:33-34 (NAS), “And the…

• Bible Contradictions on Salvation?

  generally know what is meant by such statements.  But, the reality is it is not Paul’s word, then James’ word, and then Peter’s, etc., for “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Tim. 3:16 NKJV)  What Paul wrote he wrote by inspiration.  What James wrote he wrote by inspiration. Thus if Paul says we are saved by faith and James says we are saved by works then both are correct else you have God fighting ag…

• Fear God

  to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal.” (1 Cor. 3:1-3 NKJV) Did the Corinthians at this stage of their lives have anything to fear?  Were they guilty of unforgiven sin at the time Paul wrote the letter?  The book of First Corinthians is a book that lists sin after sin for…

• Abortion Luke 1 – All You Need to Know

  would be born.  Did Cyrus exist in the mind of God prior to his birth?  Was he just fetal matter in the womb or was he the baby Cyrus?   When a woman conceives whose doing is that if not God’s?  (See Gen. 29:31 and Gen. 30:22-23 to find out.  No, don’t be lazy, open your Bible and read.) How many women are trying desperately to have a child but cannot?  If you as a woman have conceived then it was God’s doing.  God is the only g…

• The Silence of the Scriptures

  hn 18:38 NKJV)  Had he of listened carefully 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 …

• Acceptable Prayer

  ians, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:21-22 NAS)  Now, why is it we have our prayers answered?  Because we keep his commandments and do those things that please God. So far we have seen that to have effective prayer we must (1) be a child of God or one who is …

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

  ism–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 talking to Nicodemus in John 3:3 and said to him, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” and then later in verse 5 expands on that by saying, “most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spir…

• Misunderstanding the Grace of God

  217;s grace? Peter says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)  Is this not grace?  Just God giving us time to get our life in order is that not grace?  Yes, we are saved by God’s grace working in so many different ways for our salvation without which we could not be sav…

• Why Men Do Not Believe

  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 deny what is obvious to …

• Diotrephes Loves To Have the Preeminence

  t 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 accept the apostle John. The English Standard Version reads in 3 John 1:9 as follows: “I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.” In studying various Christian men in the New Testament in order…

• More on Willful Sin—Can Anyone be Saved?

  but a determination to live a life of sin after having become a Christian. The New Testament never envisioned Christians ever reaching the point in this life where they would never sin.  Yes, that is the goal but the apostle John said in talking to Christians, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8 NKJV)  Well, then, what is the Christian to do about his sin?  John tells us in t…

• Is Holy Spirit Baptism The Baptism That Saves?

  ;  (Mark 1:5 NKJV)  We know Jesus when baptized “came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”  (Matt. 3:16 NKJV)  So our very first introduction to the subject of baptism relates it to water, not the Holy Spirit.  However, John did prophecy of two other baptisms to come.  He says, “I indeed baptize you with water unto …

• The Heart of Man from a Biblical Perspective

  V)  Daniel willed or determined to understand and to humble himself.  “Set your heart” means to will in your heart as used in this context. “Take from among you an offering to the Lord.  Whoever is of a willing heart.” (Exod. 35:5 NKJV)  One cannot obey God whose heart is unwilling.  There were rulers who believed in Jesus (John 12:42) but were unwilling to confess him lest they be put out of the synagogue.  The widow who put in two mites into th…

• Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts

  hat Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15 NKJV)  In a broader 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)…

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

  has disbelieved shall be condemned.” (Mark 16:16 NAS)  We might say disbelieved what?  The gospel message (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Mark 16:15-16), the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Acts 8:37, Philippians 2:11, 1 John 3:23), that he is Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). So, faith is essential to salvation.  Where there is no faith salvation is impossible.  We must always remember, however, that “faith without works is useless.” (James 2:20 NAS)…

• Regrets

  ? Samuel was a great man of God.  I do not recall a single passage that speaks ill of Samuel.  He was God’s man and judged 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…

• Jesus the Foundation of and the Builder of the Church

  other.” (Acts 4:11-12 NKJV)  In verse 10 Peter names Jesus as being the one of whom he speaks. Paul said of Jesus, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11 NKJV)  The foundation of the faith, of the church, the spiritual body of Christ, is Jesus–Jesus not as a man per se but as the Son of God.  In writing to the Ephesian brethren Paul says they were members of the ho…

• Weak, Defiled, and Seared Consciences

  irst had to deal with his/her conscience which was convicting them of sin.  Clean, clear consciences do not lead men to repentance.  So, yes, consciences can be cleansed.  They are cleansed, made good, in baptism (see 1 Peter 3:21)–a baptism preceded by faith, repentance, and confession of Christ as the Son of God.  One meets up, spiritually speaking, with the blood of Christ in the waters of baptism, baptism being the final step of enterin…

• Baptism

  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, and Baptism Receiving the Gospel – Acts 2:41 Philip Preaching the Gospel in Samaria Preaching Jesus Means Preaching Baptism (The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch) Moses, the Waters of Marah, and …

• 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 …

• Which Denomination Did Jesus Build?

  at Philippi he said, “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind.” (Phil. 1:27 NKJV)  We are to be “likeminded … being of one accord, of one mind.” (Phil 2:2 NKJV)  Peter taught the same thing in 1 Peter 3:8, “all of you be of one mind.” (NKJV) Denominationalism says it does not matter; we can be saved with division and difference being of many minds, not just one mind.  We can practice what another denomination …

• Healing For the Brokenhearted

  side help. What can God do?  We might respond what is there that God cannot do?  Do you believe God can and does intervene in the affairs of men?  If he does not why then do you pray? Let me quote a passage to you from Psalms 34:15-19 (NASU), “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.  The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the L…

• Abuse of the Old Testament

  te to and handle the Old Testament scriptures?  These are questions we all ought to be interested in for we are saved by truth, not error. God has commanded us to rightly divide the truth (2 Tim. 2:15) and Peter says (2 Peter 3:16) that the scriptures can be twisted to our own destruction thus we must be careful and not make assumptions or just give our opinion.  We can only rightly divide the word of truth by following what God has said about ho…

• Reconciling With a Brother

  an?  John says no when he says, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10 NAS)  Contempt for and mistreatment of a brother are the opposite of love and places one in the devil’s camp.  Four verses later John says, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we lov…

• For By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith Alone

  t proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man.” (Matt. 15:19-20 NKJV)  “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10 NKJV)  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 NKJV) Yes, I am thankful for grace for my own sins wear me down but it distresses me to see what man has done to Eph. 2:8-9.  The passa…

• 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…

• How Does the Blood of Jesus and Baptism Tie Together

  life of the flesh is in the blood.” (NKJV)  And, then again, in Lev. 17:14, “The life of all flesh is its blood.” (NKJV)  In the New Testament when Judas had betrayed the Lord, felt remorse, and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders his statement to them was, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” (Matt. 27:4 NKJV)  What did he mean by using the phrase “innocent blood?”  H…

• Christianity and Multiculturalism

  for yourself.  Now here is the point–did God value these cultures he destroyed?  Did he think one culture was as good as another? Now do not get me wrong.  Every man has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and there is no doubt the same can be said of nations sooner or later.  None are perfect.  But are we to say because of that that all are equally good or equally bad?  Whether we are talking about nations, cultures, or…

• The Wicked Shall be Turned into Hell

  did Jesus come to earth and for what purpose did he die?  John the Baptist said it was to take away the sin of the world (see John 1:29).  The apostle John says, “He was manifested to take away our sins.” (1 John 3:5 NKJV)  The Hebrew writer says, “Now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Heb. 9:26 NKJV)  Jesus is called the Savior of the world.  “The Father ha…

• The Struggle to be a Spiritually Minded Man or Woman

  ;Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Cor. 15:33 ESV)  The Good News Bible puts it this way, “Do not be fooled.  ‘Bad companions ruin good character.’ ” (GNB)  Daniel had 3 good friends–Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego–who like Daniel were godly men.  These men refused to worship the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar and as a consequence were cast into the furnace of fire from…

• The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification

  erred to by various figures such as:  the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:12), the Lamb’s bride (Rev. 21:9-10, Rom. 7:4), the church of God (Acts 20:28), the church of Christ (Rom. 16:16), the church of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15), the church of the firstborn (Heb. 12:23), the household of God (Eph. 2:19), the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2), God’s field (1 Cor. 2:9), God’s building (1 Cor. 2:9), the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), the house of Christ (H…

• Non-Offensive Christianity

  ss, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23 NKJV)  We might recall Peter’s admonition to add to our faith virtue and godliness in 2 Peter 1.  No doubt we would add humility (1 Peter 5:5), mercy and meekness (Col. 3:12), thankfulness (Col. 3:15), and truthfulness (Eph. 4:25) to our list and our list would still not be all inclusive of the good things to be found in Christian character at its best. It is hard to look back over this lis…

• Religious Titles Forbidden in Christianity

  us 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 likewise in Gal. 4:19 with reference to the churches of Galatia.  John, the apostle, does the same sort of thing when he says, “My little children, these things I write to you.” (1 John 2:1 NKJV)  There are other passages with similar import. It is said that Paul and John, and …

• God’s Hardening of the Human Heart

  es not for “God is love.” (1 John 4:8 NKJV)  He “desires all men to be saved.” (1 Tim. 2:4 NKJV)  He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)  “He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.” (Lam. 3:33 NKJV)  God does not harden a heart willingly since a heart hardened against God represents a lost soul.  There must be a reas…

• Unhappy With the Church of Christ?

  (Ananias and Sapphira).  Even the model church had problems. Who would even know where to begin in talking about the problems of the church at Corinth?  The Holy Spirit himself speaking through Paul calls them carnal (1 Cor. 3:3).  He speaks of envy, strife, and divisions among them (1 Cor. 3:3).  They had in full fellowship a man living with his stepmother in a sexual relationship that Paul says not even the Gentiles (non-Christians) would tole…

• Repentance–How Can I Be Sure?

  The words repent and repentance are Bible words, words hardly ever used outside of a religious context.  In reading one’s New Testament, beginning with the gospel accounts, the first preaching that is recorded is that of John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2 NKJV)  In Matt. 4:17 we see Jesus preaching the exact same message.  The call to men from inspiration from the very …

• Why Do Men Run From God?

  try and run from God.  When they sinned in the Garden of Eden by eating of the forbidden fruit, breaking God’s commandment, they attempted to hide from God.  Adam said to God he was hiding because of his nakedness (Gen. 3:10) but that had never been a problem before.  Sin made it a problem and thus sin caused the first man and woman to run from God and try and hide from him. Every case of running from God or away from God has been caused by…

• Things People Do Not Know About the Church

  love it?  The church is, after all, just brothers and sisters in Christ.  What has Christ said about loving one another?  Speaking through 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…

• What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible?

  ng in Jesus’ name means not only by his authority but also because of his will. The Bible is not always an easy book to understand.  Even Peter spoke of some of Paul’s writings as being hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16).  It is for certain all ought to do their own studying on these matters since ultimately we are all responsible as individuals for the positions we take and the beliefs we hold.     …

• Honestly Deceived

  very thing.  We might say his only sin was believing a lie from a man that should have been trustworthy.  I am sure many have wondered about this event. Eve provides another example of one who was deceived.  She says in Gen. 3:13 “The serpent deceived me.” (NASB)  Indeed he did.  Paul says by inspiration in 1 Tim. 2:14, “And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” (NASB)  This is listed as one of…

• Better to Never Have Been Born–Why?

  God’s power in judgment? If you tell me you have no fear of God while living as you please with no concern about keeping his commandments then I say you are a fool.  Paul tells us why man is condemned before God in Rom. 3:10-18.  Here are two of the things listed that are applicable to this article.  (1) “There is none who seeks after God.” (Rom. 3:11 NKJV)  (2) “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom. 3:18…

• Work Out Your Own Salvation

  anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” (1 Cor. 16:22 NKJV)  “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV) Peter in quoting Moses’ prophecy regarding Christ in Acts 3 says in verse 23, “And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” (NKJV)  That makes it clear to me.  “Utterly destroyed” are the words.  Who wil…

• Ashamed of Jesus and His Words

  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 because we do not want to wield “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17 NAS)  We want to just get along.  As the saying goes there are two things you do not talk about…

• He Went Away Grieved

  sh ambitions, and envy (NKJV). In 1 Cor. 6:9-10 he gives a list of sins of which he says those who do those unrighteous things “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (NKJV)  In this list we find the sin of covetousness.  Col. 3:5 adds “passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (NKJV) In the book of Romans chapter one there is a long list of sins of which it is said “that those who practice such things are worthy of death.” (Rom….

• Are Works Essential for Christian Salvation?

  ot work our way to heaven, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration (baptism–DS) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5 NKJV) but when the faith we hold is a faith that leads us to disobedience rather than to obedience we ought to realize this is not the same faith held by Peter, James, John, Paul, and the other writers of the New Testame…

• A Heart Right With God (Test Your Heart)

  .” (Jer. 17:10 NKJV)  God knows the heart, “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them.” (Acts 15:8 NKJV)  He knew the hearts of the children of Israel who came out of Egypt.  “They always go astray in their heart.” (Heb. 3:10 NKJV, see also Psalms 95:10)  “God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (1 John 3:20 NKJV)  The Bible says, speaking of Jesus, “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts…

• Indifference – The Great Destroyer

  this subject? That is our concern or ought to be for no matter what you or I think about the matter it is what God thinks that counts. It is time to turn to the scriptures. One of the first passages that comes to mind is Rev. 3:15-16 where Jesus is directing a message to the members of the church at Laodicea and says this, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are luke…

• Jesus and the Furnace of Fire

  m of God.” (NKJV)  Paul says, “and the like” meaning this is only a partial listing of sins.  There is another long list that can be found in Rom. 1:24-32 and then we find this in the last verse there, verse 32, “those who practice such things are worthy of death.” (NKJV) Sin is lawlessness, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4 NAS)  It is those who …

• Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers

  om. 1:31.  In Romans 1 Paul toward the middle of the chapter begins to talk about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (v. 18) and then in the last few verses lists a series of sins into which mankind had fallen.  Verse 31 is a part of this listing and reads as follows from the New King James version, “undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.” However, read this same verse from the King James Version and it reads as f…

• When did Obedience Become Legalism?

  y because we are no longer willing to accept the Bible as the standard of authority for what is right versus what is wrong.  We often still claim for ourselves the mantle of Christianity but must twist the scriptures (2 Peter 3:16) to suit modern conceptions of what is acceptable conduct and behavior. To condemn sin as did John the Baptist, Paul, and Jesus is today seen to be unloving, intolerant, and judgmental, and thus unchristian in the minds…

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

  iginate in Jerusalem and is thus not the gospel of Christ. A big part of the problem that causes people to misunderstand God’s plan of salvation for man is a failure to discern what we call the dispensations.  There are 3 as follows: (1) the Patriarchal, (2) the Mosaical, and (3) the Christian.  I will deal with the last two as they are the two relevant to this discussion. Jesus lived and died under the Mosaical law.  Jesus was in the fulln…

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

  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 them, ‘The Lord God of your fa…

• Faith is Not Just What You Believe

  from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’” (Dan 3:15-18 NKJV) Did you get the part where they said “if not”?  This reminds me of Job’s statement in Job 13:15, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (NKJV)  These are men whose faith has reached a point of such strength…

• 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 …

• God’s Willingness to Forgive–King Manasseh

  us that we all deserve it.  We deserve a beating (using the word figuratively), we deserve to be punished, we do not deserve salvation, and we ought to be punished for our sins.  “There is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Rom. 3:10 NKJV) As bad as Manasseh’s sin was I ask you can it beat this that is found in Hebrews ten?  Beginning in verse 26 the text reads as follows: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, t…

• The Conscience as a Witness

  nce gives witness to the kind of heart we have and God reads man’s heart (Acts 15:8, Jer. 17:10).  It is only the pure in heart who will see God (Matt. 5:8).  The conscience is a part of the heart (a part, not all).  In John 8 we have Jesus confronted by those who have brought a woman to him caught in the act of adultery.  They are trying Jesus, trying to get him in a tight spot, but he turns the table on them and says to them that whoever …

• Gospel Obedience at Corinth

  hich we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8 NAS)  If Paul preached more than one gospel he condemned himself by his very own words.  That did not happen.  In the book of Galatians, Paul says in chapter 3:26-27, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (NAS)  We need for the purpose of our study to emphasize th…

• The Prodigal Son–When He Came to Himself

  that possible? When he performs all these miracles it is obvious God is with him.  Nicodemus says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2 NKJV)  After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do?  For this man works many signs.” (John 11:47 NKJV)  Yes, he raises a man from…

• A Good and Pure Conscience

  olation 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. 1 Tim. 1:5, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere fait…

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

  be judged on the basis of what one might find in a particular location.  Do we think it would be fair to judge all of the congregations that belong to Christ based on the church of Sardis as described by Jesus himself in Rev. 3?  I think not. Here is the body of Christ, the church, as God would have it be–“that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, …

• He Feared

  hat if we will build our faith strong enough we cannot be defeated in the battle for our spiritual life. The Bible teaches us clearly that faithfulness is directly associated with obedience and vice versa.  In Hebrews chapter 3 toward the end of the chapter the writer is discussing the children of Israel who came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses.  He tells of God’s anger against them because of their sin and then says, “And to whom did …

• They Loved the Praise of Men

  We have been bought by him and we are his, he owns us, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20 NKJV)  We are the sons, the children of God (1 John 3:2), “his own special people.” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV) The praise of men is vain.  It cannot keep the sorrow out of our heart when death strikes our families, it cannot keep the pain away that hits us in the pit of the stomach …

• The Grace of God in Baptism

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

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

  rity 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 it mean to do a thing “in the name of the Lord Jesus?”  There is a passage in the Old Testament that tells us.  In 1 Chron. 21:18-19 the Bible reads as follows:  “Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad…

• If Baptism is Not Essential for Salvation

  Baptism is not essential for salvation according to most denominations.  The thought came to me recently if baptism is not essential for salvation what then?  What are the necessary implications of such a doctrine?  (1)  If baptism is not essential for salvation then Jesus taught error when he said, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5 NKJV) for you can enter the kingdom of God without water …

• Hypocrites in the Church

  re? In closing I want to mention the conversation Jesus had with Peter after his resurrection when he found Peter and a few of the disciples on the sea having fished all night and caught nothing.  You will find the account in John chapter 21 beginning in verse about 15.  We have earlier in this piece talked about Peter’s own hypocrisy but if you will read closely verses 18 and 19 you will see that Peter was to die a death that would glorify…

• Christ Did Not Send Paul to Baptize

  ubject–Lydia and her household (Acts 16:14-15) and the Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:29-33).    Why if Paul felt baptism was unnecessary did he teach baptism in Rom. 6:1-7, 1 Cor. 6:11, 1 Cor. 12:13, Gal. 3:26-27, Eph. 5:25-26, Col. 2:11-12, Titus 3:5, and if Paul wrote Hebrews as many believe he did in Heb. 10:22?  If baptism does not matter and Paul did not care whether people were baptized or not then why was Paul baptized…

• Pray For Others Lest You Sin

  us himself gave the commandment when he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34 NKJV)  Thus in the book of 1 John we read in chapter 3, verse 16, “by this we know love, because he laid down his life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (NKJV) If I am to love you as Jesus has loved you (and loved me), to the extent he gave hi…

• The Great Commission and Cornelius

  baptism of the Great Commission is water baptism since man is directed to perform it.) “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Rom. 6:3 NKJV)  Gal. 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (NKJV)  One gets into Christ by water baptism. Please note what Paul said in 1 Cor. 1:13, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified f…

• 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 Joy and the Danger of a Clean Conscience

  pinions? We must have a clear conscience toward God but that conscience must be based on knowledge as has been shown.  John says, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” (1 John 3:21 NAS)  That then is our goal.  A conscience properly equipped (trained) with accurate knowledge that is clear of conscience wrong doing.  When we have that we have inner peace. However, as was first pointed out in this p…

• I Can Do All Things Through Christ

  ves his promise. This Greek word in Hebrews 11:1 translated into English by the word “assurance” (ESV, ASV, NAS) or the phrase “being sure” (NET) or words to that effect is used in 4 other places in the New Testament where in 3 out of the 4 instances it is translated by the English word “confidence” or words similar to it.  You will find those passages in 2 Cor. 9:4, 2 Cor. 11:17, and Heb. 3:14.  Thus faith builds confidence giving us strength fo…

• Repent–How Hard It Is To Do

  and his wife and his sons and their wives. The Bible says of those who died in the flood that they were “disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared.” (1 Peter 3:20 NKJV)  It was the “world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5 NKJV) that perished in the flood. I take from the passages quoted above that Noah preached repentance.  Why?  Because Peter said of those people that they were “diso…

• The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit

  directly and the Lord appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus.  Why?  Because he had a special reason for doing so.  The case of Cornelius is similar.  I close with this.  One who has objected to my position has said that 1 John 4:13 means Cornelius was saved before baptism.  I deny that.  1 John 4:13 is the word of God and truth.  But, the case of Cornelius and his household, like the case of Saul in his conversion, was a special act of God fo…

• Anger

  translations omit the phrase believing the evidence is against its inclusion. Be that as it may the question remains—does God forbid all anger? Is that what the first clause of this passage teaches? Jesus was angry in Mark 3:5 with the Pharisees in the synagogue, “And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand …

• Three Attitudes That Destroy the Hope of Salvation

  s while living here on earth are often in conflict.  We want to eventually go to heaven but we have attitudes that drive us in the opposite direction–away from God and away from a home with him.  I would like to discuss 3 such attitudes, attitudes quite prevalent today. (1)  Self-sufficiency.  It is an American ideal to raise children that are independent and self-sufficient.  Self-sufficiency is good up to a point but I fear we have someti…

• Singing and Playing in Christian Worship

  earch singing in the New Testament for it is not mentioned that often.  We find the word “sing” in Rom. 15:9, 1 Cor. 14:15, Heb. 2:12, James 5:13, and Rev. 15:3.  The word “singing” is found in Acts 16:25, Eph. 5:19, and Col. 3:16.  The word “sung” is found in Matt. 26:30 and Mark 14:26. The man in question seems to make much of the thought that some of the passages above do not have reference to the worship service.  Well, so what?  What is that…

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

  w it would please God to kill an animal?  Adam and Eve were directed while in the Garden of Eden to eat of herbs and the fruit of trees (Gen. 1:29) and when driven out of the garden were to eat of the herbs of the field (Gen. 3:18).  Nothing was said, that is revealed in scripture, about killing animals in those early days of man’s existence on earth.  Thus for Abel to take this bold step God must have revealed to him that it was okay to do…

• Must a Man Seek God?

  none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.  They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.’” (Rom. 3:9-12 NKJV)  Did you note there is none who seek after God in this passage and they are all in sin? David in Psalms 10:4 said, “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.…

• 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…

• Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door

  tisfied with my religion, the man is lost.  Yes, a regular church go’er, a religious man, who is lost.  Why is he lost?  Because he practiced lawlessness.  What is lawlessness?  “Sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4 NKJV)  Now note the text in Matthew says nothing about whether or not this sin was deliberate or not.  Sin does not have to be deliberate to be sin.  Many who crucified Christ or were in favor of it did it in ignorance, …

• Confirmation Sunday–No Bibles Required

  e first century but in the third approximately 200 years after the New Testament was signed, sealed, and delivered as God’s new covenant or law for man which was “once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3 NKJV)  She thus goes outside the word of God to the word of men to get her “confirmation Sunday.”  Of course I already knew it was not in the New Testament as you also know if you have ever read it. The lady sa…

• Though He Slay Me

  given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave?” (Job 3:20-22 NKJV) There are questions we can ask that we will never have an answer to in this life and this is one of them.  I have sometimes wondered if, in cases like my Dad’s, life was not prolonged for the  testing and matur…

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

  e another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:31 NKJV)  Peter says we are to have compassion for one another, love as brothers, we are to be tenderhearted, and courteous (1 Peter 3:8).  That is what one finds when one finds a group of committed Christians–love, compassion, friendship, forgiveness. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puff…

• Fornication–Take It Lightly at Your Peril

  nication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you also once walked when you lived in them.” (Col. 3:5-7 NKJV) Two points need to be made concerning this passage.  (1) It is clear from this passage, as well as others I have quoted, that unrepentant fornicators are in serious trouble with God no matter how accepted the sin…

• Looking Down Your Nose

  es 2:8 NKJV) and says this is the “royal law according to the Scripture.” (James 2:8 NKJV)  How can you love a man whom you are judging of being of lesser worth or value?  Sin is a transgression of the law (1 John 3:4 KJV).  When we show partiality we transgress the royal law.  We fail to love.  We sin. Verse 13 then logically follows, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgmen…

• Never Give Up

  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 wilderness after having come out of the land of…

• The Pleasures of Sin

  unpleasant who would ever willingly engage in it?  We do not, under ordinary circumstances, voluntarily engage ourselves in that which is disagreeable or brings us pain and yet the Bible teaches that “all have sinned.” (Rom. 3:23 NKJV)  The only logical conclusion a man can make is that humanity has not found sin to be unpleasurable, just the opposite. Who can say that he has not been attracted to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, an…

• Mt. Sinai and the Day of Judgment

  elf.  Its purpose is to keep us from sinning.  Many today say we should have no fear of God.   But the Bible says we are to perfect holiness “in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1 NASB)  Of those listed by Paul in Rom. 3 as being “under sin” (ver. 9) one of the condemning factors is, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom. 3:18 NASB)  Paul speaks of a factor that motivates him to preach to sinful men.  He…

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

  .  The promise was that they were to be brought into “the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jubusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Ex. 3:17 NKJV)  Can God lie?  Will God lie?  You cannot get to those lands if God is going to kill you of thirst first? A little reasoning, a little faith, and it should have been readily evident to them God was going to interve…

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

  willingly blind and desire to remain so for personal reasons that most are not willing to admit. Are men not afraid of God?  Paul quotes the Psalmist and says, “’There is no fear of God before their eyes.’” (Rom. 3:18 NKJV)  But, the Bible also says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10 NKJV)…

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

  Gen. 37:31-33, “So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, ‘We have found this. 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.’” (…

• Praying to God to Bless the Bread–Really?

  e of asking God to bless the emblems at the Lord’s table.  Since we have already looked at 1 Cor. 14:16-17 we only have 8 other verses to look at.  Those verses are:  Matt. 5:44, Luke 6:28, Rom. 12:14, 1 Cor. 4:12, Acts 3:26, 1 Cor. 10:16, Heb. 6:14, and James 3:9. Four of these eight verses teach the same message so we can deal with them as a group.  I will use the passage of Luke 6:28 for this purpose which reads as follows: “Bless …

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

  s pleasing to God without question or doubt of any kind. Paul says we are to speak to one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19 NKJV).  See also Col. 3:16.  All accept the teachings of these two passages without question as being what is good and right and acceptable and pleasing before the Lord.  Yes, there is an infallibly safe way we ought to pursue. However, if a pers…

• 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…

• Abraham’s Faith (Faith Accounted for Righteousness)

  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 there is perhaps the best known passage in all of scripture, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV) The only question then to be resolved is the nature of the f…

• Christ and Baptism in Colossians

  in Christ does this spiritual circumcision take place in which “the removal of the body of the flesh” occurs.  One is baptized into Christ.  We are, Paul’s exact words, “baptized into Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 6:3)  See also Gal. 3:27.  It is “in him” where we “were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.” (Col. 2:11 NAS) Paul in talking about this circumcision in Col. 2 connects it directly with “having been buried with him in bapti…

• Things God Cannot Do

  an example or two?  How about all the unscripturally divorced and remarried couples, couples that are living in adultery, that are members in good standing in many churches?  I know of one man who left his wife of, I am told, 37 years for another woman, married this woman, and now attends another congregation which seemed to accept him and her with open arms unrepentant.  How about the churches one hears of on the news from time to time welcoming…

• The Grace of God and the Parable of the Laborers–Is God Just?

  othe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’” (Matt. 25:41-43 NKJV) “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 NKJV)  The eleventh hour men in the parable had a need.  The vineyard owner, since he had it in his power, could not have been a just man with the love of God in his heart and done anything other than what he did.  What…

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

  acted miraculously on the heart of Lydia resulting in a sort of forced conversion, one of which she had no way of resisting, and God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34 KJV), shows no partiality (Rom. 2:11, Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25), and teaches us that it is a sin to show partiality (James 2:9), then God did the very thing in converting Lydia that he says, through his word, that he does not do and that he condemns in us.  None of us believe that….

• Ignorance Does Not Excuse Sin

  usness. (Acts 17:31) It is obvious that if God had not loved us and intervened on our behalf his righteousness would have demanded our condemnation for our sins, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 NKJV)  Fortunately, God does love us and did intervene for us by sending Jesus into the world 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 ha…

• The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept

  u accept what Paul said about it?  Paul said salvation is “in Christ.” Well, how does one enter Christ?  Paul says elsewhere, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:26 NKJV)  He does not say “as many of you who have believed in Christ have put on Christ” as many wish he had said.  Do you take Paul at his word?  Do you believe one is baptized into Christ or will you argue w…

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

  pture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NKJV) Who was Paul, at that time, writing to?  To Timothy but it is obvious that what applied to Timothy as to how he was to view scripture was and is applicable to all. However, the objection is made that Paul was o…

• Peter’s Preaching and the Apostle’s Preaching

  writer even if their name happens to be attached to a letter.  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Tim. 3:16 NKJV)  The scriptures came by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  God used men’s tongues and pens to give us the message of inspiration.  To say that one New Testament preacher/writer contradicted another is to say t…

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

  ne of the ringleaders in bringing about the crucifixion of Jesus, was a saved man.  Read about his prophesying in John 11:49-51.   Add to that the fact that even inspired men could and did sin, even Peter. (Gal. 2:11-12) (See 3 follow up articles on this under the Subject/Topics menu topic entitled “Case of Cornelius.”) …

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

  gifts.  Were they lost?  If one was consistent in his doctrine a saved by the Holy Spirit baptism advocate would have to say yes. I think we ought to take a more in depth look at Acts 8:14-18 quoted above (just scroll back up 3 paragraphs and reread it).  Very few people will argue against the idea that these individuals were already saved prior to the reception of the Holy Spirit.  The text says, “they had been baptized in the name of the …

• What Is Baptism (the Sprinkling Hoax)

  today thus giving you options – sprinkling, pouring, or immersion.  Even so I was surprised to see that my Webster’s New World Dictionary Third College Edition, the last copyright listed being 1988, while listing 3 common meanings of the word “baptize” as used today, gives before those listings the Greek meanings and I quote here from it–”to immerse,” “to dip.”  Honesty in scholarship is a gr…

• The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer

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

• How Was Noah Saved Through Water?

  How was Noah and his family saved through water?  Peter, in 1 Peter 3:20-21, says they were but just how is a little hard to understand without some thought and study.  The passage reads as follows:  “when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the f…

• Saved by Jesus Outside the Church?

  r 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 to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15) thus he expected and knew Timothy to be…

• The Christian, Politics, and the Government

  sage in Titus we need to take note of, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” (Titus 3:1-2 NKJV)  So we are to obey government but there is more here in this passage for our consideration.   One who desires to get involved in politics ought to ask himself this question–can I do it and obey the scriptur…