Archive for 2017
Can I be forgiven for denying Christ?
Question: I’m currently 13 years old, but when I was 12. I would tell my grandmother “I don’t believe in God” deliberately because I wanted to make her angry, since I was angry. I didn’t know it was bad to say that. I actually regret it so much that I’m about to cry writing this.…
Read MoreCan demons rape women?
Question: I have severe anxiety and a fear of demons. It’s been ongoing for over a decade. One time my brother made a comment that demons can rape women. Is this true? Of course, now I’ve been googling it and I read a bunch of scary stuff, people saying that it is true and it…
Read MoreI wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your site
Question: I wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your site. I found it while seeking the answer to how Paul learned the Gospel, which you covered just perfect for me (I am writing a research paper on Paul’s conversion for a college class). Since you did such a good job answering that I…
Read MoreDo I wait for my boyfriend to marry me?
Question: I am in my thirties. I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for 15 years now. We have a child who is 8 years old now. My boyfriend left for another country when I was four months pregnant. I went through my pregnancy and had our child in his absence. My child…
Read MoreCan I be forgiven of the sins that I committed after saying the sinner’s prayer?
Question: I got saved by saying a sinner’s prayers at 19. I spent most of my twenties high-handedly sinning and being agnostic or universalist – I believed all religions were partially true. I read the Bible and Quran occasionally for inspiration. Three years ago I started going to a Baptist church and had true faith…
Read MoreI got sidetracked by your article on jealousy and used it for a lesson in my Bible class
Question: Dear Sir: I just want to express my thanks for the La Vista website. I am a member of the church of Christ. I preach and teach from time to time and have had the occasion to use your website for research many times. Today, I was preparing for tomorrow’s Sunday School lesson in…
Read MoreI had a similar question about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and your answer was spot-on
Question: I wanted to thank you for your answer on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I had the same question about why couldn’t the Holy Spirit come and your answer was spot-on and clarified correctly that question for me. Thank you for your obedience to God’s work and blessings. Answer: I’m glad to hear that…
Read MoreCan giving a warning about a false teacher be gossip?
Question: I was reading an article written by someone on your website about the subject of gossip. Gossip was condemned by the person who wrote the article. But, what about if you’re exposing a false teacher, whether they’re well known by others or not? I believe that we should raise awareness of a wolf in sheep’s…
Read MoreUnity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Unity.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreDoes Galatians 3:28 support gender diversity?
Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, I’ve found out that a large number (possibly a majority) of my friends are LGBTQQIAA+. Some are genderqueer, transgender, gay, lesbian, pansexual, and asexual. A very large percentage of my year group is not straight or cisgender. I know that having homosexual sex is wrong. Should I rethink my friendship with…
Read MoreWhat Have They Seen in Your House?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/WhatHaveTheySeenInYourHouse.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhat does I John 5:7-8 mean?
Question: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (I John 5:7-8 KJV). What does verse eight mean?…
Read MoreThe Last Years of Paul’s Life
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LastYearsOfPaulsLife.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 2:17-30 I. Paul had written the Roman brethren that he would like to go to Spain after seeing them – Romans 15:23-25, 28 A. Things didn’t go quite as Paul planned. B. After going to Jerusalem, he was arrested, but he did go to Rome – as a prisoner instead…
Read MoreWere the Kenites descendants of Cain?
Question: Who were and who are the Kenites (Hebrew word meaning children of Cain, the first murderer)? Answer: Names are not often unique to a single individual. There can be more than one Cain in world history. Thus, at best you can say that the Kenites trace their origins to a patriarch named Cain, but…
Read MoreAre Romans 2:4 and Titus 2:11 talking about two different types of grace?
Question: Good day, Titus 2:11 speaks about the grace that brings salvation, meaning unmerited favor. Does Romans 2:4 talk about a different grace, where God cares and supplies to all human beings so that they would want the grace mentioned in Titus 2:11? Thanks. Answer: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to…
Read MoreConsequences of Marijuana Legalization
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette Opinion, “Five years later, Colorado sees toll of pot legalization”, The Oklahoman, 14 November 2017. “Five years of retail pot coincide with five years of a homelessness growth rate that ranks among the highest rates in the country. Directors of homeless shelters, and people who live on the streets, tell us homeless…
Read MoreWhy isn’t the Lord’s Supper taken as the last meal of the day?
Question: Why is the Lord’s Supper taken early in the day on Sunday and not in the evening? After all, supper is something that is taken in the evening. Answer: In English, “supper” refers to the last mean of the day. The memorial in which we remember Christ’s death is referred to as the Lord’s…
Read MoreUnity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Unity.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreAre all addictions sinful?
Question: Hi, I’m still confused about I Corinthians 6:12, where it says, “I will not be enslaved by anything.” To me, it sounds like all addictions are sinful. I know we talked about this, but I’m still confused. Answer: In I Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul gave a list of some sins that can keep a person…
Read MoreUltimate Deliverance
by Doy Moyer What if… we actually were put to death because we are Christians? What is our attitude about this? Consider Paul’s attitude: “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that…
Read MoreIs it tempt or try?
Question: In Matthew 4:7, it seems to say something different in two translations. The ESV: Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'” The NKJV: Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” Which translation is…
Read MoreIs a single person who commits adultery prevented from getting married?
Question: There is much discussion and teaching within the church about divorce, adultery, and remarriage, but something I’ve never heard discussed is what about the person who commits adultery, but who wasn’t married? The Bible is clear that a spouse who commits adultery with someone else is not eligible to remarry another if that married…
Read MoreComing with the Clouds
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ComingWithTheClouds.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Revelation 1:4-7 I. It is easy to make mistakes by assuming that a phrase always applies to the same event A. Revelation 1:7 – What is meant by “coming with clouds” or “coming with the clouds”? II. Clouds A. God rides clouds – Psalms 68:4 1. Psalms 104:3 – Clouds are His chariot…
Read MoreDisbelief in the Coming of Jesus
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DisbeliefInTheComingOfJesus.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 3:1-15 I. Many false doctrines are rooted in a simple belief that word or phrase that has a particular meaning in one context has the same meaning in all other contexts. A. For example, the Greek word presbuteros in Acts 2:17 means someone advanced in age 1. So does…
Read MoreI don’t trust my boyfriend enough to marry him
Question: I grew up in a Christian family. I did choose to be baptized at age of 11 or 12, but now that I’m older I find myself reading the Bible for my understanding and find myself in a tough situation that will cause me to not inherit the kingdom of heaven. For this reason,…
Read MoreThank you for your article on religious obsessive-compulsive disorders
Question: Hello, I would just like to thank you for your article on religious obsessive-compulsive disorders that I just stumbled upon. For years I have been suffering from this condition without realizing that it was a real condition, and thinking that I was the only person who had some of the thoughts you listed. I couldn’t…
Read MoreDoes God hate gays and bisexuals?
Question: Does God hate gays and bisexuals? Answer: May I ask my own question? Does God hate thieves? What you are implying in your question is that who a person chooses to have sex with somehow innately defines who the person is. God doesn’t see it that way. People can change and God has gone…
Read MoreYour site showed me how wrong I was. Yesterday I was baptized for the forgiveness of my sins
Question: Good morning brother Hamilton, I am a 23-year-old male. Recently I have been doing a lot of research and searching the Scriptures. I had stumbled upon scriptures, like Romans 9, and eventually ended up taking the stance of predestination and faith alone. It was not that I wanted to, but I did not know…
Read MoreIs masturbating a lack of self-control?
Question: I found some of your insights on the subject of masturbation quite amazing. As an evangelical, we are taught to develop spiritual disciplines of which self-control is one. In fact, in Galatians 5:22 the apostle Paul highlights it as one of the fruits of the Spirit. To this effect, it is argued that, if…
Read MoreWhy is Stephen charged with blasphemy if Jesus did say that the temple would be destroyed?
Question: In Acts 6:14, Stephen is charged with saying that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place. How is this a false statement if Jesus was speaking of the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24? Thank you. Answer: The charge against Stephen was, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and…
Read MoreMonk at the Monastery
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/MonkAtTheMonastery.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreIs Everything We Do Worship?
by Harold Hancock A Christian should try to please God in everything he does, but everything a Christian does is not worship. For instance, a Christian may travel, work, rest, and sleep with God’s approval, but he is not worshipping God when he does these things In the New Testament, the Greek word Proskuneo is…
Read MoreThe Divine Name
by Keith Sharp If you consider what the Oklahoma bomber Timothy McViegh, the family at Ruby Ridge, the Abilene, Texas dooms-day leader Yisryal Hawkins, and the branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, have in common, you will arrive at a surprising answer. They all know the creator’s true and original names (Warren). The Scriptures is…
Read MoreI know fornication is wrong, but I don’t want to see my boyfriend in hell
Question: Hello, I have a question that has really been weighing on my conscience and my heart. This may be very long and I apologize, but here it goes. I have been dating my boyfriend for four years now. We are both currently in college. We most definitely have the intention of getting married. Unfortunately,…
Read MoreDo I have to marry him because we had sex?
Question: I am in my early twenties, a newly born-again Christian and a Protestant. I am in a relationship with a Catholic guy for over five years. We did have sex and he has been loyal to me all these years. He is also a violent and angry person. As I grew in Christ, I…
Read MoreThe Gift of the Holy Spirit
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/GiftOfTheHolySpirit.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 2:29-39 I. Our text – Acts 2:38-39 A. When a person repents and is baptized, two things are promised: forgiveness of sin and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. 1. This promise is for all Christians – “As many as the Lord shall call.” 2. It is also not limited…
Read MoreWhat exactly is sodomy?
Question: What exactly is sodomy? My understanding is that it is oral sex with either the same sex or between man and wife, but I have had many arguments with other people who say oral sex is OK between married people. This is such an embarrassing topic, but I really want to hear your opinion.…
Read MoreWhy Should You Think It Incredible?
by Hugh DeLong The death of Jesus was a stumbling block. The resurrection of Jesus also causes many to stumble. In preaching to the Athenian philosophers, Paul testified that God had raised Jesus from the dead. “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked” (Acts 17:34). When Paul stood before King…
Read MoreWe use your Bible studies extensively
Question: Thank you so very much for all the information that is available on your site. We attend a church of Christ here and use your Bible studies extensively. There are very few strong churches of Christ left. Thank you for being one of them. Answer: Glad you are finding the material on the website…
Read MoreWhat is the penance for adultery?
Question: Hello, I would like to know what is the penance for adultery. If forgiveness is possible, does the “forgive and you shall be forgiven” apply? Answer: The idea that there are acts of penance done for sins is not taught in the Bible. It is merely a Roman Catholic tradition. See: Do we have to…
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