I don’t believe abortion should be outlawed or be easily accessible
Question: Hi, Thanks for the site that you run. On more than one occasion I have gone there to read your responses. I wanted to follow up on the question of abortion because first, as someone who was raised as a Christian, I do believe it is wrong. I am not extreme on either side.…
Read MoreFor Such a Time as This
by Tammy Martin This has been heavy on my heart to share since last night, so I’m going to listen to that inner prompting and share it. At 17, I was raped and became pregnant. The amount of “Christians” who encouraged me to terminate, murder, or kill (no pretty way to say that) the little…
Read MoreThe Tabernacle of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2016Fall1TheTabernacleOfGod.mp3 by Joe Works Studying Leviticus
Read MoreDoes Every Man Do It?
by Bobby K. Thompson Jesus said: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). This passage became more conspicuous due to…
Read MoreDoes the Bible say anything about falsely accusing a woman of being a prostitute?
Question: Does the Bible say anything about falsely accusing a woman of being a whore or prostitute? Answer: One of the Old Testament laws was “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Lying was never considered to be acceptable, regardless of what the lie was about. I believe that you might…
Read MoreThe Mormons Are in Town
by Wayne S. Walker Not too long ago when I was taking a walk in the large park which is across the street from our house and had sat down for a moment to rest on one of the benches, I was approached by two nice-looking, clean-cut young men in white shirts, ties, and dress…
Read MoreHow do you repent of stealing when the victim has died?
Question: If a person stole money from their parent with the intention of paying it back, but the parent passed away before they could get the money back to them, plus their other parent has passed away, what do they need to do to make their life right? It happened years ago. No debt was…
Read MoreBelief in God Continues to Decline
Source: Anugrah Kumar, “Number of Americans who believe in God dips to new low: Gallup,” The Christian Post, 20 June 2022. The number of Americans who say they believe in God: 1940s-1960s – 98% 2011 – 92% 2013-2017 – 87% 2022 – 81% “Belief in God has fallen the most in recent years among young adults…
Read MoreIs the Bible left to each individual’s interpretation?
Question: A few questions I have: Is the Bible left to each individual’s own interpretation? How can we trust translations? Isn’t that just someone else’s interpretation(s)? How can I prove the Bible is correct if someone doesn’t even believe it in the first place? Thank you. Answer: “But know this first of all, that no…
Read MoreSaved Through Water
by Matthew W. Bassford Genesis 7:11-24 tells the story of the greatest cataclysm ever to overtake the earth. Because the wickedness of man was great on the earth, God sent a flood to cleanse it by destroying everything that lived on the land. In this flood, every human being died except for eight. The patriarch…
Read MoreGod Is in the Small Stuff
by Rhonda Smart I am always delighted when I come across stories in the Bible that at first glance may seem insignificant but upon a deeper dive, I realize they serve as one more way for God to show just how much he loves us. Even though He has a universe to run, God is…
Read MoreDead Flies
by Matthew W. Bassford Ecclesiastes was my father’s favorite book of the Old Testament, and his favorite verse in Ecclesiastes was 10:1. At least, I think it was his favorite verse. It certainly was the one that he quoted most to my teenage self. To this day, I have no trouble summoning up, “Dead flies…
Read MoreA Fundamental Question Concerning Abortion
by Doy Moyer Many of the arguments concerning abortion are emotionally based. Those who oppose abortion can fall into the emotional trap by pointing out how cute a baby is and asking how anyone can hurt it. It’s the same appeal made by those who oppose killing cute baby seals. Those who fight for abortion…
Read MoreThoughts on Abortion
by Jefferson David Tant The United States, and much of the world, are embroiled in a dispute over abortion — the killing of an unborn child. Since the United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to abortion, violence has broken out in many areas, with threats, assaults,…
Read MoreWas the angel at the pool of Bethesda from God or the Devil?
Question: Dear Sir, There appears to be a lot of confusion regarding whether the angel at the pool of Bethesda was from God or not. Can you give me your insight into where this “angel” came from? Some even go so far as to believe the angel was of the devil which confuses me further. Try…
Read MoreWhy does an accusation against an elder require two or more witnesses?
Question: Could you explain I Timothy 5:19? “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.” I was studying this chapter with another Christian and we both have been confused about what exactly is prohibited in verse 19. Must any and all concerns about an elder be…
Read MoreAm I still a virgin?
Question: Am I still a virgin? Is God disappointed in me? Growing up as a child, I was raped when I was really little. But then Jesus found me when I became a teenager and I love him. I forgave the person who raped me. I even hated boys at some point. Now I’m in…
Read MoreI’m afraid of being in a relationship
Question: Good day sir, I appreciate all you do to help people. Most importantly you do this only to please God and not man. I am in my 30s and I know I should be married by now. A major factor for being unmarried yet is nuclear family financial responsibilities. The more I try to…
Read MoreI fear I didn’t have the right attitude before I was baptized
Question: First off, I would like to say, I grew up in a church of Christ. A few years ago, I was struggling with hardcore sin in my life. My brother died that year, and it woke me up quickly. I was partying, drinking, smoking weed, cussing, having sex, and just not living right. I…
Read MoreCircumcision
by Terry Wane Benton Circumcision was the cutting off of the foreskin of the males in Israel. Why was it done? It was a daily reminder that the offspring coming through these people (Israel) would one day bless all nations through the “seed of Abraham” (Genesis 12:1-4), and this mark in the flesh was to…
Read MoreForgetting the Past
by Jefferson David Tant “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). “Therefore if…
Read MoreWhy Does It Matter to You?
by Doy Moyer “Why does it matter to you what people do in their own privacy? Why not just leave them alone? They aren’t hurting you. It’s their life; it’s none of your business.” In one sense, it doesn’t matter to me what others do privately.* I have no interest in spying on people or…
Read MoreMy fiance’s family will never love me
Question: Dear sir, Please, I need your advice. I was dating this young guy, who I thought we would spend much time together for the rest of our lives. Instead, little did I know that he was just playing with me, after some time the communication just started breaking down. It came from nowhere. I…
Read MoreLiberal, Missouri: A Failed Experiment
by Roger Shouse in Biblical Insights, Vol. 6, No. 2, February 2000 The little town of Liberal, Missouri, lies near the Missouri-Kansas border, a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri. This sleepy little town of about 800 residents is typical of many small towns scattered throughout the United States. Liberal, Missouri, had a very interesting…
Read MoreSin Ruins Everything
by Terry Wane Benton We had Paradise and God, and everything was good, beautiful, and perfect. Then sin entered the world, and we lost a perfect paradise, fellowship with God who is perfect, access to the tree of life, and were left to deal with a world of problems and hardships. Sin spread all over…
Read MoreBeyond Our Strength (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer There’s a principle Paul expresses in II Corinthians 1:8-11 that we need to learn well. We may feel overwhelmed by what is going on. We may feel in despair about many things. We may see that things are happening that are “beyond our strength.” What, then, is the lesson to learn? Here…
Read MoreWhy is more than faith required?
Question: I’m a bit confused about what Jesus is saying about how one gets to heaven. In John 3:16 he says that we just need to believe in God and we will be saved. And that there is no judgment for those who believe in Jesus. Yet, in Mathew 7:21 Jesus says that not everyone…
Read MoreMy mom is upset that I don’t spend as much time with her as my sister does
Question: Context before I ask my question: I have been married to my husband for about a year now and happily consider ourselves still very much newlyweds. The first time I moved out of my parents’ home was when I married my husband. I was in my twenties and was the last out of my…
Read MoreA City Full of Idols
by Matthew W. Bassford As all of us are doubtless aware, we are currently in the middle of Pride Month, a celebration of a number of different lifestyles the Bible condemns as sinful. In case we have forgotten, anytime we shop at a chain store, displays and decorations all remind us. I would not be…
Read MoreDo we need her father’s blessing?
Question: I bring you greetings, Please, sir, I have a pressing question that demands an urgent answer. I proposed to a girl and she accepted after praying about it. We both belong to one group in our church and according to the ethics of the group, every member of the group must attend an interview…
Read MoreIs Hell a Biblical Subject?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Is-Hell-a-Biblical-Subject.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreIs salvation a miracle?
Question: Hello Brother Jeffrey, Is salvation considered a miracle? I ask because the gospel is described as the power of God and in the Strong’s Concordance, the same word is used in some places for miracles. Also, Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 3:4-7, II Timothy 1:9-10, John 6:44-45, Colossians 2:11-12, II Timothy 2:24-26, Acts 2:48, Philippians 1:3,…
Read MoreThe Role of Fathers
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-Role-of-Fathers.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreA Robust View of Faith
by Doy Moyer We need a robust view of faith. The world thinks that faith is trite and involves merely believing something. No action is needed. This makes faith workless—a nice thing to say perhaps, but it amounts to saying, in the minds of many, “I’m just going to sit here and believe. I don’t…
Read MoreWhy Did the Adulterers and Homosexuals at Corinth Change?
by Terry Wane Benton Paul mentions a list of sins which included thieves, drunkards, adulterers, and homosexuals (I Corinthians 6:8-10) and said, “such were some of you”. They were washed from such sins, justified, and sanctified. What was the motivation that moved them to change? They did not argue that they were born this way…
Read MoreShould a man be appointed a deacon when he only attends Sunday morning services?
Question: I emailed you before about a topic, and you had an answer that I did not agree with at all, but today I have an unrelated question. At our church, we are in the process of selecting new deacons. Is it wrong for me to think it is a bit ridiculous that two of…
Read MoreShould I get rid of the crucifixes on my wall and my t-shirts with religious slogans?
Question: Hello, I am a recent convert. I was baptized for the remission of sins just a few days ago. Now I’m wondering. I have crucifixes hanging on the walls in my home, and I often wear shirts with religious sayings on them. For example, I wear a hat that reads “Jesus is Lord” and…
Read MoreWhat is God’s Will for Me? Part 3: The Basis for Decisions
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/What-Is-Gods-Will-for-Me-4-Making-a-Decision.mp3 Text: Deuteronomy 10:12-14 I. Numerous people are convinced, through repeated teachings, that there is a specific plan that God has for each person’s life A. You would think that would make life easier. If God has laid out the perfect life for me, then I just have to conform my life to God’s will and…
Read MoreWhat Is God’s Will for Me? Part 2: Is There a Unique Personal Will?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/What-Is-Gods-Will-for-Me-3-Is-There-a-Unique-Personal-Will.mp3 Text: Proverbs 4:1-10 I. What we’ve seen A. There are groups which teach that there are three different wills of God 1. A sovereign will in which God has laid down the course or direction of the universe 2. A moral will in which God has defined what people should and should not do. 3. An individual will…
Read MoreI know pornography is wrong, but I can’t seem to defeat this sin
Question: Hi there, I want to start by explaining my situation. I’m 21 years old and was raised in church my whole life but I never really surrendered my life to Jesus and truly believed in him until this past year. I have been able to turn from many sins and things I used to…
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