Once is Enough
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Once-Is-Enough.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Micah 2:1-5 I. I was giving a young pre-teen some instruction in Tae Kwon Do. I told her how the move was to be done, I showed her how it was done, and I explained why this method worked better. Exasperated with me, she put her hands on her hips…
Read MoreHow can a true Christian fornicate after repentance?
Question: Hi, I’m a female in her twenties who considers herself a Christian. I’ve had an interest in God since I was a little girl. No one went to church in my family but me. I bring hope to my family. They look up to me because of God. I know it’s not my work,…
Read MoreDoes an unmarried woman who gets pregnant have to publically confess her sin?
Question: If someone got pregnant and she and her boyfriend are not married, do they have to confess this as a public sin? If so please give me a scripture for it. Thanks! Answer: Since we are interested in biblical answers, let us first note that God doesn’t divide sins into public and private sins…
Read MoreOn Why We Study with Others
by Edwin Crozier Luke 15 shatters a sacred cow. It debunks a myth that I carried with me for a long time and many people I know still hang on to. It is the myth of “Just me and my Bible.” We like to think we just studied the Bible on our own and figured…
Read MoreI feel separated from God
Question: Hello, I was doing some research on some topics concerning me and came upon Can you explain what “if we sin willfully” in Hebrews 10:26 means? First of all, thank you for your contributions and answers. I have been a bit worried and confused recently after experiencing quite a bad heartbreak and betrayal. I…
Read MoreI’m still having problems getting along with my stepmother
Question: I wrote to you a while ago when my dad and my stepmother had just married because I wasn’t sure what my new relationship with her should be. You gave me a kind and helpful response and I am sorry I never replied to say thank you for that. I would like to say…
Read MoreThe Purpose of Fear
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Purpose-of-Fear.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Lamentations 3:39-66 I. It started out as an observation in Bible class: “Temptation comes because fear is removed.” A. How true that is! B. God had warned that death would come if the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was eaten – Genesis 2:16-17 1. But Satan…
Read MoreGod of the Weak
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/God-of-the-Weak.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreThe Foolishness of the Cross
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Foolishness-of-the-Cross.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreHow do I respond to the “I never told you to hate anybody” meme?
Question: Hi Jeff, I recently came across a post that, rightly so, was completely wrong. The post basically says and I will also attach the picture, that Jesus never said homosexuality is wrong, marriage can be with whomever and it doesn’t matter who you worship. My question is just by the gospels alone, can it…
Read MoreWhy do you need to receive the gift of the Spirit again?
Question: Hi, In Ephesians 1, Paul says we are marked with a seal, the Holy Spirit, on believing the gospel. “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a…
Read MoreConfidence in the Canon
by Allen Dvorak “The Lost Books of the Bible! Are you missing books from your Bible?” It is not uncommon to see such advertisements in the supermarket rags or at bookstores. Sometimes they hint at the idea that there has been some deliberate and/or covert effort to exclude certain books from the New Testament. Americans…
Read MoreIs John 3:16 the only passage that we need to get to heaven?
Question: Hello, I have just found your website and have learned a great deal as well as carry great respect for your ability to answer questions biblically. That being said, I bear an immense disagreement but extremely open to reconsideration if thoroughly convinced. I’m only 23 and have been born again since I was 14.…
Read MoreYour stock of literature has been a great help to our work
Question: I write with all the joy and grace the Savior provides. I cannot fail to praise and congratulate the enormous work La Vista Church of Christ is engaging in order to win many souls for the Lord. We are a year old congregation in Ghana, West Africa, laboring to advance In the field of…
Read MoreI find myself repeatedly committing fornication
Question: Hi, I am 21 years of age. I read a brother’s email about how he fell into fornication over and over again and how he is ready to ask God for forgiveness and change if God will accept him. I have fallen into such a trap. I have repeatedly engaged in fornication. I have…
Read MoreToday’s Child Experts: “Punishment Does Not Help”
by Mark Roberts Journalist Betsy Flagler writes the syndicated “Parent to Parent” column that asks readers to write in with parenting problems and then tries to get expert help for those troubles. A mother in California recently wrote in that her first-grader has been pushing and hitting, has been kicked out of the library, and…
Read MoreIs sex before marriage a sin for a couple who divorced their prior spouses?
Question: My partner and I are both divorced. Both of our previous partners committed adultery. We are engaged and find it difficult to find any reference in the Bible to our situation regarding sex before marriage. Could you help, please? Answer: You are currently not married. You only have a firm intention of getting married,…
Read MoreWhy Do We Need Church Creeds?
by Jefferson David Tant Does your denomination have a creed? I suppose most denominations have an official creed outlining the things that distinguish one denomination from another. I have a box full of such books. These include the Catholic New Baltimore Catechism, the Baptist Hiscox Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, the Methodist Discipline, the Book…
Read MoreThe Old Law was not from human philosophy, so Colossians 2:16-17 can’t be talking about the Old Law
Question: Hello, I saw your article on Colossians 2:16 and had a follow-up question that I have been struggling with after hearing a rebuttal from a Sabbatharian website. They said Colossians 2:14-16 is commonly used to say Christians are not bound to keep Saturday Sabbaths or obey various Old Testament commands given to Israel; however,…
Read MoreShould couples knowing they have a high probability of passing on a genetic disease try to have children?
Question: Hello Sir, I came across your notice/ Q&A on this subject. I will attach images of the Q&A I’m commenting about. I would like to know personally why would you imply that would would hope parent would trying to have their own kids knowing there is a possibility that they can birth a sickler?…
Read MoreShould I return the interests of a man who has past sexual sins?
Question: Hi, I came across your website looking for answers concerning someone I am interested in. A good Christian guy has begun showing interest in me, and I’ve started liking him. He seems to have a deep and genuine relationship with God. When he talks about mistakes that he’s made, it sounds like he is…
Read MoreHow did prophets know what God wanted them to say?
Question: So you know that Moses who wrote some of the books of the Bible and other people also wrote books. How did they know what God wanted and what He didn’t want? Or did God really have a voice that reached from the heavens to earth and told them what to write back then?…
Read MoreA Soul Set Free
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/A-Soul-Set-Free.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 32 I. Every person is guilty of sin – Romans 3:10-23 A. Therefore, we all need forgiveness from God 1. It is found in Jesus Christ – I John 2:1; Ephesians 1:7 B. Only with forgiveness can we enter into God’s presence – Revelation 21:27 II. How blessed is a forgiven man…
Read MoreHow do we know if God is giving us a disease because of our sins?
Question: In Psalms 38, David tells of his physical pains produced by sin and highly suggests that God is behind his sickness due to his sin. Do we really know when and if God gives us a disease because of our sin? Do we really know how He works regarding disease and sin? Answer: One of…
Read MoreIs it wrong to say something that is not true when joking?
Question: Sometimes when I’m joking, I will mostly say jokes like “There’s a cockroach on your shoulder!” when there isn’t. I like to use sarcasm too. Are these jokes counted as sin? Is sarcasm bad? Answer: Lying is always wrong. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers…
Read MoreHow do I know what or when to compromise to advance the cause of Christ?
Question: How do I know what or when to compromise to advance the cause of Christ? Answer: The cause of God is not advanced by sin. “And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just” (Romans…
Read MoreAn Example of Values Clarification
by Wayne S. Walker Back in 1985, a Trans-World flight from Athens, Greece, to Beirut, Lebanon was hijacked by a group of radical Muslims occurred. This event remained on the minds of many people for quite some time afterward. The majority of United States citizens, as well as those of all civilized, freedom-loving nations, denounce…
Read MoreEnjoy What God Has Given You
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Enjoy-What-God-Has-Given-You.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 50 I. Have you given a gift that wasn’t appreciated? A. “That’s nice, but it wasn’t what I hoped to receive.” B. “Thanks, but it would have been better if you also included …” C. Or worse, it just sits there, not being used D. It’s frustrating to the giver. E. But consider…
Read MoreAre pierced earrings sinful?
Question: During a home Bible study regarding our bodies are a temple, a side comment was made about body piercings, which prompted me (a female) to say: “I have pierced ears and wear pierced earrings. Is that wrong?” The host of the Bible study and his wife said, yes, and for me to consider to…
Read MoreShould we break up because of our lack of self-control?
Question: Hi, I’m 25 years old. I have a boyfriend who is a Christian too. We have been together for less than 9 months. We set boundaries. and we know that we should abstain from sex before marriage. At first, it was okay. There are no kissing or hugs. We just held hands. After a…
Read MoreWhy don’t the wicked all suffer?
Question: Hi, Why does God bless some and not others if we are all sinners and deserve nothing at all? How does He pick them out? Why does He not make everyone suffer? Some of us have much more severe issues that last for years and then others get a little slap on the wrist…
Read MoreDid God know before He created the world that His Son would be sacrificed?
Question: Greetings and God bless, I just read your answer: Could you explain “foreknew” and “predestined” to me? Concluding the article, you said: “The idea of predestination in the scripture can be summarized bysaying that God predetermined (or predestined) before the beginning of the world to set up a church through his Son’s sacrifice…” My…
Read MoreJesus, the Bible, and History
by Edwin Crozier As Luke digs into the story of who Jesus is, he doesn’t say, “Long ago, in a land far, far away.” He doesn’t say, “Once upon a time.” He gets specific. It was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea. Herod was the…
Read MoreWho created God?
Question: If God created the universe, then who created God? And who created that person who created God? Answer: There is a law that says for every effect there is a cause. Thus, there is a chain of causes leads up to a particular effect. But what most people don’t consider is that this same…
Read MoreIs dark humor sinful?
Question: Is all dark humor a sin? Answer: Dark humor refers to making something that is shocking, morbid, or disgusting into a joke. A part of its appeal is the strength of the conflicting emotions that it brings about. The problem is that it treats serious subjects as if they were not serious. This would…
Read MoreWhat does the Bible mean by “My sons, think only of what is holy, what is honorable” etc.?
Question: What does the Bible mean by “My sons, think only of what is holy, what is honorable,” etc.? Answer: Jesus taught, “The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness”…
Read MoreHas God ever accepted a defective sacrifice?
Question: Has God ever accepted a spotted, unclean, defiled, blemished, blind, lame, or sick sacrifice? Answer: “Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you” (Leviticus 22:20). “But if it has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to…
Read MoreShould it be “for a veil” or “instead of a veil” in I Corinthians 11:15?
Question: Thank you for all of your bible study lessons and for all of the hard work you do! Someone told me about the Greek Word: G473 Anti from I Corinthians 11:15 and said that the hair was given to a woman instead of the veil. Can you please explain to me if G473 anti means instead of or…
Read MoreAre we sinning by using vulgar words?
Question: If a word has a vulgar meaning and an informative normal meaning, is it wrong to use? For example, “boi” is a funny way to pronounce “boy,” but it can refer to a boyish lesbian or a bisexual with effeminate traits according to Wikipedia. I want to say it as just a funny way…
Read MoreAre we only judged by the things we know?
Question: Good afternoon, Brother Hamilton: I hope this message finds you well. I am looking at your site for information about accountability for the Christian, and I am having trouble wording what I’m looking for to find resources. Maybe you can help. I was at a small study with one of the wives of our…
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