Children and the Bible
by Doy Moyer Somewhere along the line, it seems to me, there has been an assumption that all the stories in the Bible have to be something for children. If some account is disturbing, then there is a problem with the Bible — as if the Bible was written just for the sake of kids.…
Read MoreIndividual or Church?
by Jimmy R. Mickells I was recently given a bulletin with an article in it that asked this question: “Where does the Bible make a distinction between the individual member and the church in the work of the Lord?” May we notice together that the word of God answers this question very clearly? The reason…
Read MoreHis parents approve of our relationship until we get married. Am I doing the right thing?
Question: Please, I need enlightenment. I am turning 20 next month. I have always set standards about not having a boyfriend yet and keeping myself pure until marriage. A while back, I met this Christian guy. He is a youth leader in his church, and I am too. We became acquainted with each other and…
Read MoreIs the church of God the one true church?
Question: Good day brother Jeffrey, I need your help. Where does the church of Christ get the year 33 AD? What is the basis for this? Another question: Is it true that no religion can save? The Church of God said that the one true church is the Church of God because it is written…
Read MoreHow do I talk to a friend who has started experimenting with sex?
Question: Good evening sir, Sadly I write to you seeking some sort of advice as I am not only troubled but do not know how to handle this situation. One of my friends throughout high school and now college (although she is closer to my girlfriend) just did something I absolutely cannot believe. Despite her…
Read MoreHow can I truly seek God in a world full of evil and darkness?
Question: How can I truly seek God in a world full of evil and darkness? What will happen when I find Him? What will I feel? Answer: This world has always been full of evil. Today is no different than the past. “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves…
Read MoreMy girlfriend won’t get married in my church and I won’t get married in her church
Question: Hello, I have a question and need further advice. My girlfriend and I have been together for 8 years and have been living together for 6 years. I have recently gotten saved. I was raised Catholic but have converted to Christianity. When I had found out about sexual immorality and it not being right…
Read MorePraise the Lord!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/PraiseTheLord.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 113 I. What, exactly, is meant when someone says, “Praise the Lord!”? A. Do you go around saying “Praise the Lord!” once in a while? B. When something nice happens to a friend, do you respond with “Praise the Lord!”? C. Often words and phrases are used with little thought as…
Read MoreDo I have to marry my brother’s widow?
Question: Please help. My pastor told me that God spoke to her that I should marry my elder brother’s widow with four children. I have a fiancee whom I dearly love but my pastor says she is being used by devil worshippers to capture me. My dad joined in devil worship a long time ago…
Read MoreWill I get to heaven if I continue to struggle against porn?
Question: Good morning, I am writing to tell you I have been struggling watching porn and to masturbate for a long time now. I have a wife, but I still do those types of things. I’ve tried to get away from it all, but I keep going back to all my old ways. I am…
Read MoreMan’s Sinful Nature
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MansSinfulNature.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. I’ve been hearing a lot about man’s sinful nature A. A large number of people in denominations take it for granted that mankind is born sinful. 1. In other words, people can’t help but to sin because it is a part of our nature. 2. The Philadelphia Confession of Faith (p. 7-8) states…
Read MoreHow do we praise God?
Question: Mr. Hamilton, I hear a lot of people talking about what they do to praise God, so my question is: How do we praise the Father according to His word? Thank you. Answer: In the Old Testament, one common word that is translated as “praise” is tehillah, which literally means “to cause to shine.”…
Read MoreThank you for providing clarity on my own issue with false prophets
Question: I want to thank you for providing more clarity on an issue that has been bothering me. My fiancée informed me two weeks ago that three prophets in her church warned her to stop our wedding, which was to take place in a few months. Note that our upcoming wedding has the blessings of…
Read MoreIf my fiance doesn’t repent of his past fornication, does this mean I’ll become a fornicator if I marry him?
Question: Hello, First, I want to thank you for caring and taking the time to answer questions. My question is kind of half answered and also several in one. My fiancé and I are divided on the issue of premarital sex. We have never done it, nor have I ever been pressured for it at…
Read MoreI have only had sex with guys but don’t consider myself gay
Question: I have only had sex with guys but don’t consider myself gay. I am attracted to women, but I can’t just have sex with any woman. When I was 11 I had my first experience with a girl, but it was my younger half-sister, so, of course, I was hard and able to have…
Read MoreThank you for presenting the truth in areas that have divided the church
Question: I, by chance, happened onto the La Vista congregation’s web page and checked it out. What a surprise! Thank you for the work you are doing presenting the truth in some of the areas that have divided the church. I am talking about the usual controversial topics within the church; that is one cup…
Read MoreI am enjoying your website very much
Question: Just discovered your website and am enjoying it very much. I am currently teaching a class for those over 50 about preparing for heaven and judgment. You have some very good articles that will help me with lesson preparation. I am looking forward to spending more time looking through your site. Answer: I hope…
Read MoreI am a pastor’s son and got a woman pregnant
Question: I am a pastor’s son, but I got a lady pregnant. I don’t know how to face my parents because they always preach against pregnancy before marriage. Moreover, I am afraid of how the congregation will react to the situation. I have prayed to seek the face of God for forgiveness?. Please advise me…
Read MoreMarijuana Causes Long-Term Changes
Source: “Dr. Kabran Chapek … says, ‘I’m not surprised when someone with anxiety tells me that they use marijuana or alcohol to help them sleep, or calm their nerves. It’s predictably people with over activity in their brains and problems like anxiety or PTSD who use sedating substances—we can see it on their SPECT scans. The problem…
Read MoreHow did God create Himself?
Question: I just always wondered, how God created Himself? Answer: God didn’t create Himself. Eternal means He always existed. “Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalms 90:2). Even unbelievers understand that something has to always exist. In…
Read MoreThe Same Movement, Yet We Are Different
by Andy Sochor Daniel Austen Sommer (1878-1952) was the son of the gospel preacher, Daniel Sommer. In 1916, D.A. Sommer debated J. Roy Wright of the Christian church. The debate dealt with several issues, including instrumental music in worship and missionary societies. In his first speech, Sommer pointed out something that he and Wright had in…
Read MoreDid the eunuch have witnesses to his confession?
Question: Dear Jeffrey, I have read some of the answers on your website related to the requirements of a valid baptism. You have mentioned a confession of your belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is required, and in accordance with I Timothy 6:12, that confession should be made before “many witnesses”. My…
Read MoreI Peter 4:3 and ‘Social Drinking’
by Ron Halbrook (edited for length) Searching The Scriptures, June 1973 Three words are used in I Peter 4:3 which have a bearing on modern drinking practices. All three words describe the lifestyle of the old man, dead in sin — living “in the flesh to the lusts of men.” Peter pleads with those who are…
Read MoreDo I have to fix every sin I have done in the past?
Question: My question is on sin consciousness. I was a strong believer. I grew in the word and in my gift as a prophet. However, due to immorality, I fell. I had been trying to get back. Ever since I fell, it has been an up and down situation. After moving to a new country…
Read MoreGod and the Problem of Sin
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GodAndTheProblemOfSin.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:11-15 I. God’s Nature A. God is Holy – Isaiah 6:3 1. There is not even a hint of sin in God – I John 1:5 2. Evil is not a part of His nature, nor does He accept evil in others – Psalms 5:4 3. If we are to have fellowship…
Read MoreI can’t stop fornicating
Question: I am 21 yrs and I can’t stop fornicating, even though it’s against my wish. Sometimes I cry after the act. I hate myself for this. My life is crumbling, and I want repentance. I want to repent of my sins, but any time I try I find myself in the same act. Please,…
Read MoreCan I be saved after selling my soul?
Question: I read the article about selling your soul. It makes me feel better but I am concerned still. As a child, I was saved. But I signed a contract in blood denouncing Christ forever almost a year ago. I was a dedicated Satanist. I was angry at God for my parents’ behavior (alcoholism and promiscuity).…
Read MoreTruth Or Free-thinking
by Terry W. Benton To the modern man, it seems wrong to believe that you can actually “know the truth”, and therefore be in a position to “answer” the false religious claims of others. While an open mind is indeed a good quality, that open-minded nature ought to eventually settle on something it has tested…
Read MoreMarijuana Causes Long-Term Changes
Source: [“Marijuana Causes Long-term Brain Changes,” Amen Clinics, 2015 February 06]. “Dr. Kabran Chapek … says, ‘I’m not surprised when someone with anxiety tells me that they use marijuana or alcohol to help them sleep, or calm their nerves. It’s predictably people with over activity in their brains and problems like anxiety or PTSD who use…
Read MoreWere the disciples able to do miracles before Pentecost?
Question: I see in Matthew 10:8 that the Lord gave authority to the apostles to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, etc. (all before Pentecost). Are there any references to them performing such acts before the Spirit came upon them at Pentecost? Answer: In Luke 10:17, when the seventy came back from visiting the towns in…
Read MoreYou only oppose homosexuality out of ignorance
Question: I’m sorry if I may sound a bit rash, but what is wrong with you people? I am deeply concerned on your standpoints of the Scripture and the answers you are giving people. We are all made in our own unique way, and the Lord forgives us for our imperfections and sins. If one…
Read MoreIs it a sin to marry a woman who has committed adultery?
Question: Is it a sin to marry a woman who has committed adultery? She is not married and I’m willing to forgive her and start afresh with her. Answer: Technically, you have nothing to forgive her. When she committed adultery, she sinned against God, against the man’s wife, and against herself. “Flee sexual immorality. Every…
Read MoreI’m interested in a girl, but she is not a virgin
Question: Hi, I saw one of your answers to a guy who had trouble coming to terms with the fact that his girlfriend is not a virgin. The truth is I have the exact same problem only this time she is not my girlfriend yet, but I am a virgin. I met this girl four years…
Read MoreI am concerned about whether I should marry my fiancée
Question: Good day sir, I found this address online and I wish to seek your advice toward my growing life. I use to have a fiancee. We both planned to spend the rest of our life together but I kept feeling it was not working. Why? This is simply because it is my prayer to…
Read MoreMy husband is changing, but it seems he is getting away with his sins
Question: I have a complicated question. My husband is a preacher. I cannot possibly tell you our life stories, but suffice it to say that we did not have normal upbringings and both became Christians when we were young adults. The first several years of our marriage were filled with much anger, resentment, abuse, and…
Read MoreI have a problem with eating and pornography
Question: I’ve never done anything like this, but I’ve come to your page on countless occasions. I am 23 years old and, for the most part, your average joe. I accepted Christ in my life less than a year ago. When I first did it, I felt amazing. I had an extra stride in my…
Read MoreI’m afraid my past stealing will come back to haunt me
Question: Hello, Please, I am 15 years old, in school and I have stolen. I took someone’s card details and bought some items for myself. I went to the person and told him, but I only told him about three items and paid him back while there were four items. I confessed my sins to…
Read MoreMy wife embarrassed me in public and I ended up slapping her
Question: I just came across this ministry column. I read a few emails and responses and I need your help too. Recently my wife provoked me badly in front of my friends, screaming and asking for ‘her’ car keys. Keys to a car we recently acquired together and which has caused us many arguments since…
Read MoreI have a hard time believing in God, but it might be because of my sins
Question: I find it difficult to believe in and trust God, I have heard all of the arguments for His existence, such as the kalam cosmological argument, and others like it, so I believe that there is a real possibility that God exists. Also, I am quite versed in Christian theology and believe that if…
Read MoreI secretly married a second woman and then later became a Christian. Do I have to divorce one of my wives?
Question: Hi, God blessed. I have been with my wife for nearly twenty years and we have five kids. Four years ago, I met a girl who I fell in love with, and we secretly married. A year ago I went through baptism in a church. With my current status, I do not know where…
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