What about the claim that camels were not used during Abraham’s time?

Question: All these links keep popping up on my Facebook feed due to atheistic friends. Could you explain this one to me as well? It’s got me stumped, not enough to discredit the Bible or anything, but another to make me feel confused.  Carbon Dating on Camel Bones Contradicts Bible’s Accuracy Thanks. Answer: The claim…

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Should I get married now or wait until I’m financially stable?

Question: I am 21 years and have never been in a relationship before because I wanted to commit myself to achieve my objectives in life especially about having a solid financial and educational background. I took this decision because I come from a poor background and had always wished to come out from that situation…

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My boyfriend wants to move in before we get married

Question: Dear friend, I am super confused now, and it seems like I am in a dilemma. I do not know what I am supposed to do. Please help me. My boyfriend wants to live with me. We are going to rent a two-bedroom apartment. We are seriously in love and plan to marry later…

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My life has no meaning, so why shouldn’t I take it?

Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton I am an 18-year-old male. I write to you because I am feeling extremely depressed and confused, almost suicidal, and have done for about a year or so. First of all, I would like to mention that I’m an atheist. I used to be a Christian, but even if I still…

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What Scripture says we have a personal relationship with Christ?

Question: Our preacher says he is about a relationship with Christ instead of rules.  I read and liked your article, Shouldn’t we emphasize a relationship with Jesus instead of rules?, but I really can’t find scripture that gives examples of a personal relationship with Christ. Answer: “Relationship” is a broad word. Jesus is my Lord…

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Imagined Sins

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ImaginedSins.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 30:5-6   I.         Certain ideas get repeated in the religious world, often enough that people accept them as truth without stopping to ask if this is really in the Bible or not             A.        “You are saved by faith alone” – despite James 2:24             B.        “Baptism is an outward sign of an…

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My wife has refused to have sex with me for years and I’m weakening

Question: Hello, I feel very ashamed to even write this, but I’ve been doing Google searches and scouring the Internet for answers. I would normally just ask a pastor from church, but I have a learning disorder or mental disability and everyone just writes me off as strange or stupid. Even pastors don’t want to take the time to…

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Is it wrong to bow to elders or at the graves of those who had died?

Question: Hello, I have a few questions, I hope you don’t mind. In East Asian countries, it is customary to bow to elders and those older than you. Is this not allowed? Also, it is customary to bow to ancestors who’ve passed away at their graves. Is this not allowed as well? Thanks! Answer: In…

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There is a difference between immorality and sex

Question: You answered a question on your site regarding men seeking prostitutes and quoted Proverbs 7:24-27 as the answer. However, that verse was denouncing an adulterous woman behaving like a prostitute. Why didn’t you offer a better example as the young man asking the question had a very serious dilemma about the sex drive of…

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Is it right for husbands to stay home and raise the children?

Question: I have a question about providing for the family. I know that if you don’t provide you are like the unbelievers, but what about stay-at-home dads who care for kids? I know is not easy taking care of a household: kids, laundry, etc. Do you think it is right in God’s eyes? Answer: “But…

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Doesn’t Matthew 6:17 tell us to anoint ourselves?

Question: Hi, I am a member of the church in Indiana. This morning, I was studying fasting, and like always, I drifted off into another topic (I’m sure this happens to you and many Christians). That’s one reason why God’s Word is so good: You can never have enough. As I stated, I was studying…

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Creeping Toward Sodom

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CreepingTowardSodom.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 13:1-13   I.         Lot’s problems began when his herdsmen could no longer get along with the herdsmen of Abram – Genesis 13:5-7             A.        This is often the first sign of problems among brethren – they are no longer able to be of one mind                         1.         I Corinthians 1:10-13 – There were…

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If I said something that I later regret, do I have to keep my word?

Question: I’m having a hard time knowing whether or not I have made certain vows and if I ought to keep them. Someone explained to me that when Jesus says “Let your yes be yes and your no be no,” his point isn’t that vowing/swearing/making oaths are wrong (which is what some people have taken…

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How to be Truly Happy

by Matthew Allen “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln Are you happy? Truly happy? Have you found the joy that is found in Christian living? Christianity contains the keys to true happiness during our earthly existence. It is only in a relationship with God that…

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How do you humble yourself in front of the Lord?

Question: How do you humble yourself in front of the Lord? Answer: To be humble is the opposite of being prideful. A prideful man only listens to his own desires. He acts in accord with his own wishes. “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the…

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Does Ecclesiastes contain statements that don’t make sense to Christians?

Question: In your article, “Do people know what is happening on earth after their death?”, you plainly state the dead don’t know what happens on Earth. After looking at Coffman’s Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 9 he points out interesting points in the chapter. If dead refers to “dead people” in verse 5, what is meant by…

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We have a new preacher teaching unity in a diversity of beliefs

Question: Our congregation recently has a new preacher. He is related to half the church members and is well-known in the community. But he is very liberal and has admitted to me that he wants to change things at our congregation. He told me, “he is about a relationship with Christ, and I am about…

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Why do some use titles?

Question: Hello brother Hamilton. Hope you’re doing well. I have a question that pertains to “titles” given to those in position in the church and mainly I’m speaking on preachers and the title that some give themselves such as reverend, pastor, evangelist, etc. Now, I read some of your articles which has helped me, but…

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Is being implacable condemned?

Question: Is being implacable condemned in Romans 1:31? “Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Romans 1:31, KJV) “Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful” (Romans 1:31, ASV) Thanks for your time. Answer: The Greek word aspondous (irreconcilable) doesn’t appear in all the manuscripts. Because it also appears in a similar list in II Timothy…

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Jamaica Patois Wisdom – Attitude

by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…

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Is the love of money the root of all evil?

Question: The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Does it mean that all evil including evil that’s in our heart? Is the evil that people do seen or unseen? Or does it mean the greed for the love of money? People also skip out on the word for…

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We appreciate the clarity of your message about Oprah’s spiritual crusade

Question: Dear Sir, My fiancee and I were reading one of your articles covering Oprah’s spiritual crusade in America. We really appreciated the clarity of your message as well as your church’s mission.  Thank you for being willing to write the truth about who Jesus was and what He came for.  I just wanted to encourage…

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My boyfriend and I committed fornication. Should we split up?

Question: Dear sir, Thanks for your online forum to allow for such questions. I’m in my mid-twenties and my boyfriend is in his early thirties. I’ve known him for about 3 years and we’ve been together for about a year and a half now. We are both independent people who do love God. He has…

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Does fornication mean my salvation is lost permanently?

Question: Good evening, I was wondering if you could help me with a question that has been haunting me for some time. My current husband and I partook in premarital sex for about a year and a half before we finally got married. We were both Christians at the time but fell prey to our…

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I used some of your materials to teach others. Thank you

Question: Dear Brother, I don’t know who you are but I want to tell you that the articles you have on your congregation’s website are fantastic. I am a member of the church. I am at the present studying the Bible with two people, one is a retired doctor who is a Seven Day Adventist…

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Saint or Sinner?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SaintOrSinner.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 1   I.         Would you describe yourself as a saint or a sinner? Or perhaps you see yourself as both.             A.        John Calvin, and his followers, believe that God selects those who are saved. Once selected, that person cannot be removed from God’s saving hand.             B.        We realize that this cannot…

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The Lord Knows Those Who Are His

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/LordKnowsThoseWhoAreHis.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Timothy 2:14-21   I.         There are always going to be people who will not accept what God says. They’ll quibble over words to get wiggle room for their particular beliefs.             A.        That is why the Christian has to be a good student of the Bible – II Timothy 2:15             B.        You…

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