What is the difference between Islam and Christianity?
Question: What is the difference between Islam and Christianity? If Jesus is God, what about the prophet Moses (Torah), or the prophet David (Injil)? The holy book Torah had been given to the prophet Moses and the holy book Injil had been given to the prophet David. Likewise, the holy book had been given to…
Read MoreIs it wrong to get married in a different church?
Question: I have a question. I took your advice and want to get married. My mum, my wife-to-be, and I are cool with getting married in a Lutheran church. Our bone of contention comes from our best man and woman who are born again, like ourselves. They will not do a wedding at a Lutheran…
Read MoreKeeping a Pure Conscience
by Sean P. Cavender While standing trial before Felix, the apostle Paul stated that he had strived to live with a pure conscience before God and men (Acts 24:16). This should be the goal of each and every child of God–living life with a pure conscience (I Timothy 1:5,19). The conscience can be a valuable…
Read MoreIs the book Bhagavad-Gita inspired and true?
Question: Is the book Bhagavad-Gita inspired and true? Also, how can I answer a Hare Krishna monk regarding the same? Answer: Bhagavad-Gita, or Song of God, is one of several books considered scripture to the Hindus. Since the Hindu religion is an old idolatrous religion, the books supporting the religion are as false as the…
Read MoreWhat is God’s prophetic word for my life?
Question: I need to know God’s prophetic word for my life. Please help me by your prayers and may the Lord reveal to you what He wants to speak to me. Answer: “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of…
Read MoreAbuse of the Lord’s Supper
by Leslie Diestelkamp It is quite obvious that many Christians who may be quite devoted in other ways, do indeed “miss the mark” with regard to the Lord’s Supper. Consider the following: The attitude and practice of some brethren indicate that they expect forgiveness of their sins of the past week because they have had…
Read MoreWas the earth populated by Noah’s sons and daughters and their children married each other?
Question: Hi! My question is: Was the earth populated by Noah’s sons and daughters and their children married each other? Answer: Only eight people were saved during the Flood (II Peter 3:20). “So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood” (Genesis…
Read MoreHow do I correct a misunderstanding that the Holy Spirit is the Bible?
Question: Hello. I just wanted to let you know that I think the new web site looks really nice and express my gratitude for the work you do. I do have a question that has been bothering me for a while, and although I’ve searched your archives for a response, I’m hoping you can help…
Read MoreCan I get a printed copy of your site?
Question: I have seen your site and the great information that you have presented in it and I cannot tell you how much it has been of help to me in my preaching and studies. If you please, do you have it in a book form? If you have it, can I send for a…
Read MoreOnce a man’s children grow up, he is no longer qualified to be an elder
Question: I should have known before I started reading “The Elder and His Children” that in the end, you, as most other preachers and teachers do, say that an elder does not have to have children at home and rule them well. I believe this to be false teaching, for how will anyone know children…
Read MoreHow many Passovers did Jesus attend during his ministry?
Question: Some say that Jesus attended three Passovers during his ministry and by that try to determine long He preached His gospel. I’ve heard that there may have been four Passovers, thus making His preaching career longer than 3 1/2 years. The possible fourth Passover, I believe is in the Gospel of Luke? Answer: Jesus…
Read MoreIf you don’t use instrumental music, then should you not use hymns composed on pianos?
Question: In doing some research for a book, I came across your web site. I was really surprised by the bluntness of your home page. I grew up in several different churches of Christ, Christian, and restoration movement churches. The instrumental churches and non-instrumental churches have always puzzled me. I’ve spent the last 1 1/2…
Read MoreDid an Israelite have to be born again under the Old Law?
Question: I have two questions: Did the Old Testament believers’ experience being “born again” or “regeneration” as experienced with the New Testament believers through Jesus Christ? Are born again believers still considered to be “sinners” or “saints” and why? Answer: There are several passages that use the allegory of birth to explain the change that…
Read MoreWhen was Satan bound, before Jesus came to this world or later?
Question: “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house” (Mark 3:27). From this verse, we learn that Satan is currently bound by Christ and that his power is limited. My question is: Was Satan bound…
Read MoreWhat is Isaiah 26:12 talking about?
Question: What’s your Bible’s translation of Isaiah 26:12? My cousin and I have two different translations and we don’t know which is right. Does it talk about good works or blessings? Answer: “LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us” (Isaiah 26:12 NKJV). “LORD, You will establish…
Read MoreWas Hosea’s wife a harlot and were some of her children not his?
Question: I would like to have your input about Hosea marrying a harlot. Some scholars seem to think that she was not really a harlot when she married Hosea but had the mindset of the people of that day and time which was idolatry. Because of that mindset, a while after marrying Hosea, she became…
Read MoreShould churches support retired preachers?
Question: I was reading some articles on your church web site, one concerning paying preachers, written by Terry Benton. I was trying to find New Testament scripture for continuing to pay a retired preacher, I guess like retirement for years of service. I am wanting the Bible to be my guide, not my heart. Any thoughts?…
Read MoreNotes on Sports
Few engaged in activities purely for entertainment. Sports served practical purposes in gathering food or protection. However, some of these activities were done for competition and the winning of a prize. Competition 1 Corinthians 9:25 “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable…
Read MoreDrinking in the Bible
Grapes Matthew 7:16 Old Testament Sermon with Audio: Drinking in the Old Testament Article: Old Testament Beverages New Testament Sermon with audio: Drinking in the New Testament Article: New Testament Beverages
Read MoreIt Is Scriptural to Pay Preachers
by Billy Moore via For a Better Understanding, March / April 2010 “..the laborer is worthy of his hire… ” (Luke 10:7). “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (I Corinthians 9:14). “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all…
Read MoreWhy do I feel used by the guys I had sex with?
Question: Hello. I am glad I found this web site. Now I know that prayer is the answer to this question, and I have already prayed many times, but I need to post this. I am in my late twenties. I was a virgin until three years ago. I had never even kissed a boy,…
Read MoreMust you be baptized even after saying the prayer of salvation?
Question: I was wandering if you had to be baptized, even after saying the prayer of salvation to be completely saved. Answer: Just one small problem — there is no mention of salvation coming through prayer in the Bible. To claim to be saved by saying a prayer, then, is to make up your own…
Read MoreThe Importance of Covenants – Part I
The Importance of Covenants – Part 1The Importance of Covenants – Part 2 Text: Genesis 9:9-17 I. People have lost their understanding of covenants. People really don’t understand them or their importance. A. In part, it is because we don’t honor our word as we once did as a people. 1. Like New Year resolutions, they only…
Read MoreSince the church isn’t the building, you can’t make rules about how the building is used
Question: You are right in that you say the church is not to be an entertainment organization. But the picture you put on that site is not the church! You started out by saying that the church (Did you mean that building in the picture? That isn’t the church!) had no kitchen, etc. But, I…
Read MoreHypothetically Speaking
by Chad Sychtysz via Biblical Insights, v. 10, no. 11, November 2010 Perhaps you have been in the following situation. You are sitting down with a non-Christian friend and an open Bible. You explain the need to be obedient to the gospel and what this involves. You talk about the need for belief and repentance; so…
Read MoreHow do you handle a violent father?
Question: I am really disturbed. My dad who has been very violent since my mum joined him in a foreign country. He was broke and moved to this new country for business. Several years down the line, my mum came and joined him, but he has become proud and arrogant. Worse still there are rumors…
Read MoreThe Law and the Gospel (Kiser)
by M. W. Kiser via, The Sower, Vol. 53, No. 5, Sept/Oct. 2008. “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they…
Read MoreTen Commandments
by Carl A. Allen In a home Bible class, I was told, “All you have to do, to be saved, is to keep the Ten Commandments!” I looked at the lady and said, “You do not believe that.” She responded, “Yes I do!” I posed a question, “Must one believe in Jesus to be saved?”…
Read MoreWhat about the Ten Commandments?
by Jerry Blount It seems a constant source of confusion among Christians to determine our relationship to the Ten Commandments. How do we sort all this out? On the one hand, Paul said, For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing…
Read MoreWill the summer and winter seasons switch just before the end of the world?
Question: Thanks for clearing up many questions I had regarding the Flaws in the “Iraq – Interesting” E-Mail. I received it yesterday and knew it was incorrect but didn’t know where I could get some answers without extensive Bible study. I’ll check your site often to read your articles. I have a question: I’m told that in the Bible…
Read MoreWhat if the husband is convinced of the head covering, but his wife isn’t?
Question: What if the husband is convinced of the head covering, but his wife isn’t? Answer: Since the head covering is a sign of submission, the answer is no different from a husband who is convinced that his wife should be submissive, but she isn’t. The command: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to…
Read MoreIs a spouse texting people of the opposite sex, is that adultery?
Question: If you are married and your spouse is texting other people outside the marriage of the opposite sex, is that a form of cheating or adultery? Answer: No. Adultery is having sex with someone when either is married to someone else. People talk with other people all the time and texting is a modern…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Significance of Baptism
by Mark Larson via Gospel Power, Vol. 16, No. 6, Feb. 8, 2009. “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the…
Read MoreThe Jews Find Their King
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/JewsFindTheirKing.mp3 by Steve Brewer
Read MoreDoes the Bible say the earth will be renewed at Jesus’ coming?
Question: Once again I have a question that I dealing with. I recently had a friend of mine converted to Seventh-Day Adventist religion. He has been studying with them and basically accepted a lot of their beliefs that they are teaching. He has even provided me the events surrounding the second coming of Jesus from…
Read MoreKings During the Divided Kingdom
From I Kings Judah Israel Prophets Solomon (Mostly Good) 40 years I Kings 1-11 Nathan I Kings 1 Ahijah I Kings 11 Iddo Rehoboam (Evil) 17 years I Kings 12:1-24; 14:21-31; 15:6 Jeroboam (Evil) 22 years I Kings 11:26-40; 12:1-14:20 Ahijah I Kings 14 Shemaiah Iddo Abijam (Abijah) (Evil ) 3 years Started 18th year…
Read MoreDoes the fact that the wise men followed a star mean that astrology is acceptable?
Question: The wise men saw the star and came to Bethlehem. My Hindu friend said that he believes in astrology. He says because the wise men saw the star. He concludes that Christianity depends on the stars. But in the Bible you should not go to astrologers, so why did the wise men watch the…
Read MoreIf the Righteous Scarcely Be Saved …
by George Hutto “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let…
Read MoreIf I Had More I Would . . .
by Van James The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is full of all sorts of information about us. I saw some figures from it the other day that I thought were interesting. They told us how much of our income was used for “charitable contributions.” In the…
Read MoreIs every divorce that is not for fornication a sin?
Question: “How it is possible for a requirement that if a woman divorces her husband, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband (a command by the Lord according to Paul) if the only allowed cause for divorce is fornication which gives by implication the non-fornicator the right to remarry?” Paul is repeating…
Read More