Prove All Things
by Gary Dennis Jones In feudal times, so the story goes, there were two rival kingdoms, one of which sent out a messenger to spy on the other. When the spy got to this kingdom, the inhabitants were all a-flurry, being in the midst of forming an army to kill the rats that were infesting…
Read MoreWhy are there birth defects? And is changing your gender fixing a defect?
Question: If God made man in His own image and said that it was excellent, then why are there birth defects, and isn’t fixing a birth defect the same as changing your gender if you’re homosexual? Answer: For your first question, see the sermon outline “Does God Make the Handicapped?” No, birth defects and changing…
Read MoreWhy is both the king of Babylon and Jesus called the morning star?
Question: Could you explain to me Isaiah 14:12-15? And then Revelation 22:16? Answer: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will…
Read MoreHave you heard of the Christian and Missionary Alliance?
Question: I respect and appreciate your spiritual and professional opinions and thank you all very much for your hard work. Have you ever heard of the C&MA — Christian and Missionary Alliance? Answer: The Christian and Missionary Alliance started in the late 1800s as two societies dedicated to spreading Christianity. Over time, the societies merged…
Read MoreCounting the Cost: Using Biblical Principles to Guide our Children in Spouse Finding
by Sally Ann Perz Choosing a spouse is the second biggest decision in one’s life—this is surpassed only by choosing to follow Christ. We must guide our children in this effort just as we lead them to Jesus. We often leave this important choice to them—somehow they are ‘on their own’ when it comes to…
Read MoreYour answers to guys’ questions about things related to sex helped me as well
Question: I recently came across your website when googling issues about sex. The page that opened went to one in which you addressed various questions asked by boys and men. In as much as the information was directed at them, it helped me, too. Being human, we suffer or encounter similar challenges. I could identify with…
Read MoreAll Feeling, No Proof
by Robert Turner via Plain Talk, April 1970 The current rash or tongue-speaking, miracle-sanctioning, and the far more common errors concerning direct Spirit indwelling, that infects many institutional churches of Christ, was not brought to earth in the Apollo 11 moon dust. It sprang from causes within the ranks. Last month we suggested that reaction to…
Read MoreWhen is anger appropriate and when is it sinful?
Question: I’ve been pondering this for some time, and I’d like to hear your thoughts. When, if ever, should we be angry, and if there is such a time, what should we do with that anger? I know that feeling angry is not necessarily a sin (Eph. 4). And I know that God and other righteous…
Read MoreIs it correct that before the Gospel, the Gentiles were still under the Patriarchal law?
Question: I read your article on Cornelius was a devout man. I have been taught that Cornelius, a Gentile, was still under the Patriarchal law since the Law of Moses was give to the Jews. This was the beginning of the change when the gospel was offered to both Jew and Gentile. Is this correct?…
Read MoreWhere do you draw the line?
Question: Well, I chatted with a friend who is a lesbian. She was drunk, so I’m not sure if what I said really impacted her or not. Anyway, I let go of my fears, told her that she could be forgiven for anything if only she would change, and told her exactly how I felt…
Read MoreDo I tell my boyfriend that I had a one-night stand?
Question: Hello. Well, first of all, I came across your site by asking the question: “By not telling my boyfriend about a one night stand am I sinning even though I have cried and prayed to God to ask for forgiveness?” I have been living with my boyfriend for several years and we have been…
Read MoreCould the one person God intended for me be someone who is already married?
Question: I have a question about God and His choice for a spouse: Is it true that there one person He has chosen for each of us? If this is true, would the person he has chosen for me be married, and would I meet him while I was married? My current partner and I…
Read MoreShould Wives Call Their Husbands “Lord”?
by Sam Stinson “For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening” (I Peter 3:5-6, ESV). Someone suggested that if…
Read MoreWhat are my options after being divorced for having an affair?
Question: Hello. I am a brother in Christ, have been for over thirty years, it hasn’t been easy. Now I am divorced after having an affair. I still love the woman I had the affair with and she truly loves me. I believe because of my martial unfaithfulness my wife is free of me and…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Bible say the earth is a circle as opposed to a sphere?
Question: Quick question or comment about the statement of the Earth being flat: You refute that claim with this: The real core of the argument is a claim that the Hebrew word tehom implies that something is flat. There is just one small problem. “Flat” isn’t in tehom’s definition. Tehom is “A noun meaning ‘the depths of the ocean'” But…
Read MoreWhat do you think about the “God’s Word” Translation?
Question: What do you think about the “God’s Word” Translation? Answer: God’s Word is a “dynamic equivalent” translation, which simply means it favors readability over strictly following the original text. It is on the order of the New Living Translation. It is less strict than the New International Version, but not quite to the level…
Read MoreIs it wrong for the husband to cook instead of the wife?
Question: Is it wrong for the husband to cook instead of the wife? It appears that it is the role of the wife, but at the same time, we see that men clearly cooked in the Old Testament, such as Esau was told to cook by his father. I know you might think, “It’s in…
Read MoreIs love enough for marriage?
Question: Is the love between a man and a woman, apart from the mutual agreement of both families enough to bind them? I’m asking this question on behalf of my cousin who wants to go on and marry a Muslim girl irrespective of the lack of agreement between the two families of different religions. They…
Read MoreWhy did my mother have such a strange dream?
Question: I hear you’re from a church. Can you tell me any reason why my mom dreamed last night that she was somewhere in a mountain and all of a sudden she heard a voice saying look up in the sky and she looked up and saw a crack in the sky and in the…
Read MoreWho Are the Gnostics?
by Ethan R. Longhenry In recent years a strong interest has arisen in “alternative” religions, and Gnosticism has received interest as an “alternative” to “orthodox Christianity”. The recent success of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code has popularized this trend. The book speaks regarding “over eighty gospels” that were not chosen to be a part of…
Read MoreHow could God repent for creating man when the Bible also says God is not like a man to repent?
Question: The Bible says in Genesis that God repented for creating man. But then why does the Bible say “God is not a man to lie, and not a son of man to repent”? And if God repented, why did Paul said that God prepared the chosen ones to give fruits before the world was…
Read MoreI’ve done so much wrong, I fear it is too late for me
Question: Thank you so much for your web site. The analogy of the young soldier being afraid to die and the old man being afraid to live was very touching to me. I myself am an agnostic, but then I have a tremendous fear of God, so perhaps this is telling me I do believe in God…
Read MoreCan homosexuals have a godly marriage?
Question: I just have to say that when I stumbled upon La Vista Church of Christ’s sermon on “Who Are You Going To Marry?” while searching for something similar, I found it quite terrifying. As a Christian who is engaged to be married, I am, for the first time, having second thoughts about marriage at…
Read MoreHow to Win the Lottery
David Osteen via Pleonast True story for anyone’s gambling lesson: There is a man at the Texas City church of Christ named Marlin Ridenour. He works for the City of Galveston and oversees the water department. The year the Texas State Lottery commenced in 1991, one of the employees wrote on a whiteboard a little…
Read MoreThe Deceitful Heart
by Daniel H. King Sr. via Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 2 p. 22-23, January 19, 1995 The prophet Jeremiah’s life and the unique experiences which he had with Israel, offered him a “laboratory” to study the workings of the human heart. God had entrusted him with a message of dismay, desolation, and destruction for the land of…
Read MoreWhat does Laodicea mean?
Question: What does Laodicea mean? Answer: Laodicea is the name of a city in Asia Minor that wasn’t too far from Colosse. The name of the city is a compound Greek word: laos means people, nation, or crowd; dike means custom, law, judgment, penalty, or punishment, depending on the context. From that, most conclude that the founders of Laodicea…
Read MoreHow do I overcome my homosexual behavior?
Question: How can I have victory over homosexual behavior? Guilty of homosexuality 100%. I gave my life to Christ and have struggled to remain faithful to God. I’ve successfully abstained from actually committing homosexual sex, but it doesn’t stop me from pornographic material. How do I have a victory? I want this to just stop,…
Read MoreIf I Don’t Preach on Hell
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IfIDontPreachOnHell1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 9:16-23 I. It won’t take you long to find out that the topic of Hell is not popular among the denominations of the world A. The Jehovah’s Witnesses declare that it doesn’t exist. Nor do the Episcopals, Methodists, and some Baptists want to discuss the matter. B. A survey…
Read MoreIs the Papacy Biblical?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 16:13-20 I. The world was fascinated with the process the Roman Catholic Church used to pick a new pope. A. We were given detailed accounts of all the traditions surrounding a pope’s selection B. We were shown the events step by step. C. But in all the hoopla, how many wondered where…
Read MoreThank you for the information on forgiveness and repentance
Question: Thank you very much for your web site’s index. I have been struggling a lot with issues concerning forgiveness, repentance and such. My story is quite intriguing and alarming; however, I don’t want to overwhelm you with it. Your site makes me feel like I have hope, and that when I repented, that God really…
Read MoreMy cousin wants to be saved, but he is waiting for God to give him an experience so he can stop being gay. What should he do?
Question: I have a cousin who’s been struggling with something for a long time. The problem is that he’s gay, which he hates. He doesn’t want to be gay, he wants to live for God, but he says he can’t because of his homosexual desires. He has been waiting for God to suddenly change him…
Read MoreDid Jesus spend three days in hades?
Question: I had a lady try to tell me that Jesus spent three days in Hades before he arose from the grave. I didn’t really get to discuss this with her because she had to leave. How do people come up with this kind of thinking? Answer: Sometimes people make up things, but in this particular…
Read MoreFalse Teachers and Lying Prophets
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/FalseTeachersAndLyingProphets.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. As long as God has had teachers and prophets in the world there have been those who taught falsely. A. Jeremiah complained about the false prophets – Jeremiah 5:30-31 B. Paul had problems with teachers binding the Old Law – Acts 15:1-2 C. Paul warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers would…
Read MoreCan instrumental music be used for worshiping God on days other than Sunday?
Question: I was also speaking with her regarding instruments in worship. She claimed that since it is only the first-day assembly, which is that worship was done together in one place, then to go to a place where they have instrumental music on a Wednesday night is not sinful. She went on to talk about…
Read MoreWhat was the flaw in the Old Covenant?
Question: Is the flaw of the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:7) that there was no way for sins to be completely forgiven (Hebrews 10:1-10)? Or was the law impossible to completely follow as well? If it was possible to completely follow, then what is Peter talking about in Acts 15:10 and what is the meaning of…
Read MoreMust I marry the girl I had sex with?
Question: Praise the LORD! I have read some of your replies to other questions and I perceive that you have knowledge. So, I come to you in regard to a question of mine. But, first let me explain: At one time in my walk with God, I was struggling, and instead of leaning on God,…
Read MoreI’m finding flaws in my denomination and I don’t know what to do
Question: Hello. As a fellow believer of the true gospel, I thought I’d ask you for some personal advice. I apologize if this gets a little long. This is a problem I haven’t been able to receive any real help with and had to battle by myself for years, and I’m still without a sense…
Read MoreI want to be baptized. Does it matter if I do it in a church that I know doesn’t teach the truth?
Question: Hey, I saw in one of your articles that being baptized in a place where people teach wrongly isn’t valid, such as being baptized when you’re a baby. I was baptized when I was a baby, but I know it’s not valid because I didn’t repent of anything. But now I want to be…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Bible teach that you can be saved without baptism?
Question: I read your article, “Why I Am Not a Nazarene,” as I have been researching the Wesleyan Nazarenes and was considering attending there as a member but I am having doubts. However, I read your article and where it says “No one is saved without being baptized with water” is not biblical. One is saved by faith in…
Read MoreWhy does my sinful ex seem to have it so good?
Question: I am truly struggling with this. I was married for 21 years now divorced due to infidelity and a horrific divorce. My ex is now with the women he committed adultery with. He continues to come around my family as well as our friends bragging about how God is now blessing him. It seems…
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