The Tragic End of Judas
by Hugh DeLong In John 18:3, we read about Judas carrying out his betrayal of Jesus. The story of Judas includes other specific references in Scripture, including: “For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have…
Read MoreWhat if a man found out that one of his children was sired by another man?
Question: Dear Beloved, If, after nearly 15 years in marriage, a brother later discovers that one of his children isn’t his, does he have the right to divorce and remarry based on deception and infidelity? Thank you for your time! Answer: It would depend. Was this due to a momentary weakness, which the wife repented…
Read MoreWhy Would a Skeptic Find Christianity Convincing?
by Erik Borlaug via InLight Media What would make a skeptic not only believe in Christianity but also dedicate his life to preaching the gospel? In this interview, we sit down with Erik Borlaug, who once doubted the claims of the Bible and the truth of Christianity. He shares the evidence that convinced him, the…
Read MoreIs It Still Possible to Raise Godly Children?
by Darrell Smelser via InLight Media Marriage is hard on its own. Parenting is a tough job in and of itself. However, with the world being so divided and complex, cultivating a godly family feels even more challenging these days. How do we navigate the various challenges that come with parenting children today? Scott Smelser and…
Read MoreLight Illuminates
by Zeke Flores The very nature of light is to illuminate, that is, to reveal something. We use it to help us do things such as writing a letter or working in the garden. Whenever I work under the hood of my car, I use a light suspended from a cord above me to illuminate…
Read MoreEarning Salvation?
by Doy Moyer Many believe that the reason we can’t “do anything” is that doing something implies we think we are earning salvation. This is one of the arguments against baptism: baptism is a work, and we aren’t saved by works but by grace; therefore, baptism can’t be required for salvation. This is a misunderstanding…
Read MoreIs There a Minimum?
by Ron Boatwright Many people want to know what the bare minimum is they can get by with in their lives. Additionally, some Christians aim to maintain a minimal level of spiritual engagement. But does God allow a bare minimum? Jesus says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with…
Read MoreDo You Believe in Baptizing in the Trinity?
by Terry Wane Benton Just before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His disciples to go “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). What that means is that we baptize people with the full authority of the…
Read MoreIs Election Sure?
by Terry Wane Benton I have heard Calvinists make a distinction between “salvation” and “election.” They say we can lose our salvation but not our election. One is sure and the other is not, according to their perspective. This would mean that all who are temporarily saved from sin are not necessarily elected by God…
Read MoreOutcasts for Jesus
by Hugh DeLong As Jesus talks to the Apostles, knowing that he is going to ascend back to the throne with the Father, he prepares them for what they will face as they conform themselves to the teaching and example that he himself has set. Notice the first 4 verses of John 16: “These things…
Read MoreConditional Statements
by Hugh DeLong In John 15, Jesus speaks with the Apostles, and in what he says, we see many ‘if’ statements and conditional sentences. Note the list: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and…
Read MorePreaching Is a Different Kind of Work
by Zeke Flores There are both good and bad, positive and negative aspects to it. But I can say that the positive far outweighs the negative. Because of the nature of the work, you get opportunities to serve the best people in the world – Christians – all the time. You get to help people…
Read MoreBuried with Him and Raised with Him
by Terry Wane Benton The action of real baptism is very misunderstood today. People see a man dunking another person in the water and think it is a strange initiation rite, but there is much more to it than what you see with the physical eye. What is supposed to be happening in the heart…
Read MoreFollowing God’s Plan
by Zeke Flores Following the pattern of authority in the Bible isn’t hard; individuals and churches just need to make up their minds to do it. That means doing things that might run counter to what we’ve always believed. For instance, raising money for the local church using methods other than the free-will giving of…
Read MoreThe Restless Son
by Terry Wane Benton Why was he not happy at home? Jesus tells the story of a son who became restless and felt too controlled by the family rules (Luke 15:11-32). Sometimes a child can be foolish and self-centered, thinking the grass is surely greener where they can do as they please and no one…
Read MoreHow do we fix our sin?
Question: Good day I strongly need advice. My boyfriend and I have been together for 9 years. We met in church, and we are Christians. We do everything together; we pray together, read verses together. We have a 2-year-old child, and now we are expecting again. We started living together this year because the situation…
Read MoreWhen God Washed Men’s Feet
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/When-God-Washed-Mens-Feet.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: John 13:1-17 I. Jesus’ mission was drawing to a conclusion A. It was the night that Jesus would be betrayed B. Judas had already made a deal with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus C. Jesus had gathered with his disciples to eat one last Passover meal and to give…
Read MoreWhy Are You a Member of the Church of Christ?
by Vance E. Trefethen via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 A full-page ad for the book “Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ” recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: “Now Is the Time to Act.” Much of the message carried in this conservative journal was true—and quite disturbing.…
Read MoreSomething Missing in Our Culture
by David V. Hurst via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 None can deny the drastic shift in our culture’s attitude toward God over the last thirty years. This often causes special problems for the Christian and his children. How do we instill in our children and others genuine values concerning God? Our…
Read MoreHolding One Another Accountable
by Doy Moyer Christians ought to cherish their fellowship with one another, for what we have in common in Christ is greater than what the world can ever offer. Yet we are people, and people sin. People do foolish things. People hurt others, and as a result, relationships are often destroyed. Learning to live with…
Read MoreThe Sin of Pride
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sin-of-Pride.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalms 73:1-12 I. Pride is prevalent in our society A. Pride in our work B. Pride in yourself – often called self-esteem C. Pride in sin. We have a whole month called “Pride Month” to celebrate sin D. Letters come addressed not just to the church, but to “Senior Pastor” or…
Read MoreDaily Verses for Overcoming Lust
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A young man was struggling with pornography and called me to discuss how to deal with it. He mentioned that he did better when he was a part of a program that had him read a daily passage and discuss how it applied to his problem. The problem was that a…
Read MoreWas Jesus baptized to usher in his priestly ministry?
Question: Good morning, Jeffrey, I pray you are well! I have a couple of questions that I’ve been pondering, and I would love your help in finding answers in the scriptures. Thank you in advance! What does I John 5:6-8 mean? Especially the part that says that Jesus “came by water and blood”? I read…
Read MoreShould I marry someone who is hiding his faith?
Question: Dear Brother, I accepted Jesus Christ a few years ago. I come from a Hindu family. I like a guy, and he was a Hindu too. As I kept on talking to him about Jesus, one day he accepted Jesus Christ. He said he can no longer view his old religion the way he…
Read MoreHow does God see an annulment?
Question: Good morning, I have been discussing annulment with someone. My question is: What is an annulment in the eyes of God? I know they can’t remarry, and dating may be a sin as well. My other question is: If they try to reconcile later, would they need to go through the marriage ceremony again?…
Read MoreAre We Putting God in a Box?
by Vicky Buckwalter Can We Put God in a Box? There’s a phrase I’ve heard more and more often in the Lord’s Church — and honestly, I’ve even said it myself once or twice: “We can’t put God in a box.” At other times, it sounds like this: “The Holy Spirit isn’t bound within the…
Read MoreWhy Remain a Christian When Christians Sin?
by Doy Moyer Why do we stay faithful to Jesus when so many churches and people do so much wrong? It’s a common complaint. Here is an elder, a deacon, or a preacher who fell from grace in some way or abused other members. Here is a church that is worldly and selfish, turning a…
Read MoreCan I give on other days than Sunday?
Question: Good day, Is the giving during Sunday worship any different from voluntary giving at any other time? Suppose a brother receives a salary on Wednesday and knows he may overspend that month, so he decides to transfer the money to the church account rather than splitting his giving into four. Has he sinned? Answer: “Now…
Read MoreMary No Longer Called Co-Redemptrix
Source: Talia Wise, “Pope Leo Declares Jesus Alone Saved the World, Rejects Title of Mary as ‘Co-Redeemer’,” CBN, 7 November 2025. “A decree from Pope Leo’s office firmly rejects the claim that Mary, Jesus’ mother, helped save the world from damnation, settling a debate that has baffled the Catholic community by stating that Jesus alone…
Read MoreOnly a Fool Underestimates Temptation
by Gary Henry WordPoints.com “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13). We need to pray for deliverance from the evil one, as Jesus taught us to do. We often call this prayer the…
Read MoreGrace and Baptism
by David Gibson To say that baptism is essential to salvation does not at all contradict the truth that we are saved by grace. We can never earn our salvation. Baptism is a condition of salvation. It is likely that others have made the following points, but they need to be reiterated. Dipping seven times…
Read MoreKnowing Who You Are
by Hugh DeLong As Jesus and the apostles gather for their last supper, the apostles continue to bicker and fuss about who among them was the ‘greatest’. This has been going on almost the whole time they have been apostles! All three gospels record one episode (cp. Mark 9:33-37; Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 9:46). Jesus calls…
Read More“How Much More” – The God Who Cares
by David Gibson More than once, Jesus used a telling phrase that beautifully conveys how much God truly cares about us. “. . . which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then,…
Read MoreHebrews Was Written to Saved People
by Terry Wane Benton The inspired writer of Hebrews is not writing to people who were almost saved and could be saved with a little more persuasion, but rather, he is writing to saved Jews on the verge of giving up and returning to their former life in Judaism. The writer speaks of how they…
Read MoreThe Growth of the Church
by Hugh DeLong It is difficult for us to read the events in John 12 and feel the same excitement that gripped the people in Jesus’ day. The city is filling up with people who have come to celebrate and observe the Passover. “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up…
Read MoreOn Making the Father’s Will Preeminent
by Garry Henry WordPoints.com “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Doing the will of His Father was the ultimate, overriding priority for Jesus. To Him, nothing…
Read MoreA False Measure of Goodness
by Clay Gentry At a recent funeral, the preacher acknowledged that the deceased had never attended church, nor was he particularly religious. “Still, he was saved,” the preacher said, “because he trusted Jesus when he was young.” Rather than showing evidence of a transformed life, the preacher highlighted three aspects of the deceased’s “goodness” to…
Read MoreIf we have eternal life, do we have it permanently?
Question: If we have eternal life, doesn’t that mean we have it permanently? Answer: We have eternal life in promise. Just as formerly, we had eternal condemnation in promise. The promise of eternal damnation is to the unbeliever who can change their destiny by belief and repentance. Change your destiny by changing your direction and…
Read MoreThe Last Words of Peter, Eyewitness of Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Just before Peter died, he wrote his final letter (II Peter). He had been sharing “the knowledge of God” (II Peter 1:2). It was not a myth or a fairytale. He was privileged to share real “knowledge of God.” Others had shared mythology, but Peter knew he was sharing “truth” and…
Read MoreCompetition
by Zeke Flores No parent wants their child to feel left out, unappreciated, or useless. That’s understandable, but the answer for some was to stop keeping score for sporting events so there would be no winners or losers and award “participation trophies” to everyone who showed up. “There, that ought to help their self-esteem,” some…
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