What Must I Do to be Saved? (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Listening to preachers, pastors, and priests today, one wonders if they could answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?” in a manner similar to the apostles. What Must I Do to be Saved? In the very first sermon recorded, Peter convicted the Jews of participating in the death of…
Read MoreAm I considered a Christian?
Question: I believe in God, read the Bible and try to abide by it. When I was a baby I was baptized. I have not gone to church since I was very young, mainly because I can’t seem to locate one that I am comfortable with. A friend of mine asked me the other day…
Read MoreYour website does an excellent job of explaining the Scriptures in an understandable manner
Question: I was sitting here reading from the website “while I probably should be working,” and thought I would send you an email telling you how special your website is at teaching and helping one understand the Scriptures. One of my problem areas is I know what is correct but have trouble understanding and developing…
Read MoreAre Allah and Yahweh the same God?
Question: Hi, Many people believe that Allah and Yahweh are the same God though they have very different characteristics that I don’t think they’re the same. However, since the Arabs are Ishmaelites they obviously know God. Could it be that Allah is a partial interpretation of Yahweh that came about because the founding fathers of…
Read MoreDoes the feeding of the 5,000 show we should feed people when we teach them?
Question: Matthew 14 says Jesus fed and healed the 5,000. He said they do not need to go away hungry, give them something to eat. Should we take this literally as an example and feed, help, and teach the lost? Answer: You are seeing what you want to see in this example instead of what…
Read MoreDo humans become angels when they die?
Question: Do humans become angels when they die? If no, what are they and were they before us? Do they have their own planet? Any information on angels would be helpful. Answer: No, humans do not become angels after death. It is true that after the resurrection, we will have new, spiritual bodies. “So also…
Read MoreIs Cain the son of the serpent?
Question: Eve thanks God for buying a child with God. God never talked to Eve, only the snake did. Is she calling the snake God? Cain built a city, for who? Who did he marry? How did he have the skills? Chapter 4: Cain’s offspring contributed to society’s advancement, but they are not listed as…
Read MoreDoes Acts 2 justify churches helping the poor in the general population?
Question: In Acts 2 Christians were selling their property and giving to those in need. Were these individuals giving to individuals or individuals giving to the church and the church giving? If it was the church giving, were they giving to non-Christians or Christians only? I’ve heard this scripture used for the church giving to…
Read MoreCan a preacher serve as a chaplain?
Question: I was asked what I thought about a preacher serving as a chaplain for the Police Department. My stand is “no” because it leaves the impression that we are in fellowship with the denominational world (II Corinthians 6:14). I was asked to serve as a Chaplain for a hospital and refused because one of the…
Read MoreCan a church purchase a wheelchair to help transport a frail member?
Question: Recently one of our elderly lady members had such chronic pain that she could barely move. Her health is deteriorating rapidly. She does not drive; one of our members has to pick her up when she feels well enough to attend worship services. They had a difficult time transporting her out to the car. One of…
Read MoreDoes God only accept willing service?
Question: Is doing something you don’t want to do, but you’re only doing it for God counted as valid for Him? Or not doing something you’d like to do because of God, is it valid? I mean, what if He doesn’t accept us doing something that we’re not “willing” to? Answer: “But what do you…
Read MoreYour web site proved to be a tremendous help
Question: Hello, I am an assistant pastor at a church in my hometown and I stumbled across your site while researching a subject that some in our congregation have asked me for council on. I just wanted to thank you for the practical advice for Christian living on your site. It proved to be a…
Read MoreShould everything I do be done in plain sight?
Question: I read through John recently, and John 3:20-21 stood out to me. I can’t quite make sense of how to apply it. My understanding is that I should do everything in plain sight so that everyone can observe that I’m doing nothing wrong. But I’m unsure of how far it extends. If someone were…
Read MoreIs it a sin to love a girl who is underaged?
Question: Is it wrong to be in love with an under-aged girl? Even to believe that you are made for each other and you can’t imagine life without her? God has recently called me, and I’m leaving so much of what’s in my life behind. I can’t imagine a life without her. I see her…
Read MoreI found just the picture I needed for the bulletin this week
Question: I would like to thank you for your excellent gallery of pictures. I needed a picture for our bulletin this week and I have been online for several hours looking and just happened upon your website and found what I was looking for. It is a wonderful thing to find beautiful pictures concerning the Word…
Read MoreIf I don’t tell my wife I sinned, isn’t that lying?
Question: Hello. I’ve been reading through many of the posts on your site regarding adultery and lying. I have found much of it to be very helpful, but I am struggling with some of what you advise. In several of the posts on adultery, you advise the person who committed adultery that it would be best to…
Read MoreYour article on the difference between sexual desire and lust confirmed what I was thinking. Thanks!
Question: I found your site via the Bing search engine. I wanted to know the difference between sexual desire and lust. You confirmed a lot of things I’ve been thinking. I think many people make the mistake of associating sexual attraction with lust. And like you said, it is unnatural for people not to experience…
Read MoreWhy are the counts of the Levites off in Numbers 3?
Question: Okay, so I know this is probably going to sound like a pointless question, since it’s just about numbers of people in Numbers, and population censuses are usually rounded off anyway, but why do the rules change throughout the taking of the census? What I mean is, when Moses tallies up all the men…
Read MoreWould it be wrong to not want my daughter to marry an African-American?
Question: I have been struggling with a particular problem and I’m am trying my best to change, but I really do not know if it’s a sin or not. I am not racist or prejudice, I love everyone and I have friends of all races. I plan on having kids one day and for some…
Read MoreHow can I get to heaven if I’ve told a lie?
Question: I was pondering this question. Jesus states that those who are liars, murderers, etc. will not inherit the kingdom of God. In Revelation, it states “And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”…
Read MoreWhy do those who claim to prophesy or speak in tongues scare me?
Question: In my church when people receive the Holy Spirit they scream and jump and do all sorts of weird stuff. One time, when I was at Sunday school, the teacher said: “You have to ask the Lord to baptize you with the Holy Spirit, ’cause if you don’t want the Holy Spirit, there is…
Read MoreWhy Did God Have Children Killed?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhyDidGodHaveChildrenKilled.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Samuel 15:1-9 I. Some questions, by their very nature are difficult topics to take up. The things discussed make us queasy. A. Yet, you will find that those opposed to Christianity will often attack with these same topics for the very reason that they know it makes you uncomfortable.…
Read MoreThe Sacrifice of Isaac
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SacrificeOfIssac.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 22:1-14 I. There are stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God. A. They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God’s opinion on human sacrifices. B. The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5 C. False…
Read MoreWhy did God force me to live with autism when I don’t want it?
Question: People say God does not force, but why did God force me to be alive? Even He saw my life before I was born, and God knew that I didn’t want to be alive. Why was I born with autism? It is so hard to have autism. Why can’t I be normal like other…
Read MoreI’ve accepted Jesus so many times! How can I be sure that Christ lives in me?
Question: How do I surely know that Christ lives in me? Because every time that I’m at my church and they ask who wants to receive Christ, I always feel something in my heart. But I’ve accepted Jesus so many times! Almost every Sunday I pray: “Lord I don’t know if you really live in me,…
Read MoreThe Lord is My Help and My Deliverer
Text: Psalm 40 I. Evil exists in this world, and God is concerned about our welfare – Psalm 121 A. With God on our side we have no fear of man – Hebrews 13:5-6 B. Yet many wonder why troubles beset us when the Almighty has promised us protection. II. We often don’t recognize God’s protection A. Perhaps a…
Read MoreYour study on Revelation is just what I was looking for
Question: I just wanted to say I love your web site. I was looking for a study on Revelation to use along with the class we are having on Wednesday night. Our preacher is doing an excellent job of teaching the class, but I wanted to find a scripturally sound study to use as a…
Read MoreI’m impressed by your home page
Question: I came across your home page and took the time to read it. Well, I was impressed with what you had to say and just want to lift you up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a shame there are not enough ministers (churches) that would stand on the principle you stand for.…
Read MoreWhy did God order the death of children?
Question: The Bible identifies, describes, and labels God in many ways. God is love, He is the redeemer, the savior, the beginning, the all-knowing, etc. God is also perfect and the Bible also says that God is a Judge, a righteous Judge above all. A righteous Judge administers the most fair and the most just methods…
Read MoreAm I being inhospitable not to want my father-in-law around so much?
Question: In this question, I’m honestly not sure if I am being inhospitable, or if I have genuine concerns. Thus why I seek to ask this to you. My wife and I have been married for still a relatively short time, and have a child. My father-in-law lives a couple of hours away, but still…
Read MoreCan’t people use fake fur instead of animal skins?
Question: first of all, people can where fake fur, and do not have to have animals skins. These animals are tortured in fur farms in China. It sound to me that you are just looking for a way to mold God into you world where you can teach your children to get OFF on hunting…
Read MoreCan’t the building be used for things other than worship?
Question: The church building is what it is — a building. The way we use “fellowship’ is to socialize. Every time people meet before worship they are said to fellowship with one another. Fellowship is not the same thing as the Lord’s supper; however, a type of fellowship is involved in the process. A fellowship…
Read MoreYour answers to questions from youth are kind and respectful
Question: I just wanted to thank you for the very thoughtfully written Question and Answers page on your web site. Many of the questions, I can tell, are submitted by youth, and the kind way they were answered shows great respect for the outcome of the choices they are to make. I came looking for…
Read MoreWhy do people tolerate adultery in the name of “forgiveness?”
Question: I came upon your web site while trying to find answers regarding repentance for adultery, divorce, and the actions taken by so-called “Christians” thereafter. My husband left our nearly twenty-year marriage for another woman last year. We seemed to have a good marriage and he lied about any situations that caused suspicion during the…
Read MoreCannot Sin
by Weldon Warnock via Biblical Insights, September 2000 We are told by some of our religious neighbors that the soul of a child of God cannot sin, but rather only the outward man sins. This erroneous position is taken in order to justify a denominational dogma of “once saved, always saved.” A child of God may…
Read MoreCould Stephen be making Moses out to be bigger than life?
Question: I know from Acts 7 it is said that Moses knew he was a Hebrew prior to the burning bush event. What is your take on the possibilities that this was based on the Jewish tradition? Acts was written by Paul who was brought up a Pharisee and in the strictest Jewish tradition, could…
Read MoreDidn’t God support polygamy by offering David more wives?
Question: I’ve heard many ministers respond to why God allowed polygamy by saying that it’s like divorce. God allowed it but it wasn’t His will. I disagree with that response. After King David sinned with Bathsheba God said to David if you had only asked “I” (God) would have given you more wives. Now, why…
Read MoreWhere do dreams of the future come from?
Question: When people have dreams regarding the future that come true, where does this come from? Answer: There are several problems here. In times past, God did speak to people at times through dreams. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1).…
Read MoreIs giving a client a handjob as part of a massage a sin?
Question: I am a male massage therapist. I want to know if it is a sin to give a full body massage that includes massaging the penis and masturbating the client for full relaxation. Answer: Is this not just one aspect of homosexuality? But homosexuality is condemned in the Scriptures: “Do you not know that…
Read MoreWhy is it always brought up that prophecy will cease?
Question: My question is regarding prophecy. It seems I always get the same answer regarding this question (I Corinthians 13:8), “Love never fails, but whether there are prophecies they will fail, tongues will cease, knowledge will vanish,” (not an exact quote). But if you take this one verse literally, if prophecies have come to an end,…
Read More