Why does Thayer say that “world” can mean “believers only?”
Question: I have a question regarding an entry in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon that is concerning the meaning of the word “world” in John 3:16 and other passages. I submit the following entry from the Lexicon: As one of the definitions for the Greek word kosmos for “world,” it gives the following: “8b) of believers only, John 1:29;…
Read MoreDoes Hebrews 8:4 damage the view that Jesus reigns on the earth?
Question: I wanted to ask you about one other scripture: Hebrews 8:4 states: “For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law.” Would this verse not be a nail in the coffin of millennialists whether they be historical, pre, or…
Read MoreWe need encouragement to stay sexually pure
Question: My society frowns at early marriage and yet pretends not to notice the prevalence of premarital sex. I am 29, with a fiancee, and a Christian. I know the pressure, but God has been helpful. If I am allowed, I will marry, but we have to wait. Please, we need encouragement to stay sexually…
Read MoreYour pictures help with my presentations. Thanks!
Question: Thank you so very much for providing these Bible pictures. I teach a Bible study using PowerPoint. Today’s generation is very visual. Incorporating pictures really helps. God bless you. Answer: You’re welcome. Actually past generations were visual as well. We had felt boards, models, and other visual aids to help children picture the events. It is only the medium…
Read MoreI enjoyed your study on the Song of Songs
Question: Just a note to say that I read your study on the Song of Songs and really enjoyed it. Answer: I appreciate you letting me know.
Read MoreDoes your timeline for Roman Catholic beliefs have some errors?
Question: Hi, I read your web page on why some Catholic teachings are wrong. I would like to point out some of what I think are fallacies of your argument and I’d appreciate a response. Starting with your timeline: Priests Early 2nd Century – Separation of clergy and laity, this also goes with your argument that…
Read MoreWho are “them” in Hebrews 4:2?
Question: “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). Who is the “as well as unto them” in this verse? Is this talking about the children of Israel in the wilderness? Answer: “Now with whom…
Read MoreI found just the sermon I was looking for
Question: Hello, While searching the web I came across your web site. I was looking for something on the subject of Good Men Doing Nothing. Your sermon on that subject was just what I wanted. I can’t thank you enough. Your web site is a very good one. I know as my husband is the webmaster…
Read MoreDid the Old Law not end until the destruction of Jerusalem?
Question: In your lesson, “The Sermon on the Mount: The Law,” you keep to the literal meaning of Heaven and Earth in Matthew 5:18. Additionally, you argue the best understanding of the passage is to read the two “until” phrases be joined with an “or” rather than an “and.” I am currently studying with a…
Read MoreShouldn’t the church be a social organization to draw people to Christ?
Question: I say all this with the utmost respect. I read your opening statement about all the things you don’t have. I very much appreciate a church (a body) that wishes to follow the pattern of the first-century church. I agree with your purpose and what God has to offer us is so much more than…
Read MoreWhat is the meaning of Hephzibah and Beulah?
Question: What is the meaning of Hephzibah and the meaning of Beulah? Answer: “You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married” (Isaiah 62:4). Hephzibah means…
Read MoreShould I heed the words of a prophet in regard to who I marry?
Question: Good day. I found your web site after I googled the phrase ‘prophets telling you whom to marry’. I was rather intrigued by the answers I found on your web site and decided to send you an email to ask for your advice. I have been going out with a young man for six years. That…
Read MoreShould I stop talking to my mother?
Question: Greetings to you, I have been struggling with something for years. A bond between me and my parents that I really don’t wish on anybody. My parents have been divorced for almost 40 years. I used to adore my dad and hate my mom for things that she has done – like kissing other…
Read MoreI appreciate the pictures you provide
Question: Praise God! I am very appreciative of your web site. It is very helpful for me in painting events from the Bible era, Jesus, and the disciples. My talent is painting, and I have been practicing painting, but it is hard to express their emotions and scenery. But now I can paint by referring…
Read MoreHow do I decide who is right about head covering?
Question: I did not realize the churches of Christ practice head covering. The church of Christ in my area doesn’t. I am a Christian, and I attend a Baptist church. I have been saved for five years. As I have read the Bible, this is one issue that truly has me confused. I have talked to…
Read MoreWhat does it mean to be a fornicator?
Question: What does it mean to be a fornicator? Does it mean, “I committed it today, but I won’t tomorrow,” but doing it the next day anyway? If repentance is changing habits, then such a person remains as a fornicator and is a fallen brother or sister. That person can’t keep on being called a Christian. Or can…
Read MoreThe New Testament Pattern of Giving
by Wayne Jackson It is a strange phenomenon in today’s church. It is recognized widely that there are rules regulating worship. This is acknowledged in virtually every area of church activity—except in one’s “giving.” Many know how the music portion of the worship is to be conducted (with a cappella singing). Not a few understand the proper…
Read MoreMarriage Covenants
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/MarriageCovenants.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 5:22-33 I. We’ve all talked about the changes in society we have seen during our lives A. One aspect is the rapid change in people’s view of marriage B. The number of divorces has sky-rocketed. 1. Marriages today can be terminated just because one person wants to end the marriage. No…
Read MoreDo I go to my brother’s birthday party? He fell away from Christ years ago
Question: My fiancee and I were having a discussion that got kind of heated. I let it go too far, and I realized I had issues in certain areas of my life with my oldest brother, who has turned away from God for the past 15 or so years. It was more that I was…
Read MoreShould I apologize or move on?
Question: I’m 19 and I was in a relationship with a girl. I love her so much, but I do not know if she is the right girl for me. I believed that God sent me this girl because no matter what happened, we stayed together for more a year now. Last night we broke…
Read MoreDid Cornelius need to work before or after his salvation?
Question: Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for the sermons you provide online. I actually came across your web site this evening as I was searching for resources on Cornelius and his salvation, as I think his life greatly parallels many in today’s culture. I do have an inquiry from the 15th paragraph, which…
Read MoreMore Important Than Myself
by Greg Litmer via That Ye May Grow Thereby. If I can learn to truly regard others “as more important” than myself (Philippians 2:3), then I will have to take a giant step toward living day by day as a faithful child of God. I struggle with this concept in some aspects and don’t struggle with…
Read MoreWhy I Left The Christian Church
by Floyd Decker The Christian Church has women Counselors, Directors, and Lecturers; the church of Christ does not (I Timothy 2:11-12; I Corinthians 14:34). The Christian Church has Educational Directors, Associate Ministers, and Youth Directors; the church of Christ has elders, deacons, evangelists, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11; Philippians 1:1). The Christian Church has Missionary, Benevolent…
Read MoreHow do I treat a roommate who has been withdrawn from?
Question: Hi, I’m wondering if you can please help me with a difficult situation I’m living with. There is a brother in the church I’m part of that has been living in sin. He had been living in adultery for a while, but then he came back to the church seeking help and his wife…
Read MoreMy boyfriend says he regrets his past fornications, but he is pushing to have sex with me. How do I get him to change?
Question: I am a 22-year old girl who is just in love with a 26-year-old boy. We belong to different casts but the same religion. We share a good emotional connection, and as a person, I know he is a good one. He loves me and wants to marry me. However, in his past life…
Read MoreWhy was Timothy put in prison in Rome?
Question: I was researching the web for any clues I might gain as to the author of Hebrews, when it was written, etc. and I found your web page. As you know, there are many theories. I tend to believe that it was Paul, possibly Luke — translating Paul’s Hebrew into Greek, while Paul was…
Read MoreWaiting for sex is difficult, but your web page got me to hold on to my purity
Question: Hi! I just read Waiting for the Proper Time and I think it is wonderful information. I try my best to stay pure and have been in a relationship for almost a year now. I love him and he loves me, and I do want sex, but I will refrain because I know when we…
Read MoreWhat happens when people insist that the first day of the week is Monday?
Question: Many people today believe that a week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday, however, there are still other people who believe that a week starts on Monday and ends on Sunday. ISO 8601 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#General_principles) defined Monday to be the first day of the week. What does the Bible say about which day is…
Read MoreSins of Ignorance!
by Russell H. Dunaway via Guardian of Truth XXVII: 12, pp. 372-373, June 16, 1983 Perhaps one of the most controversial issues among brethren today is that which arises concerning the child of God and his sins of ignorance. Some brethren teach that if a child of God sins through ignorance, that sin of ignorance will not…
Read MoreAre Non-Christians Subject to the Laws of God?
Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10 I. Without a doubt people make a mess of their lives A. One of the hardest things about studying with people these days is the tangle they create in their families 1. You have people who have married and divorced serval times 2. They have kids by multiple partners, some to whom they never…
Read MoreActing from Compassion
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ActingFromCompassion.mp3 by Kirk Davidson
Read MoreOverview of Amos
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/OverviewOfAmos.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreShould a government that taxes its citizens at 99% be followed?
Question: Do you think that Christians should obey the tax law, even if the rules required that taxpayers must donate 99% of their income in taxes? Answer: This is a facetious hypothetical argument. The implication is that if the answer will object in the extreme, then it is justified to reject the point when it…
Read MoreHow do I know if I have fallen from grace?
Question: What does it mean to fall from the grace? I’ve doubted Jesus so many times, I’m scared I’ve fallen. I pray to God to forgive me and ask Him to never let me go, never let me take my eyes off Christ or I’ll be lost. How do I know I haven’t fallen? Answer:…
Read MoreAre we still committing adultery?
Question: I was married for over ten years and left my spouse to be with my current spouse. My current spouse was married and left his spouse to be with me. That was over fifteen years ago. We have no children. I was a Christian in a verbally abusive marriage with my ex and I…
Read MoreBy what authority do you act?
Question: As Christ came into the world to be our Light and remains as our Light, by which Star do you look toward? Is it created or revealed? Since you are a preacher of Christ’s faithful, by what authority do you act upon if all authority comes from the Word made flesh? Do you act…
Read MoreIs it wrong to hire a preacher who has been divorced?
Question: There’s a congregation in town that just hired a young preacher who is divorced and it wasn’t for adultery. This was told to me by a sister who knew them well. Is it okay for them to hire a preacher who is in this circumstance? Answer: Neither you nor I know what happened. According to the…
Read MoreMy boyfriend and I try hard, but we always end up in sexual situations. What should we do?
Question: My boyfriend and I are both Christians. We both try very hard to follow and do God’s will and word. So when I told him that I didn’t want to have sex till we were married, he was all right with it. Even though we have had sex before, I was at the point…
Read MoreWas John the Baptist associated with the Baptist church?
Question: I love your site. It is very helpful and is the truth. Why was John called “John the Baptist?” I know there is no other religion mentioned in the Bible. Is this where the Baptist organization get its name? Is John the Baptist the same as John the apostle? Answer: Actually, the truth is…
Read MoreIs a five day work week contrary to God’s design?
Question: Many people today work for 5 days and rest on the other 2 days of the week. Even if we are no longer under the Old Testament Law; is it a contradiction to God’s design, where the people were supposed to work for 6 days (Exodus 20:9) and rest for 1 day weekly? Answer:…
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