His Eye Is on the Sparrow (Padfield)
by David Padfield via padfield.com Photo by Will Bolding on Unsplash In Matthew 10 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles and “gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matthew 10:1). This commission was limited in that they were not allowed to…
Read MoreOnly in the Lord
by Bob Buchanon Would you please explain the phrase “in the Lord” found in I Corinthians 7:39? Does this mean that if the widow chooses to remarry, she would only be allowed to marry one who is a Christian or “in the Lord”? The phrase “in the Lord” is prepositional and must modify either a…
Read MoreCan the passage about homosexuality in Romans 1 and the one about the Jews and Gentiles in Romans 11 be compared since they both talk about what is natural or contrary to nature?
Question: I have a question about homosexuality. I have been thinking about something, analyzing it, and wondering if you could make an argument out of something I noticed. In Romans 1:26-27: For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and…
Read MoreDid Laodicea have cold and hot water?
Question: In Revelation when John or well Jesus is addressing the churches, I have a question about the last church, Laodicea, in Revelation 3:15-16. I have heard many rumors about what the verse means. One says the passage means just what you read. The other is there were a hot spring and a cold mountain…
Read MoreHow did the different races come about?
Question: I’ve read over some of your answers on race. Is there any way to know just when different races did come about? Do you think that Adam and Eve would have had to have been a different nationality? Answer: In our modern terminology, Eve was a clone of Adam, with some modifications. “And the LORD…
Read MoreI wonder if Jesus would approve my getting divorced and how do you forgive a husband who is an unrepentant adulterer?
Question: I am seriously considering divorcing my husband. We are separated and I have reason to believe he has committed adultery. I understand that if he has, and I divorce him, I am free to marry another. However, I see it is an option given to us in scripture under such circumstances. My dilemma is that while I feel it…
Read MoreSelf-Esteem (Sharp)
by Keith Sharp via Tri-County Church of Christ. Perhaps the one goal American parents and educators agree on for children more than any other is “high self-esteem.” John Rosemond, a professional family psychologist who writes a nationally syndicated column that appears in the Watertown Times, wrote an article entitled “Self-Esteem Isn’t Praiseworthy Goal” (Watertown Times. Sunday,…
Read MoreHow do we know that we have an accurate rendition of the oral teachings?
Question: Since parts of the New Testament were first delivered orally, how do we know if we have a 100% accurate rendition of the original writings that were spoken by the Holy Spirit? I’ve heard that through oral teachings, details could be lost and distorted. For example, someone may deliver a story to 20 people…
Read MoreWas it a requirement to be married to be a member of the Sanhedrin court?
Question: Was it a requirement to be married to be a member of the Sanhedrin court? Was the Apostle Paul a member of the Sanhedrin, and if so, what happened to his wife? Answer: There was no requirement to be married to be a member of the Sanhedrin. By the days of Jesus, it was…
Read MoreWhat would be considered “works?”
Question: I am writing to ask a question, but first I want to say I really like the new look of your web site. Very nice and appealing too. My question may seem elementary, but I am finding that maybe it isn’t for me. I am questioning this: What would be considered ‘works’? In the…
Read MoreIf Jude said the faith was once delivered, could Revelation be included if it was written after Jude?
Question: I have a question about whether Jude was written before Revelation or not. If everything was once and all delivered to the saints does that make Revelation a newer testament or is it ok because it coincides with the rest of the Bible? Sorry, something came to mind about the dating of Jude and…
Read MoreAre Babies Born Sinners?
Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 5, Feb. 7, 2008. QUESTION: I have a friend that believes that all babies are born into the world as sinners because of Adam’s sin. Could you please discuss this for me? ANSWER: The idea of the “original sin” of Adam being passed on to all mankind is…
Read MoreBearing Tales to Others
Reading Psalm 15 I. Some sins are overt. They are clearly and obviously wrong. But other sins are subtle. We don’t realize that what we are doing is wrong. A. Gossiping can be that way. 1. Oh, I’m sure we see that the loud-mouth neighbor on a TV sitcom is wrong. After all, the person is all…
Read MoreQuick Fix
by Shane Williams via The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 8, No. 11, March 2008. Some people pray only after a catastrophe. This “quick fix” mentality sees God mainly as a problem solver. When solutions come, God may or may not be thanked. After that, He is more or less forgotten until the next crisis. Psalm 106…
Read MoreI got a massage and received a happy ending. How do I get rid of this guilt that I feel?
Question: I just rededicated my life to God last week. One day, I was getting a massage and received a happy ending. I feel extremely guilty about it, but my mind still wanders off on it every once in a while. I am about to go to Afghanistan. What are the steps for me to…
Read MoreShall We Know One Another in Heaven?
by Hoyt Houchen via Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 623-624 October 17, 1991 Man is confronted with many mysteries, thus causing him to ponder on many questions. He is made to wonder about death, immortality, what is beyond and shall we know each other in heaven. The subject of future recognition in heaven that is discussed…
Read MoreIf I’m Christian and my boyfriend is of a different religion, then is it wrong for us to date?
Question: I wanted to ask you a question that kind of plays an important part in my life. If I’m Christian and my boyfriend is Seventh-Day Adventist, then is it wrong for us to date? My parents think so, but I see no harm in it. I’m a little confused and need some clearing up on this subject. Answer: To…
Read MoreDoes the Bible say we will know our loved ones in heaven?
Question: Does it say anywhere in the New Testament that we will know our loved ones in heaven? I have read the scriptures that you gave previously regarding this topic from the Old Testament. Answer: In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the rich man was able to recognize Abraham and Lazarus while in…
Read MoreHow many times does the Bible mention prayer, salvation, healing, and money?
Question: I was searching for some information when I saw your site. The questions are, how many times in the Bible does it mention the four following items: prayer salvation healing money [tithes]? I wanted to witness on these items and the importance of them but did not know where to look on the information…
Read MoreHow do I teach someone who only believes in science?
Question: Do I need to present fact articles regarding the Bible and God’s existence to my co-worker who doesn’t believe God, Satan, heaven, or hell? She only believes in science because she believes science has facts and evidence and it was evidently tested. Answer: If a person refuses to believe the evidence that is before…
Read MoreYour list of scientists who opposed evolution contains people who could not have read Darwin’s book
Question: On the page entitled “Science’s Rejection of Evolution,” you list a number of scientists who you suggest rejected evolution in favor of the biblical version of events. You are entitled to believe what you like about evolution, and I respect that. However, I think its highly unfair to hold these scientists up as examples…
Read MoreDoes God still need to keep His covenant with Abraham?
Question: Thank you so much for answering me. So many people are deceived about the Jewish people and their destiny. I was 99.999% sure I was reading God’s Word in the context in which God meant for it to be understood. I know they are no longer God’s chosen people. Some people tend to take one scripture in God’s Word, and ignore a…
Read MoreTotal Depravity
TotalDepravity1TotalDepravity2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 3:9-26 I. John Calvin proposed a five part system to explain salvation A. It is generally remembered as TULIP, an acrostic from the first five letters of each point. B. Many denominations accept some or part of Calvinism without questioning whether those points are true. C. We are going to focus…
Read MoreWhy was Canaan punished for his father’s indiscretion?
Question: In the book of Genesis, why was Canaan punished for his father’s indiscretion? It was Ham who was laughing and making shameful comments about Noah, not his son. It seems that God has a way of punishing future generations for mistakes made by the ancestors. Eve’s mistake was punished by women having pain during…
Read MoreWhy has God withdrawn His favor and let me fail my last exam?
Question: I’m a poor fellow with tons of frustration. Sir, I did well in most of my exams and my teachers remarked highly of me. I know all expect extraordinary performance from me. Though I’m not brilliant, I’m not bad and did well. But sir, from the last month, I’m getting poor grades from my…
Read MorePreaching the Grace of God
by Terry W. Benton via Prove It by the Scriptures A brother made the following comment: “Grace is one subject one hears very little about in conservative Churches of Christ except it be prefaced by a stern warning of what grace is not.” I wonder if that statement has been true of my preaching. I personally…
Read MoreMy wife is planning to leave me after the house sells and I don’t know what to do
Question: Hello, I understand the vows which I made to my wife. I honor those, but she emotionally detached herself from me eight months ago and does not respond to me in a loving manner at all. I do not withhold my love for her, yet I hurt all the time and have cried out…
Read MoreDoes Mathew 26:29 mean that we shouldn’t take communion?
Question: Does Mathew 26:29 mean that we shouldn’t take communion? Answer: “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). Your conclusion contradicts other clear passages concerning partaking of the…
Read MoreHow do I stop worrying about other people?
Question: I have an issue with worrying about other believers. I worry about their actions especially if I deem them inappropriate and possibly sinful, though I am also unsure about whether certain actions are really sinful or not, though I may disapprove of them. For example, recently I read about a young believer in the…
Read MoreWill only black people and Israelites be saved?
Question: So what’s this I hear that only Black people and Israelites are going to be saved? Answer: I don’t know your sources, but it is obviously false. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And…
Read MoreWill all Jewish people be saved, even though many die not accepting Jesus?
Question: My question is: Will all Jewish people be saved, even though many died not accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior? God’s Word says God is not a respecter of persons, and if Gentiles are going to go to hell if they do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; why would…
Read MoreWhere did Cain get his wife? (2)
Question: As I continue my journey through Genesis I find myself asking a new question. I understand Adam and Eve. I get that they had two sons, Cain and Abel, but after Cain killed his brother he was cast over to another part of the land. How did Cain meet another woman? I thought God…
Read MoreThe Advantages of Christianity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/AdvantagesOfChristianity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 16:22-35 I. There are a lot of religions to choose from in the world, if one was inclined to go shopping for a belief, from a claim that “there is no God“ to “everyone is right – at least in some fashion.” A. So why be a Christian? What…
Read MoreWhat was Paul referring to when he talked about endless genealogies?
Question: In reading Albert Barnes’ Notes on I Timothy, he talks about genealogies which are referring to the verse I Timothy 1:4 “nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.” Albert Barnes states that the Hebrews kept careful genealogical records because…
Read MoreHow do we know Pharaoh did not have relations with Sarai?
Question: How do we know Pharaoh did not have relations with Sarai? Answer: “So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram…
Read MoreWhen I pray to God, am I praying to the Father or the Son?
Question: I am reading your lesson on Who is God? Let me see if I am understanding this. God is three beings: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God’s Son, but when we refer to God in prayer or in time of need, so am I praying to God? Or Jesus?…
Read MoreWhat do you think of what T. B. Wilkinson wrote concerning Calvinism?
Question: I have read an article written by a member of a church of Christ writer called “By Nature the Children of Wrath” refuting the Calvinistic doctrine of total depravity. I would just like to ask whether you agree with the arguments offered in this article. If not, why not? May God bless you. Answer:…
Read MoreWhat is Man?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/WhatIsMan.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 8:3-9 I. Job faced a severe trials as Satan tried to get him to turn against God A. It wasn’t just the suffering that Job wrestled with. B. Trying to understand what lead to his plight also caused Job to raise other questions as well. C. One that Job asked is…
Read MorePeer Pressure (Waldron)
by Bob Waldron via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, February 24, 2008 Much of God’s covenant with Israel of old dealt with human relations. Various and sundry laws pointed out how the Jew was to conduct himself among his peers. One of these admonitions was, “Thou shalt not follow a…
Read MorePeace with God
by David Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 48, Nov. 28, 2008. Do you ever feel that God is mad at you? You know, those times you have messed up and don’t think God could love someone like you? Do you ever have moments of doubting that you are a real Christian, that you have…
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