Thanks for the article on Barabbas
Question: I was looking for a bit of information on what happened to Barabbas after he was released and I came across your site. Just wanted to say thanks for the great interpretation behind his release and the comments you included. I found it very inspiring. Just thought I would let you know. Answer: You’re…
Read MoreIn Galatians 5:12, is Paul actually wishing that some would emasculate themselves?
Question: In Galatians 5:12, is Paul actually wishing that those wanting to impose circumcision would emasculate themselves? Answer: The New King James Version renders this passage as: “I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!” The New International Version states: “As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole…
Read MoreWould my husband have crossed the line by having sex with another guy because he is a cross-dresser?
Question: Would my husband have crossed the line by having sex with another guy because he is a cross-dresser? Answer: Cross-dressing, the wearing of clothing associated with the opposite sex, is something consistently condemned in Scriptures. “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s…
Read MoreGod wouldn’t allow His creation to kill each other
Question: Jesus might have eaten fish, but by no means did he or God say ”Let us kill everything that walks.” If he said that we could eat meat, then why on earth would killing a human be murder? We are all equal. That’s what the Lord says. Therefore, none of us should eat animals!…
Read MoreThe only reason polygamy is condemned is because the church condemns it.
Question: I believe that every word in Scripture is there for a reason. I don’t think God plays around with the words in Scripture unless there’s a good reason to do so. With that said, have you ever wondered why Matthew 19 is the only quotation of Jesus that includes an exception in his teachings…
Read MoreHow can you trust early Christian writers when you disagree with them on some topics?
Question: I appreciate and respect your willingness (and the willingness of your church) to so openly and staunchly defend your beliefs to the world. If anyone “has a ready answer,” it’s the folks at La Vista Church of Christ! You previously wrote: Allow me a moment to answer your last question. I find it amusing…
Read MoreAre there dangers to masturbating?
Question: Is masturbating immoral and are there any dangers to masturbating? I’ve been having a big problem with this. I can’t seem to get a direct answer for this question from anyone and I can’t find a passage in the Bible that deals with this topic. Answer: A while back someone asked a similar…
Read MoreObjections to Biblical Limitations on Woman’s Role
by Bobby Graham From beginning to end under every dispensation, the Bible is clear about the role of woman in relation to men. Hers is a secondary role of submission to her husband in the family and to men in the local church (Ephesians 5:22-24; I Corinthians 14:34-35; I Timothy 2:8-15). Whatever the culture, Lord always dictated…
Read MoreLet Women Keep Silent in the Churches
by W. Frank Walton “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says” (I Corinthians 14:34). What is the silence Paul enjoins upon women? Is it absolute in every situation or is it qualified in a certain situation? This…
Read MoreDoes God put more weight on moral law and less on ceremonial law?
Question: Thanks for taking the time to reply. Sorry about my first email; I know it was a bit full-on and probably not in the best tone. I grew up in churches of Christ and sometimes find it hard to understand the logic and get frustrated, bitter, etc. Your position makes sense to me and is…
Read MoreI’ve repented, so why am I suffering?
Question: Is God a respecter of persons? Why is my life confused, bitter, and I even want to kill my husband for what he is doing in my life? I live for God and I tried to live the right way. I have done many wrong things in my past, but I have repented of the bad and ugly things.…
Read MoreCan there be circumstances when cosigning a loan will be all right?
Question: Hi there. I’m writing to you because I’m at a fairly confusing time in my life. I’m 25 and attending college. In December I was divorced after less than one year in marriage. He left, divorcing me and citing, “irreconcilable differences.” God has always been faithful to me and rescued me from potentially disastrous…
Read MoreThat You May Teach Your Children
by Dene Ward Someone recently asked me what I thought a kindergarten-aged child should know about the Bible. All I can tell you is from my own experience. I believe they should know about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—and that all of those beings love him no matter what. They should know every major…
Read MoreIf a man gets a woman pregnant, must they marry?
Question: A man in the congregation where I preach committed fornication with a woman who is a “pastor” in a denomination. She became pregnant. Should he marry her, even if he does not love her? Answer: First, let us make clear that this pregnancy is a distracting issue. What should or should not happen is…
Read MoreWhat is a Christian’s responsibility to his parents?
Question: I have read your many articles regarding children obeying their parents. What is in the Scripture for parents to obey or respect their children? For example, I have been married for nearly 30 years and now my mother-in-law has moved in. She is in her seventies and in good health, but she just can’t…
Read MoreThe New Testament Canon
The New Testament Canon – Part 1The New Testament Canon – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, Jesus promised his troubled disciples that he would send a helper – John 14:16 A. The helper would be the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth – John 14:17 B. His purpose in coming…
Read MoreThe Ten Virgins
by Shawn Daniels Jesus gives this parable of the kingdom of heaven: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil…
Read MoreTeach Your Child the Fear of the Lord
by Forrest D. Moyer, 1989 When Paul had listed all the sins of the Gentiles and of the Jews and was summing up his argument as to why all need the gospel, he told us why there is so much sin in the world in these succinct words: “There is no fear of God before…
Read MoreTaught Wrong and Baptized Right?
Adapted from an article by Wayne Jones via The Jackson Drive News & Notes, No. 14, April 10, 2005. Under the banners of acceptance and “unity,” many in the Lord’s church have developed an open-door policy with members of the denominational world. Many, by their own admission, have chosen not to “question” a person’s claim to…
Read MoreWhy do people have to die?
Question: Why do people have to die? When you think about it, it can make people mad at God, or it will drive them away. Why does God let suffering happen? Suffering is hard for people. Answer: To understand why people die, we have to go back to when death first appeared in the world.…
Read MoreWhat does it mean to die in vain?
Question: What would it mean for someone to die in vain? I had a dream where my grandmother visited me outside her home six months after she had passed away. As I rushed to her with tears in my eyes she stated, “Do not come any closer or else the sunshine will not show me.”…
Read MoreWhat should I do with my husband who is living in adultery?
Question: What does it means if you get a Bible scripture of Ezekiel 40? How is it related to my problem? I’m born-again and married, but my husband is staying with another woman. What should I do in this matter? I found out last year that he was sleeping around with my born-again sister in…
Read MoreGod gave what of Balaam the ability to speak?
Question: God gave the _____ of Balaam the ability to speak. Answer: “Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were…
Read MoreIf divorce is allowed, then shouldn’t polygamy be allowed?
Question: I’m replying to a question I asked earlier, to which you posted your answer as “If a country permits polygamy, is there a biblical reason not to have multiple wives?” You said this: “Mankind often practices things of which God disapproves. God regulates the practices, but it would be a mistake to say that…
Read MoreDid Jesus believe in life after death?
Question: Did Jesus believe in life after death all of his earthly life? Was His knowledge gained from the Torah, or was it revealed specifically to Him by God? Answer: Christians believe that Jesus was God in the flesh and thus the author of the Torah (the five books of the Old Testament recorded by…
Read MoreSuddenly Sour Grapes
By J.S. Smith ”The government said Monday that a few drinks a day may not protect against strokes and heart attacks after all.” Oops! For years, scientists, doctors, and our government have been recommending that we all hop off the wagon and moderately belly up to the bar to enhance our health. Christians searching for…
Read MoreHow do you avoid sexual immorality?
Question: What ways are there to prevent oneself from going into sexual immorality? I have masturbated before and afterward, I repented. I realized that it’s very wrong to do so. So now I want to avoid it, but like you said before that it can become a hard habit to break. Thanks to the Lord…
Read MoreShould Christians fast?
Question: I have a friend who asked about fasting. All I could quote was Matthew 6:16 and Matthew 15:17-20. Can you tell me where it says that all food is good for you? I can’t remember the passage. Also, could you explain Matthew 17:21? Does it mean you should fast? Is it something we should do? Answer: There…
Read MoreA Study in the Inquisition
by Clinton D. Hamilton via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 4, Feb. 1952 via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 5. Mar. 1952. A lemon growing on the limb of an oak tree is not in harmony with the biological law that everything brings forth after its kind. Upon seeing this or something similar, one knows…
Read MoreMy boyfriend has been seeing prostitutes. What should I do?
Question: My boyfriend, unbeknownst to me, went to the Philippines, met and slept with several prostitutes and is bringing one to the U.S. I am so hurt by this and I do not understand his behavior. Thank you for helping me. He keeps her picture by his bed but hides it when I am there.…
Read MoreStrangers and Pilgrims in this World
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Whether Mathletes is his actual name, or he was using a generic name of “disciple” in penning this letter, we don’t know, but this letter, by a Christian living in the early years of the second century (somewhere between 100 and 130 A.D.), contains a wealth of information about what Christianity…
Read MoreStarting Over from Scratch
by Terry Wane Benton Jeremiah had become very disillusioned at his job of delivering God’s message. He had become the most unpopular preacher in town. At this point, he is disillusioned with God. “You induced me” to preach this very unpopular message, he said to God. Then he decided that he would quit preaching. What…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Simplicity of Our Singing
by Paul Earnhart In the 1940s Elmer T. Clark observed that is “a peculiar type of mind which is convinced that God is interested in whether his worshipers sing with or without instrumental music” (Small Sects in America, p. 16). Clark’s words carry a twentieth-century bias. The truth is that the mind that he thought…
Read MoreWhat was the Sea of Bronze?
Question: What is the Sea Of Bronze? Answer: One of the furnishings in the tabernacle and the temple was a laver to hold water so that God’s requirements for the priests to wash before doing certain ceremonies could be done. “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for…
Read MoreCould I have gotten her pregnant?
Question: My girl and I had sex on January 1st this year. I used protection. She had a period on the 25 of January; it was on time and everything. Her period lasted like 5 or 6 days like normal. Her next period was supposed to start March 1st or something and she says she is late. Now…
Read MoreHow do I get my child to be honest with me?
Question: How do I get my child to be honest with me? Answer: First, set the proper example of being honest in all your dealings; not just with your child but with everyone around you. Just as Paul told Timothy in being a preacher he must, “be an example to the believers in word, in…
Read MoreWho dug numerous wells that were taken from him?
Question: I am trying to write a children’s book for my nephew based on the account of the Old Testament figure who had his servants dig numerous wells which were taken by the heathens until finally, he dug one they didn’t take. Can you help me find the story and who it was about? I…
Read MoreSome Unsaved Believers
by Erin Percell The creed book of one popular denomination says, “that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.” But is it true? Does the Bible say that if one believes on Jesus, it makes no difference what else he believes or does? Are you surprised…
Read MoreSome Thoughts About Offering Criticism
by William Barclay “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (Revelation 2:19). There is something very interesting about this verse. The letter to the church at Thyatira is to be a letter of warning and of criticism,…
Read MoreWhat can the church do for widows?
Question: I am interested in knowing what can the church do for the widows? There is a lady who is a widow and a member of the Lord’s church. She has five grown children. Can the church pay for her husband’s funeral out of the treasury? What if all members quit paying their life insurance…
Read More