The Voice of Experience
by David Gibson Bible Thought: “O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want” (Psalm 34:9 NASB). Among the Bible passages I recall my dad mentioning is David’s statement, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or…
Read MoreHow Many Facts in “Faith Only”?
by Terry Wane Benton Those brethren who now teach that salvation is at the moment of faith before repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins (they say that is “faith plus works”) never seem to get around to telling us what all is included in their “faith only” concept.…
Read MoreAm I doomed?
Question: Hello, I beg you to answer this question: Did I commit an unforgivable sin? I know blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. I have done despicable acts that I deeply regret and beg God’s forgiveness. This in no way excuses what I have done, but I should mention that I have had depression…
Read MoreWhy Didn’t He Save?
by Chadwick Brewer Often, we hear people lament the loss of a loved one. They are hurting and mourning the loss of those they hold dear, and they struggle with the question of why Christ would not take away the pain, suffering, and loss – especially when He had done so for others while He…
Read MoreThe Babe and Child
by Terry Wane Benton Luke, a first-century physician and an inspired historian, lets us see how an unborn and born baby are fully human, whether in or out of the womb. In other words, birth is not the moment of becoming human and now worthy of life-support! When John the Baptist was still in the…
Read MoreWould my partner get back on track with God after we have a child together?
Question: Hello, I appreciate that you are taking my question. I’m unsure how I found this website, so I’ll take it as a good sign. I’m dating an inactive Jehovah’s Witness. We’ve been together for several years, and we live in the same house. We’ve made a lot of progress together, and from time to…
Read MoreDo I tell her husband?
Question: I am a married man. A number of years ago, I was dating the woman who eventually became my wife. At that time, I served in the church, but I had inappropriate conversations with a married woman in the same church. She sent me a photo that I asked for that showed indecent cleavage.…
Read MoreEscapism
by Chadwick Brewer “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by” (Psalms 57:1). So much of the world around us revolves around escapism. In the extreme examples, people escape…
Read MoreThis Generation
by David Gibson Bad News! Jesus assessed the Jews of His day as “this adulterous and sinful generation” (Mark 8:38), “this evil generation” (Matthew 12:45), and “O faithless and twisted generation” (Matthew 17:17). Note the pejoratives: adulterous, sinful, evil, faithless, twisted. The Great Physician has pointedly and accurately diagnosed the fatal malady of our fallen human condition,…
Read MoreUnwritten Pains
by Chadwick Brewer “And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets” (Mark 1:19). In Scripture, there is not much exploration of the bond between James and John. That is not to say that nothing is implied or understood…
Read MoreDid I marry her?
Question: Hello, pastor! I’m in my early twenties. Since last year, I’ve had a doubt that eats away at me. I dated a girl (whom I believe to be a virgin) two years ago. As the relationship progressed, we started to misbehave. More specifically, I touched her breasts with my hands and mouth, as described…
Read MoreThank you for being unafraid to answer difficult questions
Question: I want to thank you for everything you do and offer on your website. Many young people don’t have someone to answer their questions, and they aren’t afraid to answer embarrassing questions or things that may seem common sense to someone with a good upbringing. Your answers are very valuable and show the love…
Read MoreWith All Your Heart
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/With-All-Your-Heart.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 119:9-16 I. It is frequently stated that the difference between the Old and New Testaments is that the Old emphasizes the physical and the New the spiritual A. In part, it comes from passages like 1. Romans 2:28-29 – The true Jew is inward, not outward 2. Romans 7:6 – newness…
Read MoreThe Gall of Bitterness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/09/The-Gall-of-Bitterness.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Reading: Acts 8:14-24 I. Hebrews 12:14-15 A. Bitterness is “characterized by animosity; harshly reproachful, caustic, disagreeable; to have a ‘sour’ disposition toward others over things that happened, whether real or imagined.” B. Few people want to be bitter, but many slide into it over the years. II. Causes of bitterness A. Pride and arrogance…
Read MoreHow do I deal with a boyfriend who won’t respect boundaries?
Question: Dear brothers in Christ, I am writing to you because I need your advice. My soul is weary, and my heart is exhausted. I am a Christian girl in my mid-twenties. I worship in a church of Christ. I grew up in a Christian family. Only one of my siblings didn’t become a Christian.…
Read MoreDoes falling back into sin make a baptism invalid?
Question: This idea has come up many times in Bible studies. It concerns sin before baptism and the process of repentance. The Scriptures teach that one must repent before baptism and that Christians will sin after baptism. I don’t know of anyone who would think that a Christian can live sinless. I also believe that…
Read MoreChanging Their Glory for What Does Not Profit
by David Gibson Isn’t it sad? How people seek after what proves counterproductive, totally illogical, and ultimately defeating. “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares…
Read MoreHandling Rejection
by Terry Wane Benton I suppose that we all feel rejection in one form or another. Even Jesus, the only perfect individual to ever live, was rejected. So, we have to expect it to handle it. It is sometimes very painful, especially when it makes no sense, and you know you have done nothing to…
Read MoreBabbling like Pagans
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 Charismatic tongue-speaking did not originate with Christianity. In fact, historians tell us that the ancient Greeks would get ״carried away in the spirit” and babble nonsensically as part of their worship of the gods. Jesus forbade his disciples to “babble like the…
Read MoreSinless Perfectionism
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 Some brethren are saying today that they believe the “walk” of the faithful saint is negated if he commits even a single sin inadvertently (or against his will). This, of course, would include the sin of teaching a point of error. I…
Read MoreDo Men Hold a Monopoly on the Business Meeting?
by Dale Smelser via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 21, 1987 Several articles by me recently on elders, deacons, and business meetings have led to numerous questions about women attending business meetings. I have noted that the business meeting does not have oversight. We cannot substitute another system to replace God’s designated system…
Read MoreYou Sin Too!
by Terry Wane Benton The discussion may explore a particular sin, with some arguing that Jesus never called it a sin. However, when one points out that Jesus did condemn it by supporting the Law and then sending the Spirit to guide the apostles who condemned it, the argument goes in another direction. Taking all…
Read MoreIn Control or Being Controlled?
by Zeke Flores Sometimes, we think we’re in control of our choices until we choose something that soon ends up controlling us. Sometimes, we strongly desire the wrong things, thinking they’ll fulfill us and make us more complete somehow, and never fully realize how they end up robbing us and leaving us emptier than ever.…
Read MoreWhat Would a Servant Do?
by Chadwick Brewer “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among…
Read MoreAI is misquoting you
Question: Hi brother, I’m contacting you after stumbling upon this Google search result, which I only discovered because of curiosity! I think the answer to this question has possibly been selected using AI. However, it uses a quote from your website, but it is totally out of context, as this quote does not discuss the…
Read MoreDoes God make use of sinners?
Question: Good day sir, In the context of the potter and the clay, is it simply explained that God uses sinners in their sinful condition doing wrong or sinning to accomplish His purpose? Answer: The illustration of the potter and the clay is used several times in the Scriptures. “Woe to those who deeply hide…
Read MoreThanks for holding firmly to the truth
Question: Good afternoon, I wanted to send a quick word of thanks to you for your website. Over the past few years, two conservative churches of Christ I attended have progressively moved toward using their buildings for social activities, food pantries, etc. In both cases, it resulted in splitting the congregation. As I searched for…
Read MoreThe Problem and Solution
by Doy Moyer Some people are particularly good at troubleshooting problems. Whether electronics, cars, or engaging in household fixes, some just have that knack for figuring out what is wrong and then finding the solution to fix it. We need people like this in service positions. We need them in businesses. We need them in…
Read MoreMany Infallible Proofs
by Terry Wane Benton “To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 NKJV). Luke was convinced that the evidence for Jesus’s being the Messiah and Son of God was…
Read MoreTesting the State of Your Union
Source: Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988. According to a recent study by the University of New York (at Stoney Brook), the following factors may be regarded as “predictors” of marital failure. If a number of these circumstances exist, then it can be assumed that the marriage will end in divorce. You…
Read MoreBoys Will Be Boys and Girls Will Be Girls
Source: Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988. Scientists at the University of Southern California have concluded, after studying fraternal and identical twins, that many of the differences between boys and girls are genetic and not merely environmental. What this means is that the feminist rhetoric, which insists that there is no psychological difference…
Read MoreCalled Preachers
by Joe Warlick, March 1904 via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Joe S. Warlick A called and sent ministry is the pride and boast of some religious people, and the experiences of the preachers who claim to have been called in a direct way and especially sent to preach the gospel…
Read MoreA Second Century Look at the Covering
by Jeffery Kingry via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullian was born about A.D. 150-155 in Carthage, modern-day Tunisia. His father was a Roman Centurion in a North African unit of the Roman Empire. Young Tertullian was raised and educated in Carthage, a city of culture and education…
Read MoreGod HAS Spoken
by Terry Wane Benton “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His…
Read MorePatience in Bearing Fruit
by Zeke Flores The parable of the sower and the seed is popular, and for good reason. It’s not hard to see the various attitudes and personalities in the different soils offered in the parable. However, as Luke explains Jesus’s story, it’s the last sentence that is sometimes hardest for me. The reason is that…
Read MoreMiss Grace on Hospitality
by Marlene Smelser via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Miss Grace: Can you say anything to help with the situation here? Few women ever invite visitors into their homes, and for all their hospitality and entertainment, no one seems to realize they would enjoy being entertained for a change. Kind Reader:…
Read MoreGospel Preachers: The “Whipping Boy”
by Ken Thomas via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 I started to call this article, “Open Season on Preachers.” Another title I thought of was “Preachers Are Fair Game.” You know already what the general theme of this article will be. While it is altogether possible that some of the problems…
Read MoreJoseph, The Other Father of Jesus
by Perry Hall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2015 God thinks fathers are so important; He gave Jesus one. Now, let me bore you with a few statistics: Young men growing up in homes without fathers are twice as likely to end up in jail as those from two-parent families. 63% of…
Read MoreRomanticizing Love
by Terry Wane Benton Different things come to mind when we think of “love.” We often think of love as a feeling of infatuation, where we are walking with our heads in the clouds with a romantic feeling toward someone. But, while that may be pleasant, it is not the kind of love God commands…
Read MoreSteadfast Persistence
by Zeke Flores Luke 11 includes an event in which Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. He instructs them in what we commonly call the Lord’s prayer (although technically, it’s the disciples’ prayer since Jesus taught it to them) and follows it up with the famous saying about asking, seeking, and knocking.…
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