Thank you for helping me teach a woman confused about the Sabbath
Question: In December 2020, you helped me teach a sweet lady who was confused about the Sabbath. She continued her studies and was baptized. Please know that your efforts are not wasted on many people across the internet, including myself. In heartfelt Christian love and appreciation, Answer: Thank you for sending me the wonderful news!…
Read MoreWhy didn’t God rescue my friend?
Question: I am a member of the Lord’s church and trying to help a coworker and friend. She has become dear to me, and we’ve studied the Bible a little. I hope to have more studies with her. She has somewhat stumped me with a tough question. She was sexually abused as a child by…
Read MoreI really appreciate and love y’all
Question: Just dropping a note to say I really appreciate and love y’all. May God bless you always. Very Respectfully. Answer: It is wonderful to know that the work being done here is appreciated. Thank you for filling my day with encouragement.
Read MoreMercy and Grace
by Perry Hall Are mercy and grace the same? As with many things, metonymy can combine multiple things under a single word (i.e., faith often includes obedience and being saved by grace). Even with that example, faith and works are distinguishable. Faith is inward first (like mercy), being trust, and then demonstrated outwardly second (like…
Read MoreTwo Coverings Under Consideration
by Elvis Smith Some contend that I Corinthians 11:2-16 only requires long hair as a covering on a woman. But I suggest that if that were so, the three phrases like “praying or prophesying” found in I Corinthians 11:4, 5, and 13 would have no real significance. The three “praying or prophesying” phrases tell us…
Read MoreHearers Only
by Terry Wane Benton The Holy Spirit inspired James to write: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves“ (James 1:22 NKJV). There are only two choices: self-deception because of only hearing the word and truth because you are a doer of the word. Hearers-only are deceived mainly because of the…
Read MoreDon’t animals have spirits?
Question: I was reading the article, “Doesn’t Ecclesiastes 3:19 teach that there is no difference between men and animals?” You said animals have no spirit. The very next passage says that they do have spirits. “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the…
Read MoreIs my only change of being with someone else is if my husband dies first?
Question: Oh, where do I start? My husband and I are officially roommates. We have been married for over 25 years, and more than half of them have been miserable. He was extremely abusive verbally, mentally, emotionally, and physically, starting 15-plus years ago with me and our children. To the point that we separated everything…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between a wife and a concubine?
Question: In Deuteronomy 21, after a war in the Old Testament, it says that if you wish to make a woman your wife, you must shave her head and cut her nails, etc., but what if he wanted to make her a concubine? Was this permitted or not? Deuteronomy doesn’t say anything at all about…
Read MoreWithout Walls
by Terry Wane Benton A city or country without walls is vulnerable to destruction. Jerusalem was an easy target for invaders until the walls were built. Walls protected the city. It was foolish to rebuild the city in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah and not have the walls in place to protect the city.…
Read MoreThe Divine Pattern
by Homer Hailey The divine wisdom has provided a divine pattern in all his ways. The doctrine men obey is a “form” or pattern, a mold, such as metal, which is poured into which life is fashioned. (Romans 6:17.) This pattern of doctrine was from God by Christ, who did and taught as the Father…
Read MoreHow do I overcome my wife’s sexual past?
Question: Hello, minister of Christ, I need your spiritual advice. I had prayed for a wife, and God blessed me with one. God has also blessed us with a lovely daughter. However, I have been battling this weakness. I had preserved myself for a marriage. I was a virgin before I met my wife. My…
Read MoreShifting Blame
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/10/Shifting-Blame.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Genesis 3:6-13 I. People generally avoid blaming themselves for their own mistakes. A. We fill our conversations with excuses for why things must be the way they are. B. “I can’t help myself” or “It’s just the way I am.” C. However, we know that we can do anything with…
Read MoreWhy does my boyfriend seem blind to our getting married?
Question: Hello, I’ve been dating for over five years. We lived together; we separated a few times and came back together. We started going to church and asked God to give us the blessing to get married, and it was granted. We were at the height of the pandemic and couldn’t get the necessary documents.…
Read MoreThe Voice of Reason
by David Gibson Naaman A story with a happy ending Naaman, a Syrian army officer, had leprosy (II Kings 5). When he arrived at the home of Elisha the prophet, hoping for a cure, he was told to dip seven times in the Jordan River. This was hardly what he expected, and it offended him…
Read MoreWork Out Your Own Salvation
by Terry Wane Benton Paul encouraged the brethren at Philippi to continue obeying as they had in the past to work out their own salvation (Philippians 2:12). This did not mean that they were to work it out on their own, earning or meriting their way to heaven without provisions of grace from the Lord.…
Read MoreLove versus Grace
by Terry Wane Benton God does indeed love us all. He “so loved the world” that He gave His only Son (John 3:16). But, did you notice that even though He loves all, many will “perish”? Many will go to hell, even though God loves us all. You see, telling people that God loves them…
Read MoreWhy don’t I hear from anyone?
Question: Good day, sir, I’m a bit frustrated. I don’t hear from the people of the church, even before I took a job that has me traveling for months at a time. All I ever have to keep me going in the faith is the Bible. I don’t want to give up on God just…
Read MoreA Brief Reflection on Ezekiel 34: Faithful and Unfaithful Shepherds
by Rowland Femi Gbamis via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5, No. 1, January-March 2025 Over the years, God has blessed me by working and interacting with many leaders in the Lord’s Church in Nigeria, Canada, and the United States. I have seen the finest sides of these men as they serve in the vineyards of the…
Read MoreShould we marry or separate?
Question: Hello minister, I write this with great desperation and anguish. About four years ago, I met my boyfriend. We started very well. He was very submissive to God, too, but it got to a point where we slowly fell into fornication. Every time that it happened, I got depressed and felt guilty for failing…
Read MoreI just read your son’s wonderful tribute to his grandmother
Question: Hi Jeff, I just read your son Anthony’s wonderful tribute to his grandmother. God has truly blessed us with the gift of Christian friends and family—each one a reflection of His love. Your thoughtful advice and godly guidance shared through your website have made a difference in many lives, including ours. May we never…
Read MoreNew
by Doy Moyer We all like new things, or at least things that are new to us. The new car, the new house, the new computer, the new …fill in the blank. We speak about the New Year and perhaps new beginnings. There is something special about newness. Sadly, we often tire of something after…
Read MoreThanks for God-Given Friends
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Thanks-for-God-Given-Friends-Audio.mp3 by Anthony Hamilton My beloved grandmother, Sara Melson, completed her sojourn in this world the Saturday before Thanksgiving. She had faithfully fought the good fight and completed her race. She has entered into her final rest. She was among the most generous, serving, and encouraging people I know, and I am so thoroughly blessed…
Read MorePray at the Proper Time
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5, No. 1, January-March 2025 Zechariah prophesied of the future prosperity and deliverance of God’s people. Much of this was tied to the coming of Christ (the Messiah). Despite the oppression from outside forces, they could look forward to peace. Regarding His plan to bless them, God said,…
Read MoreDivision in the Restoration Movement
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5, No. 1, January-March, 2025 As a reminder, when we talk about the Restoration Movement, we refer to the religious movement that began around the start of the nineteenth century in the United States and endeavored to restore the doctrines and practices of the first-century church as described…
Read MoreII Peter 3 and New Creation Theology
by Chris Reeves via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5, No. 1, January-March 2025 Peter’s words in II Peter 3 are being used today to teach that the righteous will come back after the judgment day and live on a renovated earth for all eternity. Jehovah’s Witnesses have used II Peter 3 this way for many years.…
Read MoreThe Work God Gave the Local Church
by Steve Klein God is the Master designer. We need only look at the physical universe to realize this. Psalm 19:1 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.” The intricate and marvelous design of the creation shows the wisdom of God. “O LORD, how manifold are Your…
Read MoreTwo Necessary Things in Christian Parenting
by Jen Venuso Whether or not you make New Year’s resolutions (I’ve been both), you’re likely reflecting on the past and looking forward to the next year. Right now, I’m heavily in the throes of parenting, so much of my reflection settles there. As a bio/foster/adoptive mom to seven kids (plus a few short-term kids),…
Read MoreBooks of the Bible Scavenger Hunt
Use your Bible to find the answer. The first person (or group) to get them all correct wins! Books of the Bible Scavenger Hunt 1 / 23 A book that was named after a queen Check 2 / 23 The two books that detail David’s life Check 3 / 23 The first book that mentions…
Read MoreI Never Knew You
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus said that some religious people who believed in Him and thought of themselves as doing things “in His name” would be surprised on the day of judgment about what He would say to them. “Not everyone who says to Me,’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who…
Read MoreWhen Someone Says “God Told Me”
by Terry Wane Benton A few years ago, I read directly from one lady who claimed two false things while claiming, “God told me.” She claimed that 1) God told her to tell others that God forbids His people from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and 2) taking it is “the mark of the beast.” Now,…
Read MoreFearfully and Wonderfully Made
by Terry Wane Benton Text: Psalms 139 Your body consists of 37 trillion cells divided into 200 different types. 100 billion cells make up the skin, which is the largest organ in your body. 100 billion neurons in the brain allow you to process as many as 60,000 thoughts per day. You also have 127…
Read MoreShould congregations practice closed communion?
Question: My family and I are members of the Lord’s church, and we visited a congregation this morning. During the Lord’s Supper, we were bypassed and not given the opportunity to partake. One of the leaders noticed our expressions and approached us before Bible class began. He explained that we were skipped because he didn’t…
Read MoreWhy are some translations not captializing the pronouns referring to God?
Question: Why aren’t the scripture readings using capitalized ”He,” ”Him,” etc. when referring to God or Jesus? In respect for Their holiness? Thank you. Answer: I can’t answer why the supplier of your Scripture readings chose not to capitalize pronouns referring to God. However, I would like to point out something to consider: The original…
Read MoreGod’s Invitation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Gods-Invitation.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 1:16-20 I. As mentioned in the text, God offers invitations to people to examine what He is able to provide A. Jesus gave a similar invitation – Matthew 11:28-30 II. No one has to be lost A. Everyone sins – Romans 3:23 B. And the result is that we die…
Read MoreMaking Reservations
by Terry Wane Benton When we plan an important trip, we know it is important to make reservations. We have made some trips without good planning and spent time looking for hotels that were disasters. We cannot go to heaven by rejecting Jesus all of our lives, and then, just before we die, we want…
Read MoreIs it wrong to have a relationship when divorced?
Question: Good afternoon, I have a question. If I was married and got divorced and then started a relationship with someone who isn’t my husband, is this considered adultery? Now that I’m saved, is it still a sin to start a non-physical relationship with another saved person who is not my husband after being baptized?…
Read MoreDo demons manifest themselves physically?
Question: Do demons have physical manifestations, or do they try to bring us down psychologically? Answer: Satan appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden (Revelation 20:2). He can appear as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14). However, unclean spirits (what most people call demons) are only mentioned as possessing people during the…
Read MoreFill It Up
by Terry Wane Benton What do you do when your heart feels empty? Moping around is not the answer! You must find ways to fill your heart and time with things that bring satisfaction and accomplishment to your life. Notice the “be filled” passages in Ephesians. Be strengthened in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16). Be…
Read MoreJustified then Sanctified?
by Perry Hall For those who don’t consider baptism the point at which God grants us His grace but rather an outward sign of inward grace, some propose moving baptism from the justification column to the sanctification column. Here are two problems with that. First, the scriptural problem considering Scripture is our authority. Notice how…
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