The Crown
by Wayne S. Walker A few years ago, I had to have a gold crown put on a tooth that kept chipping. As I was sitting in the dentist’s chair waiting, I realized that the word “crown” appears quite frequently in the New Testament, so when I arrived back at the office, I studied it.…
Read MoreThanks again!
Question: Jeffrey, I found myself using your page again and decided to drop you a note thanking you for it. The articles are well-researched, scriptural, and logical. Thanks. Answer: Thank you! It is always good to hear that the efforts are appreciated.
Read MoreAI’s Dangers
by Doy Moyer AI (artificial intelligence) is undoubtedly an amazing achievement for humanity, and there are legitimate ways to use it. I’m not talking here about those ways (There is plenty of healthy debate about this). I will, however, express some concerns, especially as one who has been involved in education for several years. When…
Read MoreOnly God’s Righteousness Is in View?
by Terry Wane Benton We need to be careful about what we swallow from preachers and teachers. Search the Scriptures to find out what is so (Acts 17:11). An example of a concern in this regard is in the words of a brother who says that the difference between the Old Law and the New…
Read MoreWas Genesis originally written in cuneiform?
Question: I had come across a document about Genesis being in Cuneiform. It is an interesting hypothesis. The idea is that if Genesis was written in cuneiform, it might be one of the oldest written accounts. This means that when atheists like to say ancient mythology influenced the Bible, it would be refuted. Would you…
Read MoreDo I not have enough faith?
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I have a question in one of your articles titled: Does true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person? You said that: “A person who does not obey demonstrates by his actions that he doesn’t really believe.” I have OCD, and I end up doubting Jesus…
Read MoreWhat Was the Issue?
by Bill Hall Church-Supported Orphans’ Homes: What Was the Issue? The Sponsoring Church Arrangement: What Was the Issue? Kitchens and Fellowship Halls: What Was the Issue?
Read MoreIs a “debt of gratitude” biblical?
Question: Dear Minister, In our country, there has been a recent conversation on social media regarding the concept of “Utang na Loob” – translated into English as “Debt of Gratitude or Goodwill.” What place does this virtue or moral have in the life of a Christian, or what are its ethical implications? What could be…
Read MoreWill the Tribulation Come After the Rapture?
by Terry Wane Benton Be careful not to assume that what you hear about the tribulation and the rapture is grounded in sound biblical exegesis. Reading into the Scriptures and twisting the Scriptures can mean destruction to you and others (II Peter 3:16). So, make sure you are not following someone blindly into the ditch.…
Read MoreTrusting God Through the Storms
by Doy Moyer Storms can be frightening. Lightning and thunder can be a bit terrifying when it gets close. Flood waters can overwhelm, winds can level, and human beings can only run and hide. We sometimes wonder why, but we are reminded that we are not the ones who control nature. We are humbled as…
Read MoreWill my boyfriend kill me after we marry?
Question: Good day, It is about my relationship with my boyfriend. I have been dating him for seven months, and he has raised a topic about getting married and proposing to me any time. I do love him a lot, and he also loves me. But recently I was told by a prophet that I…
Read MoreDoes cohabitation create a marriage?
Question: Does cohabitation with sex make a marriage? A lot of Christians think so. They say that when you go live with someone and have sex, that’s a marriage according to the Bible because, in the Old Testament, that’s how marriages were made. They give the case of Isaac and Rebecca. They say the Bible doesn’t…
Read MoreControlling Our Emotions
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Controlling-Our-Emotions.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Mark 7:18-23 I. From the heart comes the emotions which affect all aspects of our life – Proverbs 4:23 A. We can poison the well with evil thoughts – Mark 7:20-23 B. We can sweeten it with righteous ideals – Philippians 4:4-9 C. It affects our outlook on life – Proverbs 15:13…
Read MoreDid Jesus lie about the sun being darkened and the moon not giving its light?
Question: Hello I have a question regarding a conflict that I see people bring up. People argue that Jesus is lying because Matthew 24:34 did not happen. The same thing is mentioned in Luke 21 as well, and also in Mark 13:30. Matthew 24:29-34 says, “Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be…
Read MoreDo you have to figure out all your sins before becoming a Christian?
Question: I have a few questions. If you don’t mind. Do you have to figure out all your sins right away, or is this a lifelong process of seeing sin and repenting? I read What Repentance Is Not. It gave the example of someone who quit drinking because it was affecting their health. My question…
Read MoreChristian Victim Card
by Chadwick Brewer “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (I John 3:13). Christians are disdained and hated for their strong convictions of faith, radical morality, and different ways of life. In a world of political correctness, it is still socially acceptable to mock and denigrate Christians. When Christians are maligned and…
Read MoreGod Seems so Mean!
by Zeke Flores One of the objections many have against God is that He seems so … mean. Indeed, throughout a reading of the major prophets, God has consistently warned about the catastrophic devastation He would bring not only upon His own people but also upon pagan nations. Again and again, He denounced their behavior,…
Read MoreDid I do something wrong?
Question: Hello! I have a question for you guys: Does having sex with someone makes you a married couple? If not, then am I obligated to marry the man I had sex with? I have a doubt in my heart that’s been tormenting me. I had sex with some guys before getting married. I was…
Read MoreChurch Growth
by Chadwick Brewer When considering how to help the church grow, there is a real temptation to look to the business world and copy their marketing schemes. This has been the path of many mega-churches. But God’s church is not a business. We should not look to the business world to determine how to grow…
Read MoreThe Power of Adjectives
by Terry Wane Benton One of my favorite verses on prayer is Ephesians 3:20. Notice the adjectives used. Taking out the adjectives, Paul said, “God is able to do…all we ask or think.” Putting in the adjectives one at a time: God is able to do above all we ask or think. Then, “God is…
Read MoreInstitutionalism
by Chris Reeves Truth Magazine August 2024 Christians today who were not raised during the institutional battles among brethren in the 1950s and 1960s would do well to learn the issues that divide us today. Having learned these issues, they can then teach others the truth concerning the work and organization of the local church. Today’s…
Read MoreThe Restoration Movement
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol 4. No. 4, October-December 2024 Earlier in this series, we discussed the Reformation Movement. This movement set out to reform the Roman Catholic Church to correct the errors and abuses that had developed over the centuries. While the reformers’ intentions may have been good, the unintended result of their…
Read MoreIs Progressive Repentance Scriptural?
by Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol 4. No. 4, October-December 2024 During my preaching work in Ghana in July and August 2024, I heard the term “Progressive Repentance” for the first time. This is the idea that an alien sinner may not repent of his sins by ending the sins before he gets…
Read MoreIs the New Testament a Law?
by Jonathan Perz The Bible is undeniably divided into two key sections—the Old Testament and the New Testament. This division is described in the Bible in various ways, some literally and some figuratively. One such contrast is seen when the Bible refers to the Old Testament as the “Law of Moses” (cf. John 7:23, et…
Read MoreAccusing God of Murder
by John N. Clayton Skeptics in the media constantly attack the Bible and the biblical concept of God. Writers in The New Yorker, The New Republic, and The Atlantic write as if they were authorities on the Bible while accusing God of murder and condemning Him as being immoral. Taking a Bible passage out of…
Read MoreOf Daniel, Of Dreams and Nightmares
by Terry Wane Benton Daniel, the prophet, is probably one of the most hated and attacked men of God to have written in the divine collection. This is because he defies the atheists and skeptics with proof of God, which is very unusual. When a robust case for God and the divine inspiration of the…
Read MoreThe Equivocation of Expediency
by Doy Moyer “Expediency” is one of those words we hear and use often connected to discussions of what is authorized by Scripture. But I’ve noticed something about it that can leave discussions clouded and confused. The term encompasses meanings that, if equivocated or conflated, will lend itself to misunderstandings and abuses. Here are two…
Read MoreThere’s Always Been Two Choices
by Perry Hall There’s always been two choices, two paths, two decisions. It started in the Garden of Eden. The enigmatic tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil can be understood simply: obeying God by not eating led to life and functioning as God intended—good, or eating led to death and dysfunction—evil. Moses taught…
Read MoreForgiveness Without Repentance?
by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above The Bible emphasizes the importance of forgiving those who sin against us. In fact, failing to do so is very frightening because, in Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus taught, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men…
Read MoreExtremist
by Terry Wane Benton What does it even mean? To an atheist (who is extreme in claiming to know there is no God), almost any believer in God who takes the Bible seriously is an “extremist.” To people who believe that morals are all relative, I would indeed be considered an extremist who thinks the…
Read MoreA Thought Exercise on John 3:8
by Perry Hall John 3 is commonly known for teaching about being born again. One segment has always baffled me, so we have this Thought Exercise: That segment is John 3:8, “The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.…
Read MoreThe Authority of Scripture
by Terry Wane Benton Two fundamental and opposite approaches to biblical authority are common today: View #1: Everything is permissible unless the Bible expressly forbids it. If the Bible does not say not to, then we can. View #2: We can do nothing unless the Bible permits it, and we can prove it is acceptable…
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Local Church – Encouraging Faithfulness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Purpose-of-the-Local-Church-Encouraging-Faithfulness.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreWas Genesis 1-3 Sufficiently Witnessed?
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus was there (John 1:1f); He said the story is factual (Mark 10:1-6) and that Satan was the liar from the beginning (John 8 ). The Spirit confirmed through Paul that death entered the world through Adam (Romans 5), and Satan’s head would be crushed (Genesis 3:15 compares to Romans 16:20).…
Read MoreReasons That the Local Church Assembles
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Reasons-that-the-Local-Church-Assembles.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Local Church – Financial Support for Members
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Purpose-of-the-Local-Church-Financial-Support-for-Members.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Universal Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Purpose-of-the-Universal-Church.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreI lost a good friend for my views on homosexuality
Question: Please say a prayer for me. I’ve lost a good friend for my views on the sins of homosexuality. Pray that God will comfort me and give me His love and compassion to comfort me. Answer: I find it interesting that those who claim to want tolerance for their decisions to sin have no…
Read MoreWould God punish people who lost their virginity through no fault of their own.
Question: I would like to know if God will not punish people who have lost their virginity through no fault of their own. Answer: The act of sex is not accidental, so what you are describing would be an act of rape. If an adult seduces a minor into agreeing to an act of sex,…
Read MoreA Narcissistic Society and Religion
by Stephen Harper I have been reading, when time allows, “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement,” and it is eye-opening and also something that has validated many of my own observations over the last couple of decades. I am sharing with you a paragraph regarding its effect on churches and religion in…
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