Do the Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Bible was modified over time?
Question: Hi, You have answered my questions before (thanks for that), and I hope you won’t mind doing so again. I was researching the Dead Sea Scrolls and came across the following: How close is the Bible to the Dead Sea Scrolls? 6 Myths About the Dead Sea Scrolls The Quora answer (if you click…
Read MoreHow do I refute the claim that the Bible is a product of the era it was written in?
Question: How should I refute the claims in the following meme? I would love to hear from you, brother. “The Bible makes perfect sense as soon as you realize it was written at a time when women were the property of men, slavery was commonplace, and death was the penalty for minor offenses. A time…
Read MoreHow can there be love in heaven when sinners are in hell?
Question: Good Evening, Thank you so much for all the resources included on the La Vista Church of Christ website. My son and I have been using these articles for years. Unfortunately, my son is now a wayward Christian, and he asked me the following questions in a recent Bible study that we did together. Can…
Read MoreCalled to Rise Above
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Called-to-Rise-Above.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:17-24 I. I found an article the other day by Ray Gonzalez, of Mexico, that started me thinking … There’s Shorty, just standing … scoping out the morning. Where will he strike today? Like a tiger, he is smelling the air to see where he may find prey.…
Read MoreReasonable Risks
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Reasonable-Risks.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Esther 4:7-16 I. Increasingly I run into people who are obsessive-compulsive. A. It is sometimes referred to as the doubter’s disease because the sufferer is constantly plagued with uncertainty. 1. A person might repeatedly wash his hands because he might not have done a thorough enough cleaning earlier 2. Another might constantly…
Read MoreAdvice to Young Preachers
Andy Sochor Plain Bible Teaching, 7 September 2011 Some might wonder how it is that someone like myself – a thirty-year-old with no “full-time” preaching experience – would be so bold as to hand out advice to young preachers (many of whom would be my peers). I am not so arrogant as to think that…
Read MoreThe Perversion of Homosexuality
Quote from Robert Jeffress But God’s Word has not changed. The Bible describes homosexuality as a perversion of God’s design for human sexuality that has devastating physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. Christians should not fall into the trap of cutting our consciences to fit this year’s fashion, to paraphrase American playwright Lillian Hellman. Homosexuality is…
Read MoreDon’t Be a Victim
by Perry Hall The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), in modern lingo, teaches these two counter-culture concepts: Suffering doesn’t make you a victim when you find your blessing from God and not circumstances. Victimizing others doesn’t make you powerful when your victims refuse to get their dignity through your oppressive eyes. Check out the…
Read MorePlanning Your Life
by P.D. Wilmeth These seven teenage years are a great adventure in experiences, with all the risks and hazards of unknown paths. They are tremendously important years this is a journey that we make only once. There is no roundtrip ticket, most of us according to the calendar will be on this road for about…
Read MoreI really don’t want to preach
Question: Dear Sir, Firstly, I would like to thank you for all your time and effort to put up all this material. I have been reading your questions and answers for a while now, and it helps a lot. It has come a time now, that I would write to you concerning an issue I…
Read MoreThe Root Cause of Violence
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do…
Read MoreThe Root Cause of Sexual Sins
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I’ve become fascinated by the lists presented in the Bible when I came to realize that many of them are more than a collection of related items. Permit me to illustrate this with a list that Paul gave in Colossians 3. “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead…
Read MoreOn Offending Others
by Jefferson David Tant Did you ever offend someone? Have you ever been offended? I am quite sure we can all answer “Yes” to both of those questions. And while it should never be our intent to offend others, we know it does happen. Sometimes it is done unintentionally, while there are times when we…
Read MoreWhy the Violence?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Why-the-Violence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 140 I. Another act of violence, and people naturally want to know why. Why is this happening? What can we do to prevent it? How can we feel safer? A. People grasp at simple solutions and quick fixes that really don’t fix anything and often are not even relate…
Read MoreThe Palm and Cedar Trees
by Wayne S. Walker “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Psalm 92:12). I have always liked looking at palm trees. Of course, growing up in the midwest I never saw a palm tree, except for potted ones indoors and on television shows, until I went…
Read MoreIs it wrong to share a place with a person of the opposite sex?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, I’m always so thankful to have you answering my questions biblically! Here soon I’m thinking about moving to another state. I am in need of some change. I don’t have a whole lot of money. There is a person who has offered to let me stay with him and split the bills.…
Read MoreSaints (Harris)
by Webb Harris, Jr. Guardian of Truth XXXII: 13, pp. 402-403, July 7, 1988 The Problem of Avoided Terms It is fundamental to a proper understanding of divine revelation that we appreciate that the “popular” definitions of many words common to the Scriptures differ from the intended ideas of the inspired writers. The term “saint”…
Read MoreIsn’t there a textual variation in II Peter 3:10?
Question: Dear Sirs. I have read your Web page critiquing the NWT of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Very interesting. May I just address just one of the scripture places you examined, namely II Peter 3:10? It seems you think the NWT mistranslates it here. But they did not as the verb they translated, which appears in the…
Read MoreThe Fullness of Time (Tant)
by Jefferson David Tant In two passages, the apostle Paul uses the expression “the fullness of the time,” and this expression is very “full” in its meaning. Among other things, it shows God’s wisdom in preparing the world for the coming of his Son, and as we look at the condition of the world in…
Read MoreThe Collision Between Homosexuality and Christianity
by Dennis Abernathy The agenda of the LGBTQ is to redefine the family. Bumper stickers are seen all over that say: “Burn the Binary.” What does that mean? It means to destroy the distinction between man and woman or male and female. Apparently, such foolishness is making inroads in our culture, since more and more…
Read MoreA Sense of Shame
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/A-Sense-of-Shame.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 6:10-17 I. On June 18, 2008, Time released a story about 17, now 18, girls in Gloucester High School on the outskirts of Massachusetts. A. (Read the story) B. What would cause a bunch of girls to purposely set out to get pregnant? C. The report gave these reasons: 1. It’s not…
Read MoreWhere Did God Say That We Are Not Allowed to Use Instruments in Worship?
by Paul Mays Question: Where did God say that we are not allowed to use instruments in the avenue of Christian worship that is music? Answer: The thing is God doesn’t owe us a list of what worship we are not allowed to offer. He is merciful enough to give us a way that we…
Read MoreExpediency
by Heath Rogers In the previous article, we discussed the difference between general and specific authority. When God specifies something, everything else is automatically excluded. However, when God gives us a general command, we are free to choose how to fulfill that command. This is where the study of expediency must be applied. Expediency is…
Read MoreThe Silence of the Scriptures (Rogers)
by Heath Rogers Bible authority is established through direct statements, commands, approved examples, and necessary inferences. We understand what to do with the stated commands and prohibitions of Scripture, but what are we to do with the things God does not say? We know what to do with God’s voice, but what are we to do…
Read MoreSubmission to Authority
by Heath Rogers We have discussed the need for authority in religious matters, the proper source for authority, and how to establish Bible authority. In this article, we will consider the importance of responding properly to God’s authority. Authority is defined as “the power or right to give commands, enforce obedience, take action, or make…
Read MoreBiblical Authority
by Heath Rogers By What Authority Are You Doing These Things? The Proper Source of Authority Improper Sources of Authority How to Establish Biblical Authority General and Specific Authority Expediency The Silence of the Scriptures Submission to Authority
Read MoreGeneral and Specific Authority
by Heath Rogers Previous articles in this series have set forth the need for authority in religious matters, the proper source of authority, and how to establish what God has authorized. This article will consider an important distinction that must be made in understanding what has been authorized by God. We will study the difference…
Read MoreWhat if someone has no good qualities?
Question: Hi Jeff, I was looking again over your sermon “Ten Rules for Improving the Church,” and one point states: “Consciously look for the good qualities in every brother or sister in Christ. When you think of a brother or sister, make a mental note of the good points each possesses.” I had an individual…
Read MoreIdle Words (Thomas)
by Craig Thomas “Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things; who have said,…
Read MoreDid you see that Pope Francis told Catholics not to convert nonbelievers?
Question: Did you see that Pope Francis told Catholics not to convert nonbelievers? Answer: I’m not a fan of Roman Catholic beliefs, but I also believe that people’s positions should be accurately presented. The claim that appeared in numerous places, such as the World Net Daily, said, “Pope warns followers of Jesus not to convert…
Read MoreMethods of Divisive Teachers
by Doy Moyer Deceit is nothing new. Those who subversively gain followings, start new movements, and cause divisions are masters at it. Scripture warns us of this problem, so we should consider some common elements in the methods of divisive teachers. Every element listed may not be in every divisive teacher, but these are characteristics…
Read MoreWe feel disconnected from our congregation
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, Thanks for all your help. A few years ago I first wrote to you about a liberal preacher coming into our congregation and we eventually had to leave. The preacher was eventually dismissed. But we searched out and are attending a sound congregation but do not feel connected. We have tried…
Read MoreHow do we best handle customers bringing alcohol to our restaurant?
Question: We recently inherited a business in Mexico. It’s a hotel and restaurant. We are looking into the possibility of selling it. But our trips to Mexico to tend to the estate of our father have led us to preach in the area and started a congregation. We do not sell or allow alcohol on…
Read MoreThe Superiority of Christ
by Jefferson David Tant Hebrews chapter one contains a wealth of information as to Christ’s identity and his unique position in all creation. This is what sets him apart from all other so-called “prophets” and would-be “saviors.” No other can match his credentials. Neither Joseph Smith, Muhammad, Zoroaster, Buddha, Mary Baker Eddy, Ron Hubbard, Vishnu,…
Read MoreI’m Not 18 Years Old Anymore
by Zeke Flores I’m not 18 years old anymore My body doesn’t move as it did then; more things droop and sag, and more parts hurt and ache. At 18 I had very few responsibilities. I lived entirely in the moment making decisions solely based on my selfish desire for immediate gratification. At 18 I…
Read MoreThings People Think Don’t Matter
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Things-People-Think-Dont-Matter.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWho Are the Sons of God in Genesis 6?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Who-Are-the-Sons-of-God-in-Genesis-6.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreHow to Establish Biblical Authority
by Heath Rogers God is the proper source of authority in religious matters. Our authority must come from heaven and not from men (Matthew 21:25). God has given authority to His Son, Who gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles. These and other inspired men have written the New Testament. Consider, then, the proper way…
Read MoreDoes God direct our lives?
Question: I have appreciated your website and the answers you share from the truth of God’s word. I thought maybe you could help me with this: A friend is telling me that God reveals things to us about what to do about jobs, health, etc. In the sense that God directs our path, I suppose…
Read MoreReverencing the Name of God
by David Gibson I once overheard an older woman ask a middle-aged man as he entered the post office, “Are they closed?” “Lord, no!” he said. “They ain’t closed.” In a Dallas hospital waiting room, several women were passing the time in conversation. One of them mentioned that a certain man they knew was 38.…
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