Are nativity images wrong?
Question: Hello, Does Exodus 20:4 teach that various kinds of man-made images of a nativity scene that are often displayed at Christmas time are a violation of God’s commandment in Exodus 20:4? Also, does Exodus 20:4 forbid having any manmade images or anything displayed as decor in your home that depicts creatures that are in…
Read MoreYou Shouldn’t Have Said That
by Josh Blackmer There are some things you’ve said that you wish you could take back. What if you told them, and they were recorded in the Bible? For thousands of years, you would be remembered as the person who said that. Let’s examine some things that shouldn’t have been disclosed and their implications. Adam…
Read MoreLove Your Neighbor
by Terry Wane Benton The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is a wonderful rule to live by, but even it can be misused. For example, politicians who have little to no regard for the rule of God will reach into the Bible when they think it makes a handy point they can use…
Read MoreCathetic Souls
by S.A. Thomas, R.N., B.S.N., B.B.A. via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991 [Editor’s Note: The following article was written by a professional health-care provider who is a faithful Christian.] Cachexia is a term used to describe a “physical fading of wholeness” and a “progressive wasting away of the body.” Medically, this condition…
Read MoreWhy People Marry
by Morris Norman via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991 Marriage is the greatest of all human contracts, save the covenant of grace. Marriages sometimes fail because those entering them are either inadequately prepared or are not sufficiently committed to the relationship. Some of the key elements of a successful marriage are careful…
Read MoreAre There Gray Areas?
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991 Searching the Scriptures is a quality gospel journal with consistently thought-provoking and edifying articles. The issue for November 1991 is no different. Among the headings was “Musings” by J. Wiley Adams (p. 9), which will certainly stand on its own merits. In fact,…
Read MoreThe Profitable Way
by R. Andrew Parker via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991 Let’s face it: traditionally, we have been a quarrelsome people. Wherever we can find an excuse to argue, we do. If we cannot find a relatively good reason, we will be sure to split a hair or two to find one. I,…
Read MoreThe Individual Member Versus the Church
by Charles Spence via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991 As those who obey the gospel are added to the Lord’s church, they have a responsibility to join with disciples in their area. After his conversion, Paul sought to join the disciples who were assembling in Jerusalem. “And when Saul was come to…
Read MoreAlcohol and the Risk of Cancer
Source: “Alcohol and Cancer Risk: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory,” 2025. “This advisory highlights alcohol use as a leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year.” “Alcohol use is very common—in 2019-2020, 72% of U.S. adults reported they consumed one or more…
Read MoreThink on These Things
by Terry Wane Benton You don’t want to get in a pattern of negativity that slowly drowns your mind in depression. So, what can you do? Turn off the negative input for a while. This can be the constant negative news on TV and social media, or it can be patterns of feeling sorry for…
Read MoreThe Need for Courage
by Zeke Flores C. S. Lewis said, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” When Jesus called out to His disciples on a stormy sea and said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), He may have been alluding to…
Read MoreHe Takes Away the First
by Terry Wane Benton Hebrews 10:9 says, “…He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” What is the first, and what is the second? The first is the law of Moses and its system of animal sacrifices. Paul agrees in Colossians 2:11-16 that the old system with its food laws, sabbaths, circumcision,…
Read MoreSkewed Views of God
by David Gibson The Book of Psalms records several wrong views of God: No God “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds . . .” (Psalm 14:1). How can someone say there is no God, in view of all the evidence to the contrary? “Design…
Read MoreWhy would babies who die be judged?
Question: I have a question about infants, aborted and miscarried souls, and the judgment. Are they awaiting judgment? Would there be any reason to judge them? I have had several miscarried babies, and it’s just something I’ve been wondering about, even though I know where they’re going/have gone. Thank you so much for this website.…
Read MoreArguments Against the Missionary Society
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5 No. 3, July-September 2025 In a previous article, we discussed the Missionary Society, which was the source of the first major controversy and division among those associated with the Restoration Movement. What began as informal “association” meetings evolved into formal organizations to which churches would send delegates, and…
Read MoreThe Silver Thermometer
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/The-Silver-Thermometer.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hosea 6:4-11 I. When we want to know whether it is hot or cold outside, we check a thermometer to see the temperature. A. Today we have digital devices, but before that we had very fine glass tubes with either red-tinted alcohol or silver mercury in them. Mercury is a…
Read MoreThe New Testament Principles of Giving
by David Banks Throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, the people of God have been required to give of their money and material possessions for various purposes. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel, under the Law of Moses, were required to give a tithe (tithe = 10%) of their grain, the fruit…
Read MoreHas the Glory Departed?
by Terry Wane Benton What’s in Your Heart? The ark of the covenant in Israel was symbolic. It represented the presence of the glory of God, was kept in the center of the Israelite camp, and symbolized the covenant of Jesus Christ. It was important to keep it protected from enemies. When the Philistines had…
Read MoreIs It So Hard?
by David Gibson Does the Christian life at times seem more than you can bear? May these thoughts from Hebrews chapter 12 encourage you! Others Have Overcome “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [the heroes of faith in chapter 11], let us also lay aside every weight, and sin…
Read MoreAn Industrious Worker
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/An-Industrious-Worker.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Proverbs 24:30-34 I. The Bible commends diligent work A. Jacob had his faults, but one thing we notice is that he was an industrious worker 1. Genesis 31:38-39 – A summary of his work record. a. Prosperous growth in herds b. No miscarriages in 20 years c. No losses from wild animals…
Read MoreHow do I look for a wife without losing focus on God?
Question: Hi, How are you? I’ve been doing well. It has been a rough journey. It’s taken me a while to get to where I’m at and sober from alcohol for the last four months. I’m still working on other areas in addiction, of course. I’ve always had such a strong desire for a spouse.…
Read MoreWho’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?
by Alan Williamson via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991 In this case: Who’s afraid of the AIDS virus? With news of the infection of basketball superstar Magic Johnson, a new warning has arisen relative to the dangers of the HIV virus. “Anybody can get it!” is the new watch cry. Young people…
Read MoreThe Joys of Leading a Soul to Christ
by Jeff McCrary via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus” (John…
Read MoreFaith’s Opposites
by David Gibson Light is the opposite of dark. Good is the opposite of evil. Hope is the opposite of despair. Zeal is the opposite of apathy. What then is the opposite of faith? Faith Is the Opposite of Sight “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (II Corinthians 5:7 NASB). “Now faith is……
Read MoreWhat Kind of People Confess Their Sins?
by Steve Klein via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). There used to be a site on the Internet called DailyConfession that advertised itself as “the…
Read MoreDoes Error Have Any Rights?
by Jeff Kingrey via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 3, 30 September 1991 During the famous years of the Roman Catholic Inquisition, hundreds of “heretics” were burned by zealous clergy to grind out all opposition to Papal rule. Many of these enemies of the Roman church were executed without even the primitive due process of the…
Read MoreInsufferable Nits
by Gary Calton via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 3, 30 September 1991 Age gets all of us. But like most folks, you and I sometimes sit around and talk about the things that might have been….if only! Not too many years ago, a group at work was talking about age and the perfect age…
Read MoreCelebrate Repentance!
by Perry Hall People celebrate when others recount how they overcame their sins, even using them as examples of good – and they should. However, people often shun those when they first repent of their sins (except when being baptized!). Shameful. It is true that overcoming sins, whether sexual, alcoholic, or even the more socially…
Read MoreHow Do You Use the Church?
Author Unknown Some people use the church as a fire escape – no special joy in it, just afraid of going to hell. Some use the church as a spare tire – they do not want to use it, but are afraid to be without it. Some use the church like Sunday clothing – they wear it only…
Read MoreThese You Ought To Have Done
by Heath Rogers “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Luke 11:42). Imagine the time and patience it took to measure the herbs that one had…
Read MoreIs there a difference between original sin and actual sin?
Question: Dear Jeffrey I am combing through reading material around the subject of Original Sin. I am critiquing a book written by a popular proponent of this doctrine, “Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle” by French theologian Henri Blocher. Amongst his discussions, there are two arguments he made to support his doctrine, which I have some…
Read MoreWho Is Telling the Truth?
by Jerry Falk A friend on Facebook recently asked, “How do you know ‘facts’ are truth or lies?” Apparently, he was referring to the current political climate in the United States. I took his question a step further. If we reject the existence of God and dismiss biblical morality, on what basis do we determine…
Read MoreSchisms
by Zeke Flores No one likes torn or broken things. The word “schism” is a transliteration from the Greek “schisma”, which describes a tear in a garment or a crack in a stone. A torn garment is useless; it fails to accomplish its purpose of covering the body. A cracked stone endangers the whole structure…
Read MoreRelationship Between Heart and Mind
by Chadwick Brewer “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). There always seems to be a struggle between the heart…
Read MoreDid the Apostle Paul Baptize?
by Louis Rushmore Plainly, the apostle Paul acknowledged that he personally baptized some individuals. “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of…
Read MoreTwo Christians
by David Gibson Drawn away What can we learn from two of Paul’s associates, Mark and Demas? Paul writes, “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers” (Philemon 23-24 NASB; see Colossians 4:10, 14). Later Paul mentions both Mark and Demas again, but note the…
Read MoreThe Truth About Sex No One Tells You
by Dr. K. N. Jacob via Facebook, 6 July 2025 Sex is powerful. Sex in marriage is priceless – don’t trade depth for thrills. Casual sex often leads to pain, confusion, and heartbreak. Casual sex chips away at self-worth. Affairs destroy families. Premarital sex often masks incompatibility. Sex blurs red flags, rushes commitment, and complicates…
Read MoreA World Under the Curse of Sin
by Doy Moyer Suffering brings to the front one of the most universal questions: why? Why does God allow it to happen? Why this place? Why this time? Why allow the innocent to suffer and die? We don’t understand, and because we don’t understand, we may look to God and wonder if He hears, cares,…
Read MoreIs the Holy Spirit not bound by only the words in the Bible?
Question: Hi Jeff, I heard a sermon a while ago, and someone recently shared it on Facebook to say that brethren are too worried about emotionalism, and they don’t worship in the Spirit and truth as God intended. “The Holy Spirit is not bound in the words alone within the leather covers of our Bibles.”…
Read MoreWhy bother teaching those in denominations?
Question: Brother Jeffrey, I’ve recently thought that when talking to people of different denominations about the truth, we do have a responsibility to a certain extent. However I also believe that in this country, particularly in the southern United States, we may not be held as highly accountable especially to people of the denominations because…
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