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What does “inherit the kingdom of God” mean?
Question: The statement in Galatians 5:21, “shall not inherit the kingdom of God,” is often interpreted to mean that Christ will not reign over those who practice such things. Is that correct? My understanding is that the kingdom of God that will be inherited refers to the eternal heavenly kingdom. However, someone else argues that…
Read MoreWhat does it mean that the Father granted the Son to have life in himself?
Question: In John 5:26, it says, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” How should I understand the line, “God has granted the Son to have life in Himself”? Is it contradictory to John 1:4, which says, “in him was life”? Answer: “Truly,…
Read MoreWorshiping What You Do Not Know
by Hugh DeLong “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). The background of this discussion is found in the history of the Samaritans. In short, they are descendants of Jews who returned from Babylonian captivity and intermarried with people who had been…
Read MoreIs it impossible for me to come back?
Question: Dear Sir, I will try to make this short and get to the point. My wife and I were baptized in a church of Christ many years ago. We were excited about our salvation and faithfully attended church, strived to be obedient, and did our best to walk in the light. We were in…
Read MoreWhy were Adam and Eve created naked?
Question: I have one question: Why did God create Adam and Eve naked? Answer: Technically, almost every animal God created was made without clothing. Monkeys, lions, dogs, cats, etc., do not wear clothing. And every creature born comes into this world without clothing. The lack of clothing is specifically mentioned in Genesis 2:25 to help…
Read MoreIs the canon of the Scriptures infallible?
Question: Hello brother, I have appreciated the material you make available on the La Vista website, and it has helped me greatly over the years. We are currently dealing with a brother who has left the Lord’s church for the Greek Orthodox Church. I would like to ask for your help with a question. How…
Read MoreWhat does “visible and invisible” refer to?
Question: I thank you and your congregation for the wonderful explanations you provided. I also offer my heartfelt thanks to God for your ministry. Please help me grow in my knowledge of God; your lessons are proving immensely useful to my congregation, to me, and in my preachers’ classes. Please explain whether the Church is…
Read MoreAre chronically late people seeking attention?
Question: Dear Minister, Have you ever encountered members who want to be noticed or seen by others? For example, I know a husband and wife who almost always come in after class on Sunday mornings and walk in when everyone else is seated and the announcements have started. They always sit down in the front,…
Read MoreWhat are the rules for preparing and serving the Lord’s Supper?
Question: I have some questions about the Holy Communion; Who is supposed to prepare the Lord’s Supper? Must the one who prepares the Lord’s Supper abstain from sexual activity with his wife? Can a sister who is having her menstrual period eat and drink the Lord’s Supper? Some say, “plates for bread must be white,…
Read MoreCan you use the song “All Things Are Ready” to introduce the Lord’s Supper?
Question: Can the song “All Things Are Ready, Come to the Feast” be used to introduce communion? Answer: “All things are ready,” come to the feast! Come for the table now is spread; Ye famishing, ye weary, come, And thou shalt be richly fed. “All things are ready,” come to the feast! Come, for the…
Read MoreCan something be gross but not sinful?
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I have a question for you about a debate with someone about doing something crazy and reckless versus something sinful. This is very crazy, and I know you answer a lot of questions, so you have heard a lot of crazy stories, but this is extremely crazy. I’m sorry this is…
Read MoreHow Can a Good God Permit Evil?
by David Gibson This has been called atheism’s strongest argument. And yet it is not an argument that cannot be refuted. The Bible itself records countless cases of horrific evils perpetrated by people with no fear of God, who commit unspeakable crimes against humanity with apparently no remorse whatever. The same is true today. It…
Read MoreWhat is the unique day known only to the Lord?
Question: In Zechariah 14:7, what is this one day known to the LORD? That is: light at night time? Thank you. Answer: “In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come…
Read MoreThank you for the Memory Verse Cards
Question: Thank you for the memory card list 1-81 so far. I will share them online, with a photo of each card. I will get printouts and photos, and I may place them where they can be found, as God decides. I feel I have a fresh sense of purpose and usefulness again. Praise the…
Read MoreCan a girl lead prayer in a Bible class?
Question: Good evening, sir, I was wondering whether you already have an article about women or girls leading prayer during Bible class or worship. I understand it all, but my wife, who was converted from a denomination, started teaching the preteen class with another member who is an elderly lady. At the end of class,…
Read MoreIs starting a camping business wrong?
Question: I want to start a camping business near a lakeside view in a village area where people come for tourism and sightseeing. They stay to relax and enjoy nature, and we provide tents and food. We do not sell alcohol at our camping site. However, sometimes some customers come after drinking alcohol outside and…
Read MoreDo I need to be baptized again?
Question: Greetings! I have a question about baptism. I’m a baptized believer but have questioned my baptism after reading that some folks hold the position that baptism is invalid if the recipient didn’t understand that its purpose was to have our sins remitted. I turned to the Lord for the first time in my life…
Read MoreHow can I convince someone that being a nudist is wrong?
Question: Good evening, I understand that being a nudist is sinful. Walking around naked with strangers, friends, or family is shameful and against the will and law of God. Walking around naked is rebellion against God. God commands modesty. Sin is sin. So a person who is engaging in nudism after being told that it…
Read MoreWhy are some prophecies written in the past tense?
Question: Since Isaiah 53 is a prophecy about the coming of Christ, why is it written in the past tense? Answer: One way God emphasizes the certainty of what He declares about the future is to express it as if it has already occurred. Scholars call this the “prophetic perfect tense.” Speaking of the future…
Read MoreIs my hobby becoming an idol?
Question: Dear Sir, I have a question about an issue I have been having and can’t figure out how to handle it. I have been doing a creative hobby, but I wasn’t doing it alone; I used AI. So it took up a lot of time and became unhealthy because I kept doing it excessively…
Read MoreIs it scriptural to divorce your unbelieving spouse?
Question: Dear Brother Jeff. Good day, and God bless. Brother Jeff, you answered me concerning a brother who divorced his wife, without what Matthew 19:9 taught us. This Sunday our brethren replied regarding the divorced couple. They reckon the sister in the picture divorced her first and second husbands because they were unbelievers (I Corinthians7:12-16),…
Read MoreHow do I avoid problems with a sudden increase in income?
Question: Hello Brother Jeff, Your work on the La Vista site continues to be a blessing. God has blessed me with a new job that will just about double my income. I’m wondering, in your experience as a preacher and elder, if you’ve seen people go wrong spiritually with such a big income change, and…
Read MoreWhat do I tell someone who desires to date a weak Christian?
Question: Hi Mr. Jeff, I emailed you several years ago. I wonder if you still answer emails. A lot has happened in my walk as a Christian, and I am very thankful that I’ve seen Christ’s faithfulness more and more. May He be glorified in everything and in all things. I want to ask a…
Read MoreAre Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 1:7 referring to the same event?
Question: “This generation” in Matthew 24 makes it clear that the signs were not about the end of the world. But the phrase “all tribes on the earth shall mourn” is hard to understand. The phrase was used in Revelation 1:7 and Matthew 24:30. If it meant the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew, then it must also…
Read MoreDid God command worship in the Temple every Sabbath?
Question: Was worship in the temple on every Sabbath day each week a tradition that got started somewhere along the way? I ask because I can’t find anywhere in Scripture that God established weekly worship on Saturday. The sabbath was simply a day of rest. Thank you. Answer: “Speak to the sons of Israel and say…
Read MoreDoes Acts 2:42 show that only Christians may partake of the Lord’s Supper?
Question: In the discussion “Should congregations practice closed communion?” you say that “No passage indicates that the Lord’s Supper must only be offered to Christians. It only has meaning for Christians, but we don’t add rules God didn’t give. If a non-Christian wishes to partake of the Lord’s Supper, it doesn’t change his status before…
Read MoreWas helping the tribe of Benjamin find wives wrong?
Question: I just finished the Book of Judges, and I have a question: Was helping Benjamin by sending wives to the remaining men wrong? Answer: During the days of the Judges, the tribe of Benjamin allowed homosexuality to exist within their borders. This upset the rest of Israel so greatly that they attacked Benjamin and…
Read MoreIs it wrong to partake of the Lord’s Supper when you can’t attend services at a church?
Question: A discussion recently came up along the lines of Brother Eubanks’ article on the Lord’s Supper. I agree that one should not purposefully forsake the assembly and take the Lord’s Supper at home or elsewhere when a congregation is available. We have met in small groups during ice storms or flooding when the congregation could…
Read MoreIs it wrong to attend football games where alcohol is served?
Question: I have a question about whether I should give up on something. Over the last 20 years or so, I’ve gone to college football games about once a year. A lot of nonsense takes place at those events (I’m sure you know). My primary concern has become all the alcohol consumption that is taking…
Read MoreDo you have more articles by Matthew Bassford?
Question: Hello. I have discovered articles from you and other Christian men and preachers on the La Vista congregation’s website. One of the men was Matthew Bassford. He posted one entitled “Insecurity” that I very much relate to, and I wanted to know if I could find any more of his lessons. I was raised…
Read MoreWhat Is and What Is Not Important About Baptism
by David Gibson A tour ad stated, “Have you ever wanted to be baptized in the Jordan River?” Since Jesus was baptized there, is that the best location? In the Bible, people were baptized wherever, but all were saved by grace (Titus 3:5-7). Since salvation is so urgent (Acts 8:36-39), is flying 5700-plus miles for…
Read MoreWhere was the one taken?
Question: In Matthew 24:40-41, where is the one taken, and why is the other one left? Thank you. Answer: “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the…
Read MoreWhat scriptures were the Bereans searching?
Question: In Acts 17:11, what scriptures were they searching to see if the things they were taught were so? Thank you. Answer: “Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three…
Read MoreI owe your congregation a debt of thanks
If I were a betting man, I’d bet you get a million of these a year. But I owe your congregation thanks, and I’m probably going to share more than you’d like. I’ve been a Christian since I was twelve. Raised in the church. I’m nearing 40 now. Several years ago, I was a drunk.…
Read MoreDoes the Roman Catholic Church decide on matters not directly mentioned in the Bible?
Question: I watched a debate about sola scriptura, and a Catholic apologist made the following argument against it. He said the Bible doesn’t specifically address some things. One thing he pointed out was prepubescent marriage and cousin marriage. His question was: if the bible is the sole source of faith and doctrine, where does the…
Read MoreWere the five foolish virgins lost?
Question: Hello, I would like to discuss with you the ultimate fate of the five foolish virgins who were shut out. My understanding is that the five foolish virgins simply missed out on sharing the Millennial Feast with God and rejoicing in Christ’s presence; God’s statement that He did not “know” them signifies His disapproval…
Read MoreDo you still have free will after accepting God?
Question: I had one of our members ask me a question I’m not sure how to answer. The question is: Do Christians who have accepted God still have free will? Answer: If a Christian did not have free will, then he could not be lost. See: There’s No Security for the Believer in “Once Saved, Always…
Read MoreI’ve been feeling very depressed
Question: Dear Sir, I recently suffered a blow—specifically, the affliction of physical illness—and I have been feeling sorrowful and distressed. When I am at church among my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, I regain my strength and feel filled with hope. Yet, when I return home and face my current situation, I see no hope;…
Read MoreWhere did the concept of one man and one woman come from?
Question: Where was this concept of one man and one woman first introduced, and why did early people marry many women and have many concubines? Were there no marriage laws among early mankind? Did God ignore or permit early people to marry and have relations with as many women as they wished? Answer: The concept…
Read MoreCan someone remain in an adulterous marriage without sin?
Question: The minister at my congregation recently led a Bible study on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. During the study, he said that he agrees with Matthew 19:9, which teaches that a spouse may divorce someone because of sexual immorality. However, he then argued that the guilty party is also permitted to remarry. He repeatedly emphasized…
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