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Are Translations Authorized?
by Doy Moyer Perhaps this seems like an odd question, but it is good to think about this. Since most people are not going to learn Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, the only way they are going to hear God’s word at all will be through translations. But how do we show that translations can still…
Read MoreLiteral or Dynamic Translations
by Doy Moyer It should go without saying that we want to have accurate Scripture translations. For many, that means wanting a “word for word” (aka literal) translation instead of a more “thought for thought” (aka dynamic) translation. While some translations get closer to doing that than others (e.g., NASB vs NIV), the truth is…
Read MoreAre Preachers Ministers?
by Terry Wane Benton Yes! They are not the only ministers in the church, but they minister in a certain way; they serve in teaching and edifying the church’s role. They minister the gospel to the lost and the saved. That is a certain way of ministering, but the average church member is a minister…
Read MoreThe King James Translators’ Thoughts on Bible Translations
by Doy Moyer I recommend reading the translators’ preface to the King James Version of 1611. It’s easily found online, and some older King James Bibles may contain it. It helps provide some context when trying to see the value in various translations. People today make claims about KJV that the translators did not make.…
Read MoreDo Newer Translations Leave Out Verses?
A meme has been passed around a good bit, usually with a warning that these newer versions, like the NIV, have removed certain phrases and verses. This is quite misleading and does not comport with how translations work and why certain phrases and passages are “missing.” The truth is, one could just as well argue…
Read MoreLaw of God and Law of Moses: Are They the Same?
by Terry Wane Benton Seventh-Day Adventists have long made the claim that the “law of God” is the moral and permanently binding “Ten Commandments” that were kept inside the ark of the covenant while claiming that the “law of Moses” was different. They claim it was “ceremonial” law and placed “in the side of the…
Read MoreDon’t Be a Peninnah
by Terry Wane Benton Peninnah provoked Hannah severely to “make her miserable” (1 Sam.1:6). If you don’t have anything better in life to do than to make someone miserable, you have made yourself pretty worthless. The story shows a serious flaw in the arrangement of polygamy, but it also shows a flaw in personal character.…
Read MoreIf Baptism Was a Work
by Terry Wane Benton The claim is made that baptism cannot be part of the salvation process (the process from lost sinner to saved and justified in Christ) because it is claimed that “baptism is a work” and “we are saved through faith and not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, this claim is very faulty…
Read MoreReceiving the Grace of God in Vain
by Terry Wane Benton Have you thought about the fact that you could have received the grace of God in vain? That is a very real possibility. How can we receive it in vain? “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (II…
Read MoreJesus, Our Mediator and Intercessor
by Doy Moyer When we consider what Jesus does for us as His people, two terms are used to help us understand why it is so important to trust Him. Scripture teaches that Jesus is both our Mediator and our Intercessor. Let’s consider these terms. Jesus Is Our Mediator “For there is one God, and…
Read MoreIf We Taught More About Grace
by Terry Wane Benton If we taught more about grace, we would teach people to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. Paul told Titus that the grace of God had already appeared to all men. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). Now, what does grace teaching look…
Read MoreHow Do I Choose a Church?
by Johnny O. Trail One radio station in Nashville does nothing but talk radio. As an avid talk radio listener, I am always interested in the questions and comments of those who call in. On one show, the host deals exclusively with emails that listeners have sent in. The other day, one that caught my…
Read MoreA Manifesto for Myself on Social Media
by Doy Moyer Please note that these are thoughts I’m mulling over for my own growth and attitude as I think about culture. If you disagree with anything here, that’s fine. I ask for respect and consideration, but you are also perfectly free to ignore this. This is in first person because they really are…
Read MoreTen of the Best-Known Early English Hymns
by Wayne S. Walker Our English word “hymn” comes from a Greek term (humnos) meaning “a sacred song” and is defined as “a song of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, etc., especially one sung at a religious service.” We often use the term generically to refer to any religious song, but hymnologists make a technical distinction between…
Read MoreJesus, the Perfect Image of God
by Doy Moyer God made human beings, male and female, in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). There are many thoughts about what that entails. We might think about our spiritual nature, moral nature, free will, the ability to reason, and the capacity to love. We can continue, but human beings have several contact points…
Read MoreIf Any of You Lacks Wisdom
by Terry Wane Benton James speaks of the wisdom to see our trials as opportunities to perfect our faith and develop durability, endurance, or patience. We can choose to count it all joy, see how to grow deeper in faith, or we can let the trials beat us down and dishearten us to the point…
Read MoreJosiah and the Book
by Zeke Flores During Josiah’s temple repairs, an astounding find was the impetus of a new force in a revival already underway. The Book of God’s law had been found … by a priest no less! But how long had the Book of the Law been lost? Since Josiah’s great-grandfather Hezekiah led a similar revival,…
Read MorePrejudice in the University
by Ed Harrell Christianity Magazine, Volume 11, #7, August 1994 In a recent book entitled The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief, George M. Marsden of Notre Dame, an evangelical historian, let the cat out of the bag — the only minority in a university that is not free to…
Read MoreManasseh’s Mess
by Zeke Flores Manasseh has the dubious distinction of being Judah’s longest-reigning king, 55 years after assuming the throne at the tender age of 12, and its worst, most wicked king. His father, Hezekiah, instituted many religious reforms that ignited a spiritual revival throughout the kingdom. His son Manasseh undid it all. In fact, not…
Read MoreHeavenly Places in Christ
by Terry Wane Benton I pointed out that Christians are presently “in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3,7), and one preacher, in disbelief, asked, “What is it like in heaven?” He thought he had me stumped for claiming we are presently in “the heavenly places.” His question reveals a disturbing misunderstanding. It is disturbing…
Read MoreYoung King Josiah
by Zeke Flores Think about it: An eight-year-old boy takes the reins of a country but doesn’t shrink back in intimidation. Instead, young Josiah goes head-first into serving his God personally, then nationally. By the time he’s 26, Josiah is leading a full-blown revival not seen since the days of his great-granddaddy Hezekiah. Idols came…
Read MoreJesus, the King of Kings
by Doy Moyer The scriptural concept of kingship starts in Genesis 1. God is the sovereign Creator who made male and female in His image and gave them dominion over the creation (Genesis 1:26-29). The idea is that humanity rules with God according to His will. In the garden, we find God dwelling with Adam…
Read MoreThe Red Heifer
by Terry Wane Benton The Muslims have occupied the place of the Jewish temple with the Dome of the Rock for centuries. There are Jews who want very badly to remove the Muslims and the Dome of the Rock so that the Jews can rebuild a temple in that place. Their temple was destroyed according…
Read MorePomp and Pageantry
by Doy Moyer Pomp and ceremony do not make worship more holy any more than does the physical location. God seeks true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He does not need the inventions of our hands, does not dwell in buildings made with our hands, and is not impressed by our…
Read MoreConstitution and the Bible
Author Unknown (SMH?) Want to know why, increasingly, the church is welcoming easy divorce, women in leadership roles, cohabiting couples, practicing homosexuals, and transgenderism? Perhaps surprisingly, just ask former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer—not that he is a theologian or commentator on church matters, but he might as well be. What he says about the…
Read MoreTwo Sincere Men Want to Evangelize
by Gardner Hall Biblical Insights 14(9) September 2014 The First Man The first emphasizes “the true church,” and when evangelizing, he begins his conversations with others by asking, “How many churches did Jesus build?” Later, he quotes Matthew 16:18 to show that Jesus built only one. It wasn’t the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Mormon Church,…
Read MoreHe Restrained Them Not (Sanders)
by James Sanders The life of the Old Testament figure, Eli, is remarkable. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, and therefore was of the tribe of Levi. Combined in this man of God were the offices of both High Priest and Judge. It was the first time in Israel that…
Read MoreLive Joyfully!
by Paul Earnhart via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No 2, February 2015 Text: Ecclesiates 9:1-12 The Preacher concluded the eighth chapter with another of his oft-repeated observations that God’s ways are inscrutable to men, however wise (Ecclesiastes 8:17). Job, in his misery, twice asks plaintively: “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of…
Read MoreWoe to You, Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites!
by Allen Dvorak Biblical Insights, 14(9), September 2014 There is no uncertainty about the compassion of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Various individuals and groups were the objects of His compassion (e.g., Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 7:11-15). But Jesus was also frequently involved in controversy and sometimes handed out sharp rebukes. One of His most scathing…
Read MoreReal Faith
by Doy Moyer Biblical faith is not mere belief. It is trust, but it is more than that. It is conviction, loyalty, faithfulness, allegiance, and commitment. To say that we ought to trust God and have faith is not to say that we sit back and do nothing. That is a bad spin on faith…
Read MoreA Blessing and a Heritage
by Chadwick Brewer “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalms 127:3). For most of history, having a large family was viewed as a blessing. For example, when Job’s wealth was listed in Job 1, his most prized and valuable blessing from God was his seven sons…
Read MoreThe Outward Appearance of Jesus
by Doy Moyer Jesus “had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). Elsewhere, we have discussed the true beauty of Jesus, but here we are going to consider another facet of what the appearance of Jesus implies for our standing with God.…
Read MoreDrawing Strength from the Courage of Others
by Bill Hall We should be thankful for wonderful examples of courage that spur us on to greater strength in the Lord’s service. Paul was just such an example: “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14). These…
Read MoreGrowing Old in the Lord
by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above Text: Psalm 71 Young people may consider an aged person’s life free from problems. For example, they see an older person as one who does not have to face the difficulties of employment, child rearing, and sometimes even house payments. They may note that a person who has…
Read MoreTaking the Gifts of God
by Robert F. Turner “And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor” (Joshua 6:2). According to some theories of Gift and Grace, this promise says, “(1) you already have the city and can’t lose it; and (2) no condition could…
Read MoreDefending the Gospel
by Doy Moyer If we must say we are sorry (and at some point, we all must), then do so over poor behavior and ungodly thinking, but never be sorry for the impact of the gospel itself and what it stands for. Further, be careful about conflating bad behavior with the gospel, for it is…
Read MoreWorship Weariness
by Dennis Abernathy Malachi said Israel was weary, bored, and tired of worship. (Malachi 1: 13). It was too demanding and had become a grievous chore rather than an exalted privilege, a burden instead of a blessing. Fast forward to today. Many want shorter sermons, with less Scripture and more wit, less identification and exposure…
Read MoreEvangelism Is Fundamental
by Ken Weliever via The Preacher’s Word In the comic strip “Peanuts,” Lucy tells her brother, Linus, that she has “converted” a school classmate to her way of thinking religiously. Linus is surprised, especially knowing how Lucy operates! “How did you do it?” Linus asked. “I told him everything I believe and asked him if…
Read MoreOwn It
by Wilson Adams Jesus’ brother writes, “Each person is tempted when ____ …” (James 2:14). Fill in the blank of people, circumstances, and culture you can blame. “Hey, it’s not really my fault!” Well, James says it is. Keep reading. “Each person is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust…
Read MorePreacher’s Kid
by Doy Moyer I grew up a PK (preacher’s kid). This presents its own challenges for youth. The youngest of the children won’t think anything about it, but as we grow, we are often reminded that how we behave reflects on mom and dad, and … remember that dad is a preacher (the same goes…
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