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Those Who Are With Us Are More Than Those Who Are With Them
by Al Diestelkamp via Think on These Things, V. 55, N. 3, July-September 2024 Many stories in the Old Testament have become “favorites” because of the great faith shown by God’s people. Hebrews 11 is but a small sample of faith that produced heroes worthy of imitation. As a youth, one of my favorite stories…
Read MoreBy One Spirit (Benton)
by Terry Wane Benton “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:13 LEB) The “by” tells us the influence that compelled us to be baptized (immersed) into the body of Christ. They were…
Read MoreChristians and Culture
by Chadwick Brewer “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). “Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just…
Read MoreThe Sacrifice of Self
by Jefferson David Tant One familiar Bible passage is Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice…” We hear much about “sacrifice” and the “spirit of sacrifice.” This is all well and good, for our hope of heaven depends upon our willingness to give…
Read MoreThe Right to Become
by Terry Wane Benton “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Jesus gave certain people the right to become children of God. Unbelievers are not given this right. But even believers are not automatically in. The…
Read MoreA Firm and Steady Heart
by Jason Hardin via “A Firm and Steady Heart,” In God’s Image, 14 July 2024 “Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house,…
Read MoreAccording to the Pattern
by Jefferson David Tant An interesting passage in Hebrews 8 contains a statement that has an important message for us today, even as it did when it was written thousands of years ago. It mentions the fact that God has a “pattern” that is to be respected and followed. It points out that even Christ…
Read MoreThe Case of the Philippian Jailor
by Terry Wane Benton He wanted to know, “What shall I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The simple answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The details of why believe in Jesus, what to believe about Jesus, and how to express faith in Jesus followed. In other words,…
Read MoreFree Gift
by Terry Wane Benton Some teach that “there are no conditions for salvation” because it is a “free gift.” But free gifts can have conditions for reception. I can put a free gift in the trunk of my car and tell you that if you take my keys and get it, you will have it.…
Read MoreRevealing the Wisdom of God
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in…
Read MoreIs the Gospel Political?
by Doy Moyer No… and yes. First, no. The gospel is not about parties and political power. It is not a brand of worldly government, for it transcends all governments (see Isaiah 2:1-4; Daniel 2:44-45). We can be Christians regardless of the political system in which we live. Some are more friendly than others, and…
Read More“Because Of” or “Into”?
by Terry Wane Benton The Argument: “In addition to Acts 2:38, there are three other verses where the Greek word eis is used in conjunction with the word “baptize” or “baptism.” The first of these is Matthew 3:11, “baptize you with water for repentance.” Clearly the Greek word eis cannot mean “in order to get”…
Read MoreConfessing Jesus as Lord
by Doy Moyer There is no conversion to Christ and His kingdom without recognizing He is King. In the context of teaching the message of good news, peace, happiness, and salvation, the proclamation is made, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7). This is the passage quoted by Paul in Romans 10, showing the need for preaching…
Read MoreThe Umbrella Nature of the Term “Faith”
by Terry Wane Benton One preacher (Stephen Whitsett) argued the following: “In the same way, it would be possible that Acts 2:38 is indeed communicating the fact that they were to be baptized “as the result of” or “because” they already had believed and in doing so had already received forgiveness of their sins (John…
Read MorePaul’s Letters to Preachers
by Keith Sharp In denominational commentaries, the apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are grouped together as “The Pastoral Epistles.” The term “pastor” is found only once in the New Testament, in Ephesians 4:11 (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASV). The word is translated as “shepherds” in the ESV. It is the noun form of the…
Read MoreFor (eis) the Remission of Sins
by Terry Wane Benton It is argued by some that “for” the remission of sins, as used in Acts 2:38, should be understood to mean “because of” the remission of sins you already have. They say it is like we use the term when saying, “Take some ibuprofen for your headache.” In that case, “for”…
Read MoreResponse to Why Lutherans Sprinkle Infants
by Raymond Warfel A few days ago, I came across a post on why Lutherans baptize (sprinkle) babies. As I read through the nine points, I saw the need to respond. Because of Grace If you understand grace you can understand infant baptism. Many believe that only those who are able to make a decision…
Read MorePrecious in the Sight of the LORD
by Tommy Peeler “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15). What does this mean? Psalms 116 is best described as an individual psalm of thanksgiving. He is thanking God for saving his life. The writer had an experience where the “cords of death encompassed me and…
Read MoreThe Bible on Roman Catholicism
by Zeke Flores A while back, I read a shared post by a Catholic priest. He was angered by “a sea of stupid articles, idiotic commentary and boneheaded op-eds about the Catholic Church, by people who have no clue what they’re talking about.” He went on to rant about “the number of misinformed articles I’ve…
Read MoreBaptismal Regeneration?
by Terry Wane Benton Some teach and believe that the water of baptism is in no way tied to regeneration or salvation. They think it is something you do after salvation as just a symbol of what already happened in your heart. We see no proof of that view in the scriptures. All verses that…
Read MoreThe Rise of Denominationalism
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 4, No. 3, July-September 2024 In the previous article, we discussed the Reformation Movement, which came when the Roman Catholic Church was a religiously and politically dominating force. Over the centuries, it became increasingly corrupt until Martin Luther challenged some of the errors and abuses of the prevailing system.…
Read MoreOn the First Day of the Week
by Terry Wane Benton Acts 20:7 lets us know when the disciples of Jesus came together to break bread. It was the first day of the week. Paul had been there almost a week waiting to get with the brethren. On the first day of the week, the disciples came together to take the bread…
Read MoreJeremiah’s Ending Doesn’t Fit
by Perry Hall If you read the ending of Jeremiah, it doesn’t fit. The actual ending should be Jeremiah 52:30, which fittingly records how many Jews were taken into captivity. That verse completes a beginning where Jeremiah is called to prophesy the coming doom and closes a section describing Nebuchadezzar’s conquering, destruction, exportation, and vicarious…
Read MoreEternal Life
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus is the truth, and Jesus affirms that eternal life is real and the most special thing any of us could have in our possession. However, notice that it is not merely about possessing and claiming to believe the scriptures. The Jews possessed the scriptures of the Old Testament and claimed…
Read MoreThings Foretold
by Terry Wane Benton Peter drove a point home to the Jews who did not believe in Jesus but gave lip service to believing their scriptures. It is impossible for them to actually believe the Old Testament scriptures, the scriptures the Jews claimed to believe because the Old Testament scriptures are “those things which God…
Read MoreHow Old Is the Earth?
by Perry Hall A recent conversation with an atheist who was honest enough to admit a point I had made was from a perspective she hadn’t heard before. May we all be as honest! The information below is more than what I discussed with the young lady: In doing campus evangelism, I asked a young…
Read MorePreaching to Be Paid or Being Paid So You Can Preach?
by Perry Hall Men should not preach to get paid; men should be paid so they can preach. There is a fundamental difference in that statement: If someone preaches to get paid, the emphasis is on the preacher wanting to receive money from the congregation for the time that he preached. If someone is paid…
Read MoreJesus, the Rock
by Doy Moyer Rocks play an important role in Scripture. For example, when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, God cared for their thirst by providing water from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7). Though they had tested God’s presence, God provided and demonstrated He was there. On the mountain, Moses asked to see God’s…
Read MoreIt Lives and Abides Forever
by Terry Wane Benton Some people who never read the Bible form a view of it anyway. They were told that the Bible is out of date, not up with modern culture, has lost its relevance to our times, and is just a mixture of myths and fables anyway. They did not get that view…
Read MoreSeeking a Church
by Jefferson David Tant So, you are moving to a new town, and you have various decisions to make. Where is a nice neighborhood? Are there any houses there that I can afford? Where is the nearest shopping center? How close to my job do I want to live? Is the traffic bad on the…
Read MoreYou Legalist!
by Dave Hart “You…you… legalist!!” I remember the first time I was called a legalist. It was not a compliment. The response was given after I had shown what the Bible commands on a particular subject. The exact words were, “I think it’s sad that you’re such a legalist.” Since then, there have been many…
Read MoreBroken Jars, Broken Lives
by Zeke Flores Jeremiah had been to the potter’s house. In Jeremiah 18, he saw the craftsmanship the potter exercised in creating and then reshaping his work. I’m sure he saw the pleasure in the artisan’s face as the vessel took the shape he intended. In chapter 19, the persecuted prophet is told to buy…
Read MoreJesus, the Bridegroom
by Doy Moyer God created Adam and Eve to be husband and wife, cleaving to each other in faithfulness (Genesis 2:24). Here is the beginning of marriage, but marriage was not meant to be an end in itself. Marriage is intended to point to something even greater: God and His people in a covenant relationship…
Read MoreThe Way to Live
by Fanning Yater Tant (1908-1997) (The following is from a notebook of my father when he was a student at David Lipscomb College, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1927. He was 18 years old at the time.) The finest thing that a man can give to this old world as he journeys through, Is to live each…
Read MoreGod Wants Me to Be Happy (Flores)
by Zeke Flores “God wants me to be happy!” How many times have you heard that from someone? How often might you have said it yourself? Interestingly, the Bible says nothing like that. It does say that God wants you to be holy (I Peter 1:14-16), which is much deeper and far more significant than…
Read MoreA Father’s Helpful Words to His Son
by Gregory Roark “Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: ‘I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes,…
Read MoreSome Thoughts About Dad’s Day
by Max Dawson A man’s first priority should be to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The meaning of that text is to let God reign in your life. Set Him as king in your heart. Seek His plan for making you the righteous person He wants you to be.…
Read MoreWhat Is Being Neglected or Forsaken?
by Adam Litmer The following question was recently asked: “What specifically is meant in Hebrews 10:25 by ‘neglecting’ or ‘forsaking’? Is it inferring a requirement of attendance, or is it addressing an attitude towards worship? If it is a requirement, wouldn’t that infer all opportunities (Wednesday night, etc.) set up by local elders or congregation?”…
Read MoreBelieving the Best About Other Christians
by Matthew W. Bassford I’ve stayed out of the online debate about how churches should respond to the coronavirus and whether churches that assemble are more righteous than churches that don’t (or vice versa). As far as I am concerned, this is a marvelous opportunity to honor the great Scriptural principle of congregational autonomy. If…
Read MorePut Jesus on Trial
by Perry Hall When talking with atheists, I like to tell them to put Jesus on trial. How do we do this? Practical: Examine Jesus’s Teachings: What do you think of Jesus’s teachings? Are Jesus’s teachings indicative of a wise man, a conniver, or a lunatic? How do Jesus’s teachings compare to others? Is Jesus…
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