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Stages of Decline
by Steve Wolfgang The stages of development often seen in religious fellowships, related here by historian David Edwin Harrell, Jr., are well worth contemplating in these times. From truth-oriented to group-oriented. From open controversy to closed controversy. From self-conscious rejection of society to self-conscious acceptance of society. From builders to preservers. [Ed Harrell, “B.C. Goodpasture:…
Read MoreThe Wages of Sin Is Death
by Doy Moyer “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). Why should death have been the penalty for sin? In short, because we have disregarded the Giver of all life and breath and all things. If in our own pride we try to usurp God and take His throne and His glory for…
Read MorePride and Preachers
by Bruce Reeves There has been some discussion lately about preachers and jealousy. Brother Tommy Peeler has pointed out that preachers are not the only ones who struggle with jealousy. I knew a man one time that told a gospel preacher that he did not think that it was fair that he had more personal…
Read MoreSalvation by Grace (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I have become an even louder proponent of grace, indeed of the naked necessity of grace, than I ever was before. I can tell from the comments I’ve been getting on social media that this has made some good brethren nervous. They reply with variations of, “Yes, but you have…
Read MoreThe Bible
by Matthew W. Bassford I will begin with Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. In verse 32 he commends them to God and the word of His grace, which is able to build them up and give them an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Today, we’re going to use…
Read MoreWhat Is “A Different Gospel?”
by Jefferson David Tant In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches, in the beginning, he deals with a serious problem in the churches concerning which he has knowledge, and that is “a different gospel.” “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for…
Read MoreHonor Your Parents
by Whit Sasser In the list of things worthy of death found in Romans 1:30 is disobedience to parents. Proverbs 30:17 says, “The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.” It is clear, that God’s…
Read MoreHymns and Opportunity Cost
by Matthew W. Bassford As a rule, people have trouble understanding the importance of what they can’t see. We prefer buying a big-screen TV to saving for retirement, so we benefit from ideas that help us to reckon with the unseen. Of these, one of my favorites is the concept of opportunity cost. It comes…
Read MoreThe Progress of the Hypocrite
by Matthew W. Bassford The first nine verses of 2 Timothy 3 contain one of the most brutal condemnations of the wicked in the entire New Testament. However, its subject does not appear to be people in the world. Instead, it describes Christians who have been corrupted by the world. Normally, we think of hard…
Read MoreThe Apostles and Hermeneutics
by Frank Jamerson Some of the articles that I have read lately have confused ridicule with reasoning. They seem to think that if they ridicule commands, examples, and necessary inferences as the basis of authority, they have given a scholarly refutation of pattern authority. One such article concluded: “It seems to me that we ought…
Read MoreTurning Forgiveness Around
by Greg Gwin We hear it frequently in the news these days. It has been a common defense in some high-profile criminal cases. The basic argument is that people can be excused for committing even hideous crimes if they can demonstrate that something awful happened in their past. Unfortunately, this approach has proven successful in…
Read MoreRight Message, Wrong Audience
by Matthew W. Bassford At first glance, the narrative of Exodus 2:11-14 appears to be one of impulsiveness and immaturity. Moses, a 40-year-old resident of Pharaoh’s household, decided to visit his Hebrew kinfolk. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, strikes the tormentor dead, and hides the body. The next day, he tries to break…
Read MoreNecessary Inference Is Absolutely Necessary
by Terry Wane Benton It is truly amazing that we have brethren who actually deny that proper reasoning on the scriptures always involves the use of necessary inference. It is the most basic plank of common sense reasoning, and yet, some brethren draw an inference that they don’t use inference and reason from implications. Anytime…
Read MoreWhy Christ and Christianity?
by Doy Moyer I am a Christian for several reasons. I cannot make others accept Christ. I cannot tell others what will convince them. I can only provide an accounting for why I am a Christian and hope that others might think about it. Regardless of difficulties encountered by any worldview, here are some reasons…
Read MoreIrenaeus on Baptism
by Dan Mayfield “First of all it bids us bear in mind that we have received baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was incarnate and died and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit of God.…
Read MoreThe Qualifications of Preachers
by David R. Pharr Twice Paul refers to Timothy, as a “man of God.” “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (I Timothy 6:11). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:…
Read MoreDo What You Are Able to Do
by Andy Sochor Those who are conscientious Christians will have a desire to do all that they can in service to God. And as we see the needs that exist around us, it is natural for us to want to provide help for all that we can. However, the reality is that we cannot provide…
Read MoreTake Whatever Steps Necessary
by Doy Moyer “If you can’t do that without also doing this, then don’t do that.” Here is a principle that many parents invoke when they are raising their children, and it applies to multiple activities — activities that are not in themselves wrong. Yet if those activities become the vehicles by which we do…
Read MoreIn the Breaking of the Bread
by Matthew W. Bassford In the gospel of Luke, the primary resurrection appearance of Jesus is when He reveals Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. After they explain the events of the past few days to Him, not realizing that He is Jesus, He takes over the conversation. The rest of…
Read MoreThe Preacher and His Study
by Hiram Kemp The preacher of God’s Word is to speak with all the authority God has given him (Titus 2:15). He is to speak as the oracles of God (I Peter 4:11). He is to proclaim the gospel as the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). However, all of these things assume that…
Read MoreIs Sincerity Enough?
by Jefferson David Tant A popular idea among many people when questioned about their religious beliefs is that sincerity is the final judge of what is right and wrong. So long as a person believes in Christ, whatever his practices or beliefs may be in regard to that faith, so long as he is sincere,…
Read MoreChildren According to the Promise
by Matthew W. Bassford The wisdom and subtlety of God truly are beyond our comprehension. Sometimes, though, we are privileged to get a glimpse of it in the Scriptures. This is the case with the story of Abraham and his descendants in Genesis, which only makes sense in the light of its New-Testament explanation. For…
Read MoreChristians and the Arts
by Doy Moyer Worldviews and faith are expressed in many ways. We express them in the way that we work through our jobs, the way that we show ourselves as neighbors, and even in the way that we recreate. We are not afraid to show that we “serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24). The challenge…
Read MoreKnowing God
by Terry Wane Benton Just because one person does not know God, does not mean that nobody really knows God. The atheist and the skeptic do not know God, and they assume nobody can know God, but that is just their assumption based upon their own ignorance. Just because they don’t know God does not…
Read MoreThe Conclusion of the Whole Matter
by David R. Pharr Frank Sinatra was only 54 when he recorded his popular song, “I Did It My Way.” The song may imply his life was nearly over. “And now the end is near, So I face the final curtain.” The lyrics may suggest a full and mostly successful life, with emphasis on it…
Read MoreI Don’t Go There
by Jefferson David Tant People use many devices to mitigate or cancel out plain Bible teaching. This ancient practice can be traced to the Old Testament. Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah was dealing with a rebellious people. God told him: “Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a…
Read MoreHow to Stay Positive in a Negative World
by Hugh Fulford Christianity is both positive and negative. There are two gates: the wide and the narrow. To be saved, we must enter the narrow and avoid the wide (Matthew 7:13-14) There are two ways: the broad and the narrow. To be saved, we must walk in the narrow and stay out of the…
Read MoreWorshiping like the Psalms
by Matthew W. Bassford The other day, I saw an article by a professor of Old Testament studies in which he compared the content of the book of Psalms to the content of Top 25 Christian contemporary music. He observed that many of the most prominent themes of the Psalms, like God’s help for the…
Read MoreThe Importance of One Another
by Doy Moyer Christians share together a bond in Christ. We often stress the need for personal responsibility and individual accountability, yet we should also see that Christianity is built upon a “one another” model. God did not intend for us to walk alone in our journey of serving the Lord. This is demonstrated through…
Read MoreAnchor Points
by Doy Moyer With so many reports of people losing their faith, we might wonder if there is anything to hold onto to anchor us down when we have doubts, questions, and deep concerns. We must not be dismissive of concerns, but allow the questions to be asked, never thinking that they are to be…
Read MoreHagar and Exclusion
by Matthew W. Bassford This became apparent last week when we studied the use of the story of Lot by Jesus and Peter. Today, gospel preachers like to bag on Lot. They condemn him for “pitching his tent towards Sodom” and point to the corruption of his family with grim satisfaction. By contrast, the New…
Read MoreThe Bible Is Right
by Terry Wane Benton It is right because it not only claims to be the word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17) but because it proves to be the word of God. How? It is the only book that was written over a 1500-year period by 40 different writers of various backgrounds, but who wrote about…
Read MoreThoughts and Prayers
by Matthew W. Bassford People in our society say lots of dumb things. Surely among the most foolish, though, are the denials of the power of prayer. This usually comes up after mass shootings, when conservatives send “thoughts and prayers” on behalf of the victims’ families. In reply, progressives sneer that thoughts and prayers aren’t…
Read MoreThe Sin of Sodom
by Matthew W. Bassford The most famous example of homosexual activity in the entire Bible occurs in the early part of Genesis 19. There, two angels in human form come to the city of Sodom and pretend to be travelers seeking hospitality. The patriarch Lot invites them into his home, but at evening, the men…
Read MoreTent-Making Preachers
by Andy Sochor God’s design is that those who dedicate their lives to preaching the gospel receive full support for that work. Paul told the church in Corinth, “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel” (I Corinthians 9:14). However, one who preaches may not always…
Read MoreFor Such a Time as This
by Tammy Martin This has been heavy on my heart to share since last night, so I’m going to listen to that inner prompting and share it. At 17, I was raped and became pregnant. The amount of “Christians” who encouraged me to terminate, murder, or kill (no pretty way to say that) the little…
Read MoreDoes Every Man Do It?
by Bobby K. Thompson Jesus said: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). This passage became more conspicuous due to…
Read MoreThe Mormons Are in Town
by Wayne S. Walker Not too long ago when I was taking a walk in the large park which is across the street from our house and had sat down for a moment to rest on one of the benches, I was approached by two nice-looking, clean-cut young men in white shirts, ties, and dress…
Read MoreSaved Through Water
by Matthew W. Bassford Genesis 7:11-24 tells the story of the greatest cataclysm ever to overtake the earth. Because the wickedness of man was great on the earth, God sent a flood to cleanse it by destroying everything that lived on the land. In this flood, every human being died except for eight. The patriarch…
Read MoreGod Is in the Small Stuff
by Rhonda Smart I am always delighted when I come across stories in the Bible that at first glance may seem insignificant but upon a deeper dive, I realize they serve as one more way for God to show just how much he loves us. Even though He has a universe to run, God is…
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