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I’m Only Human
by Ney Rieber via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995 When someone uses the phrase “I’m only human!” you can be pretty sure that they are getting ready to do something inhumane. What do we mean when we say “I am only human?” Most often, “I’m only human!” is used to describe a person’s…
Read MoreTeaching Other Faithful Men
by Hugh DeLong Having preached now for over 50 years, one of my favorite instructions on preaching is II Timothy 2:2: “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” I think this may have been the…
Read MoreThe Discipline of an Athlete
by Lee Wildman via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14 No. 8, August 2014 Paul used examples from athletics to illustrate principles by which Christians are to live. His readers, especially those in Greece and the surrounding areas, knew very well what it meant to be an athlete in the 1st century. Let’s look at some of those…
Read MoreThe Faith of Abraham
by Jeremy Paschall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14 No. 8, August 2014 In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God has revealed His power to save mankind from sin (Romans 1:16). It is not a salvation based upon the works of men (Ephesians 2:9), requiring that they “earn” their way with sinless obedience (Romans 3:20), for then…
Read MoreSuppositions Without Support
by David Gibson Jumping to conclusions John the Baptist warned the Jews, “… do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father …” (Matthew 3:9). Simply depending on physical descent from Abraham without the faith and repentance God requires is a baseless assumption (see John 8:37-42, 44, 47; Romans…
Read MoreThe “Let Us” Admonitions in the Book of Hebrews
by Rowland Gbamis “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16-NKJV). The book of Hebrews addresses Christians who, after years of serving the Lord, began to drift from the truth and were in danger of hardening their…
Read MoreHumility Among God’s Children
by Rowland Gbamis “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5 KJV). In a world that celebrates self-promotion, personal branding, and the relentless pursuit of recognition, humility stands…
Read MoreShame
by Terry Wane Benton “For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret” (Ephesians 5:12). Yet many want to flaunt what should be held in shame. Some want others to see their pride in their rebellion against the word of God and want to shame those who…
Read MoreKeep a Close Watch on Yourself and the Teaching
by Edwin Crozier Surprisingly, the letters written to Timothy and Titus, both evangelists, say almost nothing about what we typically mean by evangelism. When we talk about evangelism, we are usually talking about bringing the gospel to those outside of Christ. But these three letters almost exclusively talk about the evangelist’s work among the congregation…
Read MoreMany Convincing Proofs
by David Gibson Is it just wishful thinking—the belief that Jesus did indeed rise bodily from the dead? Or is there good, solid evidence for it? Luke says of the apostles, “To these He presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days …” (Acts…
Read MoreHow Would You Answer?
by David Gibson A friend asked how I would respond if someone said he did not believe the Bible is inspired. This is what I told him. If the person is open to the truth, I would first prove that Jesus rose from the dead. “Nothing is more crucial in the field of Christian evidences…
Read MoreThe “Christian” President
by Whit Sasser James Garfield was the only minister elected as President. He was a preacher, even having, as a young man, once preached in a meeting with an elderly Alexander Campbell. It is claimed that he said upon his election as our 20th president, “‘I now step down from being an elder of the…
Read MoreAn Inconsistent Obituary
by Craig Meyer via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 In the July 1993 issue of Reflections On Truth, David Padfield reports an obituary in the Chicago Tribune of May 22, 1993. It seems that William Bentley, a Pentecostal preacher, died while conducting Sunday services at the Progressive Beulah Pentecostal Church. Bentley had served as…
Read MoreScience’s Impact on Christian Teaching
by Kenneth W. Ledbetter via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 [The author is an aerospace engineer with NASA, most recently involved with the Hubble Space Telescope project, and is a faithful Christian at the Annandale church of Christ.] How many of the everyday devices around you can you honestly say you understand the…
Read MoreReady to Suffer
by Hugh DeLong “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (II Timothy 1:12) Why Suffer as Paul Did? After his time of denying…
Read MoreThe Temptation of Christ – Hebrews 4:15
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 In 1984, a debate was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, concerning the need to be sinlessly perfect in order to walk in the light (I John 1:7). The brother in error (John Welch) contended that one must be totally sinless in order to continue to…
Read MoreWho Brought the “Trojan Horse” into the Church?
by Donald Townsley via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 In ancient history, the Greeks besieged the city of Troy for 10 years. Unable to take the city by force, they devised a plan to capture it by strategy. They built a large wooden horse, filled it with soldiers, and, under the guise of…
Read MoreShould I Believe in Horoscopes?
by John Warwick Montgomery via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 If you do, you believe in something most unscientific. French astronomer Paul Couderc plotted the horoscopes of 2,837 musicians and found that there was no astrological relationship among them whatsoever. He concluded, “The musicians are born throughout the entire year on a chance…
Read MoreExplanations for the Empty Tomb
by Kenny Chumbley via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 Paul’s belief in the resurrection, shared by early Christianity, was absolute and categorical; nevertheless, the apostle’s exuberant faith has not been universally shared, and a literal resurrection of Jesus’ body has been denied not only by non-Christians but also by liberal theology. The opposition…
Read MoreHow to See “Eye to Eye” Religiously
by Mark M. White via Seeking Things Above, Vol. No. 4, July 2026 Why do some people not see religious things the way we see them? Why is there so much difference between what we teach and what the denominations profess? Do we not all have the same Bible? Are we not all trying to…
Read MoreThe Falling Away
by Hugh DeLong “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (I Timothy 4:1-2). Paul’s warning is based upon the fact…
Read MoreOffice of Overseer
by Hugh DeLong Text: I Timothy 3 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do” (I Timothy 3:1). There are several important words to identify: Office: The word does not primarily mean office in the sense of a position or…
Read MoreWriting and Face-to-Face
by Terry Wane Benton Some are not writers, and that is understandable. They are gifted in a personal way, but not so much at expressing themselves in writing. Not all have the same gifts and talents, and that is certainly understandable. Paul believed in face-to-face teaching and in the power of the written word. Writing…
Read MoreWhy Has Our World Gone Crazy?
by Terry Wane Benton People don’t know that there are only two genders, that marriage is only for one man and one woman, that killing a baby in the womb is still murdering a human being, that if you choose not to work, you choose not to eat and benefit from others’ work. Why are…
Read MoreThe Influence of Only One
by Flavil Nichols During the War Between the States, a young woman learned the truth and obeyed the Gospel. Her sweetheart, J. H. Halbrook, was a Confederate soldier. He was captured by the Union Army and kept a prisoner in Michigan until the war was over. He was given a ticket to Nashville and $2.50,…
Read MoreA Bogus Argument on Justification Versus Sanctification
by Terry Wane Benton A recent post I saw said that justification is instantaneous, covering all past, present, and future sins in one act of God, that it is once for all and requires no effort from us, and then the man argued that sanctification demands a lifelong effort of work to be pleasing to…
Read MoreIs it wrong to quote extrabiblical writings in lessons?
Question: Dear Jeffrey, I have a question and would like to seek your views on it. I have, on several occasions, observed preachers and Bible class teachers quoting denominational leaders (whom I classify as false teachers). Quotations made from Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther King Junior, Tertullian, etc. The quotations made are not doctrinal in…
Read MoreThe Meaning of “Believe”
by David Gibson I have seen on the rear side window of an SUV: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” This is a quotation from Acts 16:31. If we read the verses preceding and following (Acts 16:16-34), we see this verse is in answer to the frightened jailer’s question, “Sirs,…
Read MoreWhat World Are You In?
by Terry Wane Benton People live in different worlds! Some live in a world of poverty, dysfunction, hate, violence, fear, and hopelessness, while others live in the same poverty but choose love and peace, which gives them hope. The two may live in the same housing projects, but they live in different worlds of experience.…
Read MoreIt’s Not Fair!
by Hugh DeLong Text: II Thessalonians 1 It’s not fair! I thought God loved us! We are striving to follow His instructions! Yet, what we live with is persecution, trouble, and being ostracized by the people! I don’t know if that is how I would react if I were one of these disciples in Thessalonica during…
Read MoreDressed with Good Works
by Edwin Crozier Paul wanted the men of the congregation to pray. Buy his statement in I Timothy 2:8 is not so much about the prayer as it is the holy hands lifted while praying. Paul wants Timothy to teach the men to get rid of anger and quarreling. They are not to lift in…
Read MoreIs it wrong to become a lawyer?
Question: Good day, minister, I don’t know how best to put this question, but it’s been bothering me. A sister has been facing a lot of pressure from the church lately regarding her career choice. In some parts of my country, many still believe Law is an evil profession. They believe it is not something…
Read MoreHow Quiet?
by Edwin Crozier In addition to addressing competition between men and women, Paul addresses decorum in congregational work. Paul provides a fantastic permission, but also a limitation. My understanding is that many in Paul’s day did not think women should be educated. There was no need to teach them and no need for them to…
Read MoreLet Patience Have Its Perfect Work
by Terry Wane Benton James not only was inspired to tell us how to consider our trials, but also commands that we “let patience have its perfect work” (James 1:4), “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” So, what does all of this mean? “Let” means to allow, give something a fair chance…
Read MoreEncouraging One Another
by Hugh DeLong We begin I Thessalonians 5 with a reminder that we are living with the foundation of God’s great gift to us and the hope that we have in Jesus. Having warned these young in the faith disciples of the trouble and persecution they would face because of their faith and lifestyle, he…
Read MoreThe Apologetic Value of Prophecy
by Kenny Chumbley “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). According to Paul, prophecy—the ability to call things which are not, as though they were—is…
Read MoreWhat They Want Me to Believe
by James D. Bale via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995 I know that I am a dependent being who has not existed forever. I was born to mighty fine parents. They, too, had parents, and so on ad infinitum. Since each of us was dependent, it was obvious that there could not be…
Read MoreThe Will of God
by Hugh DeLong Paul stayed only a short time in Thessalonica and thus left a fledgling group of disciples in a very ungodly situation. Thessalonica was a rather typical Roman city, with a very loose moral code, and one very far from God’s. While many things were permitted and practiced in this city (and across…
Read MoreAfflicted for Jesus
by Hugh DeLong Text: I Thessalonians 3 Here in Thessalonians, Paul writes because these new disciples were facing difficult times. Everywhere Paul established disciples, there was pushback from the community! Remember the story in Acts 17, “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set…
Read MoreGod Desires All to Be Saved
by Edwin Crozier Text: I Timothy 2 Paul told Timothy to get his prayer life in order first. By extension, get the congregation praying first. Specifically, they were to pray for kings and those in high positions. By this means, they were to accomplish peace for the church. They were to pray for these rulers…
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