Article
A Comparison of Romans 4 and James 2:14-26
by Jim Sasser Recently, we have been listening to a speaker on this radio station discussing the 4th chapter of Romans as compared to the 2nd chapter of James. It was obvious, from some of his statements, that he was trying to make Paul teach salvation by faith only and at the same time cause…
Read MoreDo Your Own Thinking
by Bob Buchanon via The Eastside Edifier Not many of us think for ourselves when it comes to matters of religion. Most of us are what we are religiously because of the way our parents reared us and have never questioned whether we were right or wrong. We prefer to leave religious subjects and Bible issues…
Read MoreHelpers
by Jefferson David Tant “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues” (I Corinthians 12:28) Perhaps you have noticed that people are different — different in personalities, appearance, talents. Evidently, God designed us that way, and Paul acknowledged this…
Read MoreWho Started The Argument From Silence?
by Paul Earnhart The students of John L. Girardeau, professor at Columbia Seminary, South Carolina in the 1880s, asked him to explain to them why he opposed the use of instrumental music in the worship of the Presbyterian churches. In response, he wrote a book that was published in Richmond, Virginia in 1888. It was…
Read MoreServe to Be Great
by Dennis Stackhouse Notice the statement made by Paul in I Corinthians 4:1: “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” Be especially careful to recognize that Paul identifies himself and his fellow workers as “servants of Christ.” Does that seem a bit strange? Is…
Read MoreChoosing a Church
by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. The New Testament teaches that there is but one church and also that there are many churches. Paul said he persecuted “the church (singular) of God” (I Corinthians 15:9). The record shows that he persecuted Christians in various places. In the same epistle, he spoke of “the churches (plural) of God.” (I Corinthians 11:16).…
Read MoreThe Heavenly Mindset
by Dennis Stackhouse In writing the church at Colossae, Paul said this in Colossians 3:1: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” We know the apostle is addressing baptized believers, as these people had been raised up with Christ,…
Read MoreGod’s Amazing Love
by Dennis Stackhouse God’s love for mankind; what does that mean to you? How has God’s love for you affected the choices you have made and the way you have chosen to live your life? Many will respond in obedient faithfulness as they seek to please God in all they do. For others, God’s love…
Read MorePearls from Proverbs: A Seemingly Right Course
by Irvin Himmel “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). So important is the thought of this verse that it is repeated in Proverbs 16:25. Things are not Always What They Seem To an infant, a pair of scissors may seem…
Read MoreFellowship Halls (Longhenry)
by Ethan R. Longhenry It has become popular among many religious organizations and denominational churches to build and maintain a facility as part of their property which is used to facilitate the sharing of meals. Sometimes such facilities are considered a “multipurpose area” that might be used for meals, meetings, or other purposes; sometimes such…
Read MoreGod’s Care
by Dennis Stackhouse How often have we wondered if God really cares for us, even those of us who are Christians? We may be in situations where we think that God has forgotten us, or even worse, that He has abandoned us. Countless Christians, through the years, have wondered this very thing. That being the…
Read MoreThe Origin of the King James Version
by Ethan R. Longhenry In my personal reading, I have just completed two books that discuss the origins of the King James Version: In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture, by Alister McGrath, and God’s Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible,…
Read MoreRun with Endurance
by Dennis Stackhouse We have a wonderfully challenging statement given to us in Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” How…
Read MoreIntentions Won’t Get It!
by Dee Bowman Some of the proverbial expressions not found in the Bible are nonetheless true. The truth will always plumb with all other truth; it cannot contradict itself. Take the expression “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” That’s not found in the Scriptures, but it’s nonetheless true. Nobody really wants to…
Read MoreThe Sin of Murmuring
by Earl Fly Korah, Dathan, Abiram, fifty princes of the congregation, and others rebelled and murmured against God’s servants Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:1-11). “The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up … they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they…
Read MoreThe Bible and Dinosaurs
by Don Martin The word dinosaur, as such, is not found in the Bible. We must remember that man has named many of the animals today. The word dinosaur is associated with the Greek “dino,” meaning terrible. There are animals named in the Bible concerning which we have no definite knowledge or identity (see “greyhound,”…
Read MoreTrip Report – 2015 (Bali, Singapore)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TripReport2015.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 10:17-18 I had an opportunity to revisit the two groups I worked with last year. This time my wife, Gaye, agreed to come with me. It was the first time she has been out of the country. The church in La Vista paid my travel…
Read MoreBaptism of the Holy Spirit: A Promise?
by Carl A. Allen Through the years I have talked with, and debated with, Pentecostal preachers and it is not uncommon for them to take the position that the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit ” is a command. Many have been the times I have cited a passage to prove that the “Baptism of the…
Read MoreAgainst the Odds
by Gary W. Summers What war tactic has usually proven successful? The ambush. Joshua had used it, at God’s instruction, with great success in the second attack on Ai. Once the men of that city were lured out into the open, by what they undoubtedly considered would be another route of Israel, they were hemmed…
Read MoreThe Action of Baptism
by Steve Wolfgang via Truth Magazine XIX: 27, pp. 421-422, May 15, 1975 The subject of the “action” of baptism quite evidently concerns itself with the nature of the act. It raises the question, “Exactly what is ‘baptism’?” This is a question that should be of obvious importance to every professed believer of the Bible. To those…
Read MorePassing the Torch
by Ethan R. Longhenry Almost two thousand years ago the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to be proclaimed: God became Incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth, went about doing good, was crucified and buried, but God raised Him from the dead; He ascended to the Father, received all authority and everlasting dominion, and will return one…
Read MoreThe History Behind “Freedom’s Ring”
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage” (II Peter 2:19). My first encounter with the doctrine promoted by Freedom’s Ring was when the congregation where my wife and I met got pulled into apostasy…
Read MoreThe Sponsoring Church Arrangement (Longhenry)
by Ethan R. Longhenry God wills for all people to be saved in Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:4; II Peter 3:9); Christians must go out and proclaim the Word of the Gospel to their fellow human beings (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:14-17). The local church, as the Body of Christ manifests in a given area, has…
Read MoreFalse Teaching 101
by Steven Harper In the religious realm, there are some men who would have us believe they are speaking the truths of God’s Word but would be more properly identified as the “false teachers” they are. I know that is a ‘label’ that some individuals do not like to hear, but it is a Scriptural one…
Read MoreThe Congregational Cooperation Issue During the Restoration Movement
by George P. Estes via Gospel Guardian, May 3, 1956 Behind the thinking of the men who attempted to restore the New Testament church lie two basic premises or accepted facts: first, that the church as it existed in the apostolic age contained no admixture of human doctrine and was, therefore, a God-given and perfect…
Read MoreThe Demise of Sunday Night
by Kent Heaton It is with great trepidation that I step into the spiritual coliseum of tradition and practice but a mist rolls over the hills of today that threaten the roots of the Lord’s church in America. We have long-held traditions that were created to facilitate a need in allowing folk to worship as…
Read MoreA Question to be Answered
by Doy Moyer Will anyone defend this: “The wise and good thing to do today is to start drinking alcohol”? If one says, “But the Bible doesn’t condemn all drinking,” I will respond by asking that question again. If one says, “But there are passages in the Bible that speak of fermented drinks in a…
Read MoreThe Church at Work in Benevolence
by Irvin Himmel via Guardian of Truth XXXIX:10 p. 6-8, May 18, 1995 There is no better way to teach the plan of salvation than examining the cases of conversion in the book of Acts. Such examples as the Jews on Pentecost, the Samaritans, the Ethiopian eunuch, Saul of Tarsus, Cornelius, Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and the…
Read MoreThe Silence Argument
by Wayne Jackson One of the strongest arguments against the use of instrumental music in Christian worship is the “silence” principle. This is the concept that when God is silent about a matter, man is not at liberty to “presume”, and so to act without divine authority. There is no New Testament authority for the…
Read MoreWhere Does the Bible Specifically Condemn That?
by Doy Moyer Here’s a question often asked, and it can be asked about many things. Besides misunderstanding the nature not only of biblical authority but of communication itself, the question is typically geared toward defending a practice that is likely questionable, to begin with. After all, we don’t ask this question if we know…
Read MoreThe Law of Non-Contradiction
by Joshua Gurtler First published in Biblical Insights Magazine, May 2015 The Law of Non-Contradiction Argues for the God of the Bible and Against Atheism, Hinduism, and Buddhism There is an argument for God that I would like for you to consider. This argument says that without the Christian worldview (which is simply the comprehensive belief…
Read MorePermitted Does Not Equate to Desired
by Doy Moyer There is a difference between what God permitted to happen subsequent to sin entering the world and what God desired from the beginning and ultimately makes right in Christ. Jesus illustrates this point: “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has…
Read MoreCommands in Conflict
by Andrew Hamilton “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will…
Read MoreMyth or History?
by Forrest D. Moyer The Bible is either the product of God or the product of men. Christians believe that the Bible is from the hand of God and that it is to be believed and obeyed in order to have a good life now and in Heaven in eternity. There have always been those…
Read MoreBrotherly Love (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer In our modern-day, “love” has many faces. A man may see a woman for the first time and say, “I’m in love.” What he means is, “I have a strong attraction.” To some, “love” implies lust. Basically, “love” means anything we want it to mean in whatever given circumstance. Some parents think…
Read MoreThe Gospel/Doctrine Distinction
By Tom M. Roberts Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 12, p. 13-14 June 16, 1994 Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 13, p. 16-18 July 7, 1994 Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 14, p. 3-4 July 21, 1994 Bred in Infidelity One would have to be totally ignorant of the Bible to deny that Jesus Christ is both the center…
Read MoreAugustus H. F. Payne
by Earl Kimbrough via Biblical Insights When the dark and angry clouds of war gathered over the nation in 1860, some pacifist gospel preachers in Missouri drew up a document pleading with their brethren to refuse to take up arms in the conflict. Entitled Circular from Preachers in Missouri, the paper was intended for brethren in all…
Read MoreIt’s Dark Out There
by David Diestelkamp via Think on These Things A candle burned anonymously across from where I sat. The unusually bright Chicago winter day flooded the room with light, overwhelming the glow of the candle. The candle was superfluous, unnecessary, and useless, at least as far as giving light was concerned. Had the room been dark with…
Read MoreThe Incompatibility of Islam and Christianity
by Jonathan T. Engel I read the Qur’an (specifically the Oxford World Classics edition first published in 2004 and translated into English by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem). This is something I’ve actually meant to do for years and finally got around to doing so. I’ve been slowly plodding through it, caterpillar-like, for quite a…
Read MoreA Pardon Refused
by Steve Hamilton In 1829, two men robbed a United States mail carrier in Pennsylvania. The men were tried on six indictments that included robbery and murder. George Wilson and James Porter were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. However, a petition for pardon was made on George Wilson’s behalf by some of…
Read More