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The Birth of Christ: Fact or Myth?
by Abraham Smith Simeon blesses the child Jesus Luke 2:25-35 This is a time of year when many of us will enjoy time with our loved ones. It is also a time of year when some people will take the opportunity to share with us how wrong they think the Bible is in its record…
Read MoreFaith Only
by Mark Russell published in Biblical Insights, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2005 Even Martin Luther didn’t deny baptism as an expression of faith and as necessary to salvation. There were five Latin phrases, known as the “Five Solas” that became the mantra of the Protestant Reformation. These five ideas developed through the years and summarize…
Read MoreBible Thumpers
by Sam Stinson “And the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth'” (I Kings 17:24). Brethren, Jesus rightly said that God’s word is truth (John 17:17). God’s word has the ability to sanctify those who would…
Read MoreThe Bible Condemns Catholic Doctrine
by David J. Riggs from Catholic Teaching Examined Why would Catholics want to defeat the Bible as the only authority? The answer is: it is their way of trying to justify their own traditions. How else would they justify them? Furthermore, the reason Catholics try to discredit the Bible as the sole authority is that it…
Read MoreThe Benefits of False Teaching (Article)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton An old cliche says there is a silver lining in every cloud. In a sense, this is true for the follower of God. In Romans 8:18-39, Paul tells us that God can turn the wicked events that happen to Christians into an advantage for the righteous. Joseph’s life is an excellent…
Read MoreThe “Age” of Accountability
by Matt Hennecke published in Sentry Magazine, September 2005 I wrote the following when with the Sycamore, Illinois, congregation serving as an elder with Al Diestelkamp. We had lots of children and we were concerned some might be prematurely baptized. Parents in our congregation may be having some concerns about when a child is ready…
Read MoreThe Old Order Amish
by Royce Williamson The Mennonites and the Amish rose up out of the Protestant Reformation and find their roots in a man named Conrad Grebel who left Romanism and established the first congregation in January of 1525, in Zurich, Switzerland. They did not hold to the doctrine of infant baptism and re-baptized their members. Thus…
Read MoreAs Long as I Love …
by Keven A. Sulc via The Berean, Vol. 5, No. 6, August 1996 There are many concepts and beliefs that are held regarding salvation. We must never just accept something because it is commonly accepted or taught by religious teachers but see what the Scriptures say lest we be deceived. Let us examine the concept of…
Read MoreThe Appeal of Ketcherside’s Teachings
by Herschel Patton via Truth Magazine – April 1974 We have been saddened lately by a few brethren, mostly among the young, abandoning strict adherence to a “thus saith the Lord” and casting their lot with liberal brethren, even to the extent of “open fellowship” with the denominations – as advocated by Carl Ketcherside. Several young preachers,…
Read MoreAnswering the Atheist
by William J. Stewart Answering the Atheist was started as a response to supposed contradictions put forth by opponents of the Bible. In particular, a young Christian came to me, distraught with a series of about 30 supposed contradictions that a “friend” at school gave him. Within a few days, I supplied him with explanations for…
Read MoreThe Reason For Regulations
by Stephen Harper Years ago, when I was in college, I had an assignment to write a formal paper on some aspect of how government regulations affected society. The paper could be on just about anything, so since I was interested in the automobile industry, I decided to write about how safety regulations had affected…
Read MoreAre You a Born Again Christian?
by Steve Dewhirst What other kind of Christian is there? Jesus told the night-visitor Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” When Nicodemus expressed his puzzlement, the Lord explained, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3-5). This rebirth…
Read MoreThe Role of Obedience in Salvation
by Jack Holt Obedience is an obligation each human being sustains to God. This is so because God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and we are his creatures. Beyond the fact that God is Creator and Ruler, love places us under a moral obligation to obey. As creatures with moral ability love…
Read MoreOur Purpose in Life
by Kent Heaton In October of 2005, C. D. Moore of Bell, Florida offered a prayer at a gathering of saints at the Cherry Sink Church of Christ. In the course of the prayer he offered, he made the following statement: “Lord, help us to remember what our purpose in life is – the privilege to serve the…
Read MoreThe Story of the Churches of Christ in Central Europe
by H. Godwin Grimm January 1957 Mannheim, Germany The history of the churches of Christ is the story of a small group of men and women united to Christ in a bond of obedience and mutual love, guided and inspired by His spirit. They felt commissioned by the Lord to be His agent in the…
Read MoreWhat About All Those Mistakes in the Bible?
by Jon Quinn It is quite amazing to me that a common complaint made about the Bible is that it has so many contradictions and mistakes. It is not surprising that such a charge would be made by some unbelieving scholar who will investigate the Bible’s pages and turn logic on its ear in order…
Read MoreAn Anecdote from “Raccoon” John Smith
by Louis Cochran In passing a Methodist camp meeting one day in September he stopped to watch a young Methodist preacher baptize a howling, rebellious infant by sprinkling water on the squirming body. When the service was concluded, he stepped to the front of the crowd and, identifying himself, took the preacher firmly by the…
Read MoreJephthah’s Daughter
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The story of Jephthah recorded in Judges 11:29-40 has caused difficulties for Bible students. Jephthah, by the Lord’s leading, is about to wage a major battle against the Ammonites. Before going off to battle, Jephthah makes a vow to God. The first thing that greets him from his home when he…
Read MoreThe Amazing History of Instrumental Music in Christian Worship
by Allen Webster “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (I Corinthians 14:15). In the average person’s mind, gospel singing and organ music go together like “rock” and “roll” or “blues” and “rhythm” or “hip” and “hop.” It is assumed, expected, even celebrated. Most would be genuinely surprised…
Read MoreSilence of the Scriptures
by Darrell Hamilton I was asked recently to put together a short document detailing the authority of the silence of the scriptures. I don’t mind saying that this has been much harder to do than I thought it would be. It is also a LOT longer. Part of me sees the topic as fairly easy…
Read MoreIs the Church of Christ a Cult?
by David Diestelkamp via The Sower, Vol. 51, No. 4, July/August 2006 One man jokingly wrote that a cult was any group he didn’t like. He was pointing out the tendency to use prejudicial or inflammatory language to describe those with whom we disagree. People sometimes throw the word cult around out of fear of…
Read MoreThe Blessings of Being a Preacher’s Wife
by Barbara C. Adams Originally published in Truth Magazine, March 22, 1973, anonymously Republished in Searching the Scriptures, March 1978 Republished in an abridged form in Biblical Insights, October 2006 Tonight is the 23rd of December. In another week a new year will be upon us. It, naturally, is a time for reflection and a time to count…
Read MoreAnger
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton There are many misconceptions about anger in our world. The misunderstandings do not come from a lack of experience with anger. Far too many people have never attempted to control their rage. They have daily experience with anger. The misconceptions about anger come from taking extreme positions. Some people have hot…
Read MoreHoliday Observances
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton It is that time of year again when one holiday after another is observed: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then New Year. As usual for this time of year, the question arises as to how Christians are to treat these events. Should we celebrate them, or should we ignore them? Though ignoring…
Read MoreThe Mormon Plan of Salvation
by Dudley Ross Spears When Mormon authorities talk about salvation it is imperative that what they teach be understood in terms of Mormon Doctrine. It is quite easy to be misled by what they have to say about salvation due to a failure to understand what fundamental Mormon doctrine teaches. As you will see as…
Read MoreThe Offensive Christ
by Johnny Ramsey via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 55, No. 24, June 16, 2006 In Galatians 5:11, we read of “the offense of the cross.” To some in Corinth, nothing was as distasteful as the preaching of the crucified Savior. In Athens, Paul was mocked for preaching the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17:12). To be perfectly honest, Christ…
Read MoreCongregational Independence (Dark)
by Harris J. Dark via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 2, Dec. 1951. via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 3, Jan. 1952. (Note: The following was electrically recorded when delivered as a sermon by the author at the Chapel Avenue Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee in the spring of 1950 and is reproduced here…
Read MoreDidn’t Jesus Have Long Hair?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Express an idea often enough and people will assume it is true. The expression can be in the form of words or pictures. Consider the common image of Jesus. Photography did not exist at the time of Christ. There are no drawings or paintings of the Messiah which are contemporary with…
Read MoreHe Is Antichrist
by Kent Heaton Few words bring to mind such fear as those who look for an “Antichrist” to lead the forces of Satan against the Son of God in a great apocalyptic conflagration in the final days. The dramatists of the left behind religions of our day predict the terrible end of the world in…
Read MoreProphets Today? Think Again!
by Garreth L. Clair Kenneth Copeland “Copeland’s Prophecy Fails” by Bill Dillon False prophets are in abundance in today’s world and occasionally these religious pretenders over play their hand and say too much. Kenneth Copeland did on December 12, 2001. At a dedication service Copeland asserted that one billion Muslims would be converted in the…
Read MoreThe Development of the New Testament Text
by Jim Snapp II The history of the development of the New Testament begins (of course) with the original text. The first document to contain the original text is called the “autograph.” That is what the “A” in this box stands for. By “autograph,” I do not necessarily mean the text written by the main…
Read MoreJohn Hus: The Pre-Reformer
by Jeff Young published in Biblical Insights, December 2005 In the middle of Old Town Square, in the heart of Prague, Czech Republic, stands a large discolored statue of John Huss (ca. 1370-1415). The Czech spelling is Jan Has – pronounced “yan hoose.” Appropriately, Hus rhymes with the English translation of his last name – “goose,” a…
Read MoreLegalism: The Un-Sin
by Steve Klein Since the church began, the devil has concocted any number of diabolical schemes to ensnare God’s people. One of his most successful gambits has been the invention of the pseudo-sin commonly called legalism. More people consider legalism to be a sin than consider 7-UP to be a cola, but they are all…
Read MoreThat Suddenly Uncomfortable Cheerleading Uniform
by J. S. Smith Parents in Southern California are understandably disturbed that videos of their teenage daughters cavorting about in sexually tantalizing clothing have been showing up for sale on the Internet auction site e-Bay. That’s not exactly how the news media begin their reports on the story, but still, it is a pretty fair…
Read MoreEvaluating New Songs
by Mark Roberts in Abundant Life via Meditate on These Things For the longest time, it seemed brethren were fairly certain Sacred Selections contained just about every hymn that needed to be sung. Like it or not, that has certainly changed. Many congregations are now using some other hymnal other than Sacred Selections. Many congregations have also added…
Read MoreThe Da Vinci Code: A Review
by Ken Green published in Biblical Insights, Vol. 5, No. 11, Nov. 2005 Vol. 5, No. 12, Dec. 2005 Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan. 2006 Vol. 6, No. 2, Feb. 2006 Vol. 6, No. 3, Mar. 2006 A popular novelist seeks to undermine the faith of those who believe the Gospels are the Word of God.…
Read MoreChirps or Testimony?
by Robert Turner The current wave of ascetic utterances, “speaking with or in tongues”, which has swept parts of the country and made inroads among some brethren, is directly related to the increase in a subjective approach to authority. External authority, exemplified in the written word and approached objectively, has been eroded by “no pattern”…
Read MoreMary Magdalene and the Da Vinci Code
by Don Martin It appears that the time is ripe today in America for the further degradation of basic morality and to the introduction of all manner of false doctrines and cults. It is evident that there is presently an obsession with Mary Magdalene. Much of this focus has been gendered by Dan Brown’s bestseller,…
Read MoreWhat Homosexuals Want
by Joe R. Price December 1992 The Bible unequivocally describes homosexuality as a sin. It is a sin against God (Jude 7), the home (Genesis 2:18-25), self (I Timothy 1:10) and society (Romans 1:18-32, esp. vss. 26-27). The reality of this truth to every Bible-believing person is too obvious to belabor. Homosexuals, unless they repent,…
Read MoreWhy Go to Class?
by Bryan Matthew Dockens Besides assembling for worship on the first day of the week, this church meets regularly to study the scriptures in class settings. Some may ignore these opportunities and others may simply take them for granted, so it is worth inquiring: Why go to class? We go to class because “He gave…
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