Posts Tagged ‘authority’
The Words in Red
by Terry Wayne Benton Some have the impression that if we believe the words in red (in red letter editions of the Bible) are more sacred and binding than the other words delivered by the other apostles of Jesus. This reasoning is terribly wrong. First, Matthew wrote over a decade after Jesus ascended to heaven…
Read More“May I?” or “Must I?”
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/MayIOrMustI.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 4:1-12 I. Romans 15:4 A. As we read through our Bibles, it doesn’t take long notice how differently the Old Law is presented in comparison to the New Law. 1. The Old Law contains many regulations that spell out, some times in detail, what a person could and could not do.…
Read MoreI don’t understand, our granddaughter is absolutely defiant of authority, even as a small child
Question: Hello, Thank you for the time you take to answer so many questions. My story is long and my questions are many being new to the church of Christ, so I will ask for insight into just one specific situation that is leaving my husband and me not really having accurate knowledge in this…
Read MoreWhen Are Biblical Examples Binding?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/WhenAreBiblicalExamplesBinding.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Thessalonians 3:1-18 I. At first glance, the question seems to be trivial A. But then do people think of Judas hanging himself? 1. Well, obviously examples of sin is not to be followed B. How about meeting in someone’s home as the disciples did? 1. There are people who believe that a church…
Read MoreLaw and Legalism
by H. E. Phillips via Guardian of Truth – January 6, 1994 Law is: “A general rule of action or conduct established or enforced by a sovereign authority; as, a law of Caesar; a law of God” (Webster’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged). Webster says of legalism: “Close conformity to law.” Law and legalism are not the same.…
Read MoreBut It Is a Good Work!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2062/05/ButItIsAGoodWork.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 I. Periodically I’ll get irate notes from people who are upset that I talk about the teachings of the Salvation Army and point out that they don’t match the Scriptures A. Rarely does anyone say I’m mistaken about the teachings, rather they think it shouldn’t be an issue…
Read MoreThe Need for Book, Chapter, and Verse
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/NeedForBookChapterAndVerse.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Do we really need book, chapter, and verse? A. Frequently practices are justified by the absence of Scripture. “It doesn’t say not to.” B. The argument is taken so far as to say, “There is no book, chapter, and verse for having book, chapter, and verse.” C. The point of saying we need…
Read MoreUnless the Lord
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/UnlessTheLord.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MorePitch-Pipes and PowerPoint
by Bryan Hodge Members of the church of Christ have historically emphasized that the Bible teaches that we should have Biblical authority for what we do. God has required such. He did under the Old Covenant (e.g. Leviticus 10:1-2; I Samuel 13:9-14; II Chronicles 26:16-21). He does under the New Covenant (e.g. Acts 15:22-24; Colossians 3:17…
Read MoreA Fool’s Approach
by Gary P. Eubanks Two men are desperate to learn the answer to the same Bible question. Two men take Scripture and resort to the isolation of a park. Two men focus on particular but different texts. Two men begin a process that will take them far from the religious backgrounds in which they were…
Read MoreThe Apostles’ Creed
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ApostlesCreed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: John 17:11-23 I. Every once in a while someone will ask what is our statement of faith. A. Back when we were home schooling, we were wanting to get involved with a local group, but they wanted us to sign a statement of faith B. Another name for a…
Read MoreMisquoting the Scriptures
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/MisquotingTheScriptures.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Timothy 2:14-19 I. Atheists will often use short quotes from the Bible to make it appear that the Bible is contradictory or teaches something that people would find repulsive A. But then, when you lift words from their context, you can make almost any point you want B. To be…
Read MoreAuthorized Aids
by Larry Ray Hafley The Bible does not state that Noah used hammers, saws, and axes in the construction of the ark. However, such instruments were authorized by the command, “Make thee an ark” (Genesis 6:14). Without the instruction to build the ark, the tools would have been unauthorized. The Bible does not mention church…
Read MoreDespising His Name
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DespisingHisName.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreIs one permitted to interpret God’s commandments to bolster one’s point of view?
Question: I came across your web site and find it interesting that We are not to add to or take away from God’s commandments. and God also sanctioned self-defense as we read of the young David slaying both lion and bear in defense of his flock in I Samuel 17. In verse 37 David said…
Read More“Where the Bible Speaks, We Speak – Where the Bible is Silent, We are Silent”
by Danny Brown The Preceptor – October 2006 This famous slogan, “Where the Bible speaks; we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent” was spoken by Thomas Campbell in August or September of 1809. It is implied by those who believe and accept the principles implied in the motto that they: Believe that…
Read MoreA Sound Mind in a Sound Body
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SoundMindInASoundBody.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 4:6-16 I. Back in the time of the early church, a Roman poet, Juvenal, stated “You should pray for a sound mind in a sound body.” A. The thought is clear. To have one without the other is far from an enjoyable life. B. But what is meant by…
Read MoreBy What Authority? (Tant)
by Jefferson David Tant “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me,…
Read MoreWhat is the proper thing to say as you are baptizing someone?
Question: Hi Jeff, I read an article that asks what does someone says before they baptize someone else. It almost answered my question but not completely. I have always been taught that it is not a proper baptism unless the proper things were said. After taking their confession and then preparing them for baptism, it…
Read MorePeter’s Vision and the Great Necessary Inferences
by Terry Wayne Benton Acts 10-11 Some brethren have erroneously concluded that direct command is the only way we can know the will of God for us. They attack or dismiss the idea of reasoning from statements, commands, examples, and drawing necessary inferences. But, I find it to be very obvious that God wants us…
Read MoreWhat Is “Lawlessness”?
by Jefferson David Tant In a well-known New Testament passage, Christ addresses a misconception that many had in that day, which is also held by many today. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Changes
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
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 MoreYou use the Internet, for which there is no approval, so I can use instrumental music in worship
Question: I have just read your article on music in church. In it you state “…we cannot assume approval for something when none is given.” How, then, can you use the Internet when obviously there is no approval to use it? Answer: The line of reasoning is invalid. Instead of addressing the issue raised, you are…
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 MoreDo We Have a Right to Our Own Opinions?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DoWeHaveARightToOurOwnOpinion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:16-21 I. When two disagree, one will say “Well, everyone has a right to their own opinions.” A. It is a statement saying, “I disagree with you, but that is okay. Your thoughts are just as good as mine.” B. In some sense this is right. We may be…
Read MoreOur Changing Attitude Toward the Bible
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/OurChangingAttitudeTowardTheBible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:22-25 I. A new translation of the Bible came out last month, called “As Good as New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures.” A. Actually, “translation” is not a good description of it. As my wife commented, it doesn’t even make a good paraphrase. B. Several examples were given…
Read MoreShould we leave our current church because of unbiblical practices?
Question: I am currently attending a church of Christ where I was baptized and continue to worship. I have been studying the Bible through your very informative website and have realized that a lot of things taught on your site are not practiced in our congregation, which has made me a bit worried as I…
Read MoreEveryone worships differently, but does it matter if we are all worshiping Christ?
Question: I have one question that concerns me: There are many Christian denominations or groups such as Orthodox, Protestantism, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Each one of those denominations or churches has its own practices and symbols. Ones who have the cross without Jesus, ones who have the cross with Jesus, ones who believe in Saints, ones…
Read MoreCreeds and Statements of Faith
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/CreedsAndStatementsOfFaith.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:11-23 I. Every once in a while someone will ask what is our statement of faith. A. Back when we were home schooling, we were wanting to get involved with a local group, but they wanted us to sign a statement of faith B. Another name for a statement of…
Read MoreProof-Texting
by Doy Moyer In light of the way Paul sometimes quoted Scripture, even using isolated verses together in order to establish a point (e.g., Romans 3:10-18), can someone actually show from Scripture that what is typically called “proof-texting” is always bad? Don’t get me wrong. I believe in context. I don’t believe in randomly pulling…
Read MoreLogic in the Bible
by Terry W. Benton While some modern brethren have declared that the logic of “necessary inference” has been made up in recent years by “church of Christ preachers”, the Bible shows that this kind of logic goes back to communication from God and man from the beginning. If anyone should be credited with the origin…
Read MoreMan’s Positional Relationship to God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/MansPositionalRelationshipToGod.mp3 by Clint Crosier
Read MoreGoing to the Source (The Anointing of the Spirit)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GoingToTheSource.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:18-29 I. The other day, one of my boys needed help with a math problem, so I asked him to show me the problem. He brought in his paper on which he was working. A. “No,” I said, “I need to see the original problem in the book.”…
Read MoreShould We be Picky?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/ShouldWeBePicky.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 50:7-23 I. Jesus’ condemnation of the Jews, especially the Pharisees and the Sadducees, is well-known A. Many Christians are rightly concerned that they not fall into the same trap that snared the Pharisees. 1. Often when it is pointed out that we should do things one way and not another,…
Read MoreWhat Did Jesus Really Say?
by Jacob Wooten I saw this picture below posted on Facebook and I’ve seen similar statements before, so I feel like this kind of thinking might be widespread both in the world and perhaps among those who would say they are of faith. Let’s examine this reasoning and see what Jesus really says according to the Bible. …
Read MoreAre things like youth groups, camps, interns, fellowship halls, etc. inherently bad?
Question: Well, I have been reading through your site and it has made me question some things about my church. Right now I’m beginning college and I attend a church of Christ as I did when I was back home. I now have a much more solid understanding of why I attend a church of…
Read MoreBrethren with Too Many Relatives
by Edward O Bragwell, Sr. via Guardian of Truth, April 18, 1985 No, I am not talking about a population explosion. I am not even talking about long-lost cousins that surface when someone starts a rumor that we have come into some money. I am talking about relatives as opposed to absolutes. It is near…
Read MoreYou don’t interpret I Timothy 4:1-4 correctly
Question: I happened upon your site and didn’t have time for the whole thing but I thought I may help you with a correct interpretation of a passage you quote from St. Paul at the top: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving…
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