Posts Tagged ‘authority’
Sheep in the Pit — What Do You Do?
by Eric M. Hamilton via A Whisper After the Fire Is it possible to come across a situation where the right thing to do would be to let something evil happen? Or would the wrong thing to do be to let a good thing happen? It may seem ridiculous that questions like that should even be…
Read MoreBy What Authority Do You Do These Things?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ByWhatAuthorityDoYouDoTheseThings.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 21:23-27 I. The Book of Judges discusses the ups and downs of the children of Israel in following God. A. It quickly becomes apparent that there are more downs than ups. B. Most telling though is how the book ends – Judges 21:25 C. Here was a society that didn’t follow…
Read MoreOn the Silence of an Author
by Doy Moyer Silence is silence. It neither approves nor disapproves in itself. It is nothing. However, we cannot honestly quote an author on something he never said. If we cite an author as promoting and approving something, we better be able to show where and how he promotes or approves it. Otherwise, we have…
Read MoreWhat happened to Nathan when he said the Lord accepted David’s idea to build a temple?
Question: I have heard a preacher use II Samuel 7:1-17 to try and establish the fact that if God did not ask for something, then He didn’t want it. I’ve even followed their example and used it in one of my own sermons on Bible authority. But I’m having some issues with it now. We…
Read MoreYour article on Christian liberty was very good
Question: Dear Brother Hamilton, Thank you for your article on “Finding Liberty in Silence.” It was very good. I have been searching for articles and lessons on the topic of Christian liberty because recently I have encountered a few brethren who have commented to me that “we have Christian liberty that allows us to dismiss…
Read MoreCan a man give a woman permission to lead a part of the worship service?
Question: This past Sunday something very disturbing happened in our worship service. Our song leader said that he as a man in the church was giving permission to a woman to lead a song. I was very disturbed by this because I don’t believe that a man has the authority to usurp what God has…
Read MoreIf I quote the early Christian writers on the necessity of baptism, does that make my argument better?
Question: I found a whole list of early church fathers, Ante Nicene fathers who said baptism is necessary for salvation and it’s a regeneration. I got Irenaeus, Tertullian, Ambrose, Justin Martyr, Clement, Cyprian, and the list goes on. Can I use these men and their quotes to back up the Bible and the apostles? Most…
Read MoreThe Architect’s Blueprint
by Jefferson David Tant Let’s say that you want to build a house, so you hire an architect to draw up plans according to your wishes. A builder is then contracted to construct the home as per the architect’s blueprints. But something happens along the way, as the builder decides he has his own preferences,…
Read MoreFinding Liberty in Silence (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/FindingLibertyInSilence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. It was one of those interesting coincidences. I received two correspondences dealing with separate issues, but both seeking justification in the same manner. A. In attempting to justify the use of instrumental music, Gary Mattingly, a preacher for the Christian Church wrote: “First and foremost, we must see that there…
Read MoreApostolic Succession (Hamilton)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ApostolicSuccession.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Acts 20:17-36 I. How do you prove that your brand of Christianity is real? A. For some, the argument is based on who was around the longest. 1. A religion that just recently started is declared to be suspect. If the church has been around for 2,000 years, then…
Read MoreYou Should Have Known
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/YouShouldHaveKnown.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 1:1-4 I. The writer of Hebrews addresses the Jewish people concerning why God changed His worship and laws A. He does so by citing passages from the Old Testament to prove points that if you just thought about it for a while you realize it must be so II. The…
Read MoreAuthority
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Authority.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Suppose you were studying with someone about the gospel of Christ A. We will assume that the person believes in God and that the Bible is God’s Word B. There are many who fit this description; yet, they do not obey the teachings in the Scriptures C. How do you show such a…
Read MoreHow do I teach my girlfriend a little at a time?
Question: Hello sir, I am a member of a church of Christ. I have a girlfriend who is part of an apostolic church. They have choir, praise dances, communion first Sunday of each month, and more false doctrine. Could you tell me where to start to let her see the truth? I don’t want to…
Read MoreIs being a Christian more than the things in the Bible?
Question: It took me 24 years to really realize what being a follower of Christ truly means. In a nutshell, to love God and love people. My dad and I had a disagreement last night on what a true follower of Christ really is. Now, to be clear I really think there are a few…
Read MoreHow do I teach my fiance that dancing in worship, instrumental music, and women preachers are a big deal if you want to please God?
Question: I’m getting my fiance to come to a church of Christ from being a Baptist. She had decided to study with me and learn the Word together, but it seems still a little hard to do so. For one, her mother is always in her ear and to be honest she would be mad…
Read MoreMy pastor says I’m disobeying church law by wearing color outfits to services. What do I do?
Question: Dear Minister of God, Thank you for the clarification of wearing white dresses to church and not wearing jewelry. Our pastor says that I’m disobeying the church law by wearing color attire to church. I feel it is a conspiracy (Isaiah 8:12) he’s placing on me. I don’t wear jewels because my parents didn’t let…
Read MoreWhere does God say not to celebrate Jesus’ birth?
Question: Where in the Bible does God tell us not to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, but His death, resurrection, and return? Are we really not to celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birth? Answer: Your question is backward. God told us everything needed for life and godliness (II Peter 1:2-4). “Everything” leaves nothing out. So the question is…
Read MoreApostolic Supremacy
by Clinton D. Hamilton via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 1952. The real issue with reference to religious division is which church is the true one. In an almost unanimous voice, religious people affirm that for a church to be the true one it must teach the identical doctrines revealed by the apostles. The…
Read MoreIs it appropriate to have PowerPoint presentations during sermons?
Question: Is it appropriate to have PowerPoint presentations during services? Personally, I find it very helpful in keeping up with Bible verses during the sermons, but I wonder if God approves it. I don’t know how the brethren feel. This is something I have been wondering about since I began going to the church. Answer:…
Read MoreHow do we determine who is right and who is wrong when everyone claims to take his stand from the Bible?
Question: How do we determine who is right and who is wrong when everyone claims to take his stand from the Bible? For example, what is the appropriate time for holy communion? Some believe it is evening while some believe it could be any time. Does the timing determine our eternal destiny? Also, can I…
Read MoreIs an implied fact as authoritative as a direct statement?
Question: All of the passages: Psalms 147:5; Romans 11:33-36; Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalms 145:3; Isaiah 40:28; Psalms 40:5; Psalms 92:5-6; Job 5:8-9; Job 11:7-9; Job 9:10-12; Job 26:14; and Psalms 106:2 imply that God is infinite except for Psalms 147:5 where it explicitly states God’s understanding is infinite. Does this mean that the rest of the…
Read MoreYour article on the silence of the Scriptures helps me to understand the issues better
Question: Hello sir. I was born and raised in the church. Just read your article on the silence of the Scriptures and really enjoyed it. I have been faced with some of the “dogmatic” congregations for the first time in my life, and it really raised some questions in my mind as to if I was attending…
Read MoreIs it by grace or by law?
Question: My concern is to avoid a polluted and compromised gospel that turns people away from Christ or worse, inoculates them against the true gospel with cheap grace. Your letter most likely triggered a reaction in me because I am right now driven to seek God for answers about some disturbing things around me in church…
Read MoreBy what authority do you act?
Question: As Christ came into the world to be our Light and remains as our Light, by which Star do you look toward? Is it created or revealed? Since you are a preacher of Christ’s faithful, by what authority do you act upon if all authority comes from the Word made flesh? Do you act…
Read MoreSince the church isn’t the building, you can’t make rules about how the building is used
Question: You are right in that you say the church is not to be an entertainment organization. But the picture you put on that site is not the church! You started out by saying that the church (Did you mean that building in the picture? That isn’t the church!) had no kitchen, etc. But, I…
Read MoreThe Sunday Supper
by Gary Eubanks It is a question of critical importance whether the Scriptures require members of a local church to assemble to partake of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week, or Sunday. If they do not, the frequency of church assemblies then becomes a discretionary matter and churches may arbitrarily choose…
Read MoreMan’s Duty To “Prove All Things”
by B. C. Goodpasture Men are prone to go to extremes. This has always been true. Paul seems to have been guarding against this tendency when he wrote, “Despise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thessalonians 5:20-21). In his day, there were those who claimed to “prophesy” by the…
Read MoreHow can you prove that the New Testament contains God’s only pattern for worship in the Lord’s church today?
Question: How can you prove that the New Testament contains God’s only pattern for worship in the Lord’s church today? Answer: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you…
Read MoreThe Despised CENI
by Dale Smelser There is a concept being promoted that God’s will is transmitted by commands only, and thus relative to the Lord’s Supper it is neither confined to nor necessarily observed on, the first day of the week. Before getting to the kernel of controversy, I recalled all this on Sunday morning as I did…
Read MoreThe Bible Alone Is the Standard
by David J. Riggs from Catholic Teaching Examined The apostle Paul said, “…How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of…
Read MoreAbiding in the Doctrine
by James R. Cope via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 6, April 1952. Some who have had a great deal to say about “fellowship” have sought to lessen the force of II John 9-11 by giving it a meaning out of harmony both with its context and other plain Bible teaching. The passage reads: “Whosoever…
Read MoreWhat About Latter-Day Revelation from God?
by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 47, Nov. 21, 2008. QUESTION: Is the Bible the complete and final revelation from God or is He continuing to give revelation through certain chosen people or organizations, such as the Mormon Church, The Catholic Pope ex-cathedra, Mohammad via the Koran, The New World Translation, Ellen…
Read MoreLove your article on the King James Version. Disappointed in your home page
Question: Regarding your article on the King James Version: God bless you! How so many in our movement think that the KJV is the only acceptable Bible, I will never understand! Wow! Then I went to your home page and was SOOOOO disappointed! Answer: Upon what passage in the Bible do you base your disappointment? “For do I…
Read MoreDo you sell everything you have? Why do you have an air-conditioned building?
Question: “Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament.” —from the church website. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the…
Read MoreDid Jesus give men the right to forgive sins?
Question: I was reading “What is wrong with Catholicism?” because I was Catholic by default like you said. I had serious doubts, but what I found is that you made a big mistake. You say that man cannot grant forgiveness, but when I was reading the Bible, Jesus said that His priests, people, ministers, pastor,…
Read MoreWhy are prayers ended with “In Jesus’ name, Amen”?
Question: Why, when we pray, should we close the prayer with, “In Jesus name, amen”? Answer: The word “amen” is a transliterated word from the Hebrew language. Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies defines it as meaning, “Let it be granted, let it be done, and unalterably confirmed.” It can be seen in Numbers 5:22 where…
Read MoreIsn’t saying you must be baptized limiting the power of God?
Question: I am sorry you feel the way you do about the Church of the Nazarene, but more so about your hard-lined stance about baptism. By saying “No one is saved without being baptized in water” you immediately limit the limitless God. You are saying that God cannot save anyone on their death bed, since they…
Read MoreHow Many Roads Lead to Heaven?
by Erin Percell via The Beacon, March 10, 2009 On a map, you can see many roads leading to any major city. You can pick whatever route suits you. Many people think the same thing about variety among churches — “We’re all on different roads to the same place,” they say. Can such a thing…
Read MoreQuestions about the use of funds given to the church
Question: Having read your articles and also was a member of the conservative church for 24 years I have some questions. The conservatives say it is ok to use the Lord’s money for a $20,000 yard but wrong to give a sinner some food from the treasury. Really? It is ok to rent a place to…
Read MoreWhere in the Bible Is Instrumental Music Forbidden?
by Jerry Fite Nowhere in the Bible does God explicitly forbid the use of instrumental music in worship. Some find implicit condemnation in Amos 6:1-5, where the prophet writes, “they invent for themselves instruments of music, like David.” But upon a closer contextual examination, one must conclude that the self-indulgent and insensate idolator is condemned,…
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