Posts Tagged ‘authority’
Legalism and The Salvation Army
by Sam Stinson “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12). A man named Johnny Harsh, who calls himself a captain in the Salvation Army, has faced media scrutiny in recent days. Harsh, by all accounts a…
Read More“God Has Spoken,” But …
by Dan S. Shipley via Plain Talk, Vol. 20, No. 8, Oct 1983 “God hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in His Son…” (Hebrews 1:2). But men have also spoken unto us. With excellency of speech and persuasive words of wisdom, they have troubled us with many variations of a perverted…
Read MoreDoes a Congregation have Authority for a Midweek Service?
by Wayne S. Walker While I do not think that I have ever actually known anyone who has taught this, I have heard that there have been brethren who argued that a local congregation is authorized to assemble only on the first day of the week and therefore it is unscriptural to have a midweek…
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 MoreThe Scriptures
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Scriptures.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 24:33-49 I. How do you look at the Bible? A. Lately I’ve talked to people with wide opinions concerning the things written 1. One person seems to take great pleasure in locating and pointing every apparent inconsistency he can find in God’s Word. a. It is obvious to all that he…
Read MoreAll Things are Lawful
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/AllThingsAreLawful.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 10:21-33 I. I Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 are sometimes cited to justify actions. A. Everything can be right. B. It forms the foundation for situational ethics, where right and wrong is not determined by what is done (or not done), but upon the situation. C. People will agree that something…
Read MoreAren’t prophets useless if they don’t submit to the church’s authority?
Question: Our recent experience in our church with prophets was a very bad one; even God’s elect can be fooled and conned! Granted, they are gifted and see into the spiritual realm in a way that those have not been anointed cannot see. I think that the enemy does and can fool them and causes…
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 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 MoreWhen was baptism authorized?
Question: I have a question in regards to baptism: Was baptism authorized after Jesus’ death or while Jesus was walking on earth? Please, could you provide clarification? Answer: After discussing with Nicodemus about the necessity of being born again of water and the Spirit, which alludes to baptism, (John 3:5), we find that Jesus left…
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 MoreI have my doubts about Catholicism, but where do I go for the truth?
Question: Your answer is what is getting to me the most. I pray day and night about it, and maybe this is one of my answers. I noticed Mary is more worshiped in South America than what she might be here. I have always felt funny about it. I was reading over some prayers to…
Read MoreWhere Is the Kiss?
by Greg Gwin Someone has written to ask: “Where is the kiss?” Our correspondent lists five passages that refer to the greeting of a “holy kiss” (Romans 16:16; I Corinthians 16:20; II Corinthians 13:12; I Thessalonians 5:26; I Peter 5:14). He goes on to say, “I remember once being told that in the place of…
Read More“When the Lord Opens the Door You Have to Seize the Opportunity…”
by Bob Lovelace For some reason. perhaps because it is beneficial to be reminded how apostasy works, or better yet because apostasy does indeed “work” and presents itself in order to perpetuate its working of error, I keep meeting those who say they really do not see anything wrong with instrumental music in worship. Conversation…
Read MoreThe only reason polygamy is condemned is because the church condemns it.
Question: I believe that every word in Scripture is there for a reason. I don’t think God plays around with the words in Scripture unless there’s a good reason to do so. With that said, have you ever wondered why Matthew 19 is the only quotation of Jesus that includes an exception in his teachings…
Read MoreThe Authority of the Church
by Dan Gatlin What is your attitude toward the church? For many sectarians, a foundational belief is that the church has all authority. Whatever the church says to believe and practice, that is what must be done without question. This is the basic attitude of the vast majority of Roman Catholics. They are taught…
Read MoreWhat Silence Says
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/WhatSilenceSays.mp3 by Jeffrey Hamilton I. You can say a lot by not saying anything A. You just spilt your milk and your mother gives you one of those “I told you to keep your glass away from the edge of the table” stares. 1. Not a word has to be said. 2. You know exactly what is being said.…
Read MoreFinding Liberty in Silence (Article)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton It was one of those interesting coincidences. In the same week I received two correspondences dealing with separate issues, but both seeking to justify their beliefs in the same manner. The first was in an article. It contained a quote from Gary Mattingly, a preacher for the Christian Church who had…
Read MoreHow do you explain that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth?
Question: About the authority of the church: Do you have a response to I Timothy 3:15 where the church of God is referred to as the pillar and ground of truth? Whereas the Bible is never referred to because it did not exist until the church put it together? How can you accept the product of the…
Read MoreThe Hidden Ball Trick
by Thomas A. Thornhill, Jr. Most of you know that one of my “hobbies” is officiating sports. In an odd sort of way, I call it “stress relief” as I focus on the game I am officiating. I work in three sports, but the one I am most proficient in (and experienced in) is baseball. This brings us…
Read MoreAre the objections to Catholicism without foundation?
Question: I’m a Catholic doing research for my Catholicism class and in order to back up my research, I wanted to get clear information from opposing views. I would appreciate if you are going to post negative comments regarding Catholic beliefs, that you thoroughly understand the beliefs. When you say: “Catholics, at least in the…
Read MoreChanging Churches
by Benjamin M. Shropshire via bulletin of the Leeward church of Christ in Waipahu, Hawaii, August 12, 2007 Someone who had moved his membership from one church to another was asked why he had left his former church. He answered, “I didn’t leave my church; my church left me.” By that, he meant his former…
Read MoreThe Words of Jesus (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 12:44-50 I. I continue to be amazed at the lengths people will go to justify a belief. A. Perhaps you have heard the story of Martin Luther’s decision that James 2 did not belong in the sacred text because of one small phrase in James 2:24. 1. It contradicted everything that…
Read MoreThe Scriptures Alone?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1 I. A fellow preacher received a question and he asked me what I thought about it. A. “Where in the Bible does it tell us that the Bible is the only or ultimate source of authority? I cannot find it anywhere! II Timothy 3:16 is the closest, but…
Read MoreNotes on Authority
Acting Without Permission Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many…
Read MoreTradition Versus Scripture
by Wayne Jackson When the report of the Savior’s miracles spread abroad, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem made their way north to Gennesaret to confront Jesus. They charged that the Lord’s disciples neglected to keep the “traditions” of the elders because they did not ceremonially wash their hands (to purify themselves from Gentile contamination) before…
Read MoreIn whose name are we to be baptized?
Question: It appears to me that you missed the main point about the Jesus name baptism. Jesus commanded that his disciples be baptized in the “name” of someone. Who do you suppose he meant that name to be? He didn’t say (about Matthew 28:19) “repeat after me now”. Do you suppose that after hearing Matthew 28:19 they…
Read MoreWe may disagree, but it doesn’t matter, so long as we get to heaven
Question: I disagree with some of your answers, but it doesn’t matter. You have your own beliefs. Some people believe music and dancing is a sin. Who am I to argue with them? Whatever gets them to heaven. Answer: Your statement indicates that you don’t believe there is a right or wrong, except as each…
Read MoreI Saw a Child
by Leo Rogol (1969) What I saw was not what one reads about children in storybooks and poems: It was not the beauty of childish innocence; the simple trusting faith in something big, wide, and wonderful; a child roaming the fields with his beloved dog, searching out the marvelous mysteries and wonders of nature. Though…
Read MoreThe Importance of Listening
by T. Sean Sullivan How significant is listening? Listening is the fullness of hearing. It is possible to hear someone talk and not listen. In order to hear and listen, one must be paying attention. My wife becomes very annoyed with me when she speaks and I do not listen. Perhaps I am distracted by…
Read MoreSubstitutions
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. One of the local restaurants used to make wonderful chocolate-chip cookies. They were a bit expensive, but I would buy a dozen or sometimes more for the family. I used the past tense, because they changed their recipe. I suspected it the first time I saw them. I knew it as…
Read MoreWhat was so bad about Jesus turning stones into bread?
Question: What was so bad about Jesus turning stones into bread? Answer: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are…
Read MoreThe Rebel’s Cause
Text: II Thessalonians 3:6-15 I. Israel – the name means “one who wrestles with God” A. Jacob received the name when he wrestled with an angel, asking for a blessing – Genesis 32:24-28 B. It became the trademark of his descendants – Deuteronomy 9:7, 24 C. One that lasted their entire existence as a nation – Ezekiel 2:3-5…
Read MoreThe Message of I Corinthians 11
by Ethan R. Longhenry I would like to examine a passage that has caused many divisions and great strife in many churches of Christ. Many have simply disregarded this passage and do not wish to find any way in which to apply it to their own lives because of the controversy that it generates. We…
Read MoreWho Does God Think He Is?
by Floyd Chappalear modified by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Worship isn’t enough. The Bible says that voluntary humility, severity to the body, acts of contrition, and such like may be nothing more than evidence of “will worship;” that is, serving one’s own interests (see Colossians 2:18-23). Furthermore, Jesus said that “not everyone who says unto me…
Read MoreShould we call on Jesus or Jehovah to be saved?
Question: Should we call on Jesus or Jehovah to be saved? Answer: The question assumes that God the Father and God the Son have different desires for our salvation. Yet Jesus stated, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may…
Read MoreWhy are there different denominations?
Question: Why are there different denominations between Christians? Answer: A denomination is a division and, yes, among those calling themselves “Christian” there are a great many divisions. Even among a particular denomination, there are divisions as evidenced by the Episcopals’ arguments over their homosexual bishop, the United Methodists’ arguments on where to allow homosexual unions,…
Read MoreWhat is wrong with Catholicism?
Question: What is the difference between Catholicism and Christianity? What is wrong with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church? Answer: This is a large subject on which many books have been written. I will not be able to address this question in detail, but perhaps giving an overview will help. Catholicism has its roots…
Read MoreAll in a Name
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/03/AllInAName.mp3 Text: Acts 4:5-14 I. Saved in a name A. Acts 4:8-12 – Only in the name of Jesus can we be saved II. What does “in his name” mean? A. With that one’s authority or with his approval 1. This was Peter’s answer to “by what authority” (Acts 4:7); he answered, “in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:10)…
Read MoreIs the Bible the only source of authority?
Question: Where in the Bible does it tell us that the Bible is the only or ultimate source of authority? I cannot find it anywhere! II Timothy 3:16 is the closest, but it does not say only! Where in history, the Bible, or the writings of the early Church was this concept ever taught? Since the church did…
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