Posts Tagged ‘faith’
Why Believe in the Bible?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Why-Believe-in-the-Bible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 1:18-31 I. Could the Bible be a product of man? A. We know that the Bible was written by about 40 different people 1. Each from different walks of life, from shepherds to kings, councilors to fishermen. 2. It was written over a 1,500 year time span B. If men could…
Read MoreAnchor Points
by Doy Moyer With so many reports of people losing their faith, we might wonder if there is anything to hold onto to anchor us down when we have doubts, questions, and deep concerns. We must not be dismissive of concerns, but allow the questions to be asked, never thinking that they are to be…
Read MoreBelief in God Continues to Decline
Source: Anugrah Kumar, “Number of Americans who believe in God dips to new low: Gallup,” The Christian Post, 20 June 2022. The number of Americans who say they believe in God: 1940s-1960s – 98% 2011 – 92% 2013-2017 – 87% 2022 – 81% “Belief in God has fallen the most in recent years among young adults…
Read MoreBeyond Our Strength
by Doy Moyer There’s a principle Paul expresses in II Corinthians 1:8-11 that we need to learn well. We may feel overwhelmed by what is going on. We may feel in despair about many things. We may see that things are happening that are “beyond our strength.” What, then, is the lesson to learn? Here…
Read MoreA Robust View of Faith
by Doy Moyer We need a robust view of faith. The world thinks that faith is trite and involves merely believing something. No action is needed. This makes faith workless—a nice thing to say perhaps, but it amounts to saying, in the minds of many, “I’m just going to sit here and believe. I don’t…
Read MoreThe Danger of Doubt
by Larry Rouse “If you were to die today, do you know where you will spend eternity?” This is a question that others have asked me and one that I have asked others. John wrote so that “you may know that you have eternal life” (I John 5:13). Men today fight this truth for various…
Read MoreFaith Is Reasonable
by Doy Moyer Faith is reasonable because trust, which is the heart of biblical faith, is reasonable. Faith does not require that every question be resolved before it can proceed, for that would not be considered trust. A child does not wait for parents to answer every question about difficult matters before trusting them. The…
Read MoreOn Drifting Away from the Faith
by Terry Wane Benton If we surveyed churches that declined in attendance because of COVID, we may find an alarming number of brethren who fell or are in process of drifting further away. I remember thinking a long time ago that should persecution arise in our country, and it was viewed as a crime to…
Read MoreJericho and our Salvation
by Jefferson David Tant After reading the title, some might wonder what the battle of Jericho has to do with our salvation today. The battle when Israel conquered Jericho was about 1410 B.C., over 3,400 years ago. Thus the question might be, “What in the world would some event over three thousand years ago have…
Read MoreWhy Were the Disciples So Sure?
by Matthew W. Bassford One of the most significant proofs of Jesus’ resurrection is the early disciples’ sincere belief that He had risen. They maintained this belief in the face of great hostility from earthly powers, enduring persecution, prison, and death rather than recanting. Whatever else they were, they were not deceivers. However, we also…
Read MoreI have trouble at times believing God is real
Question: Hi, I’m quite young (13) and I have been struggling with my faith a lot. It’s kind of hard to explain so I’ll try to put it simply. I want to believe in God but I am having trouble at the moment believing God is real. Just a few days ago, I was strongly…
Read MoreA Talk About Faith
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/A-Talk-About-Faith.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreYou Wouldn’t Believe It
by Doy Moyer “Look, you scoffers, marvel and vanish away, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you” (Acts 13:41). Paul quoted this from Habakkuk 1:5. In Habakkuk’s context, the sins of the people had reached a point…
Read MoreHow much confidence do I need in God?
Question: Mr. Hamilton I have another question I’d like to ask concerning some scripture I’ve been recently pondering and trying to understand. “But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into…
Read MoreLessons from the Reign of Asa
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Lessons-from-the-Reign-of-Asa-1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 15:8-24 I. Asa’s reign was the third in Judah since the great division of Israel during the reign of Rehoboam A. His father, Abijam, only reigned three years. 1. Abijam was not a good king as the Lord counts goodness – I Kings 15:3 2. In fact, the most notable…
Read MoreJustification by Works in James
by Matthew W. Bassford Earlier, I wrote about Paul’s discussion of justification by works in the first four chapters of Romans. In it, he says that justification by works requires perfect obedience to God, which no one but Jesus has achieved. Thus, Christians must seek salvation by faith apart from works. Similarly, baptism for the…
Read MoreWhen is “faith” referring to the system of faith (the Gospel) or personal faith?
Question: Dear Brother Hamilton, When “Faith of Jesus of Christ”, “by the faith of Jesus of Christ” is mentioned in Galatians 2:16; 3:19-28; and Romans 3:22 is it referring to the objective faith (gospel) or personal faith? The American Standard, ESV, and other versions translate it as Faith in Jesus Christ? Is it referring to…
Read MoreBy Grace Through Faith with the Washing of Water
by Terry Wane Benton Notice the prepositions: by, through, and with. The Book of Ephesians uses all three to describe what is involved with our salvation. It teaches we are saved by grace. It teaches we are saved through faith. It teaches we are saved with the washing of water by the word. It is…
Read MoreBaptized into Christ
by Terry Wane Benton Image by Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, said that the Israelites were “baptized into Moses” when they were crossing the Red Sea while fleeing Pharaoh and his armies. They were immersed under a cloud of water and with the walls of water on each side (I…
Read MoreBelieving the Unbelievable Story of Jesus
by Don Bunting God intends for people to come to Him by faith. Undoubtedly God could reveal Himself to humanity in a powerful, material, undeniable way. Still, God says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of…
Read MoreLessons from the Mamertine Prison
by Jefferson David Tant Do you ever feel discouraged, defeated, alone, forsaken, or any other word used to describe one who is “down in the dumps?” I’m sure we have all been affected by one or more of these words in our lifetime. If you are fortunate to have escaped all these negative feelings, just…
Read MoreDisobedience and Unbelief
by Matthew W. Bassford The epistle to the Hebrews might be the most tightly reasoned book in the whole Bible. Sentence by sentence, clause by clause, the Hebrews writer constructs intricate arguments that establish the superiority of Christ over Moses and the folly of Christians returning to Judaism. The more closely we read Hebrews, the…
Read MoreWhat Faith Is
by Doy Moyer Faith is the demonstration of our conviction that we trust the reality of what we cannot see. That is not the same as saying there is no evidence. Trusting the reality of what we cannot see means only that our faith is not dependent on first-hand material observation. I accept historical testimony…
Read MoreHow Noah Was Saved
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/How-Noah-Was-Saved.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 3:18-22 I. In our reading, Peter draws on the account of Noah’s salvation to illustrate how the Christian is saved. A. Many people object to the straight forward reading of I Peter 3:21 because it stands contrary to what they have accepted. 1. To many people, baptism is simply…
Read MoreDavid – A Child’s Faith
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/David-A-Childs-Faith.mp3 by Ross Ward Text: I Samuel 17:32-37 David’s Faith David Overcame Vs. 33-35 – bear and lion 33 – a youth 34 – shepherding 34-35 – lion and bear take a lamb David caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him 37 – The Lord that delivered me… will deliver me…
Read MoreGenuine Faith
by Jefferson David Tant The topic of “faith” is often discussed and often misunderstood. Skeptics accuse Christians of having “blind faith,” or taking a “leap of faith,” meaning that there is no basis for what we believe. Thus our faith in God’s existence is no different than what I have encountered in South Africa, i.e.…
Read MoreDoubts
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Doubts.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 17:5-8 I. I had the opportunity to study with a member of the International Church of Christ. A. Many of their core beliefs are similar to our own, but they diverge from the plain teachings of the Scriptures in a number of significant ways. B. While researching their beliefs and…
Read MoreWhy do people feel God needs to tell them everything?
Question: Growing up in a Christian household my father was a preacher and my mother a Sunday school teacher, so they wasted no time at all getting me baptized. As such, I tend to have more Bible knowledge than my peers. Occasionally I would get asked questions that I myself don’t have the answers to…
Read MoreFaith Is Active
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2000 “Faith is always active,” the speaker declared. “It is never passive, but always indicates a spirit of obedience,” he quickly added. He is not the only preacher I have heard who has said such a thing, nor will he be the last. There is something in the concept that…
Read MoreWeak in Faith vs. Weak in the Faith
by Fanning Yeater Tant Gospel Guardian, 24 September 1970 To be weak in faith is not the same as to be weak in the faith. There are two kinds of “weakness” involved, and they are to receive different treatment from those who are stable in Christ. The first kind of weakness is that which afflicted…
Read MoreI’m having doubts about my baptism
Question: Hello, I hope you are well. I have a question about baptism. When I was 13, I was baptized into Christ. However, I later realized I had only done it out of pressure. I was baptized into Christ when I was 19. Not long after, I began to have doubts as to if I…
Read MoreI Believe in God
by Jefferson David Tant Although our nation is declining in its religious values, many still believe in God. And if you ask the average person if they believe in God, they will probably give you an affirmative answer. In fact, in a pleasant conversation I was having with a woman who was serving me some…
Read MoreObedience to God
by Paul Southern via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 10, August 1952. The subject of obedience is an important theme that should engage the thought of every responsible person. Rebellion against constituted authority seems to be a trait inherent with mankind. On every hand, we witness infractions of constitutional, statutory, and social laws. Hence, it…
Read MoreRun Through the Rain
Author Unknown Oldest copy found was dated 2010 by Anonymous A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Walmart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a…
Read MoreTrusting in the Providence of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Trusting-in-the-Providence-of-God.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreIf You Want to Walk on Water, You Must Get Out of the Boat
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/If-You-Want-to-Walk-on-the-Water-You-must-Get-Out-of-the-Boat-1.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreMajesty! Worship His Majesty!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Majesty-Worship-His-Majesty.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreLord, Do You Not Care?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Lord-Do-You-Not-Care.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreThe Verse that Will Change Your Life
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-Verse-that-Will-Change-Your-Life.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreHow do I live by faith while providing for my family with my own job? Is there such a thing as a spiritual calling?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, I’m in need of advice and I’d like to ask a question. First, I want to know how I can live by faith, while at the same time providing for myself and my loved ones with my own job. One of the things that I’ve been struggling with is the temptation to…
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