Posts Tagged ‘faith’
How does one know if he has faith in God?
Question: I have this question: how does one know if he has faith in God or not? For example, I find it hard to talk to people who fought with me, but not all people. Some I talk to without fear that they might yell at me and they forgive me. With a few, I…
Read MoreHow can I grow my faith in God?
Question: How can I grow my faith in God? I feel I’m a bad person because I know that Jesus died for us, but I still sin. I know that God forgave me, but when I look back I think that I have been really bad and I feel very sorry for it. What is…
Read MorePartial Faith Is Satan’s Victory
by Carey Scott “A major survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, for instance, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number…
Read MoreThe Obedience of Faith
by Steve Dewhirst via Gospel Power, Vol. 12, No. 17, April 24, 2005. How odd, that one of the Bible’s most fundamental teachings should have become so puzzling to folks. God is not the author of confusion, but man is. And during the centuries since Jesus walked the earth, the very nature of the faith…
Read MoreA Lesson from Noah
by Art Driedger III Many today scoff at the story of Noah’s ark, doubting that there was ever a flood that covered the whole earth. Well, I must admit that it is an amazing story because the flood was catastrophic. Of course, for practical purposes, the only evidence for the flood is found in the…
Read MoreDoes One Have a Right to His Own Belief?
by Eugene W. Clevenger via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 6, April 1952. A question that we often hear asked is, Does every person have a right to his own belief? I cannot answer that question honestly and completely with a simple “Yes” or “No”, because to me the answer is both “Yes” and “No.” Looking…
Read MoreHow Did Jericho Fall?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 6:6-20 I. The record of the fall of Jericho is familiar to many people. A. It was an impressive victory for the people of Israel who had recently entered the land. B. Despite the fact that the city was heavily fortified – Joshua 6:1 C. It was completely destroyed – Joshua 6:21…
Read MoreNotes on Belief
Mark 16:15-16 John 3:15-16 John 5:24 John 6:29 John 8:24 John 12:42 John 12:46-48 John 20:30-31 Acts 16:31 Acts 18:8 Romans 1:17 Romans 16:26 Galatians 5:6 Hebrews 11:1 Hebrews 11:6 James 2:19 James 2:24 You can have faith without salvation John 8:28-37 – Among those who believed were people who wanted Jesus dead John 12:42-50…
Read MoreNotes on Faith
Definitions Vines Primarily firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing. Websters Unquestioning belief Importance We cannot please God without faith. Hebrews 11:6; Luke 17:5 Faith is connected to salvation. Mark 16:16; Ephesians 2:8-9 Christians live by faith. Romans 1:16-17; II Corinthians. 5:7; I Timothy 6:12 Paul said some would depart from the faith. I Timothy…
Read MoreAt What Point Does Faith Save?
by Richie Thetford Many denominations will have us believe that we are saved by faith before we do the action in accordance with God’s command. No doubt you have seen those on television attending a huge denominational service who are invited to come forward at the conclusion of the service and simply say that they believe…
Read MoreHow can I make my parents’ faith my own?
Question: How can I test my faith to change my inherited faith from my parents to a faith of my own? Answer: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified” (II Corinthians 13:5). The…
Read MoreWhat Must I Do to be Saved? (Walker)
by Wayne S. Walker Of all the questions asked … Where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? The most important question ever asked was: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) In the sixteenth chapter of the book of Acts, the apostle Paul…
Read MoreSince teaching is a work, then it doesn’t save. Right?
Question: Telling others about Christ is a work. “For by grace we are saved through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast ” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Answer: There was a branch of the Baptist denomination that fully accepted the idea that being saved was entirely a work of God…
Read MoreHow does obedience relate to saving faith?
Question: How does obedience relate to saving faith? Answer: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and…
Read MoreTrials of Life (Sermon)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. God knows the hearts of men A. I Samuel 16:7 “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” B. Luke 16:15 “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your…
Read MoreWhy Believe in the God of the Bible?
Billy B. Norris via Gospel Guide, Nov. 1995 One may be a believer in the One God; an atheist, a disbeliever in any god; or a heathen, a believer in many gods. Let’s examine each of these positions: Heathenism In its plural number of gods, heathenism is confusing and divisive. As a young man, Solomon…
Read MoreWhy didn’t the Jews believe Jesus?
Question: Why didn’t the Jews believe Jesus? Answer: It is a curious thing, is it not, that the Son of God came to live among men (John 1:14), and yet he is rejected by the very people who had been expecting his arrival for thousands of years. “He was in the world, and the world…
Read MoreCan a person be a believer and not be saved?
Question: What biblical reference is there that uses the word “believer” and says that person isn’t saved? Answer: The term “believer” is frequently used to refer to those had entered the kingdom of the Lord. For example, “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14). (See also Acts…
Read MoreSuperficial Faith
by Dan Chambers Last Sunday, as most of you probably know, I was in Marietta, Georgia doing a seminar on “Worship” at the Piedmont Road congregation. That morning, before we left the hotel and headed to the building, I went to the hotel lobby to eat breakfast. I was stunned and heartbroken by what I…
Read MoreDo you believe that baptism could be linked to grace?
Question: Do you believe that baptism could be linked to grace? Answer: In the Bible, grace is the concept of a freely given gift; a gift that the recipient has not earned nor has necessarily deserved to receive. God’s gift to mankind was the life of His own Son. “For God so loved the world…
Read MoreIsn’t repentance and faith the same thing?
Question: Isn’t repentance just another word for faith? If someone were fighting and defending themselves in a brawl, aren’t the words ‘fighting’ and ‘defending themselves’ describing different aspects of the same action? Likewise, I think Acts 20:21 shows repentance and belief to be intrinsically related to the same attitudinal/belief event/process. Answer: While defensive and offensive moves may…
Read MorePlan of Salvation
by Foy E. Wallace, Jr Number One Gospel Sermons, pages 46-47. When the time came to reveal that great Plan of Salvation, God assigned that function of revelation to the Holy Spirit. God is the primitive cause of man’s salvation, he willed it. Jesus Christ is the sacrificial cause of man’s salvation, he purchased it…
Read MoreIs water baptism a work?
Question: Is water baptism a work? Answer: I have always been amazed at the dread shown by people toward the word “work.” You would think that it was a dreaded disease or something equivalent to sin. The word “work” by itself is neither good nor bad. It simply refers to something that takes effort. Faith…
Read MoreDoes belief include anything more than trust?
Question: Does belief include anything more than trust? Answer: Belief or faith is of primary importance to a follower of God. The writer of Hebrews state, “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 those who…
Read MoreHow is Abraham famous? What did Abraham care about most?
Question: How is Abraham, or Abram, famous? What did Abraham care about most? Answer: Many, many years ago God promised a man named Abram, “I will bless you and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). The blessing was conditional on Abram’s willingness to leave his home country and…
Read MoreDoes Mark 16:16 say that someone not baptized is lost?
Question: I think I have a parallel that explains Mark 16:16. Suppose I state, “All people who are enrolled and live in the dorm are students in the college. If John is enrolled but doesn’t live in the dorm, does that mean he is not a student?” Similarly, Mark 16:16 says “He who believes and…
Read MoreWhen Jesus Marveled
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 8:5-13 I. Even the seemingly small things within the Bible are significant. A. I find it puzzling that people claim that the Bible is inspired, as we are told in II Timothy 3:16-17, but then turn around and want to modify it. 1. In June of 2006 I ran across an…
Read MoreSalvation by Grace Through Faith
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 I. When we read Ephesians 2:8-10, there are four important words which stand out: grace, saved, faith, and works. A. The gift mentioned in verse 8 is the gift of salvation given to us by God’s grace. 1. Grace is an unmerited favor. a. It is an action distinguished by justice.…
Read MoreWhat must I do to go to heaven?
Question: What must I do to go to Heaven when I die? Please, no opinions. Please use the Bible, it is all we have that is the truth. Answer: I really appreciate your desire for a biblical answer to your question. Far too many only want confirmation that they are right and so they search…
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