Posts Tagged ‘justice’
How can there be love in heaven when sinners are in hell?
Question: Good Evening, Thank you so much for all the resources included on the La Vista Church of Christ website. My son and I have been using these articles for years. Unfortunately, my son is now a wayward Christian, and he asked me the following questions in a recent Bible study that we did together. Can…
Read MoreHope for the Future
by Andy Sochor Throughout the book of Proverbs, a contrast is made between wisdom and foolishness. Since the wisdom described in the book comes from above, those who follow this and live according to its precepts will be righteous. Conversely, those who reject the way of wisdom will inevitably find themselves engaged in wickedness. Despite…
Read MoreLet Justice Roll Down
by Doy Moyer “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24) We typically think of justice as being connected to our legal system, and this is important. However, justice, biblically, must also be practiced personally. It isn’t just about what we do legally; it’s about how we as…
Read MoreJames, Peter, and I
by Matthew W. Bassford Acts 12 offers one of the great conundrums of the New Testament. In the first few verses of the chapter, the wicked king Herod Agrippa arrests and executes the apostle James, the brother of John. Shortly thereafter, he arrests Peter with the same intention. However, God sends his angel to rescue…
Read MoreThe Pilate Philosophy
by Terry Wane Benton Pilate washes his hands of killing Jesus Matthew 27:24 The Pilate Philosophy is to wash your hands of responsibility and to pretend there is no way to know the truth. “What is truth?” (John 18:38), he asked Jesus. There was also a “cancel-culture” mentality in his presence in the Jews wanting…
Read MoreWhy Do Wars Exist?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Why-Do-Wars-Exist.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 59:1-18 I. In my youth, the Vietnam War was being fought. It was an unpopular war that generated a lot of protest songs. A. One song called “War” by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong exclaimed, “War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” B. So can wars and acts of…
Read MoreThe Desire for Justice
by Doy Moyer Justice is an idea that is not made of materials. It is not something we can physically hold, scientifically measure, or weigh with scales. It is conceptual, grasped only by the mind, and based upon an even more foundational notion about right and wrong, good and bad (which also are non-material). Even…
Read MoreWhat I Would Say To My Children
by Jefferson David Tant Raising children is, I believe, one of the greatest responsibilities God has given us. By God’s design, a man and a woman have created something which will never cease to exist — a spirit that has been made in the image of God. Can you imagine the awesome feeling of responsibility…
Read MoreA Trial Lawyer Examines the Trial of Jesus
by Larry L. Crain, A trial attorney in civil rights and constitutional law (abridged by Jefferson David Tant) During Easter, many believers reflect on the Crucifixion of Christ. As a lawyer, I have been intrigued by the criminal trial culminating in Christ’s execution. The Gospels give four narratives in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They…
Read MoreJustice
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Justice.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 20:1-16 I. Matthew 20:1-16 A. Have you noticed that a lot of people want things that they are not willing to give? B. Take the idea of justice. People want justice for themselves (so long as it is in their favor), but they are not willing that justice lower what…
Read MoreChristianity, Marxism, and Social Justice
by Wilson Adams Marxism is an atheistic and materialistic ideology -nothing exists beyond what we see. Christianity, by contrast, holds to an ultimate and infinite Power (God) – our Creator and Redeemer. CIRCA 1865: Karl Marx (1818-1883), philosopher and German politician. (Photo by Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images) Marxism says there’s no such thing as a…
Read MoreWhat Justice Requires
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/What-Justice-Requires.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Micah 6:6-8 I. The concept of justice is rarely applied evenly. A. Justice is the quality of being right or proper. It carries the idea of fair and equal treatment. There is no favoritism with justice. People get what they deserve. B. People want justice when they have been wronged. But…
Read MoreWhen Ahab Humbled Himself
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton It might seem odd, but I love it when a student in a Bible class asks a deep question — you know, a question that shows the student was thinking far beyond the immediate lesson. This morning, a student was working on a lesson about greed and he planned to use…
Read MoreIs it wrong to pray the Psalms?
Question: I have an urgent question that is generating heat in my congregation. This heat is created by my wife. She prays the Psalms, and I personally do not agree with her on this. But she insists that it is the word of God. I don’t agree because we are New Testament worshipers and the…
Read MoreSee If You Can Find a Man
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/See-If-You-Can-Find-a-Man.mp3 Text: Jeremiah 5:1-13 I. The last days of the southern kingdom of Judah A. The people had become very corrupt – Jeremiah 5:20-23 B. God purposed to severely punish His people – Jeremiah 5:26-31 II. But there is one hope – Jeremiah 5:1 A. Jeremiah is told to run through Jerusalem and find a man 1. A man who…
Read MoreConfusing Mercy with Justice
by Matthew W. Bassford The other Sunday, I was approached by one of the younger sisters at church. She had a couple of questions. They involved hypotheticals that many of us have encountered before. What about the tribesman in the Amazon jungle who never gets to hear about the gospel? What about the man who…
Read MoreHow could God allow the Gibeonites to kill seven of Saul’s sons?
Question: In II Samuel 21, it speaks of how David spared seven of Saul’s descendants for the Gibeonites to kill, and afterward, God answered prayers. That just doesn’t make sense. Did God justify that once upon a time? Answer: “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year;…
Read MoreGod’s Compassion
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Gods-Compassion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 58 I. God has the absolute right to judge A. Some get angry that He would dare to judge B. But it is the righteous God who gets angry – Psalms 7:10-11 C. How can mankind who have shown repeated incidences of injustice sit in judgment on God? – Job 34:16-17…
Read MoreUsing Love as an Excuse
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/UsingLoveAsAnExcuse.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 13:4-7 I. Love is a wonderful attitude A. God is love and we should imitate our Father – I John 4:16 B. But people pervert what love ought to be and use a claim of “love” as a cover for permitting sin II. Love as an excuse to do wrong…
Read MoreLying, Cheating, and Stealing
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/LyingCheatingAndStealing.mp3 Text: Revelation 21:1-8 I. What is it that we teach our children? A. What do tell them about lying, cheating, and stealing? B. Most of us would be confident that they understand these things are wrong. C. But are you certain? D. Far too often we send mixed messages. E. One very perceptive mother sent three examples from her…
Read MoreIt’s Not Fair!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ItsNotFair.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 I. Parents of school-age children soon hear the argument, “But everyone else gets to. It’s not fair that I’m the only one who can’t.” A. The topic varies with the age of the child, but it ranges from a purchase of an item that you can’t afford or…
Read MoreHow much obedience does the Lord demand of me?
Question: Hey Jeffrey, I have a problem understanding the nature of obedience to God’s laws. I read and hear that obedience is required for salvation, but no man (besides Jesus) has obeyed perfectly, so please help me understand the nature of the obedience required to please God and enter His eternal abode. Is part of…
Read MoreWhere Is the God of Justice?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WhereIsTheGodOfJustice.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreWhy did God kill David’s son when it was David who sinned?
Question: Could you please explain II Samuel 12:14? It seems that the child died because of what David did. But the Bible says that a child shall not die for the sins of the father. Thank you. Answer: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor…
Read MoreHow could the Gentiles be guilty of sin when they did not have the Law?
Question: I was trying to figure out the comparison (or contrast) between Romans 2:12-16 and Romans 7:7-11 “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who…
Read MoreI have no friends and I’m depressed
Question: I’m 18. I don’t have a girlfriend or any friends. My parents are not religious. Should I tell them about the Bible? Is it fair that you have a great family who are Christians? What did I do to deserve this living hell? I’m depressed. How do I solve this issue about an existential…
Read MoreBoth David and Saul sinned and admitted they sinned, so why was the kingdom taken from Saul but not David?
Question: Hi, Good day to you. I hope you are well. My question is about two men from the holy Scriptures: King Saul and King David. When Saul sinned against God, God took the kingdom away from him, but when David sinned, God did not take away the kingdom from him. Keep in mind that…
Read MoreDid people really do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth to people?
Question: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” — does that really mean that? Did they really do that in the Bible days? Answer: The phrase “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is a part of the law that was given to judges who were deciding…
Read MoreAn Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth
by Steve Dewhurst Such is modern man’s ignorance of God’s word, as well as His justice and mercy, that we often misunderstand the simplest Bible expressions and concepts. For example, the age-old principle of justice contained in the phrase “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is frequently seen as a…
Read MoreWhy did God kill all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians when it was Pharaoh who sinned?
Question: In Exodus when the firstborn sons of all Egyptians die because of Pharaoh, why did God kill all the Egyptian sons for the sin of Pharaoh? Answer: It is easy to blame the leader and forget he wasn’t the only one involved. He was by far the most prominent, but he wasn’t working alone.…
Read MoreWhy did God kill the Amalekites?
Question: I was wondering, for example, when the Israelites were attacked or they attacked someone else, Moses held up his staff and it helped Joshua’s army, but if the staff was held down then the war went for the enemy. Obviously, the power of the staff came from God, so that means that God was…
Read MoreThe Justice of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/JusticeOfGod.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Habakkuk 1:1-4 I. The prophet Habakkuk was upset with God A. Wickedness and violence abounded in the world around him. 1. Jeremiah asked much the same question: Why do the wicked prosper? – Jeremiah 12:1-4 2. It is an old question. Job asked it – Job 21:7-15 3. Asaph too was troubled by…
Read MoreHow could a just God put a man in a place where he is unable to hear about Jesus and then send him to hell?
Question: From your sermon “The Lost Who Never Heard the Gospel”: “If people could be saved without going through Christ, then why would God have sent him to die?” Then is it safe to say that this God you say is a just God of love would create a human being, place him in a location where…
Read MoreWhy is life unfair?
Question: Where does the Bible say that life is unfair? Why is life unfair? Who made life unfair? I don’t understand. I get so tired of hearing this every time someone says that something is unfair. Answer: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches. Surely I have cleansed my heart…
Read MoreHow can such a loving God condemn people who have never heard of Jesus or the Bible?
Question: I came across an old teacher of mine today and we started talking. She tells me I should join the service or go to college. So I started telling her my views of how I think that the Rockefellers and other rich families run this world and have influence in all the educational outlets and…
Read MoreGod Overthrows the Wicked
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/GodOverthrowsTheWicked.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Do not trust in men – Psalm 146 A. Even a high ranking man is not trustworthy B. Men die. Even with good intentions, they cannot always accomplish what they desire. C. God, however, can do all things. D. It is important to remember that men are very limited in power II. David is opposed…
Read MoreWhy Israel Fell
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/WhyIsraelFell.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 I. The prophet Isaiah told the people that the Messiah was coming. A. He would bring righteousness to all the nations and remove the burdens of sin B. He would establish a new government, one that would last forever C. The people of Israel foolishly thought that the Messiah would…
Read MoreWhere does Micah say that God asks us to be fair and just?
Question: I am looking for the exact quote from the prophet Micah to use as an inscription for a gift. I think that it begins: Be fair and just, be merciful and true, these are the things I am asking of you. If you could help that would be great. Answer: I believe the verse…
Read MoreCan God be fair if He doesn’t give a sinner another chance to repent?
Question: You said, “People, and sometimes nations, guilty of extreme or extended sin were killed, but this was not murder but avenging the wickedness caused by these people or nations.” I agree with this statement, but it is hard to understand because, in the New Testament, we get this picture of God that is very,…
Read MoreDoes religious ethics do more harm than good?
Question: I think that more often than not religious ethics in government do more harm than good, for example: not funding stem cell research, trying to ban abortion, and outlawing gay marriage. Stem cell research could further science and medicine so much, but because of religious ethics, it’s on hiatus right now in America. Abortion…
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