In Spirit and in Truth

by Jon W. Quinn I cast a shadow if I were walking down the street and the sun was shining. Its size and shape mimic my own to some degree. It is a lot shorter than I really am at midday. It is a lot taller than I am when the sun is low on…

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Only God’s Righteousness Is in View?

by Terry Wane Benton We need to be careful about what we swallow from preachers and teachers. Search the Scriptures to find out what is so (Acts 17:11). An example of a concern in this regard is in the words of a brother who says that the difference between the Old Law and the New…

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Is the New Testament a Law?

by Jonathan Perz The Bible is undeniably divided into two key sections—the Old Testament and the New Testament. This division is described in the Bible in various ways, some literally and some figuratively. One such contrast is seen when the Bible refers to the Old Testament as the “Law of Moses” (cf. John 7:23, et…

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Is Matthew 5 only for the Jews?

Question: Hello, A friend of mine who is against divorce and remarriage says that Matthew 5 has a “Jewish element,” that is, the word “council” in Matthew 5:22, so it is a chapter only for Jews and not for Christians.  What do you think about that? Thank you. Answer: This is a variation of an…

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The Earliest Manuscripts

by Ferrell Jenkins “In the original Greek, it says…” How many times have you heard that in a Bible class or sermon? The fact is, we have no originals (autograph copies) of any New Testament or Old Testament book. Textual critics, those scholars who work with the available materials to produce Hebrew and Greek texts,…

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Is Matthew 19:9 only for Jews?

Question: About the marriage and divorce issue in Matthew 19:9, Jesus was replying to the Jewish people. Does this mean that it does not apply to Christians but only Jews? Answer: You are missing an important implication. When laws were given to people there is an immediate audience and implied general audience. For instance, when…

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I can’t believe you waste time discussing imagination

Question: I cannot believe that you would waste so much time discussing total bonker imaginings. The fact that none of the persons who wrote about Jesus personally knew him seems to escape your grey cells. They lived three hundred years after he died!! You know nothing of what the leaders of the Sanhedrin said! How could you? You…

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Is “Christian” supposed to be “natsarim”?

Question: Hello, brethren in Christ, I hope you are well and my greetings to you and the church. I have been going on your website for many answers to questions that I study and I get provided many concrete answers. I wanted to get some clarification on the word “natsarim”. I have been having some…

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What are we to be obedient to?

Question: What are we being obedient to? Is it the Old Law? Is it God’s commands? What commands does God have? The old testament commands? I know about the plan of salvation and the steps to become a Christian, but where do we find out how to know we are doing the work of God…

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When did the New Testament come into effect?

Question: Dear brethren, Greetings. I have been asked the following questions. I have not been able to answer them. When did the New Testament come into effect? Is it immediately after Christ’s death or upon the completion of the New Testament? What about those who died immediately after Christ’s death and those who died before…

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Which law is the law?

Question: I have a friend who has fallen into the World Mission Society Church of God which is an anti-Christian cult. I have been trying to witness to her and she had presented me with different beliefs that I’m having trouble answering in regards to the law. I was hoping you could help with a…

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Archaeology and the New Testament

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ArchaeologyAndTheNewTestament.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 1:1-4   I.         The Bible is a historical book that contains many historical references, but it is not a book of mankind’s history.             A.        But where it mentions historical facts, it has always been proven to be true.                         1.         Arguments against the Bible are based on the lack of supporting evidence…

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The Nature and Character of the New Covenant

by Larry Ray Hafley via Guardian of Truth, May 17, 1984 Noting and quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34, the Hebrew writer (we will assume it was the apostle Paul) said: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the…

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Was the New Testament written in Greek or Aramaic?

Question: In what language was the New Testament written: Greek or Aramaic? Answer: The New Testament was written in Greek. All the earliest manuscripts are in Greek. The style of writing is in the Greek style, though some of the writers, such as Matthew, wrote with a Hebrew “accent,” if you would, but it was…

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What language was the New Testament written in?

Question: What is the real Greek of the New Testament? Koine Greek or Aramaic? Wikipedia says suggests it is Aramaic Greek, but I was taught it was Koine Greek but you can find many websites that say it was Koine Greek, this has become very confusing to me. Which is correct? What language did Jesus…

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Not Like the Old

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/NotLikeTheOld.mp3 by Pat Kelly

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The “Jesus Was Born Under the Law” Argument

by Terry W. Benton The Argument Stated: Jesus was “born” under the law (Galatians 4:4) and he died on the cross to “end” the Old Testament law of Moses (Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:14). This means that everything Jesus said and taught was under the authority of the Old Testament law of Moses. The Argument Answered:…

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The Form of the New Testament

by Bob West The Milpitas Messenger, February 1996 “Why isn’t the New Testament written in legal form; i.e., broken down into encyclopedic categories and lists? Instead, it contains much historical, biographical and personal material. Yet we are asked to believe that this is God’s law for us today. How can this be?” The above paragraph…

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Confirmed

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Confirmed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:12-21   I.         How important is the proof of what we know? – Hebrews 2:1-4             A.        God put a lot of effort into not just saying but proving.             B.        Jesus Christ is the foundation – I Corinthians 3:11             C.        It becomes a solid foundation – II Timothy 2:19             D.        So many people…

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The New Testament was written in Hebrew, not Greek!

Question: You seem to teach that the original New Testament was originally written in Greek. I hate to differ with you. Nowhere is that fact proven. I believe that Luke may have written his manuscript in Greek, since he was of Syrian descent and also perhaps the books of Acts, but as far as the…

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The Roman Catholics, 1486 AD, and the “Title Page” Argument

by Terry W. Benton The Argument: “..the Roman Catholic church in 1486 AD arbitrarily placed the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John –before the cross — (MMLJBC) in the New rather Old Testament by placing an erroneous New Testament “title page” between the books of Malachi and Matthew. Answer: Everyone already knew that…

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Shouldn’t we follow the Old Testament and the New Testament?

Question: Shouldn’t we follow God’s rules in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament? (I’m reading the Bible currently, and I’m only in Joshua right now.) I mean, well, some of the rules would be considered kind of illegal, such as sacrificing your first born child. I could not do that even if…

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What is the Law of Christ?

Question: Read an article on your page concerning Paul and his motives. If what is stated in the New Testament is true, I agree with you about him. Could you tell me what the “Law of Christ” is? My teaching, and correct me if I am wrong, is that “the Torah” better translates from the Hebrew into English…

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The Gospels and the Covenants

by Roger Blackwelder It has been observed that the traditional divisions we use to describe the Bible are inaccurate. Genesis through Malachi are called the Old Testament or Old Covenant. Matthew through Revelation are called the New Testament or New Covenant. The titles are problematic for at least two reasons: 1) The covenant between God…

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Why did it take 35-40 years to write the Gospels?

Question: What was the reason for John, Mark, Luke, and Matthew writing their gospels? Why did it take 35-40 years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus to begin to write the gospels or the rest of the New Testament? Answer: As for the purpose of the gospel accounts, see “The Four Gospels.” As to…

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The Prison Letters

Text: Colossians 4:7-18   I.         Near the end of Paul’s third journey, he visited churches to gather funds to relieve the famine stricken brethren in Judea. – I Corinthians 16:1-9             A.        Several of the churches sent representatives to travel with Paul – II Corinthians 8:16-24             B.        Several of these men are named in Acts 20:1-4. Take special note…

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Does the New Covenant require confirmation?

Question: Does the New Covenant require confirmation, the same thing the Israelites did when Moses with the twelve tribes of Israel confirmed the Covenant by acknowledgment and sprinkling of the blood? Answer: The Old Covenant was dedicated by the shedding of animal blood and that blood being sprinkled on the people. This acceptance was only…

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How Do They Do That?

  I.         We have discussed a doctrine in the past which has been advocated which declares the gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are Old Testament books.             A.        It is not hard to refute the belief, but I want to use an article written by one of its proponents as an illustration to help us learn…

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The Words of Jesus

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         I continue to be amazed at the lengths people will go to justify a belief.             A.        We all know 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 Martin Luther had come to…

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Was the Sermon on the Mount Nailed to the Cross?

by Terry W. Benton There has not been a more fundamental question about how to rightly divide the word of truth and how to apply the scriptures than this one. At first, you might think this question is preposterous, but bear with me. There are brethren lurking in churches today who would affirm that Jesus’…

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The “Jesus Came To Israel Only” Argument

by Terry W. Benton The Argument Stated: “MMLJ — before the cross — was taught only to the Jews of Israel.” I keep seeing the argument expressed that Jesus spoke only to the lost sheep of Israel, or only to Israel. The conclusion drawn from that fact is that “therefore” whatever He said to Israel…

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