Posts Tagged ‘obedience’
If God doesn’t show favoritism, then why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted and Cain’s was rejected?
Question: The Bible says that God does not show favoritism toward anyone. So how is it that He favored Abel over Cain, and accepted Abel’s offering while rejecting Cain’s? Answer: By saying that God is impartial (Romans 2:11), what is being said is that God doesn’t favor one person over another based on external attributes.…
Read MoreI know I sin so how can I obey God?
Question: I read your article regarding the role of obedience in salvation. Very interesting. I would have to agree with some of your take on obedience as long as it doesn’t take away from the redeeming work of Christ. How does one deal with a difference of opinion on what obedience is and what it is not? …
Read MoreObeying the Lord
by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 8, Feb. 20, 2009. Question: How can one talk about “obeying the Lord” in the light of what is said in Titus 3:5 and Ephesians 2:8? Answer: First, let us notice what these two passages say: “Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to…
Read MoreLove or Legalism?
by Steven F. Deaton When we insist men must adhere strictly to the commandments of God, is it love or legalism? Men say it is legalism. They say, “We should obey a Savior, not a system.” Or, “Give me the man, not a plan.” Their idea is that to admit the existence of a law…
Read MoreHow Many Roads Lead to Heaven?
by Erin Percell via The Beacon, March 10, 2009 On a map, you can see many roads leading to any major city. You can pick whatever route suits you. Many people think the same thing about variety among churches — “We’re all on different roads to the same place,” they say. Can such a thing…
Read MoreWhy did Moses strike the rock twice and what was Aaron’s participation?
Question: Why did Moses strike the rock twice and what was Aaron’s participation? Answer: “So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,…
Read MoreHow can you beautifully write about the law being nailed to the cross and insist that salvation comes through obedience?
Question: How can someone write a beautiful article like “What Was Nailed to the Cross?” and then insist that salvation comes through obedience to a new set of commands? Answer: Because it is what God stated. See “Doing Our Duty” and “In Word and Deed.” “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but…
Read MoreWhen we love God, how do you define love?
Question: I have been writing a paper on what it means to love God. I have some parts and to love God you follow his commandments; if you don’t, you don’t love God. But how do we define love? I have been thinking about it for a long time. It encompasses a whole bunch, but…
Read MoreHow are conflicts between military service and God’s will handled?
Question: I read the article on your web site about Christians and military service written by a friend of yours. It’s a question that I am grappling with right now. There are quite a few things in his article that I am compelled to question. One of them is the section under the GOVERNMENT (WE THE PEOPLE…
Read MoreWhen Nobody Notices
by Shane Williams via The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 9, No. 9, Jan. 2009. Perhaps you’ve seen the sign that reads, “Housework is something you do that nobody notices unless you don’t do it.” The truth behind that statement applies to more than just housework. People seem to have no trouble noticing our failures — anger,…
Read MoreIs the use of instrumental music in worship a salvation issue?
Question: Is the use of instrumental music in worship a salvation issue? For example, regarding the division between instrumental and non-instrumental churches of Christ, if in the end when Christ returns both churches are still divided and convinced of their own views on the issue, will all of them that otherwise have remained faithful to…
Read MoreAnything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Badly
by Gary Henry via WordPoints.com Gebhard Fugel Moses vor dem brennenden Dornbusch c1920 When God wanted Moses to go deliver Israel, Moses demurred with objections that may have been intended to sound humble: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11), “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10), etc.…
Read MoreHow can it be possible for God to call me, and thousands of other God-following women to speak in church, yet the Bible seems to say they can’t?
Question: Thanks so much for the care and effort that has been put into this web site. It has proved incredibly helpful when I am trying to understand difficult biblical passages. I started off on the site looking at the information on Heaven and Hell and eventually ended up looking at the information about the role of women and whether…
Read MoreDoing Our Duty
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/DoingOurDuty.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 17:1-10 I. Many denominations today struggle with the concept of obeying God. A. Oh, they give lip service to the concept, but they find it appalling that anything we do affects our salvation B. Most claim that all that is needed is faith and God does the rest. C. Some realize…
Read MoreExplaining Exodus 4:24-26
by Carey Scott “And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”…
Read MoreHow can faith be combined with works?
Question: I have been reading articles on this web site, especially the one about how salvation comes both from believing and works. My question is this: Did Paul lie to the prison guard when he said: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”? I am having difficulty with the combination of…
Read MoreYou don’t really teach children about the stoning of Achan, do you?
Question: I stumbled across your web site and saw the drawing of the stoning of Achan. In the upper right, it said something about pictures going with children’s Bible stories. You don’t really mean to teach children about stoning, do you? The Stoning of Achan Joshua 7:24-26 Answer: You misunderstood. The pictures are from an old…
Read MoreHow do I know if I’m doing what God wants me to do?
Question: How do I know if what I am doing is what God wants me to do? I don’t know if I should do what I want to do or what others want me to do. Above all, I don’t know if what I am doing is right or wrong. How do I find out?…
Read MoreI learned some life lessons from the lesson ‘Why did Uzzah have to Die?’ Thank you
Question: Hi. I was reading about Uzzah in the Bible the other day and how he had touched the ark and died. I had always wondered why he had to die. I knew that God had to have a reason for it. I found your lesson which talked about the reasons for Uzzah’s death. Now that…
Read MoreDoes the Bible say the spiritual world is more real than the physical world?
Question: I remember reading in the Bible that “the spiritual world is more real than the physical world.” I have tried to find it again and cannot. Do you know what the reference for this is? Answer: I recall reading a short book by C.S. Lewis that had this idea as its theme. I also…
Read MoreWhy Was God About To Kill Moses?
by Terry W. Benton The text of Exodus 4:24-26 seems oddly placed, but it is a separate paragraph from the rest of the text. Moses has been commissioned to go back to Egypt where the Israelites are and tell Pharaoh to free them. Moses thought of excuse after excuse, which angered God, and then made…
Read MoreDo you believe that the only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus as your Savior and not by good deeds or grace?
Question: Does the church of Christ believe that the only way to heaven is through the Lord Jesus Christ, by accepting Him as your Savior and not by good deeds or grace? Thanks. Answer: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). You cannot claim to accept the Lord as your Savior if you…
Read MoreThe Soul of Obedience
Robert Turner via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 14, April 8, 2007. Remember the old story about the man who was going on a journey, and asked his son to lay out the farm according to his instructions? Corn was to be planted in this field, beans in that, the garden here, a shed built…
Read MoreA Perversion of Biblical Faith
by Wayne Jackson One of the great tragedies of ecclesiastical history is the fact that so many have failed to find a balanced view of human redemption as this concept is set forth in the biblical record. On the one hand, there is Roman Catholicism, arrogantly contending that salvation is conferred upon the basis of…
Read MoreHow can we be children of God and slaves of God at the same time?
Question: I have been struggling with the concept of “children of God.” I understand we are made children of God when we becoming Christians, yet we are bondservants to God and Christ — we are servants. I was wondering when it refers to us being children of God, is it a general reference like the…
Read MoreDoes true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person?
Question: I guess I would not mind seeing the other side of my argument. It is simply this: true faith saves you. I could go in-depth of what I mean if you would like me to, but I guess I just want to hit on the issue. I believe that baptism has absolutely no part…
Read MoreHow can I follow God when He is so strict?
Question: First of all, I can’t thank you enough for your time. There’s a lot more I want to talk about, possibly so much that neither you nor I have enough time for. Before I ask you more questions I want to continue to discuss this issue of sex and what not because it’s been…
Read MoreWhy do I feel so disconnected after making the sign of the cross?
Question: When I make the “Sign of the Cross” before praying, I feel so blessed ‘opening’ and ‘connecting’ myself to God and all those in Heaven. It is very uplifting. However, when I make the “Sign of the Cross” finishing the prayer, I feel I’m closing myself off, away from God, until I pray, again.…
Read MoreOh, Daddy, I Forgot!
by Gary W. Holladay, Sr. At sunset, I was quite tired from transplanting a cherry tree in the front yard of my corner lot; but I still needed to tie it down to protect it from the wind. As I pounded stakes into the ground, I heard the gleeful squeals of small children in the…
Read MoreLord, Lord!
by Ethan R. Longhenry “Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast…
Read MoreWhat saved Joshua and Caleb?
Question: While teaching then the book of Numbers last evening all went pretty well until we arrived at chapter 14. The question was asked: “Apparently, what saved Joshua and Caleb?” I said that it was Moses because he was their mediator and interceded for the people. Several in the class disagreed and said it was…
Read MoreThe Role of Obedience in Salvation
by Jack Holt Obedience is an obligation each human being sustains to God. This is so because God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and we are his creatures. Beyond the fact that God is Creator and Ruler, love places us under a moral obligation to obey. As creatures with moral ability love…
Read MoreIs it too simple to say we are to believe and we will be saved by God’s grace?
Question: I’m concerned that purgatory does not exist in the Bible. I believe that imaginary doctrine can be changed, as has the belief of Limbo, with innocent newborn babies, who have died prior to baptism, no longer going to Limbo. I always thought that God has told us to believe in Him and we will…
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 MoreWhat Do You Need to Serve the Lord?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. John 4:34-38 – Jesus told his disciples to serve the Lord by bringing others to Him A. Mt. 28:19-20 – Commanded to go into all the world. B. We all have this responsibility. II. Yet, many find excuses to not work. A. “I’m not eloquent enough to be of any great service.” 1. Moses tried this…
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 Obedience
Leviticus 18:4 I Samuel 15:22 Ecclesiastes 12:13 Matthew 7:13-14 Matthew 7:21-24 Matthew 28:20 Luke 6:46-47 John 8:31 John 14:15 John 14:21 John 14:23 Acts 5:29 Acts 10:34-35 Romans 6:14-18 Romans 16:26 Ephesians 6:1 Philippians 2:12 II Thessalonians 1:7-9 Titus 3:1-3 Hebrews 5:8-9 James 1:25 James 2:24 I Peter 1:22-23 I John 2:3-5 I John 3:22…
Read MoreNotes on Faithful Life
John 8:31 John 15:4-10 Colossians 1:22-23 Revelation 2:10 see Notes on Obedience see Notes on Apostasy see Notes on Things that Accompany Salvation
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 MoreDid Lot’s wife go to heaven or hell?
Question: Did Lot’s wife go to heaven or hell for her sin of looking back? Answer: “When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered, the men took…
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