Posts Tagged ‘obedience’
God and the Concept of Patterns
by Doy Moyer The nature of typology shows that God is a God of patterns. Without even going through a process of trying to “establish” authority, God shows through His overall record that He is a God of patterns. This is evident right from the beginning when God made a pattern for creation that He…
Read MoreParenting Pre-School Children – Obedience Training
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ParentingPreschoolersObedienceTraining.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:1-4 I. Simply because limits are placed, it doesn’t mean that they are always followed A. Children of this age have a fair ability to communicate B. A source of endless “Why?” 1. It is no longer enough to know something exists, they want a reason. 2. Not so much as to…
Read MoreWhy is apeitheo in John 3:36 translated “not obey” in some versions and “not believe” in others?
Question: Something interesting that I came across last week in studying: John 3:36 is a commonly quoted scripture. The KJV, NKJV, and Youngs roughly say: “He who believes (pisteuo) in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe (apeitheo) the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on…
Read MoreImprinting On Christ
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ImprintingOnChrist.mp3 by Brett Bowen
Read MoreIs disobeying my parents a sin?
Question: Is disobeying my parents a sin? What if I did something that’s not sinful (like daydreaming or not concentrating on school), but they told me not to do it. If I disobeyed them, did I sin? Answer: The commands are: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father…
Read MoreWhy is it so bad to disobey God?
Question: Hi, I have a question. I know sin means to disobey God or to break His law, but I was wondering, why is it so bad to disobey Him? And why was it so bad that Adam and Eve decided to disobey God? Couldn’t God have let it go and let them do what…
Read MoreHow can I know that I’m serving God?
Question: OK, simple question: I want to know what I can do to just serve God and know it’s Him I’m serving. Answer: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing,…
Read MoreHow do I get my daughter to obey the first time?
Question: I am having an issue with my eight-year-old. I can ask, or tell, her to clean her room, do her homework, take a shower, or anything for that matter and it takes me being right on top of her and hounding her to do it, and when it does finally get done (if it…
Read MoreWho was Jesus addressing in Matthew 24:45?
Question: In Matthew 24:45, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant?” Was Jesus addressing this to a particular group of people or every individual? Answer: Matthew 24 and 25 is the recorded of Jesus teaching his disciples in response to their question: “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him…
Read MoreDoesn’t telling children to obey their parents enable abusers?
Question: I completely disagree that you would teach obeying parents to children or people at your church. Honor does not mean “obey” and if a child or adult is being abused by their parent, they should not obey. You may want to rephrase your messages on your website unless you are enabling abusers within your congregation. Answer: See: Do…
Read MoreDeath Bed Repentance
by David J. Riggs A neighbor lady who had become a rather close friend to my wife, came into our home and said, “Do you believe in death-bed repentance?” This was not the first time I had been required to give an answer on this topic. My answer is, “I believe in one kind of…
Read MoreDoers of the Word
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Doers-of-the-Word.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: James 1:22-27 I. Suppose we took a vote on the practices we are to preform. How would it go? A. Obviously, the commandments of our Lord and Savior cannot be voted upon. We are required to follow them. But what if we did vote on them? How would…
Read MoreCuring a Headache
Curing a Headache – Part 1Curing a Headache – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 1:21-27 I. When you see a problem, how do you solve it? A. If you have a headache, how do you get rid of it? 1. I suppose one could get a guillotine. After all no head, no headache 2. Instead,…
Read MoreWhat commandments of Jesus are we to keep?
Question: In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” What commandments would that be? Is Jesus the God of the Old Testament? Answer: The same commandments Jesus told the apostles to teach: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on…
Read MoreIn John 3:36, should it be “does not obey” or “does not believe”?
Question: I was linking one of my web sites to “How does obedience relate to saving faith?” which has some excellent info. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36 NASB). I am wondering about this Scripture…
Read MoreI’m afraid I’m going to fail
Question: My question is how do you be obedient? It’s like I want to do the right thing and I’m aware of what I’m doing wrong and have done wrong in the past, but I’m scared that I’m going to fail in doing the right thing in the future. I also feel like a failure…
Read MoreAm I a real Christian?
Question: Lately, something’s been really bothering me and it’s been growing and growing and I’m afraid of where it might lead. Basically, I’ve been wondering if I’m a “real or true” Christian or not. This thought has been driving me nuts, leaving me depressed, and confused. From reading online and other sources about what being…
Read MoreWhat Saves a Person?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Since, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9), it would be sensible to understand that in order to get people saved, God would tell them…
Read MoreWhat Must I Do to be Saved? (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Listening to preachers, pastors, and priests today, one wonders if they could answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?” in a manner similar to the apostles. What Must I Do to be Saved? In the very first sermon recorded, Peter convicted the Jews of participating in the death of…
Read MoreDoes God only accept willing service?
Question: Is doing something you don’t want to do, but you’re only doing it for God counted as valid for Him? Or not doing something you’d like to do because of God, is it valid? I mean, what if He doesn’t accept us doing something that we’re not “willing” to? Answer: “But what do you…
Read MoreWaiting for sex is difficult, but your web page got me to hold on to my purity
Question: Hi! I just read Waiting for the Proper Time and I think it is wonderful information. I try my best to stay pure and have been in a relationship for almost a year now. I love him and he loves me, and I do want sex, but I will refrain because I know when we…
Read MoreAre Non-Christians Subject to the Laws of God?
Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10 I. Without a doubt people make a mess of their lives A. One of the hardest things about studying with people these days is the tangle they create in their families 1. You have people who have married and divorced serval times 2. They have kids by multiple partners, some to whom they never…
Read MoreLiving for God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/LivingForGod.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreEmphasizing the Physical
Text: Matthew 12:1-14 I. Schools have been placed in tough positions in the recent years A. They are told to keep religion out of schools. Almost every direct form of discipline has been forbidden to them. 1. The natural result is the steady decline in the moral standards of their students. 2. In response the community demands the…
Read MoreYeah, Yeah, I’ve Heard It Before!
by Zeke Flores While at the dentist’s office some time ago for a routine cleaning, the hygienist asked if I had been flossing, just as she did each and every time I went. I mumbled something about “Not as much as I should” (It’s hard to speak intelligibly when someone has a sharp instrument in…
Read MoreIf 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 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…
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