Isn’t it unfair that North Koreans can’t know about God?

Question: Isn’t it unfair that North Koreans can’t know about God? Do they just go to hell? It’s not really their fault at all. The leader tells them everything. They have no way of knowing about God, no outside communication whatsoever. Will they go to hell for something they have no control of? Obviously, only…

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The Other Sheep of John 10:16

by Matt Allen via The Jackson Drive Reporter, Sept. 6, 2009. John 10:16 has served as a major claim for the legitimacy of Mormon teaching for many years. Upon reading the passage of Scripture — by itself — it first appears that they (Mormons) could have a point. “And other sheep I have which are not…

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How can I stop doing all these sins and have Jesus enter my heart?

Question: Hey, How can I stop doing all these sins and have Jesus enter my heart? Please help. Answer: Both ending sin and being saved from sin are each large topics. Start with: What Must I Do to be Saved? Ending sin is two-fold. It is a decision to no longer sin and a filling…

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God’s Peace

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/GodsPeace.mp3 by Andrew Long

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How do you get added to Jesus Christ’s church?

Question: How do you get added to Jesus Christ’s church? Answer: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. … So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and…

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Your Parents Can’t Make You Go to Heaven!

by Ted J. Clarke One of the greatest miseries of being a child is being made to do things that a child does not want to do. Eating vegetables, brushing teeth, taking a bath, cleaning one’s room, going to Aunt June’s, going to school, attending worship and Bible study — these all rate high on…

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Could you explain Romans 11:25-27?

Question: I found your website online trying to do some research. Can you please tell me your perspective on Romans 11:25-27 and to whom Paul is referring? Answer: “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part…

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Does religion save people?

Question: Hi, I became a Christian two years ago, and I was thinking about if I need a religion to be saved. I just think that I’m saved because Christ died on the cross for my sins, so if I accepted him as my Lord and Savior, I’m saved. Am I wrong? I’m convinced I’m…

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Were Abraham and Moses in the church?

Question: I heard a quote from a preacher sometime ago that Moses and Abraham are not in the Church of Christ (Ephesians 4:4; I Corinthians 12:13), even though they are currently saved. I understand they were never baptized into Christ; but if they are not in the body, where are they? It is my understanding…

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Is the earth being saved by water and fire?

Question: I was studying baptism, and I looked up every verse I could find on baptism. I always believed that we have to be baptized to receive salvation, of course along with obedience to all the commandments and walking with faith in Jesus Christ. I read the verse in Peter where it is talking about…

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Are we responsible only for ourselves or for others as well?

Question: Hi there, I think it is in Matthew we read that we should not cause another to sin. Are we responsible for our own salvation? Or can we be held responsible someday for causing another to sin and which kept them out of heaven? Answer: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who…

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Why doesn’t God just end the world and stop the corruption?

Question: We know, as a fact, that our God does not want anyone to perish and wants all to come to the knowledge of Him and salvation. We even deduce that he created us out of love, as He is love. At the same time, we expect that most people will not be saved, and…

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Being Made New

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/BeingMadeNew.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 42:1-12   I.         It is that time of year when we begin thinking about the new year.             A.        Sure, it is just a date, a marker in the sand, but it becomes an opportunity to look at what was done and resolve to do better.             B.        Paul talked about that in…

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Does the Case of Cornelius Prove the “Sinner’s Prayer” Doctrine?

by Wayne Jackson Does not the case of Cornelius, the Roman soldier (Acts 10), prove that God hears the prayers of those who have not been baptized? The angel told Cornelius, “your prayer has been heard” (Acts 10:31), and yet the centurion was not baptized until later. Can you explain the apparent conflict between this…

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Evidence of Pardon: How Can I Know I Am Saved?

by Kenneth E. Thomas Christianity is a system of faith, but it is not a leap of faith. Our faith in God is founded firmly upon the evidence of His existence found in His creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). “Because what may be known…

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Is there redemption for a person who has been in multiple marriages?

Question: What’s the fate of a man or woman who has married twice, have discovered the church of Christ, and are convinced it’s the only true way? Can the person be baptized? Brethren in my congregation says there’s no redemption for such a person because of the person’s past marital life. Answer: Redemption is available…

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When did baptism for the remission of sins start?

Question: In the “Articles” section, under Baptism, “Answering Arguments Against Baptism”.  You state that “Baptism for the remission of sins did not begin until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37-38), so the thief (and Jesus) lived under the law of Moses.” Please read Mark 1:4: “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism…

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What happens if sin is not confessed immediately and the sinner dies?

Question: How does I John 2:1 work for believers? One commentator talks of consent for the advocate to succeed but sometimes believers don’t get convicted of their sins immediately, for example, David in II Samuel 11 and 12. Does this mean his advocacy will not avail them? If they die, will they go to hell?…

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I think I committed the sin of lust. What do I do?

Question: I think I committed lust. I thought of having sex with a person I knew, and really do regret it, after I found out it is a very big sin. No one told me it was a sin, but after I’ve done some research, I found out it is as if I am actually…

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Have some people visited hell in a near-death experience?

Question: I have recently seen a video on YouTube that took quotes from people who had near-death-experiences and had apparently “been” to Hell. And what they said about it just seems to me like it couldn’t be. How could God let anyone, good or bad, be made to have that much pain for all eternity?…

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Can a Christian come back after falling several times?

Question: I’ve been pondering and thinking about it all. Here’s my question, can a saved Christian after he’s saved and changes his lifestyle, shrink back? Fall from the faith? Go back to his old ways? And then return back to Christ? For a more clear illustration: Say a young man is involved with gang activity,…

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How do I ask for forgiveness after sinning so terribly?

Question: I’m not sure how to fix what I’ve done – or if it is fixable at all. I gave my boyfriend a hand-job a few weeks ago, and I’ve felt guilty ever since then. I told him that I don’t want to do it again because I realized that I had committed fornication, and…

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God’s Captivated Captives

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2011Spring1GodsCaptivatedCaptives.mp3 by Taylor Ladd Influence and Evangelism

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There Is Freedom

by Kent Heaton Freedom is a precious stone shared by a few and made precious by only those who understand its worth. Living in a land of freedom does not make us free. The heart is only free when one realizes the cost of liberty. Being free recognizes the darkness of bondage embraced by the…

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Do we die to sin at the point of repentance?

Question: After viewing your web site, my brother and I saw the graphic on the gospel re-enacted.  I appreciate the way it is laid out.  I am attaching a similar graphic that is being taught in this area and in many other areas also. In this graphic, it is taught that in baptism we repent of…

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Did Jesus die only for the saved?

Question: Can you tell me what exactly our Lord meant when he said in John 10:15 about laying down his life for the sheep?  Was that exclusively for the sheep and not the goats, as the Reformed Christians believe? Some Calvinistic doctrine rings true to me. I have some of their literature and preaching tapes…

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What 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…

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What 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…

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I applaud you on making the Bible’s teaching on salvation clear

Question: Just wanted to drop a note and applaud you on your web site for making it clear to people that the Bible is very plain about salvation. Baptism is not a very tough subject, but false teachers make it that way. I just wish people would understand the difference in the works of merit…

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Did Cornelius need to work before or after his salvation?

Question: Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for the sermons you provide online. I actually came across your web site this evening as I was searching for resources on Cornelius and his salvation, as I think his life greatly parallels many in today’s culture. I do have an inquiry from the 15th paragraph, which…

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Did an Israelite have to be born again under the Old Law?

Question: I have two questions: Did the Old Testament believers’ experience being “born again” or “regeneration” as experienced with the New Testament believers through Jesus Christ? Are born again believers still considered to be “sinners” or “saints” and why? Answer: There are several passages that use the allegory of birth to explain the change that…

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Must you be baptized even after saying the prayer of salvation?

Question: I was wandering if you had to be baptized, even after saying the prayer of salvation to be completely saved. Answer: Just one small problem — there is no mention of salvation coming through prayer in the Bible. To claim to be saved by saying a prayer, then, is to make up your own…

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Ten Commandments

by Carl A. Allen In a home Bible class, I was told, “All you have to do, to be saved, is to keep the Ten Commandments!” I looked at the lady and said, “You do not believe that.” She responded, “Yes I do!” I posed a question, “Must one believe in Jesus to be saved?”…

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If the Righteous Scarcely Be Saved …

by George Hutto “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let…

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