The Solution for Sins

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 6:9-11 Sin was a big problem in the church at Corinth. It is a big problem worldwide and throughout all time. But Jesus offers a solution to sin: Washed Sanctified Justified Cleansed Set apart for a holy purpose Made right before the law   Justified When we sin,…

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Convict the World of Sin

by Terry Wane Benton The Holy Spirit used the revelation He gave to Peter to “convict the world of sin” (John 16:8; Acts 2:22-37). When they heard the convicting truth, they felt a need to be saved. Without telling the world of sin, no one feels a need to be saved. Everyone thinks they are…

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Wrong Is Always Wrong

by Richard Thetford In a period of loose and sagging morals, Satan provides many rationalizations for improper behavior. Those who would live faithful Christian lives must not be ignorant of Satan’s devices. Paul said, “…Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Wrong is always wrong despite our…

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The Direction of Your Life

The Direction of Your Life – Part 1The Direction of Your Life by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 6:19-24   I.         Whenever I taught someone to drive, I was reminded that people have a tendency to go in the direction they are looking.             A.        When a person first learns to drive, they tend to look at things…

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They Weigh Too Much for Me

by Jefferson David Tant Have you ever heard of Samuel Plimsoll? He was a member of the British Parliament back in the 1860s and 1870s. During this time there were some serious problems in the shipping industry. Numerous ships carrying loads of cargo were sinking in the ocean when they encountered severe storms. Plimsoll took…

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Why People Reject Christ

by Jefferson David Tant We live in a nation today that is becoming less and less “religious,” which includes an increasing number of those who reject Christ, as they may believe he is a myth, or if a real person, certainly not a divine being. Let us examine what may be behind what is happening…

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Were we created to die?

Question: Your website is a huge blessing! Thank you for all the work you do to keep it up. My question is, why do babies die if they are born without sin? I recently heard a debate between a gospel preacher and a Primitive Baptist, and this question was brought up. The response from the…

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The Blood of Christ

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Blood-of-Christ.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:18-21   I.         The blood of Christ is strongly connected with the concept of salvation from sin.             A.        It has been in the plan of God that Christ should die for mankind                         1.         Isaiah 53:5 – He was wounded for our transgressions.                         2.         Zechariah 13:1 – A fountain opened for sin…

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Does having a dream involving sin mean we have sinned?

Question: I am a member of the church. Lately, my soul has been in spiritual turmoil, and I could hardly find the strength to do anything but try to pray and study. I recently opened up to my husband about why, and I started to feel better after I opened up to him. However, I…

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Why Death?

by Doy Moyer Why is death a consequence of sin? Because sin is a direct affront to the glory of the God of life. When we reject God, we reject life. Death is what’s left. We cannot turn our backs on life and expect to live. Why did Christ come to die? He died for…

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Was Jesus Literally Forsaken?

by Doy Moyer Did the Father literally forsake Jesus at the cross? The Aramaic phrase spoken by Jesus on the cross, translated as “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” is often taken to mean just that (Matthew 27:46). Generally, the idea is that since Jesus was made to be sin on our…

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I Have a Closed Mind

by Fanning Yater Tant, Vanguard Magazine, January 25, 1979 This editorial is being written on my birthday (December 30). I have now attained my three score and ten, and have reached a point in life where I am neither ashamed nor afraid to say some things which would have been ranked heresy at a younger…

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What the Bible Says About Hell

by Gary W. Summers From the 2012 Bellview Lectureship, Pensacola, Florida, What the Bible Says About, Ed. Michael Hatcher “If there is a God who will damn his children forever, I would rather go to hell than to go to heaven and keep the society of such an infamous tyrant. I make my choice now.…

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Beware – Hungry Lions

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Beware-Hungry-Lions.mp3 by Joe Greer Lessons to Build Your Faith

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Beginning to Sink

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Beginning-to-Sink.mp3 by Joe Greer Lessons to Build Your Faith

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The Sin of Self-Righteousness

by Steven Harper Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of the first century, often because they had a too-high view of themselves. When He was at the house of Simon [a Pharisee], a woman who was known to be a sinner came in and began to wash His feet with her tears, wiping them dry with…

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Why the Violence?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Why-the-Violence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 140   I.         Another act of violence, and people naturally want to know why. Why is this happening? What can we do to prevent it? How can we feel safer?             A.        People grasp at simple solutions and quick fixes that really don’t fix anything and often are not even relate…

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What is meant by “Christ died for our sins?”

Question: The Bible says that Christ died for our sins. Does this mean that he died for the forgiveness of our sins? Answer: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3). The English word “for” is used…

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It seems impossible to abstain from all evil

Question: I think about the verse ‘Abstain from all evil.’ I feel it’s impossible, and I can’t even try to be perfect. Does it sound like I don’t have enough faith? Answer: What frequently happens is that people hear a verse but subtly change it in their memory. I Thessalonians 5:21-22 says, “But examine everything…

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It is so hard to escape the sin in the world

Question: Hello there. I have just gotten back into church again and I have been studying the Bible. Almost everything I watch has cuss words in them. I want to buy a language blocker for all my streaming services. It will block out bad language and nudity. Will that still be wrong? Maybe I’m just…

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Where There Is No Vision

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 29:18   I.         The vision or revelation under consideration is not imagination or foresight             A.        Of course, we do need to have prudence – the ability to see what comes next, but this isn’t the passage to use             B.        This passage is talking about divine revelation, a vision in the night, a…

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What Is Tolerated Today Becomes Accepted Tomorrow

by Dick Millwee Many years ago I read a quote that I found to be true. This was the quote: “What is tolerated today becomes accepted tomorrow.” Whoever said that said a mouthful and hit the nail on the head. Let me give a couple of examples. In 1939 a movie was made that had…

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Can we say there is no sin in heaven?

Question: We read that the devil and his angels were cast down because of rebellion. In light of this passage, can we say there is no sin in heaven? I’ve been confronted with this question. Answer: “And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those…

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Do occasional sins lead to spiritual death?

Question: Good afternoon, I heard a preacher recently state that in Romans 6:12-18, Paul makes a distinction between presenting your members as instruments for unrighteousness (Romans 6:13) and slaves of unrighteousness (Romans 6:16) which leads to spiritual death. The point being made here was that when a Christian, on occasion, yields his members as instruments…

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Sin versus Grace

by Doy Moyer Sin is much more than just the commission of a bad act here or there. It is a condition in which we reside. Sin is something in which people walk and live (Colossians 3:7). We were dead in sin and were by nature “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3). Sin holds us captive…

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Coddling Sinners

by Ron Daly To “coddle” is to treat indulgently. Coddling sinners not only can be but is disastrous to an individual or congregation. God does not give us any authority to provide an “escape hatch” for sinners, that is, people who sin and do not repent. Obviously, if a person repents of his sins and…

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Bad Influence

by Zeke Flores Some 2400 years ago, God’s people were confronted with their sins yet again. When Ezra the priest heard about how Israel had broken God’s law by marrying foreign women, he tore his robes, prayed, and fasted. When faced with the gravity of disobedience to God, the people committed themselves to faithfulness. And…

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Be Kind to All

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Be-Kind-to-All.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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The Wages of Sin Is Death

by Doy Moyer “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). Why should death have been the penalty for sin? In short, because we have disregarded the Giver of all life and breath and all things. If in our own pride we try to usurp God and take His throne and His glory for…

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What If I Fail Again?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/What-If-I-Fail-Again.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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Will breaking government laws keep us out of heaven?

Question: No doubt, a Christian realizes the seriousness of sin. It’s ugly. What do you think about everyday things we get into like speeding, even a mile over, texting while drivings, and not wearing a seatbelt? Do you think these are things that would keep us out of heaven?   Answer: I don’t sit in…

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The Freedom of Truth

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-Freedom-of-Truth.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 8:30-59   I.         Many began to believe on Jesus – John 8:30-31             A.        Jesus said that if they would live in the words of Jesus, then they would truly be his disciples – John 8:32                         1.         Obedience to his teaching would cause them to know the truth.                         2.         Obedience leads to greater…

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The Sin of Sodom

by Matthew W. Bassford The most famous example of homosexual activity in the entire Bible occurs in the early part of Genesis 19. There, two angels in human form come to the city of Sodom and pretend to be travelers seeking hospitality. The patriarch Lot invites them into his home, but at evening, the men…

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Dead Flies

by Matthew W. Bassford Ecclesiastes was my father’s favorite book of the Old Testament, and his favorite verse in Ecclesiastes was 10:1. At least, I think it was his favorite verse. It certainly was the one that he quoted most to my teenage self. To this day, I have no trouble summoning up, “Dead flies…

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Sin Ruins Everything

by Terry Wane Benton We had Paradise and God, and everything was good, beautiful, and perfect. Then sin entered the world, and we lost a perfect paradise, fellowship with God who is perfect, access to the tree of life, and were left to deal with a world of problems and hardships. Sin spread all over…

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Why Did the Adulterers and Homosexuals at Corinth Change?

by Terry Wane Benton Paul mentions a list of sins which included thieves, drunkards, adulterers, and homosexuals (I Corinthians 6:8-10) and said, “such were some of you”. They were washed from such sins, justified, and sanctified. What was the motivation that moved them to change? They did not argue that they were born this way…

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Where There Is No Law There Is No Sin

by Terry Wane Benton Some brethren are misusing Romand 5:13 and Romans 4:15 to say there is no law, therefore we can do what we want. That is not the point of these two passages nor any other passage. The point in Romans 5:13 is that there was sin even before the Sinai law was…

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If babies are not sinners, then why do some babies die?

Question: Hello, The Bible says for the wages of sin is death. If you claim that babies are not born sinners why do babies die? Thanks Answer: “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting…

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