The People Who Get to Understand

by Matthew W. Bassford Classical Calvinism teaches that it is impossible for the unregenerate to understand the word of God. We first must be anointed by the Holy Spirit before we can comprehend it and be saved. At first glance, Matthew 13:11 appears to support this doctrine. Here, Jesus says to His disciples, “Because the…

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Understanding the Bible

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Understanding-the-Bible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ezra 7:6-10   I.         God has given us the truths we need             A.        It will make us perfect – II Timothy 3:16-17             B.        It tells us how to live life and to be godly – II Peter 1:2-4             C.        What is written will help us believe – John 20:30-31 II.        The answers we seek…

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Considering the Context

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ConsideringTheContext.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text:   II Timothy 2:14-18   I.         My wife and I have done it numerous times and I’m sure it has happened to you as well. We’ll be talking about someone we know and then a comment is made that leaves you totally puzzled. So-and-so doesn’t have a relative by that name; at…

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The Misunderstood Jesus

by Doy Moyer Understanding people is often difficult. What do they mean? How are they using phrases? Are they being literal or figurative, or both? In person, we can ask and clarify, but when we are reading what others said, we can easily misinterpret because we are not hearing the inflections or seeing their gestures.…

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The Helper

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Helper.mp3 Text: John 16:1-15   I.         Lifting a few statements from their context can often make a writer appear to say things he never intended.             A.        It happens in politics all the time, and it happens in religion as well.             B.        In his last hours, Jesus made a series of promises concerning the Helper…

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The Helper

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Helper.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 16:1-15   I.         Lifting a few statements from their context can often make a writer appear to say things he never intended.             A.        It happens in politics all the time, and it happens in religion as well.             B.        In his last hours, Jesus made a series of promises concerning the Helper…

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Don’t you think we need new methods to interpret the Bible?

Question: I think the reason that churches don’t grow is that they are stuck in the past using outdated methods to interpret the Bible.  What we need are some new methods.  What do you think? Answer: Well, I don’t have anything new – just some very old observations.  In fact, it would be hard to…

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How do you know you’ve understood the Bible correctly?

Question: Hi there, I have a question about the different ways people read the Word of God. Overall each one has something right, but I would mainly like to know of a way of reading the Bible and taking it to heart. How is this specific method obtained through the Scripture? A fellow worker and…

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