The word “doctrine” in the Bible simply means “teaching.” Today we generally use the word “doctrine” to refer to a precise teaching or set of teachings while the word “teaching” itself refers more loosely to overall general concepts. Too, doctrine seems to have a religious connotation while teaching may connote the religious or secular. So […]
Vs. 1 – Closely following the Spirit’s acknowledgement of Jesus, the Spirit directs Jesus to go into this wilderness where He would be tempted by Satan. Mark records that there were “wild animals” in this wilderness (Mark 1:13). The wilderness of Judea was a rocky, barren, scrubby environment more or less hostile to human life. […]
Yesterday was January 1st, 2005. The year 2004 is gone forever. Some may be wondering, “What will the new year hold for us?” Will there be weddings? (I know of one being planned.) Will there be funerals? Will there be births (I know of one of these too!) Will there be good times? Will there […]
Here is a question that the Bible directly answers in scripture. In James 1:5, James writes, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James states that if someone wants wisdom, that he may ask God and […]
In Acts 5:1-4, we read the following narrative: “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why […]
Jesus mission while he was upon the earth was to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Inasmuch as the church belongs to her Lord (Matthew 16:18), she is to be about that same mission as well. Within that mission, there are those who need to be saved and there are those who are […]
It seems that on every side we turn now a days, we find a nation that is increasingly hostile toward Christianity. From Rosie O’Donnel’s comments that fundamentalists Christians are worse than radical Islamists to Bill Maher’s mocking the Lord’s supper by comparing it to a homosexual affair, we find in popular culture that hostile and […]
A querist asks, “According to the New Testament, how much should a follower of Christ give to the work of the Lord? Relative to our giving, the following are some New Testament principles and guidelines that we should seriously consider: 1) As followers of Christ, we must first have a desire to give — Note […]
It was based primarily upon the writing of Thomas Campbell in his “Declaration and Address” from which the greatest modern plea for religious unity has ever been made. To summarize that document, Campbell states that in order to have religious unity, men must abandon all humanly divided religious organizations, all humanly created creeds and articles […]
One of the criticisms that Jesus’ enemies so often employed was that He ate with the publicans and sinners. We find this criticism recorded for us in the following passages: Matthew 9:10, 11; 11:19; Mark 2:15, 16; Luke 5:30, 7:34, 15:1. This criticism was no doubt leveled at Jesus due to the fact that he […]
The advocates of eternal security often cite John 3:16 as evidence that all that is required for salvation is faith. This passage, however, is seen as more than a single event when we look at it in the King James Version: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that […]
As far as the Christian is concerned, everything that he is, does, and says, belongs to God. So, the Christian’s speech is to serve the Christian’s Lord. This means that the Christian is free to speak, but only in a way that would honor God (Colossians 3:17). There are those, however, who suggest that freedom […]
One might think that the answer to this question is obvious. Faithful Christians should oppose homosexuality in all forms (Romans 1:26, 27). So where does the question come from? I have heard from a few different people who don’t think that we ought to have laws that oppose the homosexual marriage or laws that limit […]
In Luke 14:12-14, our Lord said to the lawyers and Pharisees, “When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kindsmen, nor thy
Not too long ago, I received a Bible riddle from an online friend. The riddle was, “What does the Bible say will never be satisfied and say ‘It is enough?’” So I got to looking through the concordance, looking for some of these key words and I came across Proverbs 30:15, 16 “The horseleach hath […]
Most (if not all) professed Christians of whatever creed or belief agree that there is a time when an alien sinner is separated from God. They are not agreed, however, on where reunion takes place or when the alien sinner returns to God. Some of them teach that it is when the sinner, in answer […]
March 18th, 2003 I think I understand what your point is, but we simply disagree. The premise that you are setting forth is that in ALL cases when the scriptures address individuals, that means individuals ONLY and in ALL cases when the scriptures address the church, that means the church ONLY. For you (in your […]
When God specified what the ark was to be loaded with He provided for the worship needs of Noah and his family. Clean animals were required and so they were available when Noah landed. This sacrifice is a very significant one. The earth had just been cleansed from idolatry and violence and every sin imaginable. […]
I have just finished reading one of the most delightful books that I have ever read. It is entitled, J.D. Tant–Texas Preacher. I am sure that many of the brethren have read this book, and I would encourage more to read it. As a young gospel preacher, I found it particularly encouraging because in this […]
That God exists (Romans 1:19-21). That the universe and everything in it is God’s creation (Genesis 1-2). That the highest of God’s creation is mankind (Psalm 8). That God is love and that God loves mankind (1 John 4:16, John 3:16). That God is a holy and righteous God (1 Peter 1:16). That all men […]