In our lifetime we are going to sin (1 John 1:7-10). Undoubtedly, some of those sins are going to be committed in the presence of others. There are going to be times when we either do not recognize that what we did was a sin, or that we understand it to be a sin but […]

In Matthew 18:13ff, Jesus presents a very important question to these disciples. He says, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” The disciples said that some people are saying that you are John the Baptizer; some people say that you are Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus then […]

There is only one place in the Bible where the expression “faith only” is used. It is much more than significant that the word “not” is right before this expression. James writes, “Ye see that by works a man is justified and not by faith only” (James 2:24). James answers the question whether one is […]

The Bible is the greatest book ever written for man and the words of the Bible prove this fact over and over again. It has been said that it is the “owner’s” manual for life. Certainly it was written by the one who knows man best-his Creator. Just as we would look to the owner’s […]

Romans 1:16 boldly declares that God’s power for salvation is within the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches that the basis of the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. What does the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus represent? It represents radical transformation. Could there be a more […]

One of the great questions that faces our day is the question of why there are so many denominations around us. It is clear from the scriptures that the followers of Christ were to be united in doctrine and practice. Jesus prayed for the unity of the believers in John 17. Paul condemned the factious […]

Recently I was asked this very important question. It is a question about which many people have pondered. It is a question that largely goes unanswered by many that choose rather to uphold the status quo of mainline religious bodies today. It is a question, however, that is begging to be answered by millions and […]

A couple of weeks ago in the bulletin we looked at the question, “What is our greatest challenge?” The answer to that question is that our greatest challenge is ourselves. If we can overcome our own personal fears, setbacks, difficulties, and problems, then we can go forward to become a better Christian in service to […]

Sometimes the most sublime truths can be stated in the simplest ways. We have a song that is often sung in our children’s classes and vacation bible schools: “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.” The song continues and speaks about being careful about what we hear, say, do and where we go. Moreover, […]

The question of who will be saved has occupied the thoughts of many throughout the ages. There are some people today who believe that everyone who has ever lived will be saved. There are some today who believe that a majority of people who have lived on the earth will be saved. There is, however, […]

The passage from which the title of this article originates is found on 2 John 9-11. John writes, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring […]

The mission and work of the church centers around the great mission that Christ proclaimed namely to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). The church as the bride of Christ has the responsibility of support the Christ in this great work (Ephesians 5:23, 24). As we have studied through the work of the […]

I don’t know if many people listen to “country” music in our congregation. I listen to this music driving home from work and lately there has been a song on the air by the Dixie Chicks called “Sin Wagon.” This song glorifies the concept of sin like none other I have heard before. We have […]

March 12th, 2003 I got to thinking about your comments a little more in your document and I just wanted to ask about one thing. I agree with you that the Lord’s Supper is corporate action. I am a little curious, however, do you believe that 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 is discussing corporate action? Seems to […]

March 5th, 2003 In response to your thoughts, I would first say that Galatians 6:10 is not the only passage with which I am going to deal to establish my case. However, I would like to point out a small fallacy in your reasoning. Now, if I am misrepresenting what you are saying, then I […]

(Author’s note: This is my part of an e-mail discussion with a non-institutional brother on the subject of whether the church has Bible authority to give to non-saints. The discussion occurred by e-mail in February and March of 2003. It was an informal discussion in that there were no stated propositions upon which we were […]

In discussing the differences between the Christian and the worldling, Paul writes, “Be ye angry, and sin not…” (Ephesians 4:26). This is a quotation from Psalm 4:4 where both the King James and the American Standard Versions read “Stand in awe, and sin not…” Moreover, the American Standard Version mentions in a footnote that “Stand […]

This is given early in the book of Isaiah (1:18), and is especially striking in that Jehovah here invites man to, as it were, sit down and think seriously with Him on matters of grave importance. The latter part of the verse focuses on the sinfulness of man, and the fact that man’s scarlet, red […]

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The above saying of Jesus introduces within its context the fact that the Scribes and Pharisees had devised their own system of salvation based not upon […]

When my wife and I got married close to thirteen years ago and my parents asked us why we wanted to get married, we replied, “because we love each other.” I will never forget the words that my dad told me that day. He said that we had a love, but that we really did […]