The Bible
“Every scripture inspired of God …” (2 Timothy 3:16). When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he urged him to abide in the things he had learned and been assured of because that from a child he had “known the sacred writings …” (2 Tim. 3:15). The word “writings” is qualified by the word […]
Sins Against the Spirit
Is it possible to sin against the Holy Spirit? Many believe that it is possible according to Matthew 12:31-32. In a day when spiritual gifts have been done away (1 Corinthians 13:8-10), an examination of some verses in the New Testament will be very helpful. Paul warned the Ephesians, “And grieve not the holy Spirit […]
Graves in the Wilderness
Did you ever walk through a cemetery and take time to read the inscriptions on the headstones? Some are poignant, some are humorous, and some just give the name and dates of birth and death. But, all of them are reminders that life is brief, death is sure, and how we live will be remembered […]
Can This Be the Christ?
The Samaritan woman, leaving her waterpot by the well, rushed to her village, urging the people, “Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Can this be the Christ?” (Jn. 4:25). The invitation of this woman, with perhaps Jesus’ supernatural revelation of the woman’s past life, coupled also with the question, […]
Congregational Autonomy
A common thread in controversy is that anyone who preaches the truth from a different congregation to a congregation in error is violating local autonomy. These protestations are the common tactics of those who do not want their doctrines examined. However, the Bible shows that there is no violation of congregational autonomy when the truth […]
Nickelodeon and Teen Pregnancy
In 2007, Nickelodeon considered a special for its young audience about sex and love following the news in December of that year that 16-year-old “Zoey 101” star Jamie Lynn Spears (the younger sister of Britney Spears) was pregnant. For the special, Nickelodeon talked with Linda Ellerbee, a newswoman who has done shows about same-sex parents, […]
The Ancient Landmarks
Proverbs 22:28 says, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have.” A landmark was a boundary by which lands, estates, and inheritances were marked, bounded and distinguished (Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17; Proverbs 23:10). Ancient landmarks served to preserve integrity, equity, and truthfulness within Israel. Christ has built His kingdom and marked out its boundaries for […]
Who Can Be Married?
There are three categories described in the Bible which help us to answer the above question. It is our steadfast desire that everyone who can enjoy God’s wonderful blessing of marriage. However, we do not want anyone to be in sin so it is necessary to examine this topic. First, those who have never been […]
Why Kids Stay “In Church”
I’ve heard the numbers quoted all my adult life: half of all children of Christians leave the faith. Without going to the trouble of a survey, we all intuitively know that this is the case. Many sermons have been preached on why they left. What I want to do is share the research as to […]
Public Confession of Sin
QUESTION: “Since there is neither command nor example of a confession of sin being made before the church, where is the authority for such a long-time practice?” REPLY: First, it is good that scriptural authority is desired and demanded (Matthew 28:20; Colossians 3:17; 2 Timothy 1:13). Indeed, we must have such authority, else our work […]
