Crucified Christians
The life of a Christian is one that is a very noble and happy, but it is not easy. To live it right means a complete surrender to the will of God (Galatians 2:20). We know that Christ was crucified and we understand what it means for Christ to be crucified. But when Paul says, […]
A Creator of Dissension
When the apostle Paul was arrested and put on trial before Felix, Tertullus said of him, “For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). In modern terms, Paul was said to be a […]
Correction … and a Lesson
Once upon a time, I published a post which contained the following sentence: “If the preacher is speaking sound doctrine, the church will not be sound.” This was an error that should have been caught by proof-reading. It should have said: “If the preacher is not speaking sound doctrine, the church will not be sound.” […]
Are You Sick?
The Israelites were in bad shape in Isaiah 1. They were full of sin and alienated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Isaiah used the very striking metaphor of a sick man to describe their deplorable condition. He said in vv. 5-6, “Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head […]
What Is a Cult?
A four-part documentary recently aired on Amazon Prime entitled “Shiny Happy People.” The documentary exposed the cult of Bill Gothard and his religious movement known as Institute in Basic Life Principles as a cult. However, the documentary also seemed intent on branding all who believe in Jesus as cultists. The term “fundamentalist religions” was used […]
The First Gentile Christian #1
The separation between Jews and Gentiles is well known. That separation was deemed necessary by God in order that a pure line from Abraham to Christ might be maintained and to help the Jew retain his faith in the one true God. This separation was not to be permanent, however. In His promise to Abraham […]
“The Conviction of Things Not Seen”
Faith is not “blind” as some in the world believe. Rather, faith is a conviction based on evidence. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, NASB). Faith comes from the word of God (Rom. 10:17). “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by […]
Contentment
Have you ever noticed how the world promotes dissatisfaction? We are constantly bombarded with something newer and better that will make our lives complete once we buy it. If we listen to the world, we will always be comparing the lifestyles and possessions of others with our own, and we will always be dissatisfied. Paul […]
Conduct Worthy of the Gospel
Paul wrote in Philippians 1:27, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” In order to […]
Conditions of the Conscience
Paul wrote, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward” (2 Corinthians 1:12). The word “conscience” basically means “with knowledge.” The conscience is a […]
