The Old Testament and Music
Several people who disagree with our contention that instrumental music is unauthorized in the New Testament make the claim that instrumental music is authorized by the command to sing Old Testament psalms. Since we are commanded to sing psalms in the New Testament (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), it follows that we are permitted to practice […]
Dating Hezekiah’s Reign
One of the thorniest issues of Old Testament chronology is the dating of Hezekiah’s reign. In 2 Kings 18:3, the Masoretic text states, “Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.” Since Sennacherib’s own record in the Taylor Prism […]
Jeremiah’s Prophecy Concerning Coniah
These words are found in Jeremiah 22:28-30: “Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed and are cast into the land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah, write ye […]
Why Are New Concepts Developed?
Over the past couple of decades the churches of Christ have been exposed to many new views. Change agents have been, and still are, at work. Some of these new views wither and die, while others stick. Before we attempt to answer the above question, a brief discussion of these new views is necessary. The […]
Old Testament Chronology
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] The dating of the Old Testament is not left to chance, nor is it undecipherable for the competent Bible student. Seven passages in the Bible help us pinpoint several important events in the Old Testament. First, Genesis 15:13, 16: “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety […]
Jeremiah and His Prophecies
Like Moses before him, Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet of Jehovah. God called him by saying, “Before I formed you in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jer. 1:5). Jeremiah’s response was, “… Oh Lord, […]
Have I Become Your Enemy?
The Galatian letter was written by Paul to the churches in Galatia to root out the erroneous doctrines introduced by the Judaizing teachers and to indoctrinate them in their earlier faith. Galatians 5:4 says, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” They […]
Watchdogs or Hushpuppies?
Often those who find themselves in indefensible positions resort to “invective” for justification. One of the more popular invectives for those who speak out against error and criticize false teaching is “watchdog.” The usual criticism of “watchdogs” is that they are not kind in the way they deal with problems. But “watchdog” is intended as […]
Are You Extreme?
The New Testament is clear about my relationship with evil (Ephesians 5:11). When I give encouragement to the man who teaches contrary to the doctrine of Christ, I become a partaker with him in his evil works (Romans 16:17-18; 2 John 9-11). It is an evil work to teach error and it is likewise an […]
“The Bible You Ridicule”
Benjamin Franklin, who was ridiculed once in Paris for his defense of the Bible, was determined to find out how much of it his scoffers had read. He informed them that he had come across a story of pastoral life in ancient times that seemed to him to be very beautiful but he would like […]