Have you paid close attention to your speech recently? Many of us say things that should embarrass us if we truly understood what we said. The words that we chose to express ourselves are important. According to Matthew 12:32-37, we will give an account to God for every idle word that we speak. Let us make sure that we understand what kinds of words that God finds unacceptable. Respect and Reverence for God God is ...
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A favorite passage that is used to support the moderate use of alcoholic beverages is 1 Timothy 3:8. One of the qualifications for the office of a Deacon is “not given to much wine.” It appears the wine is not condemned but the quantity of wine consumed. However, abstinence from alcoholic beverages is required of the Eldership (1 Tim. 3:2-3; Tit. 1:7). Is this a sanction of intoxicating wine for Deacons as long as they ...
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The apostle Paul said “that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7), but what was so special about Abraham and his faith? What kind of faith did Abraham have? How did that faith react in suffering? How did that faith react in failure? How did that faith react in prosperity? How did that faith react in doubting? The only way to know the answer is to look at ...
Read MoreWhen changes occur, it is common for those who bring in new ideas to reinterpret past events to prove that their ideas are really what people thought and wanted all along. Even when the changes are recent and people still remember what life was like before the changes, they just put a spin on the old ideas. There is a whole generation who have now lived in a United States where abortion has always been legal, where ...
Read MoreFirst Century Christians lived in a time where their government declared war on Christianity. The assaults on people of faith were not done in secret (Heb. 10:32-34). Lands, homes and property were taken by the governing powers. Preachers were regularly interrogated by civil authorities for speaking the truth about Christ (Acts 5:17-18). Members of the church did not want to assemble because of the government intrusions (Heb. 10:35-39). It just wasn’t safe going to church. ...
Read MoreMany well-meaning people will point to the miracle where Jesus turns water into wine as their justification to drink alcoholic beverages (Jn. 2:1-11). They correctly conclude that Christ would not have made wine if He did not approve of its consumption. However, they err by assuming the wine which Jesus made was fermented. The generic Greek word for wine (oinos) does not imply either a fermented nor unfermented beverage. We have already covered this point ...
Read MoreQuestion: I want to hear about your views on this particular topic. There's this man who is married with kids. He had some problems with his wife -- she being aggressive and abusive. He met another woman while he was still married to his wife and had sexual relations with her. He eventually divorced his wife, and now he's planning to marry this new woman he is currently seeing. These two who are now involved ...
Read MoreIf a person were to study the subject of wine from most any English translation of the Bible, that person might come away with an idea that the Bible condones a moderate use of alcohol. The Bible clearly condemns drunkenness (Lk. 21:34; Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21; 1 Pet. 4:3). Yet, certain passages sound like they approve of the consumption of intoxicating beverages (Deut. 14:26; Prov. 31:6; Hos. 4:11; Lk. 5:37-39; 7:33-35; Jn. 2:1-11; 1 Cor. ...
Read MoreIn 1829, two men robbed a United States mail carrier in Pennsylvania. The men were tried on six indictments that included robbery and murder. George Wilson and James Porter were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. However, a petition for pardon was made on George Wilson’s behalf by some of his influential friends. President Andrew Jackson was agreeable and granted a formal pardon to Wilson. Incredibly, Wilson refused the pardon! This had never ...
Read MoreA cursory reading of Hebrews 7:3 lends itself to the notion that Jesus was possibly Melchizedek. It is said of Melchizedek that he was “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life…” Who else could that describe but Jesus himself? In fact, our Lord is the only one in scriptures to be described this way (Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:8, 11, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13). Does that ...
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