Words of Salvation Three very important words, that we all need to understand, are righteousness, temperance, and judgment. And we need to understand these words, as the bible uses them. We typically say that “righteousness” is the keeping of God’s commandments. It really means, “to do justice”, but it means to do justice “in the eyes of God”. So then you can see how doing justice in…
Religious Denominations Christian religious denominations have been in existence since the first century AD. Jesus instructed His apostle John, to write a letter, to the congregation of believers in the city of Pergamum, in what is currently the country of Turkey. In that letter, one of the things that Jesus said was this; “Thus you also have some who in the same way, hold the teaching of…
Genesis 1, Verse 27 The title of this study is taken from Genesis chapter 1, and verse 27; “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God, He created man. Male and female, He created them.” The word “man” in this verse, and in many other verses, is used in a generic sense, and it refers to “mankind”. God created mankind, in His own…
Religious Conversion In the King James Version of the bible, Acts chapter 3, and verse 19 says; “Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Jesus said, in Mat 13, and verse 15; “For the heart of this people has waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and…
The Bible Says, When We Die, We Sleep The subject of being “asleep in Jesus”, is dealt with in 1 Thess chapter 4. We find these words in Verses 13 & 14; “But we do not want you to be uninformed brethren, about those who are asleep; That you may not grieve, as do the rest, who have no hope.” “For, if we believe that Jesus died and…
Are The Scriptures The Words of God ? There’s a lot of people who believe that the bible is a complete “fake”, and that it was simply written by man, or actually, by many men. Obviously, many men must have been involved in the actual writing of the scriptures, because of the simple fact that some parts of the bible are of much older composition…
1 Peter 3:18-20 The passage of scripture in 1 Peter chapter 3, verses 18 thru 20, is often misunderstood. So much so, that in 1852, the misuse of this scripture led to a split in the congregation in Nashville Tennessee. A man named Jesse Ferguson was the preacher for the congregation, and his views on these verses were contrary to other bible teachings. And it turned out that this was just the…
God Requires Faith Hebrews chapter 11, verses 5 & 6 tell us; “By faith, Enoch was taken up, so that he should not see death; And he was not found, because God took him up; For he obtained the witness that before his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. And without faith, it is impossible to please, for he who comes to God, must believe that…
Are We Authorized to Organize Religious Societies? In the previous study on the subject of religious societies, we noted how Alexander Campbell, one of the most influential restorationists from the early 1800’s, was much in favor of the formation of religious organizations and societies, for the purpose of more efficiently evangelizing the world. For the sake of anyone who is not familiar with the term “restorationist”, that…
God’s Three Dispensations Hebrews chapter 1, and verse 1, says; “God, having spoken long ago, to the fathers, in the prophets, in many portions, and in many ways, has in these last days, spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” There’s an interesting phrase in that verse; “In many portions”. What that means, is.. “in many…
The Religion of Early America When people came to America from Europe, in the seventeen, and eighteen hundreds, protestant denominations, and religious societies were common-place, just like they are today. However, in the late 1700’s, and the early 1800’s, many men became skeptical about denominations in general. And at about the same time, they also began to question religious societies. Men were trying to restore new testament…
What is a “Treasure in Earthen Vessels” ? A treasure could be of gold and silver and gemstones couldn’t it? And earthen vessels could be pottery made out of clay. That would be “Treasure in earthen vessels”. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found stored inside large clay pots, and hidden in caves, those were treasures in earthen vessels. But the bible speaks about one specific “treasure”, that’s carried in “earthen…
Evolution Is a Fact Of Life Your life, is an evolutionary process. To evolve, simply means.. “to develop gradually”. We didn’t go from birth, to the person we are today, overnight. But rather, we have evolved; We have developed gradually. God tells us in Romans 12, verse 2, to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is,…
The Providence Of God We’re told in Romans chapter 8, and verse 28; “And we know that GOD causes all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Isn’t that exactly what the providence of God is? It’s the assurance that God will care for us, no matter what! “We know that God causes ALL…
Thomas and Alexander Campbell Alexander Campbell is thought of by many, as being one of the men, most responsible for founding the churches of Christ in the United States. Of course the bible tells us that the church was “founded” when Jesus Christ ascended back to heaven and was given the kingdom, in about 33 AD. This was predicted by the prophet Daniel, in Dan 7:13-14; “I kept…
Misunderstanding the Bible vs Salvation The question that this article will answer is; Can misunderstanding the bible cause us to be lost eternally? That’s a serious thought isn’t it? I’m not talking about a willful decision to disregard the teachings of the bible. Though some don’t believe it, disregarding what the bible says, WILL cause us to be lost eternally. Just like remaining “Willfully Ignorant” of God’s word will also cause…
Is Ignorance a Sin ? When we talk about ignorance of God’s will, it very well CAN be sinful. At the very least, remaining ignorant of God’s will, and of His LAWS, will definitely make it impossible for us to keep from sinning. If we don’t even know what things are sinful, how can we ever expect to keep from committing sin? God’s very purpose for giving…
We Can Commit Sins Of Ignorance The bible says that people do commit “sins of ignorance”, in other words, sins that they’re not aware, that they’re committing. One area of scripture that people go to when talking about this subject is Luke chapter 12, verses 47 & 48. This is Jesus speaking; “And the slave who knew his master’s will, and did not get ready, or act in accord…
Is It Sinful To Eat In the Same Building That We Worship In? The scriptures say, in 1 Cor 11:22, “What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the assembly of God, and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.” That is the verse of scripture…
What Exactly is the Grace of God ? Ephesians 2, verses 8 & 9 tell us, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” What exactly does it mean, when it says, “By grace you have been saved”? The simple answer is actually given…