True Knowledge, and False Knowledge The bible speaks of the “TRUE knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1, verse 3. And it warns us about false knowledge, in 2 Peter 2, verses 1 thru 3. Here’s what it says; “But false prophets also arose among the people, (the reference there is to the people of Israel) just as there will…
What is an Expedient? What if someone told you, that although with our singing in worship to God, that it’s also OK to use musical instruments, because it’s expedient to do so? Would you know how to respond to that? Would you even know what they MEAN, when they say; It’s expedient to use musical instruments along with our singing, as we worship God? I want to clarify…
The Pattern and History of our Giving I’d like to read the first four verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 16.. “Now concerning the collection for the saints; As I directed the congregations of Galatia, so do you also. Against the first day of every week, let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I arrive. And…
How Can We Describe God’s Kingdom? In Mathew 13, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to several things. He likens it to a mustard seed, and He likens it to leaven. He compares the kingdom to a treasure hidden in a field, and to a costly pearl, and even to a fishing net that’s cast into the sea. Jesus says in verse 24; “The…
Salvation The most important question that we could ever ask, is; “What must I do to be saved”. If we don’t know HOW to be saved, it’s pretty much guaranteed, we WON’T be saved. But before we answer the question of HOW we can be saved, let’s consider this question; “What is it, that makes us UN-saved?” To be Un-saved, is to be lost. Jesus said in Luke 19, verse…
Teaching The Truth in Love This writing is in response to the statements made in an article titled “Can a Christian lose salvation”, from the website, gotquestions.org. The belief that a Christian CANNOT lose their salvation, is an incorrect interpretation of the scriptures, resulting from being unaware of some very clear verses on the subject, and possibly by reading into other verses, things that are not actually said. My purpose here isn’t…
Severed from Christ? This question, “Can a Christian lose salvation?”, is asked over and over again. And the reason that it’s asked so repeatedly, is that people have the tendency to listen to the opinions of other people, instead of simply going to the word of God. If everyone would simply accept God’s word, as stated in the bible, the question would be put…
Sometimes Songs Reflect Truth Let me read to you some of the words to a song called Honesty.. “If you search for tenderness, it isn’t hard to find. You can have the love you need, to live.” “But if you look for truthfulness, you might just as well be blind. It always seems to be, so hard to give.” “Honesty, is such a lonely word,…
Let Me Read A Quotation “In proportion as men become worldly minded, provided they haven’t entirely lost the fear of God, do they begin to require “helps” to their devotion. That they could require such “helps” under a dark dispensation, where they were led into the use of symbolic rites, rather than being inwardly illuminated by God’s word and Spirit, is not at all astonishing. But to say…
Father Forgive Me Jesus said in Mathew 6, verse 15; “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” That principle is easy to understand isn’t it? In order to be forgiven by God, we must be willing to forgive others. Here’s another verse that pretty much says the same thing. Mathew 6, verse 12. It’s a part of what people…
For It Is “Just” Listen please, to this scripture from 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 7 thru 9; “For it is JUST, for God to repay with affliction, those who afflict you.” “And to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us, when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God,…
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…
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…
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…