By Dan Jenkins
The life of the man after God’s own heart had its great moments of triumph—he had killed Goliath, the nation heralded him as a young man who had slain ten times those slain by Saul. Yet at times, Saul and his army threatened his life, and then later king David’s own son drove him from the palace.
By Kevin Cauley
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).
Christianity is the only world religion that teaches salvation by grace. The other world religions teach that “salvation” is based on merit. This means as long as one is 51% good, he may claim salvation. He can be 49% evil and be “saved.” This implicates God in evil since God would be obliged to “save” people who are 49% evil. In such a system, God must condone evil. What kind of a god would condone evil?
By Dan Jenkins
The disciples of Jesus had no idea about the nature of the kingdom Jesus had come to established. The Old Testament was filled with promises of the coming King and His kingdom, but no one on this earth understood what it would be like (1 Cor. 2:8-9). Jesus used parables to help those disciples see what was about to happen.
In Matthew chapter thirteen, there are eight parables He gave to them. The first describes the coming kingdom being like a man sowing seed. They could not comprehend the meaning and asked Him to explain. The second parable is about a man who sowed seeds into his field and the enemy who came at night and sowed tares (weeds) in that field. They did not comprehend this parable, so He also had to explain to them its meaning.
By Neal Pollard
Pythagoras is said to have been the earliest outside of Scripture (Isa. 40:22) to contend that the earth is round. He did not make the earth round with his assertions, but identified what already was. Sir Isaac Newton certainly did not create gravity, but he is credited for our modern understanding of it. Likewise, the term “sola scriptura” is not found in scripture (similar to terms like “trinity” and “omniscience”), but it was coined during the “Reformation Movement” as part of Martin Luther’s protests against perceived corruptions of the Catholic Church. It was a “Latin phrase (literally ‘by Scripture alone’) describing the Protestant theological principle that Scripture is the final norm in all judgments of faith and practice. Church traditions and customs, pronouncements of church officials, civil law or any other purely human source, including human reason, must yield to clear scriptural pronouncements” (Reid, Daniel G., et al. Dictionary of Christianity in America, 1990: n.p.). Did the Protestant Reformers, who, incidentally, unfortunately got so many things wrong, originate that idea? Because they were wrong on many doctrinal conclusions, does that automatically make the idea of “sola Scriptura” incorrect? It seems to me that at least three questions are in order regarding this subject.
What does “by Scripture alone” mean?
Selected Article
THE ENCOURAGER. This selfless person is always looking for a back to pat or a hand to lift. He or she is intent on others being appreciated for their contribution to the Lord’s work. These have a knack for doing so actively and genuinely.
THE UPBEAT. This smiling person has not had fewer surgeries, health issues, or reverses of life (in fact, many times they have had more than their share). Though you know they are suffering, if you ask them how they are you hear a silver-lining answer and see a twinkle in their eyes that betrays hope and optimism. They seem focused on heaven, not their hurts.
By Jim Mettenbrink
In our task to restore the foundation of the nation that has been eroded we considered the causes of indoctrination of Secular Humanism (man is his own god – primarily via public education at all levels) increasingly for nearly a century, and more recently the influence of its child, Postmodernism (no absolute truth). Actually beginning in the Enlightenment (17th & 18th centuries) the discoveries revealed via science combined with the advance of the Industrial Age (machines – late 1700s), European man (eventually all of the west) became increasingly self-sufficient. G.J. Holyoake, who coined the term “secularism” (1851), stated that the doctrine of morality “should be based solely in regard to the well-being of mankind in the present life, to the exclusion of all considerations drawn from a belief in God or in future life” (1845). We do not need God – we do it ourselves!
By Brad Harrub
All Christians should seek and support Biblical justice. God demands it. There are countless passages that talk about how God is a just God. The Bible talks about His righteous judgement (Romans 2:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:5). Christians should fight for Biblical justice.
But what about social justice? Should we be marching in the streets and/or carrying banners to defend a specific cause? If social justice is in line with God’s Word, then all Christians should support it and defend it. But what about those occasions when social justice is not aligned with Biblical justice?
By David Phillips
I recall that Brother Joe McCollough would often call attention to a particular word or phrase in conversation, or sometimes from scripture, and then he would usually say, “I am a student of words…” Brother Joe wasn’t highly educated, but he appreciated the scriptures and obviously spent much time with them. We frequently discussed the meaning and origin of particular words from the Bible, and inevitably the conversation would turn to the need to be more grateful for this precious blessing from our Heavenly Father. I sure miss Brother Joe, and 25 or thirty others that I could readily name, who were a crucial part of our congregation, but have now gone on to their heavenly reward. I miss their smiles and encouraging words; I miss their constructive hands and their dedicated hearts. I miss their zeal and their faithfulness and the effect that they had on me, week after week. Surely one of the true joys of Heaven will be the grand reunion we will enjoy there.
By Kevin Cauley
“I don’t understand the concept of the silence of the scriptures.” This is an increasingly voiced sentiment. However, we do understand the prohibitive nature of the silence of the scriptures to some degree. For example, take the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me.” This is a positive command. Jesus didn’t have to explain who NOT to remember. Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t remember Abraham. Don’t remember Moses. Don’t remember Joshua. Don’t remember David. Don’t remember Hezekiah. Don’t remember John the baptizer.” I don’t know of any religious group observing the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of anyone but Jesus. Would it be sinful during the Lord’s Supper to remember someone other than Jesus? Yes. That shows a basic understanding of the silence of the scriptures.