I shall attempt in this paper to provide an adequate definition of what a miracle is, of what the providence of God is, to answer some of the arguments that have been made against the possibility of miracles, and to evaluate some of the evidence for some of the miracles of the Bible. This paper assumes the existence of God as revealed in the Bible and does not have as its purpose the attempt to prove it, although his existence and the working of miracles in this world are related. I have not the time nor the space in this paper to attempt such a demonstration. The Definition of Miracles Miracles are not easy to define. In their very nature they are inexplicable. Richard Trench says, [W]hat we usually term miracles, are in the sacred Scriptures termed sometimes ‘wonders,’ sometimes ‘signs,’ sometimes ‘powers,’ sometimes simply ‘works.’ Other titles also they bear, but of rarer occurrence; such as will easily range themselves under one or other of these. A miracle is a wonder (teras) because of the effect it produces on one who witnesses it. It is always joined to one of the other words, usually signs and wonders, never wonders alone. It is not a wonder only, but also a sign (semeia), evidence that the one performing the miracle is a messenger of God. They are so used in the Scriptures: “Long time therefore they tarried there speaking boldly in the Lord, who bare witness unto the word of his …

The phrase, “born again” has become so popular lately that we would not be too surprised to hear that Castro or Hussein had appropriated (or misappropriated) it. Members of the Lord’s church seem to be about the only ones who realize that the expression, “born again Christians” is an anomaly, for there are no other kinds. However, even among Christians, it is my judgment that the term has never been studied as it deserves. Many of those who use it in a more scriptural and proper manner do so, not because they have personally probed into its meaning and implications in the Scriptures, but because they, like their denominational counterparts, simply mouth the phrases which they hear others use. Many of us have thought we could probably tell from which school a person had come by the peculiar expressions he uses in praying. However, “Bless those who are sick of this congregation” might come from most any place, for most every place we go we find persons who are sick of the congregation or the preacher or the elders. To the average person, the expression “born again” apparently means to have a commitment to Jesus in such a fashion that one’s thinking and acting have been changed. Certainly a person who is “born again” will do that, but not every person who does that is “born again.” However, before we can study adequately the meaning of any expression, we need to know the meaning of the Greek words that make …

A minister who taught about teaching Bible classes once had a gem of a piece of advice. Noting that certain age groups become very defensive when their behaviors or beliefs are challenged, he recommended having students read Proverbs 12:1, then ask a simple question. Proverbs 12:1 reads, “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid” (NKJV). The question was, “Now, you’re not stupid, are you?” How the approach worked for him I never noticed, but it has worked well for me on a few occasions. People don’t want to admit stupidity, much less when the Holy Bible indisputably points the accusing finger. Many, when finally seeing the import of this verse as compared with their actions, have responded much better to loving rebukes. They have thought over again the issues that were so sacrosanct in their minds. They were willing to look again at the firmness of their beliefs. After all, they finally noted, someone who thinks they are above correction would certainly fall into the category of people denounced in Proverbs 12:1. The wise sayings that are the Proverbs develop this as a recurring theme. Proverbs 15:5 — “A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent.” 13:1 — “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” 15:10 — “Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.” 15:12 — “A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, …

“These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-15). Many churches have abandoned long held beliefs regarding both doctrine and morality. The Bible is no longer viewed as the inspired, authoritative, all-sufficient, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And, if the Bible is rejected, then there is no basis for objective truth. Morality then becomes a matter of personal preference. Churches which have embraced this philosophy no longer believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God (John 14:6). They now deny such fundamental biblical doctrines as the virgin birth, the deity of Jesus and his resurrection. For many he was at best a good man. There are many ways to God, they argue, he is but one of them. In the realm of morality, little is considered inherently evil. We are told to be nonjudgmental. We must tolerate different points of view and be critical of no one. Tolerance is defined as acceptance, and the only sin is that of intolerance. In the quest to incorporate everyone and alienate no one, sin has been air brushed away. Anyone who argues otherwise is judgmental, intolerant, homophobic, pharisaic and unchristian. But that’s a lie! The church must be the pillar and support of truth. This …

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). This is not a skeptical and pessimistic view of life, but a poignant refutation of materialism. Wealth, power, pleasure and fame are all fleeting. Solomon, generally acknowledged as the author, observed: “I denied myself of nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11). This is the attitude of one looking at life from a purely materialistic point of view. It portrays the hopelessness of those who trust in wealth, power, pleasure and knowledge. Experience teaches that rich or poor, wise or foolish, great or small, all must die. That being true, our author laments: “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:1, 18). Maybe you’ve …

The story reads like a transcript from a recently aired edition of The Jerry Springer Show. Both had been married before. Both had found other “more desirable” partners. Both divorced their first mates and subsequently married each other. His new wife had previously been married to his half-brother, Philip. The story is true, but it doesn’t originate from tabloid TV, but from the pages of the Bible (Mark 6:17-18; cf. Matthew 14:4; Luke 3:19-20). Herod Antipas had been married to the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia. On one particular visit to Jerusalem, Antipas met Herodias, was taken with her great beauty and began an affair with her. She likewise, was enamored by the tetrarch’s great power, and so the two divorced their current spouses and joined in their unholy union.1 Antipas was interested in gratifying his fleshly desires; Herodias was interested in securing political clout. Then came the preacher — John. John preached a sermon on the sins of incest and adultery — “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). The Greek text suggests that he continued to repeat his message and censure the politician’s illicit behavior (cf. Colossians 3:5-7). Antipas and Herodias may have been married from a strictly legal perspective, but they didn’t have heaven’s sanction for their relationship. As one author notes, “This case establishe[s] the fact that God recognizes marriages of the unbelievers but He does not approve unlawful attachments (not really marriages.) By whose law was the relationship ‘unlawful?’ Divorce …

An attempt at an in-depth study of agape, the greatest word in Spirit-inspired language (“God is agape,” 1 John 4:8) ought to help the investigator and as many readers as are willing to study with him. Words Related to Agape Necessary to a knowledge of agape is an acquaintance with three other Greek words meaning “love”: Eros For sexual love the Greeks used the word eros. From it is derived the English word “erotic.” Capitalized, Eros becomes the name of the Greek god of sexual love. As a proper noun it is equated with the Roman god of sexual love, Cupid. A harlot, “wily of heart,” told a potential customer, “Let us solace ourselves with loves” (Proverbs 7:10, 18). Her word “loves” in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) is a form of eros. As misused as is the sexual nature, and with so many sins related to that misuse, some have concluded that a person’s sexual nature is evil and must altogether be denied. However, when God had created all things, including the sexual natures of Adam and Eve, their Creator’s appraisal was that the whole was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). If the human sexual nature is evil, the Creator himself must be blamed. In marriage the bed is “undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). The doctrine affirming the perpetual virginity of Mary, designed to exalt the Lord’s mother above other women, actually slanders all mothers. Storge A second Greek word meaning “love” defines family and kinship loyalty. As eros in itself is …

We hear a great deal about the power of positive thinking. There is an old song that tells us to “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.” Certainly, no one who thinks clearly would want to take issue with the concept of one thinking and acting in a positive manner. Indeed, it is essential for Christian living that one think positively. No amount of negatives will make one a Christian. However, it is impossible for us to “eliminate the negative” from our lives because there is a negative aspect to Christianity. Those who think that the negative has no place in the Bible need to read the Bible again. The Ten Commandments of the Old Covenant and the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament are two of many places where a negative aspect can be found in the Bible’s teaching. Christians must realize that there are some things that they cannot do and still live lives that are pleasing to Almighty God. As we study the Scriptures, we find that there are long lists of sins which are set forth and we are plainly taught that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). Someone one time made the statement that it takes “horse sense” to say “nay” to certain things. In order for one to be a faithful Christian, it is necessary to say “no” to some things. Let us look, for a moment, at that list in Galatians Chapter 5. Some …

If one were to believe everything that the scientific community has offered regarding man’s origins, we would find that very few theories include acts by a supernatural Creator. In fact, scientists are quick to point out that the universe took billions of years to form, and thus it would be absurd to believe that it was created in just six days. For instance, consider what Thomas Hayden recently wrote when he added another “certainty” of life, besides taxes and death. His effort to shore up the ever-faltering theory of evolution was the cover story of the July 29, 2002 issue of U.S. News & World Report. In explaining “how evolution works, and why it matters more than ever,” Hayden stated: “It’s an everyday phenomenon, a fundamental fact of biology as real as hunger and as unavoidable as death” (2002, 133[4]:43). Sadly, this type of grandstanding and propagandizing in the media occurs all too often. And people by the millions accept it as the “final word” on the subject — without any real knowledge as to what the evidence truly reveals. Even within the church, Christians often subconsciously find themselves favoring science over the Bible. We have forgotten the Truth on the matter, which can be summed up simply with the first ten words that appear in the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, emp. added). If this is not true, then every word that follows should be called into question. Because of the prevailing idea of an …

Every one of us is painfully aware that there are many obstacles to be overcome in our lives. Some of these are great and take a huge amount of effort on our part, and some are simple and easily overcome. Some of the obstacles, trials, tribulations that we must overcome are of a physical nature, and we often seek the help of physicians or others to help us take care of these. Some are emotional and mental, and sometimes we have to seek the help of professionals in overcoming these also. But for the Christian there are spiritual obstacles to overcome such as various kinds of temptations of the flesh, or the resurgence of poor attitudes, or something of the sort. In all probability spiritual obstacles are the most difficult for us to overcome, as a matter of fact, there are many of these that we cannot overcome on our own, and so it is necessary for us to call upon God in prayer, and he gives us the spiritual strength to overcome these problems and negative situations in life. In the great and inspiring Book of Revelation, we have a number of statements made about those who overcome. It should be noted that the people to whom the book was written were going to be suffering some agonizing persecution at the hands of the enemies of Christ, and they needed to be encouraged regarding overcoming and remaining faithful in their service to the Lord. So, our Lord, through the …

[Power, September, 2001] In the eighth century B.C., Isaiah would not restrain himself from heralding the good news that would bring glory to God. He wrote, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the gentiles shall see they righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name” (Isaiah 62:1-2). The new name would be given by the Lord himself when the Jews and the Gentiles were brought into the one body. God promised Abraham at the dawn of time that he would bless “all families of the earth” through him (Genesis 12:3). In “the church, which is his body,” Jew and Gentile are brought into friendship with God. Paul said, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Ephesians 2:16). The first historical occasion for Jew and Gentile to enjoy the fellowship of the faith together in one congregation was at Antioch of Syria. The Holy Spirit recorded the wondrous event in Acts 11:26, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” This marks the first time …

[Fulton County Gospel News, Vol. 36, No. 8, Aug. 2002, page 4.] In Galatians 6:14 Paul says, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” In this verse, Paul shows the proper place of glorying and in focusing on the Christ. He also speaks of two “crucifixions” here: The world is crucified to the child of God, and the child of God is crucified unto the world. To be crucified to something means to be dead to it. So, Paul’s meaning here is to be dead or separated from the world. In Romans 6:3-5, Paul teaches that baptism is patterned after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Paul then explains in verse 6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” This is the idea in Galatians 6:14. The Christian will not now let the world and its appeals, lust, and enticements attract him. Because Paul had experienced the new birth at baptism, he was able to say, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). To be crucified with Christ is to …

We must know that the church of the New Testament is neither denominational, nor sectarian. We must also know that there is no single, exclusive name in the New Testament identifying the church. This is a part of its uniqueness. In this connection Hugo McCord wrote: “The New Testament church is unique in that it has no proper name. Denominations have proper names. The word denominate means to name something. But the New Testament church is nameless. Though it is called the house of the Lord, the family of God, the body of Christ, and the kingdom of Christ…yet it has no proper name” (These Things Speak, p. 121). Denominations and denominational names originated in religious differences that sprang up after the New Testament was written. The divisive principles always suggested party names, whether those principles had to do with ordinances, particular church theories, methods of work and worship or personal preferences as to distinguished leaders. One writer put it this way: “Soon they began to differ among themselves and it was necessary that some terms be used to express these differences. In this way different denominations arose.” Thus we have the many different denominational names that we all hear and know. The justification for such seems to be this: How are you going to distinguish one Smith from another, without some sort of given name to express these differences? It seems not to have occurred to many people that distinguishing one Smith from another is the one thing we do not want to …

Mark Twain once said something like, “It isn’t all the things we know that hurt us. It’s all those things we know that ain’t so.” How true this is in regard to Bible study! Most people think that they understand the Bible, at least to some degree, before they ever seriously begin studying it. However, the sincere Bible student must guard against holding preconceived ideas, because they are roadblocks to truth. When Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that a prophet of God could heal him of his leprosy, he headed toward Israel. However, “Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper” (2 Kings 5:10-11). Naaman’s anger, which originally caused him to ignore the prophet’s instructions, was rooted in his preconceived idea of what the prophet should do. It was only when he was willing to accept the truth regarding what he was told, following his obedience, that he was healed (2 Kings 5:14). In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). …

As the land of Egypt suffered through the plagues God sent against them in punishment for Pharaoh’s refusal to allow the Israelites to go into the desert and serve the LORD, Pharaoh, having already broken many promises but under pressure from his servants (Exodus 10:7), offered up a compromise solution. Pharaoh offered to let the Israelites go into the wilderness but only on the condition that they leave their children behind (Exodus 10:8-11). The Lord’s response was the plague of locusts followed by darkness. Then Pharaoh offered to let the Israelites go into the wilderness and take their children, but on the condition that they leave their flocks and herds behind. But Moses rejected his offer because it was not what God wanted (Exodus 10:24-26). Often today, people wish to bargain with God over what he will allow and what he requires of them. For some reason, they believe that if they go along with some of God’s requirements, he should just forget about the rest. However, God does not operate that way. He knows what is best for us and offers us a covenant that is in our best interest out of his love (1 John 4:7-11). Our obedience — without any exceptions we may propose — is essential to pleasing him (Hebrews 5:8-9). Pharaoh had every opportunity to accept God’s will and let the Israelites serve him in the wilderness. Due to his own pride, he lost his slave laborers not only for a few days but forever. …