In our column today we wish to briefly look at some of the traits that make up the nature of God with which we will in part answer the question, “What kind of God is the One whom we affirm exists?”     We wish to point out that he is the God of the Bible. If one were to desire to know all the traits that God has revealed concerning himself, he must go to the Bible and study those things. When one does so, he will find that a study of each of the characteristics contributes something to his total knowledge of Yahweh. To express this same truth in another way, one may say a study of all the Bible reveals about God forms a picture that will fit the only true and living God of our universe.     The first trait we wish to review is his power. Our God is all powerful; he is omnipotent! The argument for the existence of God based on the creation of our universe proves not only that God exists, but that he is all powerful. Only a God of incredible power could create and sustain the whole universe, as well as those that scientists claim exist beyond ours. His power and energy would have to be greater than all the energy that exists, or that is available in the whole of creation, for he not only caused all things to come into existence but he sustains them by the word of his power. …

In Matthew chapters twenty-four and twenty-five, we have recorded the great Olivet Sermon preached by Jesus just hours before he was taken into captivity, tried and crucified for the sins of the world. The likelihood is more than great that there is no passage of Scripture outside the great Book of Revelation that is as badly maligned, abused, misunderstood and misinterpreted as the words of our gracious Lord in these chapters. While we would like to look in great depth at a number of matters in the Olivet Discourse, space permits us only to look at one matter in one verse. When Jesus was predicting the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, he said, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place”(Matthew 24:34 NKJV). For dozens of generations men have been reading this passage of Scripture and applying it to the generation in which they were living rather than the one in which Jesus was living. As a result of this misapplication of language, they have over and over again predicted the destruction of the universe before the end of the generation in which they were living at the time the prediction was made. This blunder has been repeated by every generation of Premillennialists since this false doctrine was popularized by John Nelson Darby among the Plymouth Brethren in England in the early 1830s.     If people would simply allow their minds to go back to …

The world is now and always has been full of “other gods.” Pretonius said of the city of Athens that it was easier to find a god than to find a man. And Zenophon called Athens, one great altar to the gods. The Bible is a very unique book in that it declares there is only one true and living God. Judaism, for hundreds upon hundreds of years claimed that there is only one true God who has revealed himself to mankind, and in that they have been correct. Christianity, likewise, declares to the world there is only one true God, although in recent months in this country, in the name of tolerance, some who claim to be Christians have voted to no longer say that salvation is found in Christ alone. From this and other sources we are learning that once again, in our world of so-called pluralism, men are beginning to deny that there is but one God. That is not surprising, but what is amazing is that there are some who wish to call themselves Christians who agree with that concept. While these people do not consider themselves polytheists (worshiper of more than one God), in reality they are because they recognize other so-called deities as being on a par with Yahweh when it comes to matters religious in nature. For some reason these folk find it “bigoted” to insist there is only one true God in our universe. When we turn to the 17th chapter of …

As we approach this study of the Judgment, we wish to begin by asking the question: “Who will be the judge?” God is going to judge the world by the One who resurrected from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion—the Lord Jesus Christ. To the Corinthians Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). In this passage he made very clear that the Judge of all the earth, when the Final Judgment comes, is the very One who is now our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.      Judgment has passed upon people, nations and this earth in times past. Cain was judged for killing his righteous brother. Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities of the plain were judged for the evil that they lived daily. The whole world was judged in the days of Noah. Israel was judged and destroyed by Assyria. Judah was judged and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, Sidon, Assyria, Edom and many others of whom we could speak came under judgment of heaven and no longer exist. In light of all the biblical examples, what would make us think that we too will not be judged? Why would we think that judgment is passed because of Jerusalem anymore than because of the judgment of the world in the days of Noah? This time, however, mankind …

How do we know that the sixty-six books that make up our Bible are the only writings that should be included in Holy Scripture? Do the Apocrypha, the Gnostic Gospels, the Gospels of Thomas or  Barnabas belong in the canon? Why should these books not be included in the Bible? The answer to these questions lies in the concept of canonicity. The English word “canon” comes from Hebrew and Greek words both of which mean, “a measuring rod.” This signifies that there is a standard that must be met by all books which make up the Bible. There are several inadequate views of what the standard for canonicity should have been, such as the age of the writing, its agreement with the Torah, if written in Hebrew or its religious value. But each of these criterion is reached by making a common mistake, which is, they confuse God’s determination of what Scripture is with man’s recognition of what it is. In the final analysis, whatever the Holy Spirit moved a servant of God to write is inspired and belongs in the canon, and whatever is the mere writing of man does not! There are several crucial questions that have been asked by scholars in the church in determining which books are to be accepted as canonical. The first and most basic is, “Was the book(s) written by a recognized prophet of God?” Deuteronomy 18:18 tells us that only a prophet of God will speak the Word of God. And we know …

The process by which the Bible came from the mind of God to the mind of man is called revelation. The process by which it was written is called inspiration. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”(2 Timothy 3:16‑17 NKJV). The phrase “given by inspiration of God,” can also be accurately translated in these words, “is breathed out by God.” Paul taught the Corinthian brethren that the Holy Spirit searched the mind of Elohim and revealed his will to the writers of the Bible, and then helped them choose the appropriate words in which to express the ideas of God. (See: 1 Corinthians 2:1-14.) The searching of the mind of Elohim by the Holy Spirit and revealing the mind of God to the writers of the Bible was one part of the equation, the speaking, or writing, of those words in the words which the Holy Spirit taught was the second part of the equation, and it is his part that is called inspiration. The apostle Peter also spoke to this matter, especially regarding the work of the Old Testament prophets when he wrote, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, …

In former times, we did a considerable amount of marriage counseling. Now we just make referrals.     One of the things that would come up very frequently when a couple was having problems in their marriage was one would accuse the other of sending “mixed signals.” What seemed to be acceptable at one time, so far as such things as the expenditure of money, for example, would be totally unacceptable at another time. One mate, sometimes both, would make statements such as, “I never know what to do!” We understand the frustration that can develop from such confusion brought on, usually by inconsistency, or acting on whims.     Often as parents, we do the very same thing to our children. For example, if they lie to us about some matter we will become almost enraged, and breathe out threatening and slaughter against them. Then they will observe in our lives, we lie to others and feel no compunction of conscience whatsoever. Thus, little Johnny may come to be completely confused over why it is wrong to lie to Dad about where he had ridden his bike that day, but it is alright for Dad to lie to the IRS on his tax return. As a result of this confusion, he may come to believe that it is okay to lie to any authority except Dad. Hence, that child may grow to be a person of great responsibility who does not at all mind fleecing his customers, or fellows, or even …

Since we live in a world of “you go to your church and I will go to mine,” and since we are so touchy about anyone’s judging anything we do, including which church we attend, we thought it important to ask the question that stands as title for this article. Many are not at all concerned with such things as finding Christ’s church in our world, but are deeply concerned with finding a church they like, or one that preaches what they want to hear, or conducts a worship after the style that they call worship. If they are partial to rock ‘n roll music, then they want a church that uses a rock band to entertain them as they carry on what they call worship. Such persons usually do not make any spiritual connection with the church and what is going on; it is a matter of finding one (if they are seeking one at all) that does or says something they like. Now, such attitudes are neither new nor novel inasmuch as they have been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years. However, for those who are deeply interested in the Bible and the things that pertain to it, for those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” there is an entirely different attitude regarding the question we have before us. It is to these people we dedicate our answer today.     Firstly, it is of vital importance that we identify the church for which Jesus gave his life …

The religious philosophy that we refer to as “Calvinism,” which should more accurately be described as “Augustinianism,” for it was the product of the 6th century philosopher and theologian Augustine of Hippo, leaves the strong implication that God is not eager to save man. This philosophy also teaches that it takes a special work of the Holy Spirit in order to bring man to salvation, that he cannot come to be saved by reading and studying his Bible himself. They say without the “enabling grace” of the Holy Spirit one cannot even want to be saved.     Others who practice a “mourner’s bench” system of religion believe that they must agonize, beg and plead with God, sometimes for even months or years on end before he finally allows them “through,” which we take to mean he grants them salvation, at least as they look upon it. Hence, by implication they are saying that it is a hard thing to drag salvation out of God.     Sometimes when we preach on the horrors of hell and all that attends that, some get the idea that we are saying that God wants more people to go to hell than to heaven, and since they do not believe they can ever do enough to satisfy God’s demands, it is a difficult, if not impossible task, to be saved. It is true that the Bible warns of eternal punishment, and by using metaphors that we can understand, pictures it as being a horrific place (which it is). …

For two hundred and five years churches of Christ in America have been engaged in the formidable effort to restore in our time the church of which we read in the New Testament. When this movement began with the work of Stone, Campbell, Scott, Smith and hundreds of others it was believed that the only way religious unity could be attained would be for people to do two things. (1) To return to the Bible for all that we do in matters of religion. Thomas Campbell coined, in his own unique way, the watchword of the early movement which was, “We speak where the Scriptures speak and we are silent where the Scriptures are silent.” (Someone has said we have no trouble in speaking where the Scriptures speak—our problem is deciding when they are silent. There may be some truth to that.) (2) We should attempt to restore the order and worship of the church to the same thing that it was in apostolic times. It would seem that the first of these would lead as naturally to the second as anything can. For example, if the Bible teaches the immersion of penitent believers for the remission of sins, and we do only that which is taught in the Bible regarding the manner in which one is saved, then we could not help but restore the ancient order of things to that degree. We further illustrate by pointing out that if the Scriptures teach that the apostolic church was set …

Recently the question was proposed, “If we are authorized to sing in worship, would not generic authority also authorize us to play instruments while we do that?” The answer to that is a resounding, “No!” If we are authorized to sing; the authorization of that one act of worship authorizes all that is necessary to carry out that command, just as Noah’s authorization to build the ark authorized all that he needed to do that. For example, since most of us do not memorize a great number of hymns, and some of us are incapable of memorizing any, we are authorized to print those hymns in books that we call songbooks. These are authorized in the command to sing. Since in order to sing, we must have notes of music to guide us, notes are authorized in the songbooks. Since in order to sing, we need to have a pitch to do so correctly, we are authorized to use some appropriate device to obtain that pitch. Since we are to speak to one another in songs, hymns and spiritual songs, we need to be regulated in our singing, so the song leader is authorized. He can give us the pitch, begin singing slightly ahead of us and beat the time so that we can stay together, singing appropriately to God. There is nothing used in the song service that is not authorized under the command to sing, though some things like songbooks, pitch pipes, tuning forks, etc. are not specifically …

One of the things causing so much confusion among our brethren today is a lack of understanding of generic and specific authority as these apply to our religious life. For example, one of the arguments used by those who are attempting to foist on us what even they call a “radical restoration,” by insisting that we should have “house churches” and worship only in our homes, eating the Lord’s Supper in the midst of a common meal is this: There is no authority for our having meetinghouses. They insist that in apostolic times there were none; the disciples always worshipped in their homes. One of the many flaws in their argument is that they could not prove it if their lives depended on it! While it is true that the early saints worshipped in their homes, there are hints that this was not always the case. For example, James, half-brother of our Lord, spoke of one coming “into your synagogue,” or “into your assembly” (2:2). That could have been in the home of a brother who had sufficient wealth to own a home, but it could also have been in another place—wherever the assembly was. Hence, it is not proper to say the early saints always met in homes, for the Book of Acts mentions their assembling on Solomon’s Porch of the Temple (3:11). Paul spoke to the Corinthians of the church “coming together in one place” (1 Corinthians 11:20). He even indicated that the place of their coming together was not …

The Bible displays more wisdom than any other book in the world. It sets forth the wisest principles found in literature read by man. The laws of the Bible exalt justice and truth above all other laws on the face of the earth. No other book affords so much dignity to human beings and no other book sets them up as being as valuable as the Bible. If the Bible is nothing more than a mere human production, why do we not find thousands of other “human productions” vying with it for the distribution of wisdom? Not only is there no book comparable to it, but there is none that even approaches it when it comes to the wisdom set forth on its sacred pages. Nowhere else in the world does one find the wisdom that is set forth in the Old Testament in that panel of commands that we call the “Ten Commandments.” How often we have heard people say, people who were not even religious, “the world would be a much better place to live if only we would follow the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament there is no more profound wisdom found than that which is set forth in our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. What would life be like, if in this country alone, we practiced the Golden Rule—and “whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even also to them”?     In the Old Testament there is a book called “Proverbs.” In …

D. Gene West is a brother in Christ and a faithful Gospel preacher for whom I have respect and esteem. It is with great pleasure that we dedicate this issue of Gospel Gazette Online to this man who I count as a dear friend; most of the pages of this issue of GGO are graced with articles from his pen. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor Brother West was baptized into Christ by the late Jess W. Nutter, April 11, 1950 and began preaching in February, 1953. He currently serves the Hillview Terrace church of Christ in Moundsville, WV. He also teaches English Grammar, Hebrews, Philippians, Philemon, Romans, Galatians, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Revelation in the West Virginia School of Preaching. This school, which has sent out nearly 50 preachers in the last ten years, is a work of the Hillview Terrace church in cooperation with other churches and interested persons.  He and his wife, the former Shirley Bissett are the parents of three children, Kandi Davis, Mary Amy Kessinger and Todd C. West. They are the grandparents of six grandchildren. He graduated Freed-Hardeman University, West Liberty State College, Fairmont State University, and has done graduate work at Southern Christian University and West Virginia University. After nearly ten years of intense study, in 2005 brother West authored a moderate preterist commentary on the Book of Revelation entitled: Avenging His Holy Saints, Apostles and Prophets. It is a hardbound book of some 847 pages, including the indices. He previously authored Messianic Prophecy Outlined, which has …