Does this sound like a strange title for an article? After all, doesn’t the Bible prohibit one human from murdering another human? We are not talking about the law of the land exercising capital punishment; we are talking about murder, the kind that is so much in the news now-a-days. High school students go loaded with guns into a school and deliberately murder as many as they can. A woman murders her husband. Out of apparent jealousy a teenager kills his friend and his friend’s parents, and on and on we could go. Why have these horrid and senseless murders increased in the last few years? Many of us are old enough to remember when such incidents were far from common. They were virtually unheard of. Again, why are they occurring in so many places today? I believe I know the answer, an answer that modern society will not accept.     Do you remember the approximate time when it became the rule that the silly philosophy of evolution began to be taught as scientific fact. Evolutionists are God-haters and God-denying infidels. One of the major tenets of this philosophy is the belief in the “survival of the fittest.” Our children are being taught that they are just a higher product of evolution, just a segment of the “survival of the fittest” existence. Connect this fact with the denial of the existence of God, and one comes to the irresistible conclusion that man is nothing more than an animal subject to …

According to a recent AP report, scientists in California say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men. The embryos were made with ordinary skin cells. This is similar to scientists in Britain in 2005 using embryonic stem cells to produce a cloned embryo. It matured enough to produce stem cells, but none were extracted.     What is all the interest in human cloning? Right now, the focus is to be able to collect stem cells for research, and eventually, for creating various human tissues and organs needed to treat a wide variety of diseases. Doug Melton, from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, said, “The next big advance will be to create a human embryonic stem cell line” from cloned embryos. George Daley of the Harvard Institute said, “It’s only a matter of time before some group succeeds.”     Much of the excitement about cures for diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson’s is still theoretical when it comes to embryonic stem cells. While progress has been made in adult stem cell research, which doesn’t endanger the adult from which they are removed, embryonic stem cells have proven to be somewhat unstable and carry a risk of cancer for the recipients of tissue from these cells. Beyond the health issues, embryonic stem cell research “involves creating human lives in the laboratory solely to destroy them for alleged benefit to others” (Richard Doerflinger). Harvesting (as it is called) embryonic stem cells is typically done when the embryo is about five days old. To harvest …

It is Sunday morning. You are standing in the lobby at church when a man and his family walk in. After brief introductions and a welcome, you learn that this is their first visit. They’re glad to be here. In the next few minutes, he asks a few questions. “How is this church different from other churches up and down the street—or is it?” “What do you believe, and why?” Later, over lunch, he and his wife have several other questions. “Why is there so much emphasis on baptism, and the Lord’s Supper,” “When did the church of Christ begin?” “Is it true that you believe you are the only ones going to Heaven?”     These are fair questions, and these people have every right to hear an honest answer. How would you answer? May I enlist your interest as I try to address these matters.     In truth, these questions are hard to answer until I first explain how we view the Bible itself. We believe that “…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), and “…holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Simply put, we believe the Bible is the expression of the very mind of God. The Bible is either God’s infallible Word, or it is worthless. If you want to know …

Now that I have “tasted that the Lord is gracious,” I will intensely crave “the sincere milk of the word” so I may continue to grow spiritually (1 Peter 2:2-3; Matthew 5:6). I must remember that when I am young and weak in the faith, I am in a vulnerable stage of my development. Satan wants to steal the Word out of my heart, or otherwise render me unable to produce fruit for God (cf. Matthew 13:18-23). Jesus said, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). I must remember it is the Word of God that brought me to this point, and it is the Word of God that will move me along in my spiritual development and fortify my faith (2 Timothy 3:14-17).     Now that I have learned of God’s love for me, I want to love him back and prove my love for him (John 3:16; 1 John 4:19). I am able to demonstrate my love for God by drawing nearer to him as James instructs his readers to do in his epistle (James 4:8). Further, I will seek his counsel, walk in it, and obey his Son (John 14:15), whom he has made Lord (Acts 2:36), and the Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). I will not be deceived by satisfaction in hearing only. I will be a doer of the Word (James 1:22).     Now that I am washed, sanctified and justified through Jesus’ blood in his …

The comprehension of Ephesians 3:10 ushers the Bible student into the realm of the sublime. That “the manifold [much-varied] wisdom of God” is “made known by the church” is a sweeping claim that stimulates much study. To whom it is made known—“the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” is a subject leaving the learner in awe.     Aiming to determine the meaning of “principalities and powers” from its various contexts is instructive. In Romans 8:38-39, it follows a mention of angels. Ephesians 6:12 has it in conjunction with the unseen realm against which Christians “wrestle,” that is, “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Colossians 1:16 places the descriptive phrase alongside other creations of Deity, “visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” It seems there to have some connection with the governments God authored. Indeed, when Christ took the Old Law out of the way, doing away with Mosaic Judaism, He “disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:14-15). One wonders about scenes in Daniel’s apocalyptic figures wherein a heavenly being was withstood by “the prince of the kingdom of Persia,” only to be rescued by “Michael, one of the chief princes,” who stood watch over the sons of Daniel’s people (Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21; 12:1). Was there an unseen war behind the visible, physical confrontations on earth, as God adjusted empires’ power to suit His controlling wishes …

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, “Surely I can’t look that old?” I love this story below that has been widely circulated: I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 37 years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm, or could he? After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School. “Yes. Yes, I did. I’m a Mustang,” he gleamed with pride. “When did you graduate?” I asked. He answered, “In 1967. Why do you ask?” “You were in my class!” I exclaimed. He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, wrinkled old man asked, “What did you teach?”     It’s so easy, isn’t it, to see the faults in someone else? We see their wrinkles. We see their gray hair. Even more than that, we see all the “specks” in their eyes (Matthew 7:3). However, we are not so quick to notice those flaws in ourselves.     When I was young, I was determined to change the world and make it …

After a restless night of weeping and praying, I felt that I had to write this article, asking help of some wiser, more experienced brethren who may know some answers I may not know. For almost half a century I have been answering questions, both in articles and in private teaching, concerning who, why, what, when, where, how, and so what of many Bible questions and human responses. But now I need help.     There was a Christian brother to whom I had taught something of the grace of God, a deacon who could and did teach and preach. His wife called and told me that she was divorcing him because he had been carrying on an adulterous relationship with another woman for more than eight years. With a breaking heart, I wrote and asked him how and why it could happen. I told him I could understand David. I could understand Peter. I could even understand something of how and why Judas could betray the Lord as he did. However, I could not understand how a man who has any understanding of God or any love for anything that is holy, sacred or worthwhile can persist in sin for that long. I received no answer, but he eventually repented and his precious, heartbroken wife took him back. I conducted his funeral, but never got a good answer to my questions.     Then a young preacher of the Gospel, a graduate of a school of preaching, with unusual ability, insight and dedication openly took …

I received an email from another beloved brother overseas who made the following comments: Another thing that I have concern with is a doctrine that is going around our brotherhood that there is no such place as hell…that is no “eternal punishment” …but that rather hell is knowing the beauties of heaven but being annihilated. One preacher said to me that a loving God would not allow a person to suffer eternally. Have you personally come across this false teaching? I read an article by Legard Smith who obviously believes that those who do not go to heaven will be non-existent. It is difficult for me to understand why some of these learned brethren cannot accept the Word as we have it. If you have any material on this I would appreciate it very much. God bless.     In the religious world as a whole, the subject of hell is an almost totally overlooked subject. While a large percentage of Americans, according to polls, believe there is a heaven, a comparatively small group holds a firm conviction that hell exists (Lyons, June 2007). As is alluded to in the email, there are some in the Lord’s church who are denying the concept of eternal, everlasting hell. In 1982, Edward Fudge published a book entitled The Fire That Consumes in which he denied the existence of an eternal hell, and offered instead a version of the concept of annihilation being hell. Later, Homer Hailey penned a book that he called God’s Judgments and Punishments in …

I would like to meet Aaron Ralston some day. He strikes me as a man of uncommon character. The avid outdoorsman was descending into the heart of Blue John Canyon near Moab, Utah recently when part of the rock wall he was climbing suddenly gave way. Ralston was not quick enough to evade the falling material, and a massive 800-pound boulder pinned his right arm into the side of the narrow chasm.     For the better part of five days Ralston fought to keep himself alive and pondered different escape scenarios. He licked clean the wrappers from the four candy bars he had eaten on the way to the excursion. He consumed the two burritos he had packed for energy. He sipped from his water supply, but by the third day, his canteen was empty and he began to dehydrate. He tried chipping away at the rock with his pocket knife, but to no avail. He tried moving the boulder by rigging a series of pulleys with his climbing gear, but that effort failed too. Despite all of his impassioned attempts, Ralston exhausted his supplies and his escape seemed hopeless.     Then Ralston considered the unthinkable. He realized that he would not survive unless he took drastic action, and so with little more than a resolute spirit, the Aspen mountaineer broke two bones in his wrist and then amputated the latter part of his right arm just below the elbow with the dull blade of his pocket knife. Before long he was free. After fashioning a tourniquet and administering …

“But whoever desires to become great amongyou, let him be your servant (Matthew 20:26).     Why did Jesus come to earth? There are many different answers we could give to such a general question. The Bible gives us plenty from which to choose: “…to seek and save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11); “…that [we] may have life, and that [we] may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10); and for “…bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). The popular song that we sing answers the question, “Because He loved me so.” All of the preceding is good and true. However, there is one statement in the Bible that seems to stand above the others in that they are all included in the one. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).     Jesus’ life can be summarized very simply by, “Service.” Peter did exactly that when he spoke of Jesus’ ministry, saying “[He] went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Yes, Jesus came to save, and to give life, and to bring us home to glory, but all those things can be categorized under one thought: Jesus placed the needs of others above His own. Paul would later encourage the Philippians to have the mind of Christ who took the form of a bondservant (cf. Philippians 2:5), which included “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3).     Jesus was …

“And as he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified” (Acts 24:25). The preacher on this occasion was the great apostle Paul. We all have to admire his determination and courage in preaching the Gospel of Christ regardless of the circumstances. This man of God felt indebted to all men since he possessed the inspired message of salvation (Romans 1:14-16; 1 Corinthians 9:16). To speak boldly the truth to an assembly of dignitaries that would assuredly disagree with the message requires more courage and fortitude. Because of such faithfulness, Paul could truthfully say, “But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me” (2 Timothy 4:17). Preachers of this caliber are in great demand today in the church of the Lord.     The audience was made up of people like Felix and Drusilla, among others. Felix and his brother Pallus had been slaves in the household of Agrippina, mother of the emperor Claudius. Thus, he had come from a lowly slave to become a ruler over a province. Felix was a corrupt individual. He was guilty of selling justice for bribes, among other vices. Drusilla was a daughter of Herod Agrippa, who murdered the apostle James and who miserably perished soon afterwards (Acts 12:1-2, 20-23). Her first husband was Azia, king of Emesa. It is believed that Felix, with the aid of one Simon a sorcerer, lured her away from her husband. Felix and Drusilla lived in open adultery.     Let us now observe the sermon …

The writing of the Sacred Volume called the Bible was a cooperative venture between God and man, with the Holy Spirit revealing and guiding every step of the way. However, lest someone get the idea that we believe the Bible is a mere dictation product of heaven, we wish to look into the human aspects of this great undertaking. The Bible was written in human languages. As a matter of fact, we know not that God ever attempted to communicate with man in any other way than through languages known to man. The Bible was written in at least three languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—all three of which are dead languages, and have been for thousands of years; hence, the meanings of their words have not changed in all these centuries. These languages exhibit their own peculiar linguistic forms, and this makes the job of translation a sticky wicket at times. The Bible, since it is in reality a library of books, was written by more than thirty-five writers over a period of some sixteen hundred years. It reflects grammatical changes, irregularities, and nuances of the authors and the times in which it was written. It also was written in different genres, such as poetry, prose, literal, figurative and symbolic languages. Therefore, if it is to be understood, poetry must be read as poetry, prose as prose, etc. Sometimes one finds both prose and poetry in the same chapter, especially when studying the prophets. Not only are there different types of …