Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). The force of this passage in teaching the essentiality of baptism is remarkable, and many souls have been persuaded by its directness. Those, however, who deny the necessity of baptism to salvation have long struggled with this passage. Unable to deal with this verse in light of their beliefs, it is sometimes suggested that perhaps this section of Scripture should not even be in the Bible. Some will point to the fact that two of the oldest manuscripts do not contain Mark 16:9-20. The two manuscripts to which they refer are the Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus. These two manuscripts also omit John 7:53-8:11 and are missing large portions of other sections of Scripture. Both the Sinaitic and the Vatican manuscripts include the Apocrypha (false scripture). The reason these two particular manuscripts carry so much weight with some people is because they are two of the oldest. It is reasoned by some that if two of the oldest manuscripts do not contain Mark 16:9-20, then it must not belong. When a careful study is made, it is evident that such a conclusion is not warranted. First, it should be pointed out that while it is true that these manuscripts do not include Mark 16:9-20, nearly all other ancient manuscripts do contain this passage, including the Alexandrian, which stands with the Vatican in its accuracy. The number of manuscripts that contain this passage far outweighs those …

There are many in today’s society who would like to have a close and personal relationship with God. Such a relationship begins with living a life of integrity. In Psalm 15, God presents a summary of what He expects of His people. He gives a list of do’s and don’ts that, if followed by man, will be pleasing to Him. Let’s look at that list that God gives. The person worthy to meet with God is one who: Walks uprightly. Works righteousness. Speaks the truth. Does not backbite. Does no evil to his neighbor. Does not take up a reproach against a friend. Honors those who fear the Lord, but does not honor the ungodly. Keeps his word, even when it is costly. Does not practice usury. Does not take bribes. By God’s standard, are you worthy to meet Him?

Don’t we all get discouraged sometimes? With the negative feeling of discouragement, one feels disheartened, dispirited and downhearted. No one likes the feeling of discouragement, yet it happens too often for many of us. Discouragements come our way through an assortment of human events. These dealings can be very personal in nature such as sickness, death, household economic problems and a variety of family troubles to include broken homes, divorce and the like. Events that are general in nature such as overall lawlessness, terrorism and social ethical/moral decay will also bring negative feelings that depress us. Children Are the Most Vulnerable Our English word discourage is used only one time in the New Testament, and it is found in Colossians 3:21, which reads: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Young folks can be very easily disheartened and dispirited. This type of demoralizing can be so instilled in young people as to warp their maturity growth. When a youngster is so negatively discouraged, it seems very likely this hindrance can cause a damaged adulthood. Of a truth, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Oh, the great need for Christian parents that will nurture their children to be stable and to cling to high moral standards. Civil government also has the obligation to govern in such a way as to create an atmosphere of rightness and order. Youngsters need strong …

What kind of god do you serve? Most people would quickly respond, “The God of the Bible,” but is that always true? Is it possible that some invent the kind of god they want, much like those in times of old? The prevalent picture of God by most people today is of a kindly, old grandfather, who smiles and blesses everyone in every aspect of life. He is quick to hear every prayer, deeply understanding and compassionate. He naively and gently laughs off our indiscretions, being too loving to condemn anyone. His patience knows no end, as he warns and threatens. He is too loving to send anyone to hell. He may or may not see what we do, but our sins really do not matter much to him. In the end, he pardons all, no matter how badly one has lived, and ushers us all into heaven. No one wants to diminish the inexhaustible love and grace of the God of heaven, but the above picture of a god is not the God of the Bible! The God of heaven is a just God, who recompenses every man according to His deeds (2 Corinthians 5:10). He has a cross for us to bear, and holds us accountable if we do not bear it. Jesus said, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27). He also said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, …

Life. Yes, I think that is a statement. That one word sends a cascade of images flooding through my mind. There are the things that I cannot remember: being born, childhood, what happened yesterday (no snide remarks!). There are the things that are forever burned in my mind: sitting on the top bunk bed with my feet dangling down as my parents grilled me as to whether I really understood what baptism meant; the day I first joked with my future wife, and noticed her beautiful eyes, as she went through the breakfast line where I was serving in college; the first time I saw my oldest son in his mother’s arms, and saw me reflected in his eyes; I could go on, of course, for an eternity recounting the things that I remember as if they were still happening.. Life. Each moment is another portion of life. Some I have spent to the fullest. Some I have wasted unforgivably. Life sometimes has made me laugh out loud, and sometimes has made me cry uncontrollably. Very seldom has life left me bored. Life is made up of things from several sources. Some of Life has been built based on the choices that I have made. The really good things in Life have occasionally come due to choices I have made. On the other hand, some of the worst things I have experienced have come as a result of my choices. Once in a while I can say, “Wow, I really …

There were times while taking my morning walks on Saint Simons Island, Georgia that the sunrays could not reach me because of the beautiful oak trees with their overhanging limbs covering the street below. Trees are one of God’s most beautiful creations and especially these particular trees laden down with Spanish moss. The trees on the island are so respected that the streets are built around them. I have often thought of this poem we had to memorize in school many years ago. Trees By Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) I think that I shall never seeA poem lovely as a tree.A tree whose hungry mouth is prestAgainst the earth’s sweet flowing breast;A tree that looks at God all day,And lifts her leafy arms to pray;A tree that may in Summer wearA nest of robins in her hair;Upon whose bosom snow has lain;Who intimately lives with rain.Poems are made by fools like me,But only God can make a tree Psalms One is a favorite of scores of saints. Therein is a contrast between a godly and an ungodly person. It is of the believer in God that demands our attention in this article. Undoubtedly, David is the writer and he informs us that this man is blessed; that is to say he is happy and fortunate. This is one of several ‘beatitudes’ mentioned in this book. Please observe that the negative is first mentioned as pertaining to this man’s character. He “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands …

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List dramatizes arguably the greatest tragedy in human history and the greatest act of humanity at the same time. The Holocaust, a term used to describe the extermination of approximately 6 million Jews during World War Two, is taken from two Greek words that mean “whole” and “burnt,” and that is exactly what Adolf Hitler, the Nazi German Chancellor, tried to do for six years—eliminate every Jew from German occupied lands. Prior to the war, 3.5 million Jews lived in Poland, the first country Germany invaded in 1939. Today, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 Jews living in that country. One member of the Nazi party gradually saw that this “final solution,” as it was called, was not just a tragedy of war—it was murder, genocide. Oscar Schindler was a war profiteer. His factory made weapon supplies for the German army. However, as the war unfolded and the torture and murder of innocent Jews continued, Schindler realized that he had the power and means to intervene. He began bribing German SS officers so he could move Jews from the despicable death camps to his factory, where the Jews were protected by Schindler and treated humanely. He made a list of the Jews he wanted, and he got them all. Schindler’s noble endeavor left him penniless by the war’s end. Yet, his generosity paid off. He was able to save 1,200 Jews from certain death. There are more than 7,000 descendents of Schindler Jews alive today. At the …

In John 20:8 we find, “Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.” What do you think he believed? Most of my life I have assumed he believed the truth about Jesus, and I have an idea most of my readers have done likewise. However, if verse 9 suggests what he did NOT believe, as confirmed by Mark 16:11, 13, 14, and Luke 24:11, does not verse 2 suggest what he DID believe? It seems evident that he did not believe the truth that Jesus was raised from the dead (v.9), but did believe the assumption made by Mary that “They have taken my Lord out of the tomb, and I know not where they have laid him” (John 20:2). Although I am not terribly concerned with that, I am concerned very much with a principle suggested by it. It is my conviction that many religious persons, some of whom are connected, more or less loosely, with the Lord’s church have an improper concept of the term “faith” or “belief” as we find it in the New Testament. Most of us are aware of the rather widespread denominational concept that faith in Jesus means “accepting Jesus as your personal Savior,” whatever that means. In the church of the Lord, we have tended to deny that, although in our present state of affairs, it would not be too surprising to hear of large numbers affirming it! However, I am suggesting an …

In the magnificent Book of Acts (5:33-42), we read of the apostles of Jesus Christ being brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin to be tried for the violation of the law of the Jews, and that they were not to preach in the name of Jesus Christ in the City of Jerusalem again. Peter told the chief priests and other members of the council that he and the other apostles must obey God rather than man. The great apostle further testified to this very disgruntled group that God had raised up Jesus, whom they had murdered, from the dead and exalted Him at His own right hand, making Him both Prince and Savior. Luke recorded that when the Sanhedrin heard these things they were furious and began to advise one another on how to kill the apostles, Peter and John. There was on that council a man by the name of Gamaliel who was a doctor of the Law of Moses. This man arose, and after making some preliminary remarks, he gave some very serious advice to the Sanhedrin saying, “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God”(Acts 5:38-39). In this eloquent passage, Gamaliel unconsciously declared the religion of Jesus Christ to be the religion of the ages. Christianity, as revealed …

Topics that form the foundation of our faith relate to our conviction that God exists, that He has worked supernaturally in the past to bring us and our universe into its present form of orderliness, and that He continues to sustain us and our universe “by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). Unbelievers and haters of God notwithstanding, our faith in God is well-founded and reasonable as we survey the evidence God has placed all around us. God has not left himself without witness (cf. Psalm 19:1). There is the witness of God found in nature itself. There are laws that are associated with nature and sometimes serious consequences are realized when they are violated. Where there are laws, such as with the case of nature, there must naturally be a lawgiver. In no area of our lives will we ever be met with a law that had no one either to give or impose it. The very nature of law implies there was deliberation made prior to its imposition. At Lystra, Paul made this appeal to his audience: “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and …