“Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve” (John 6:70-71). Yes, Jesus had a devil! He had twelve apostles and one of them was a devil! In what sense was Judas a devil? Obviously, it was in the sense that he gave in to what the devil desired him to do. Was He a Devil From the Beginning? Some have said, “Judas was a devil from the beginning.” The Bible does not say this. When Jesus chose Judas along with the other eleven apostles, they all had the potential of being loyal to the Lord. At some time, Judas allowed Satan to lead him to be deceptive and covetous and to be a traitor. Jesus knew he became like this even before he actually betrayed the Lord. One of the efforts of Satan to persuade Judas to do this bidding is in John 13:2, which says, “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.” The devil put into the heart of Judas ideas and desires which caused him to betray the Lord. This cannot mean that the devil forced something into the heart (or mind) of Judas, because Judas was a person of freewill. Just like us, God gave him the power to make decisions. He could have

There are good kinds and bad kinds of entertainment. Any amount of the bad kind is too much. Even good entertainment can be overdone. We live in an age that could well be called “the entertainment age.” A popular late-night American TV showman began working for another TV network. Media people said he got a pay raise from seven million dollars per year to 14 million dollars per year. The salary of the President of the United States is $200,000 per year of taxable income. With all the demands and pressures of his job, I am confident the President earns every penny of it. Even though the President’s salary is paid by taxpayers, compared to a 14 million dollar per year salary, his salary is a classic demonstration of how America’s priorities are out of balance. It is likely the above mentioned TV showman will be paid more in two years than all presidents of the United States have been paid in the 200 years since George Washington was President. Likely, the income taxes that the TV showman will pay will be more than enough money to pay the President’s salary. Ann Landers said in one of her columns that the prizefighter Evander Holyfield was paid 60 million dollars in 1990. She also said Joe Montana was paid three and a half million dollars in 1991 and missed several games because of an injured elbow. The list of such highly paid athletes would be much too long to publish here.

Women who have abortions can be forgiven, and our merciful and loving God will forgive them when they do what he requires for pardon. Spiritually strong people should have compassion for those who get caught up in the frustrations of their sins that cause abortions. But, spiritually strong people should also let their love and compassion work by trying to get people not to do the things that lead to abortion. Child Abuse The reports in the mass media on child abuse in the United States are appalling. It is hard to believe that there are some people in our enlightened and educated society that have done the cruel things that they have been doing to children. One of the worst forms of child abuse is abortion. Maybe it is the worst form because evidently in most cases of abortion the child does not even have a chance to cry in objection to his death! Horrifying Facts In the Kennedy-Falwell debate at the National Religious Broadcasting Convention in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 1985, I heard Dr. Jerry Falwell say there are 4,000 abortions per day in the United States. Only about one percent of these babies being killed were conceived as the result of incest and rape. So, the argument for abortion based on the fact that some aborted babies were conceived as a result of the sins of incest and rape is not a strong case for abortion. Even if abortion were justified in cases of incest and

God told Noah to build an ark. The apostle Peter wrote that eight souls or persons were saved in that ark by water (1 Peter 3:20). Then Peter wrote, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). Not Saved by Water from Water Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives were the eight people who were saved in the ark by water. They were not saved by water from water! They were saved from water by the ark (Hebrews 11:7). But, they were saved by water from something! From what were they saved by water? They were saved by water from a wicked, sinful world of people! Of that sinful world, Moses wrote, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in all the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The waters of the flood destroyed that world of exceedingly wicked people. The waters of the flood came between that wicked world and the cleansed world following that flood! Therefore, Noah and his family were saved from that wicked world by water! In What Sense Are We Saved by Water? We are saved by water in the same sense that the blind man of John 9 received his sight by water. Jesus told that blind man to wash his eyes in the water of the pool of Siloam. When he did so, he received his sight. Of course,

Jesus said to his apostles, “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:23). A passage of Scripture should be studied in light of all other passages that speak on the same subject. Did the Apostles Have Successors? Some affirm that the apostles had successors, and that there continues until the present a religious hierarchy consisting of men who are successors of the apostles, and that these men are endowed as were the apostles with power to forgive sins. It is said that through the “sacrament of confession” these “clergymen” forgive sins. The Bible says nothing of confession as a “sacrament”; it says not one word about anything being a “sacrament.” The apostles did not have successors, and they could not have had successors. They were witnesses of the risen Christ. Witnesses cannot have successors, unless other witnesses of the same things succeed them. Matthias was selected to be an apostle to take the place of Judas who fell by transgression. Matthias was selected because he possessed certain qualifications. These qualifications were: (1) he had been with the apostles while the Lord Jesus was in and out among them, and (2) he saw Jesus Christ after Jesus was raised from the dead (Acts 1:21-22). The Holy Spirit guided the apostles of Jesus into all truth (John 16:13). “All truth” is recorded for us in the New Testament and, therefore, we do not need successors to the apostles! How They Remitted

Yes, I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This does not mean I have met him in person. This does not mean I have felt him touch me. This does not mean he has come to me in person and spoken to me. Those who say they have had such personal experiences with Jesus may be sincere, but they are sincerely wrong. Someone may ask how anyone could have a personal relationship with Jesus without having such experiences as those stated above. My personal relationship with Jesus is not by feeling or fantasy, but by faith. What is this kind of faith? It is believing what Jesus and those whom he guided by divine inspiration have said in the New Testament. When one ignores this New Testament teaching, he cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus. He has neither the Son of God nor God the Father (2 John 9)! One should be very careful not to substitute emotional upsurges and fantasy for the Word of God! What My Personal Relationship With Jesus Includes It is very personal! I am in Christ because I have been baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3-4). Not only am I in Christ (Colossians 1:2), Christ is in me (Colossians 1:27). This also means I am in the body of Christ which is his church (Colossians 1:18; 3:15). Believing all this makes me feel good, but my feeling good about it is not the proof of it. The proof of it is that

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The English text is in the King James Version. The Greek and English part shows that the order of words in sentences in the Greek New Testament is generally not the same as the arrangement of words in English sentences. In this sense, any English translation of the New Testament is a paraphrase. The Greek word for sin both times in the text is “hamartian.” Because of what many New Testament texts plainly teach, we know that Jesus did not sin. It is evident that he did not become a sinner when he was offered for our sins on Calvary. What Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 is said in another way by Peter, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…” (1 Peter 2:24a). “Bare” of this text is the translation of Greek “anenegken” defined as “carry up; bear up…” After Jesus had cast out devils and healed sick people, Matthew wrote, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17). “Bare” of this text is from Greek “ebastasen” defined “to bear; carry; to take away, remove…” This all means that when Jesus “bare” the sicknesses of people, he did not get sick, but it means he took their sicknesses away

One of my former students many years ago was in a tourist group that visited the site of the imprisonment of the beloved apostle John on the Isle of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. The lady custodian was explaining the shrine there that was erected in memory of John. He introduced himself to her as a minister. She asked him of which church he was a minister. He sincerely and innocently answered that he was a minister of the same church of which the apostle John was a minister. The lady was angered by his answer and hastily told him that the shrine was holy and sacred and she would not tolerate him or anyone else making a joke about it. She was going to have him arrested, but he made haste and left the scene! Every preacher of the church of Christ in the world is a minister of the same church of which the apostle John was a preacher! That is no joke! Many times I have asked individuals who were not members of the church of Christ if they would like to be a member of the same church of which Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, Jude, Timothy and all other Christians mentioned in the New Testament were members. Through the centuries since these lived, there have been so many complex and confusing departures from the simplicity of New Testament teaching concerning Christ and his church that it is evidently very difficult for people to

Asking questions can be a great learning device. Jesus, the Master Teacher, often asked questions. He did so to focus the attention of people on great truths. Some Penetrating Questions The following are questions for members of churches which if one answers correctly, can be very helpful in his appraising properly his religious status or the condition of his soul. I plead with all who belong to a church to please study carefully the questions and the answers and observations regarding each. In the following questions, by “the church to which you belong,” I do not mean the congregation of which you are a member, but I mean the religious body of which the congregation of which you are a member is a part. 1. Does one have to be a member of the church to which you belong in order to receive the remission of or forgiveness of his sins? If you answer the foregoing “Yes,” and your answer is right, it follows that everyone will have to be in the church you are in to have the remission of his sins. For this reason, the answer of some to the question may be “No.” 2. Does one have to be a member of the church to which you belong in order to live the Christian life? If your answer to this question is “Yes,” and your answer is right, it follows that everyone who lives the Christian life will have to be in the church you are in. For this

Important Issue Because of much grave and gross misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches about water baptism, I felt compelled to present some insights on this subject. Frankly, I know of no more serious issue facing the church than the need for Christians to have proper insights and understandings of what the New Testament says about water in connection with salvation from sin, so they can help poor, lost sinners understand what they need to understand in order to be saved. The masses are bombarded constantly on television with false concepts and schemes of men relative to how to be saved. So, I know of no more serious an issue than that of getting the masses to understand what the Bible teaches about God’s scheme of redemption! We can become so involved in what we may think are important issues that we forget what are some of the most serious and important issues of all! Constantly, I hear men tell the lost that all they need to do to be saved from their sins is to repeat something like this: “Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins; come into my heart so I can be saved.” Then, those who repeat such words are assured that Christ has saved them! Nothing in the New Testament indicates that such is the way an alien sinner can be saved and become a Christian. So, much misunderstanding by so many is indeed a big and grave issue that should truly concern all Christians! What Is

Severe persecution of the church began in the mid 60’s A.D. The apostle Paul was killed in 68 A.D. under the cruel reign of Emperor Nero. The apostle John was killed about 100 A.D. The severe persecution of the church was continued until 313 A.D. It was not constant, but it often raged for years continuously. The eminent church historian and Bible scholar, Dr. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, wrote the following very good summary of the situation with the Roman Empire and the church in the early 4th century A.D. In the year 305 A.D. when Diocletian abdicated the imperial throne, the Christian religion was sternly prohibited, its profession was punished with torture and death, and against it all the power of the state was called into exercise. Less than twenty years afterward, in 324 A.D., Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the Roman Empire, and a Christian Emperor held supreme authority, with a court of professed Christians around him. It seemed but a single step from facing lions in the amphitheatre to a place beside the throne of the world! Soon after abdication of Diocletian, in 305 A.D. four aspirants after the imperial crown were at war. The two most powerful rivals were Maxentius and Constantine, whose armies, met in battle at the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber, ten miles from Rome, 312 A.D. Maxentius represented the old heathen persecuting element; Constantine was friendly to the Christians, although at that time not a professed believer. He claimed to

The word tongue is used in the Bible to refer to an organ in the human body (Lamentations 4:4; Ezekiel 3:26; Mark 7:35; Luke 1:64). Tongue is used in the Bible many times to refer to what is done with the tongue. Here is an illustration: “He that hath a forward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief” (Proverbs 17:20). Obviously, “perverse tongue” in this passage refers to the wrong kind of speaking, or the wrong use of one’s tongue. Many times, tongue is used in the Bible to refer to a language or dialect (Daniel 1:4; Acts 1:19; 2:8). Speaking in Tongues When the Apostles Lived The apostles of Christ and some who lived when they did were endowed by the Lord to speak in tongues or languages which they had not studied. Sometimes, this is referred to in the King James Version as speaking in an unknown tongue (1 Corinthians 14:13-14). The word unknown in such passages in the King James Version is italicized which means it has no corresponding word in the Greek text of the New Testament. The translators supplied the word unknown to emphasize that some spoke in languages that were unknown to them, languages they had not studied. To do so was a miracle. Granted Two Ways The miracle or spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues were granted two ways. These were: (1) baptism of the Holy Spirit as in Acts Chapters Two and Ten, and (2) the apostles laying their hands on others as in Acts 19:6. Accompanied

Probably, there has never been a time when proper insights to fundamental and elementary matters that pertain to the salvation of souls were more need than now, both by Christians and those not Christians. Christians need to grow in their grasp of these fundamental matters so they can help those who are not Christians to understand them. We talk about “mission work” considerably, and generally, we mean work to spread the Gospel in foreign lands or in places in our own land where the New Testament order of things is little known or not know at all. However, one of the truly great challenges of mission work is the challenge for every Christian to become so well acquainted with the way of the Lord that he can tell those about it who are all around him who are not the children of God. How are we born of water and the Spirit? Jesus said that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). The New Birth Being born of water and the Spirit is called by many “the new birth.” One does not get the new birth, but one is born again or experiences the new birth by exercising his will in response to the will of God. Does Water Mean Water? Some deny that water in John 3:5 means water. When asked what it does mean, these say it means the Spirit. But, this would mean Jesus was saying, “Except a man

We may freely write about “the day of Pentecost,” and some may not know what we mean by “the day of Pentecost.” We may assume that people know, when they actually do not know. The word “Pentecost” is not in the Old Testament, and it is in only three passages in the New Testament, which are Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8. These passages do not mean that Pentecost was a Christian festival day, or a special day observed by churches of Christ in the days of the apostles. Instead, it was one of the religious festival days about which God through Moses gave instructions to the Israelites and commanded them to observe it once each year. Accordingly, they observed it on the day after the seventh Sabbath following the Passover feast. Because of this, in the Old Testament it is called “the feast of weeks.” Because it occurred on the fiftieth day after the Passover feast, it was called “Pentecost” in the New Testament because that word is the Anglicized form of the Greek adjective that means “fiftieth.” Even though the death of Jesus did away with the Law of Moses and all its festival days, including “the feast of weeks,” or Pentecost, the Jews generally did not know this. Therefore, the first day of Pentecost after the death, burial and resurrection was observed according to Dr. Luke’s account in Acts 2. The Church of Christ and Pentecost Pentecost was on the first day of the week, which is now called Sunday. The church of

Even Darwin Knew Even Charles Darwin knew that the fossil record did not support his doctrine. He said, “In the sixth chapter I enumerated the chief objections which might be justly urged against the views maintained in this volume … One, namely, the distinctness of specific forms and their not being blended together innumerable, transitional links, is a very obvious difficulty.” (Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, A.L. Burt Company, pages 312-313.) In the foregoing, Darwin had reference to the “distinctness of specific forms” in the fossil record. In this same book, Darwin devoted Chapter Twelve to the fact of the lack of evidence in the fossil record to support his evolutionary doctrine. Darwin also recognized that the presence of fossils of animals and plants that were fully developed in the “oldest” fossil bearing rocks was a serious problem for his views. He said, “There is another and allied difficulty which is more serious. I allude to the manner in which species belonging to several of the main divisions of the animal kingdom suddenly appear in the lowest [same as the oldest to evolutionists, B.O.] known fossilferous rocks. To the question why we do not find rich fossilferous deposits belonging to those assumed earliest periods prior to the Cambrian system, I can give no satisfactory answer.” (Ibid., 38-39.) Darwin thus admitted that there were no fossils of any ancestors or predecessors of those forms that appear abundantly in the Cambrian rock, which according to evolutionists, is the “oldest” rock containing fossils. The

Recently, I watched on TV two preachers who are brethren in Christ discuss the Creation versus Evolution controversy. I was very pleased with, and perfectly agreed with, what they had said, and then I was very disappointed when one of them asked the other “What about the fossils?” The other answered that he did not know about the fossils. I was surprised because he had shown by what he had already said that he had studied well what he discussed on other matters pertaining to the Creation versus Evolution controversy. I fear he lost his credibility with many when he said he did not know about the fossils. It is my opinion that there are very few preachers of the Gospel who can do well presenting lessons on the Creation versus Evolution issue, and especially the fossil record in the earth’s crust. In the year 1925, which was the year I was born, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan conducted a debate on Creation versus Evolution in the Rhea County courthouse in Dayton, TN. It was reported that Mr. Bryan invited George McCready Price to be with him during the debate, and that Mr. Price did not do so because he had to be out of the country. Mr. Price was a creationist and a very scholarly paleontologist, which means he was a fossil expert. It was very unfortunate that Mr. Price could not join Mr. Bryan at the debate because Mr. Bryan knew very little about the fossils. Mr.

Causes of Unbelief There are several causes of people not believing God exists. 1. Some think there are contradictions in science and the Bible. They are not aware that what they think is science that contradicts the Bible is not really science, but more opinions. There are things which some think the Bible teaches which contradicts science. 2. Division in the religious world is another cause of unbelief. The atheist, Robert Owen, said in his debate in 1829 with Alexander Campbell that one reason he was an atheist was because of conflicting doctrines of religion. Jesus prayed that all believers in him would be one “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20-21). 3. Those who claim to be followers of God, but live corrupt lives, cause unbelief. 4. Perhaps some are not willing to be under God’s authority. They do not want to be suppressed in their lifestyles. They get “relief” by not believing in God. Unbelievers Are Believers Too! Those who do not believe God exists are called atheists. Even though they do not believe God exists, they do believe some things which are harder to believe than to believe God exists. In fact, one cannot be an atheist without believing a number of things which are harder to believe than believing God exists. 1. To know that God does not exist one would have to know everything, for if there were just one thing he did not know, that might be that God exists.

Some people think that when one is saved, he is saved in such a way that he can never be lost. However, the New Testament teaches three salvations. 1. One is saved from past or alien sins when he by faith does what God requires of him. That is the salvation Jesus was talking about when he said: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). It is the same salvation that the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of the apostle, referred to when he told believers to “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). It is the salvation of Acts 22:16 where Saul was told to “arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins.” The New Testament plainly teaches that in being saved this way from his alien state and sins, one becomes a child of God or a Christian. This means he enters into the body of Christ, which is the church Jesus purchased with his blood (Colossians 1:2, 18; 3:15; Acts 20:28). After one thus becomes a Christian, he can still sin. 2. When a child of God sins, he should ask his Father in heaven to forgive him. A child of God who sinned was told by the apostle Peter to repent and pray that he might be forgiven (Acts 8:22). Of Christians the New Testament says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1

“This scientific age” is an expression that is used frequently to emphasize the accomplishments of science. Indeed, many blessings have come to people through science. But, the world would be better off if its people had put as much emphasis on the saving faith we read about in the Bible as it has put on science. How wonderful it would be if we could freely and truthfully refer to our times as “this faith age”! What Is Science? The word science is from a Latin word that means knowledge or what is known — what is factual. People have become so accustomed to science and the blessings of science, that many fail to recognize the limitations of science. Also, some seem to think everything a scientist says is scientific or factual just because a scientist says it. A scientist may express an opinion knowing that what he says is actually not a proven fact, but merely his view — merely speculation. Opinions and speculations can be called scientism but not science. Unfortunately, many things are called science merely because scientists have expressed opinions regarding such. Likewise, many things are referred to as theology which are mere speculation. True theology is that which is taught in the Bible about God and all that is related to him and his work. Much that is called theology is not in the Bible and is false theology. Paul warned Timothy not to be misled by “science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20). In the Greek text, Paul used pseudonumou gnoseos which literally means “the falsely named knowledge.”

Salvation by God’s grace is clearly taught in the Bible. How people are saved by God’s grace is just as clearly taught in the Bible. Sin Gives Grace Meaning Only when we realize how God sees our sins are we able to appreciate the meaning of God’s grace. When we realize how bad our sins are before God, we can appreciate that God is really and truly being gracious when he saves us from our sins. The grace of God by which people are saved is not something mystical that might strike you, or might not strike you. Instead, the Bible is very practical in its teaching about God’s grace that saves. Grace Teaches The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us how not to act, and how to act (Titus 2:11-12). This grace is inseparably connected with the truth, which is the Gospel of salvation (Ephesians 1:13). Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1:14)! Jesus brought grace and truth (John 1:17). The dispensation or allotment of grace that God gave to Paul involved the revelation of how to be saved in the one body, which is the church for which Christ gave himself. This grace involved preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:1-8; 5:25). By Grace Through Faith Salvation by grace is through the kind of faith that is produced by the preaching of the Gospel or the unsearchable riches of Christ. This salvation is not by works of the Law of Moses or any

Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin of the Russian Air Force was the first human to travel in space. This first human space trip was made April 12, 1961. It was a one hour and 48 minute trip from take-off to landing. Major Gagarin was in orbit around the earth for one hour and 29.1 minutes. During this orbiting, he traveled at the speed of 17,000 miles per hour. It was reported that when Major Gagarin had landed and got out of his spaceship Vostok I, he said he did not see God on his trip. This was interpreted as a denial of God’s existence. My reaction to Major Gagarin’s statement was that he could have seen God had he opened a window or hatch on Vostok I! Had he done this and lost the oxygen in the spaceship he would have soon died and would have been in the presence of God! Probably Major Gagarin saw God thirteen years ago. He was killed in a plane crash March 27, 1968! God Put The Earth In Orbit! A human’s referring to God in a light and frivolous manner, or a human’s defying the Almighty, and leaving the impression he does not believe God exists, are horrendous, horrifying, and contemptible acts, especially if he has just orbited the earth in space at 17,000 miles per hour. One is able to travel in space around the earth because of the orderliness of the way the Almighty God operates the universe he created. Man’s orbiting

“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Jeremiah wrote the foregoing more than 600 years before Jesus Christ was born. He wrote it because he saw the plight and predicament of God’s people. They were in an awful state, and Babylon’s forces were soon to come upon them and carry them into captivity. Jeremiah knew that the reason for the terrible condition God’s people were in was that they did not follow the instruction God had given them; they had ignored his Word. So, Jeremiah declared “the way of man is not in himself,” and “it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Still True It is still true that without divine direction man is not capable of directing his steps, even though some teach to the contrary in the doctrine of humanism. In order for one to live right in this world and to live with God in eternity, he must submit to God’s authority and direction. This authority is conveyed to us, or administered to us in the Bible. God Speaks ToUs Through Christ Before Christ came, God spoke through prophets in various ways, but in these last days, or the Christian age, God speaks unto us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). God made this clear when he spoke to Peter, James and John, and said of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I

Christendom is the name used to refer to the many churches that propose to follow Christ, but are divided into about three hundred denominational groups. Each one teaches doctrines which separate it from all the others. Each has its own creed. This is very confusing to many people and constitutes a barrier which has kept many from Christ. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). The Bible does not teach the contradictory doctrines and creeds of Christendom. We read in the Bible about the Lord’s church. It is not a denomination. It is not a conglomeration of factions. It is the body of Christ. Denominations were started over a long period of years because of failure to follow the Bible. The Bible contains the truth which makes people free and binds them in Christ, or in his one body which is his church. The confusion of Christendom did not emerge from the Bible. The Bible stresses unity. Jesus earnestly prayed that all who follow him be one as he and the Father are one (John 17). The holy apostle Paul, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, begged divided Christians to do away with divisions (1 Corinthians 1:10; 3:1-3). He also begged united Christians to put forth their best efforts to keep their unity in the bond of peace in the one body, which is the church for which Jesus gave himself (Ephesians 4:1-6; 5:25). Careless InterpretationOr Misinterpretation The Bible is in harmony with

The New Testament teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ built one church. He built his church. He established it on the first day of Pentecost following his resurrection after he had ascended back to heaven and “sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). “The Majesty on high” is God the Father. This is the same as Jesus being made head of his church after he was raised from the dead and ascended (Ephesians 1:20-23; Colossians 1:18; 3:22). There are several prophecies in the New Testament which said there would be a falling away of the Lord’s church. These predictions by the Holy Spirit came to pass. As a result of this great apostasy, many religious bodies were started over a very long period of time. In the United States alone, there are over 1,200 religions. Throughout the centuries since the great falling away took place, men at various times attempted to go back to the Bible and restore the New Testament order of things regarding the one church and the way to get into it, or the way to be saved, and the way to worship God, and the way the church should be organized. Some work in this regard was done even before Barton W. Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell and others were successful in their efforts to restore the New Testament order of things in the 19th century. Those of us in the churches of Christ want everyone

Nothing should be more important to anyone than his salvation from sin and living so he can be in heaven after he dies. Christ Is The Saviour? An angel told Joseph in a dream that the woman he was to marry had conceived by the Holy Ghost and that she would bring forth a son whose name would be Jesus, and who would save his people from their sins (Luke 2:1-11).  Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Many other passages in the New Testament say that Jesus Christ is our Saviour. This monumental truth is indeed “good tidings of great joy,” as the angel said to the shepherds.  When one realizes he is lost in his sins and hears the good news that Jesus seeks him and wants him to be saved, he should receive such good tidings with great joy!  Surely all who believe the Bible will readily and joyfully agree that Jesus Christ is the Saviour, and that he died on the cross so all could be saved. Yes, indeed Jesus saves! Where Does Jesus Save? The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus Christ is our Saviour. It just as plainly tells us where he saves! Jesus died on the cross that he might reconcile Jews and Gentiles, or all people, unto God in one body by the cross (Ephesians 2:14–16).  That one body is his church (Ephesians 1:22-23). Therefore, reconciliation, or salvation from sin and getting back to God, takes place in the church which

I heard a man on TV say that conversion is not a decision, and it is not a persuasion but an invasion. He explained what he meant by saying conversion is not something one decides on; it does not come by persuasion, but God sends the Holy Ghost into the lost person’s heart and this brings about his conversion. This is what the man meant by an invasion! What that man said is not true. If it were true, it would means that God is a respecter of persons, but the Bible says he is not. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35). This Scripture tells us that conversion is preceded by a decision! To be saved a person must make a decision. He must decide to fear God and work righteousness. To fear God means to have reverence for God and have a sense of his greatness and awesomeness. To work righteousness means to do what God says is right. This standard of what is right is revealed in the Gospel (Romans 1:17). That is why the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe it (Romans 1:16). If God “invades” the hearts of some lost people and does not “invade” the hearts of other lost people this would mean he is a respecter of persons. It is true that God is a respecter of persons in the sense

I saw in Weakley County, Tennessee where I was born and reared, one sign post which held two signs.  The post stands by two church buildings which are only a few feet apart and are the meeting places of congregations of two very popular denominations. “It Makes No Difference” People in these denominations say that it does not make any difference to which one belongs.  Seeing those two church buildings so close together and the one sign post that holds both the signs concerning the two churches, made me wonder if people in such churches really believe it does not make any difference to which church one belongs.  If they really believe this, why do they meet in different buildings? I suspect that deep down in their hearts such people really believe it does make a difference to what church they belong and what they believe and practice.  Many nice and sincere religious people who say it does not make any difference to what church one belongs have been known to get very upset when one leaves a church to become a member of the church of Christ.  This also indicates that those who thus get so upset do not really believe it makes no difference to what church one belongs! A Problem in Some Marriages There are religious problems in some marriages.  One of these is involved where a member of a church of Christ is married to one who is a member of another kind of church.  There

Nothing is more important to anyone than Christ’s being in his heart. Therefore nothing is more important to anyone than his understanding what the New Testament teaches on how one can have Jesus to dwell in his heart. Many Television Evangelists Many television evangelists tell lost people something like this. “Bow your head right where you are and repeat after me. Say, ‘Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner. I believe you died on Calvary for my sins. I repent of all my sins, and I am sorry for the sins I have committed. Please, Lord forgive me and come into my heart.’” Then these evangelists will say something like this. “Now that you have prayed; Jesus has forgiven you; you are saved; and Jesus has come into your heart.” My love for people compels me to say this is an awful deception, because there is absolutely no evidence in the Bible that this is the way for those not Christians to be forgiven and become Christians and have Jesus to come into their hearts. I am grieved and my heart aches because so many are deceived by this teaching on television and in other ways. Those who teach and practice such on television or anywhere else, may be completely sincere, and those who are deceived by such teaching and practice may be absolutely sincere. However, this does not mean they are right. Feeling And Faith One’s feelings come as a result of what he believes. If he believes

It has been my observation for many years that a multitude of people need a better insight into the case of the penitent thief that died on a cross on Mount Calvary.  There were three crosses on Calvary when Jesus of Nazareth died, one on which he died, and two on which two thieves died.  “And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors” (Mark 15:27-28). One Repented At first, both of the thieves on Mount Calvary spoke against Jesus.  “The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth” (Matthew 27:44).  The Greek of this verse is literally translated, reproached, upbraided, etc. Evidently one of the thieves was more outspoken in his upbraiding of the Lord, because Dr. Luke’s account says, “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us” (Luke 23:39).  When he did this the other thief rebuked him saying:“But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in

The New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity (Titus 2:14). The greatest problem anyone can have is his iniquity or sin. The only way one can get rid of that problem is by God’s forgiveness. God forgives sin because Christ shed his blood when he gave himself and died on a Roman cross. How precious indeed is the blood of Christ! Peter said Christians are people who have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The New Testament teaches that those who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ constitute the church we read about in that book. This also makes the church very precious indeed! Included in Preaching Jesus Gospel preachers must include in preaching Jesus, preaching about his church. God’s Word plainly and immutably declares that the church was purchased with the blood of God’s own Son (Acts 20:28)! This alone makes the church might important! Paul also wrote by the Spirit and said that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). This should also cause us to love the church and realize how important it is. Christ saves, but he saves in his church. The Holy Spirit guided Paul to write that salvation by the cross of Christ is in his one body which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:16). Paul also wrote that Christ is the savior of the body which is the

The Bible does not contain the words, “Jesus is your personal Savior.” However, this truth is taught in the Bible. The following are very important observations regarding this wonderful truth. 1. Jesus is a divine person or being who came to earth “and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). He loves every human being; he is personally interested in every person. He died for every sinner (Hebrews 2:9). 2. Everyone who is saved by Jesus is saved by him personally. But, for one to be saved by Jesus, that one must put his trust in Jesus believing he is the Son of God (John 8:21-24). However, Jesus will not save one who will not repent of his sins. To repent of his sins, one must turn from them. God commands all everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). When one repents he must confess Christ as the Son of God and be baptized into Christ where he can be saved personally by Christ (Romans 10:9; Acts 8:36-37; Romans 6:3). 3. If one means by “Christ is my personal Savior” that Christ saves him personally without his being in the church for which Christ gave himself (Ephesians 5:25), he is wrong, because Christ is the Savior of his body which is his church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23). The church in the New Testament means the saved. That is why those baptized were added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). Yes, Christ personally saves, but he saves personally those who are in

Some estimate that more than half of the more than five billion people on the earth have never heard of Jesus Christ. Many who live in the United States and many other countries probably find this hard to believe, but it is likely that it is true. Probably, most of those who know about Jesus think about his birth at this time of the year. I wonder how many think about both of his births. The First Birth Of Jesus Christ By the first birth of Jesus Christ I mean that he was conceived in the womb of a virgin named Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35). The Bible does not tell us the date of the first birth of Jesus. It does tell us that his birth of a virgin was prophesied by Isaiah about seven centuries before he was born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23). Not long before Jesus was born the first time, his mother Mary and Joseph her husband traveled from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn. They were lodged in some sort of barn when Jesus was born because after his birth his first bed was a manger which was a feeding trough for animals. Our Lord, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14) was not born in a regal palace, but in a lowly stable! While the baby Jesus was lying in

Governor Pilate of Judea was confronted with Jesus of Nazareth! He offered the restless crowd of Jews a choice when he asked, “Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:17). The religious leaders of the Jews persuaded them to ask that Barabbas, a murder, be released, and that Jesus be destroyed. When they announced their choice to Pilate, he asked, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22). The Creator of all things, the Lord of glory, the Son of God, the Judge of all stood on trial in a court of mortals! Jesus was a defendant in the court of judge Pilate, and that judge did not know what to do with that defendant. It is ironic that at the last day all those who put Jesus on trial will stand before the judgment seat of that same Jesus (Romans 14:10). All who study history are confronted with so-called great people when they study history; such as Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon and Churchill. But what we do with these, or what we think about these will not likely effect our eternal destiny. But, we cannot pass off Jesus that easily! You may say, “I’m glad I do not have to stand where Pilate stood. But, in a sense each of us stands where Pilate stood! We are confronted with Jesus. What shall we do with him? Pilate Tried To Be Neutral Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, and that

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). This passage cannot mean that Jesus Christ is always the same in the sense that since he was in a fleshly body when he was on earth (yesterday), therefore he is now in a fleshly body (today) and he will always be in a fleshly body (forever). Paul wrote that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). Therefore, Christ who is in heaven is not in a fleshly body as he was while he was on the earth, but he is in his glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21). So-called faith healers who claim Jesus works miracles through them, often quote Hebrews 13:8 and say it means that because Jesus performed miracles when he was on earth (yesterday), he is performing miracles (today), and they say if he is not doing so, he is not the same today as he was when he was on earth. To be consistent these “faith healers” should say Jesus is not the same today as he was yesterday unless he is not performing all the types of miracles which he performed when he was on earth, and which he performed through the apostles about which we read in the New Testament. The New Testament says he healed the sick, and often states he did so “immediately.” Some were struck dead (Acts 5); he raised some from the dead; and a child of the devil was blinded (Acts 13). Jesus walked

The Bible does not tell the date of the birth of Jesus, but it does tell us he was born. It also tells us he was born of a virgin. No man was involved to cause Mary to conceive and give birth to Jesus. The Holy Spirit worked a miracle that caused her to do this. According to the Bible, the first bed Jesus had was a manger, which was a feeding trough for livestock. This implies he was born in a barn. Dr. Luke wrote that the reason for this was “because there was no room for them in the inn.” Think of it! The first bed for him through whom the Father created all things (Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16) and who came into this world from the Father (John 16:28) was a feed trough for livestock! Indeed, this holy being from heaven “make himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). What Is Obvious It should be obvious to all that Jesus should be viewed by the masses as more than just a baby in a barn! Our nation and the world in general is caught up in sin and its horrible consequences. If Jesus had been taken seriously by all people, this lamentable plight could have been avoided. If Jesus

In Volume Three of his eleven volume series of historical works, the great American historian Will Durant says that some have attempted to prove that Jesus Christ was a myth.  They denied that Jesus lived. Among these was Bruno Baer, who in 1840 began his series of passionate controversial works in which he attempted to prove Jesus was a myth.  Later in the 19th Century, some Dutchmen laboriously attempted to prove Jesus never lived.  Among these were Peirson, Naber, and Matthas.  Durant says that in England J. M. Robertson and W. B. Smith made attempts to prove  Jesus never really lived. It is obvious that Will Durant did not believe that he New Testament was written by men who were directed by God in what they wrote.  However, following what he wrote about those who deny Jesus actually lived, Durant said that it would be easier to believe the  miracles recorded in the New Testament than it is to believe hat a few simple men in one generation invented so appealing a personality as Jesus and the lofty ethic attributed to him, and the inspiring vision of human brotherhood which Jesus is pictured as presenting. Durant goes on the say that after two centuries of  “Higher Criticism” the outlines of the life, character and teaching of Christ remain reasonably clear, and that there is no feature in the history of Western man as fascinating as this story of Jesus Christ. (See: Volume III of Will Durant’s works entitled: Caesar and Christ,