As our children were growing up, there was a hard and fast rule that applied as we were traveling. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was ever to be thrown from the car onto the roadway. Punishment would have been rather immediate and severe if there was disobedience.     When we moved back to the United States from our first missionary tour of three years in Russia, we brought a Russian lady with us for a two week visit, as a gift of appreciation for the many ways in which she had been helpful to us. She saw sights that astounded her. On one occasion she went into hyperventilation when we went into a supermarket. Now, in Russia when you go to buy something, you first point out to a clerk the item(s) you want. The clerk then gives you a handwritten slip of paper of the amount of the items. This then is taken to the cashier where you pay that amount. The cashier gives you a paid receipt with which you then go back to the line (yes, everything has a line, usually a long one) and when it comes your turn again the clerk gathers the items you have paid for, puts them on the counter, and you put them in a bag that you have brought with you. When this lady saw this supermarket with it aisles and aisles of products, and such a large variety of each product, she just couldn’t comprehend it. She became so weak that …

You may or may not have heard about the flap the Pope’s visit to Brazil has caused among some US legislators. During his flight there, he told reporters he supported the decision of Mexican bishops to ban politicians from receiving communion after they had voted to legalize abortion in Mexico City. Eighteen members of the House of Representatives have criticized him for making such a statement, and charged that the Pope’s stand, and by implication the teaching of the Catholic church, “offends the very nature of the American experiment.”     I suppose keeping an image of being in good standing religiously plays in their image profile come time for re-election. Loosely interpreted, however, their response is basically “we want to do things our way and no church or God has the right to tell us differently.” It is this response to authority that I find interesting.     There has always been a tendency for humanity to engage in “will worship,” to elevate one’s own will or desires, to the place of authority in one’s life, over the will of God. Nadab and Abihu did this when they substituted a different fire than that which God had specifically commanded (Leviticus 10:1-2). Jesus pointed out such during his earthly ministry. He asked the scribes and Pharisees, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3). He went on to say, “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors …

Question: “Did Jesus merely restate the Law of Moses in Matthew 19:9, or did he actually give a new law of his own? Since he taught this while the Old Law was in effect, is this passage applicable to us today? What do you think?”     Answer: These are very important questions. Rather than pursuing my opinion, let’s study this passage and reason together:     Jesus taught, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality [fornication-KJV], and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9). It is clear that Jesus was teaching something very different from the Old Testament law. Note the following contrasts: 1.        The Law of Christ permits divorce on the grounds of sexual infidelity; the Law of Moses permitted divorce for an “unseemly thing.” “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness [unseemly thing-ASV] in her; then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house” (Deuteronomy 24:1 KJV.) 2.          The Law of Christ forbids an adulterer to remarry; the Law of Moses commanded that an adulterer be put to death. “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away …

Soteriology is the theological study pertaining to the doctrine of human salvation through Jesus Christ. A pertinent and timely question that should be of universal interest is presented in the title of this writing. It is one that has been researched and studied, discussed and debated over the past several hundred years. Conclusions drawn will help direct the precious soul, desperately in need of the Savior, down the broad way unto destruction or in the straight and narrow way unto life eternal (Matthew 7:13-14).     There are those, having been influenced by the theological persuasions of men like Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin who have advocated the position that man contributes absolutely nothing whatsoever to his salvation. With this line of reasoning it naturally follows, then, that baptism (which involves action on the part of the sinner) is not a contributing factor.     Salvation is spoken of in Holy Scripture as being a gift from God to man, and obviously one that is undeserved. We come to learn, then, that God has acted with gracious benevolence and overwhelming love in providing the very means for our redemption and reconciliation, a Savior which is Jesus Christ, the Lord (cf. Luke 2:10). It logically follows, too, since salvation is a “gift” it is unearned, and it is supposed the recipient doesn’t need to do anything to qualify to receive it.     In the past, there have been those who have tried to bolster their position by using the analogy of a …

Most times as parents we all want what is best for our kids. We seek the best possible food and dietary needs for them as they develop and grow. When the time comes for our children to go to school, we make certain that they receive the best education they can obtain. We will sacrifice many evenings in aiding them with homework and other “out of school” activities. Parents will often make sure their children visit the doctor and dentist regularly so that they have proper physical health. We make sure that our children have regular baths and brush their teeth on a regular basis to prevent poor health. Most parents make sure their kids are happy and safe and given those things in life that they need.     However, when it comes to spiritual development, those same concerned parents often fail. While it is important to provide and care for our children physically, it should not be to the neglect of the spiritual. If, as parents, we fail to instill in our kids the importance of God and the church, my friend we have failed to the utmost degree! We owe it to our precious children’s souls to make certain that we “Seek the kingdom first” (Matthew 6:33). Our kids will be able to tell whether church is something we do on Sunday or Christianity is something we live each day. If God is first, our kids will have a greater opportunity to be faithful to the Lord themselves. …

Jesus said, while on the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…” (Luke 23:34). This passage seems to confuse some, and others interpret it to include more people than it should. So let us take a look at it.     First, one needs to understand that this event took place under the Old Law, and not under Christianity. The Christian Law came into effect forty days after Christ’s resurrection on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The renting (or tearing down the middle) of the veil in the Temple (Luke 23:45; Matthew 27:51) is understood to mean doing away with the Old Law and replacing it with Christ Law, or Christianity. Therefore, any actions of Jesus on the cross are not governed by Christian Law, even though such acts were good.     Secondly, when Jesus said to one of the thieves beside him on a cross being crucified at the same time, that the thief would be with him that day in paradise (Luke 23:43), it does not mean that action is for any other person, or anytime since then. Today we are under the Law of Christ, or Christianity. Taking the thief to paradise took place under the Old Law.     Third, it is not stated that Jesus forgave “them.” Even though it may be speculation, it should be reasonable to believe that he would not ask God to forgive anyone unless he had first forgiven them. The stated action is that he asked God, …

I am a Platoon Sergeant in the Army National Guard and am currently stationed in Iraq. In October of 2005 we were mobilized for duty in Iraq. We had some idea of what we would be doing, but very little solid information. After 6 months of training at Camp Shelby, MS, we departed for what would turn out to be a life-changing deployment for us all. After 2 weeks in Kuwait, we arrived at Balad Air Base (otherwise known as LSA Anaconda). The base is located about 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. Upon arriving at Balad, our unit took over a convoy escort mission and split up into 14-man teams. I was assigned as the convoy commander of a team. Our mission was to escort civilian semi-trucks carrying supplies. This article is partially a testimony to the faithfulness of God and the kindness he showed us, but also serves as a warning for those who underestimate our enemy.     Every night before we would leave the wire, we put on our body armor, our Kevlar helmets and our deltoid armor. We would grumble about all that weight, but we did it anyway. Then we mounted up in up-armored gun trucks. Right after we left the security of the gate, we would turn on electronic countermeasures which were designed to afford us more protection. I never realized how much all that protection meant to me until we had our first civilian truck breakdown well outside the wire.     It was …

 No, it wasn’t a young husband who had just learned that his wife had given birth to their first child, and he was so excited that he proudly exclaimed to all in the waiting room that he was the father of a baby boy. No, that was not the case at all; rather, it was a young man who stood in front of TV cameras, raising his right arm and with glee in his eyes announced to the whole world that he was the father of child born to a former Playboy Bunny. His supporters shouted with approval. You see there had been a question as to who the father was of this baby that had been born out of wedlock. The mother had died suddenly, and she had not revealed which man had fathered the child. It may have been the case that she really did not know herself who the father was.     A famous movie actor divorced his wife and began to co-habit with another movie star. There was a mixed feeling about these two well known actors. What about the hurt that his ex-wife was experiencing over their marriage breakup, but soon the ugliness was forgotten and now the unmarried couple is interviewed on national television and is praised for their involvement in the making of another movie. Forget about the fact that they are unmarried and are living in violation of the marriage laws given by the Creator of mankind.     Then there is the …

If we raise the wrong questions, we probably will get the wrong answer. We need to be discriminating in the questions we raise, and the answers we get or give. For example, the question, “Does God promise salvation to those who have failed to obey his will?” and the question, “Will God save any person who has failed to obey his will?” are two different questions, regardless of the fact that many may think they are the same.  Even those persons who think the questions are perfectly clear and the answers should be just as clear and dogmatic may want to proceed a little farther. Have you ever failed to obey his will? The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and 1 John 1:10 says, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar.” So, regardless of how you answer the question, you have failed to obey his will. Most who read this would perhaps say, “We know that, but we still have to obey his will that relates to forgiveness of sins in order to be saved.” Many now teach that it does not really matter, for God’s grace will save everyone (or practically everyone) regardless of what he does. We feel sorry for that group, but are not specifically addressing their false doctrine today.     We are now simply trying to make one point: God promises to grant remission of sins only to those who accept …

On the Day of Pentecost, the Christian Era was ushered in by the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles of Christ and by their preaching the Gospel of the crucified, buried and resurrected Christ for the first time in the history of the world. As these Spirit-inspired men spoke in other languages to Jews gathered from all over the world, the accusation was made that they were drunk! Peter, denying that he and the other preachers were drunk, quoted Joel 2:28-32 saying,“This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” There are those who believe that Peter did not accurately quote Joel, for he quoted things from the prophet that did not happen on the Day of Pentecost.     However, as in the case of most biblical difficulties, there is a simple solution to what seems to be a problem here. First, Peter was showing that the events that were transpiring before the eyes of the people on that occasion were the initial fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. By that we simply mean this: The events of Pentecost fulfilled the first part of the prophecy by Joel, though the Holy Spirit moved Peter to quote the whole prophecy. We will see the reason for that a bit later. The prophet said that God told him, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28a). God did exactly what he promised when the apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit …

Hosea 4:16 illustrates the rebellious disposition of the northern kingdom of Israel by referring to that nation as a “backsliding heifer.” The Hebrew word for “backsliding” here appears in other passages as “stubborn,” “rebellious,” “revolters” and “withdrew.” This malignant response to a benevolent God led God to remove his benevolent protection from Israel, resulting in the Assyrian captivity for the survivors of the ferocious Assyrian horde that descended upon the nation. The image of a “backsliding heifer” is that of the animal backing away or withdrawing from a yoke; Israel refused to have the yoke of God on it. There is still a yoke that God intends for his people to bear (Matt. 11:29-30).     My own image of a “backsliding heifer” in my mind is of a young cow stuck in a mud hole. Imagine trying to manhandle (or womanhandle) a muddy, filthy heifer from some bog into which it has gotten itself. Pull or push as one might, the heifer falters and even works violently against every effort to rescue it.  Frankly, nothing has changed. God’s people are still like that “backsliding heifer” of which the prophet Hosea wrote. It is hard to keep the saved, saved! Push, pull, coax and coddle, but still wayward members often remained bogged down in their apostasy. It seems that for some Christians, if they make it to heaven, it will only be if someone has a rope around their necks, tugging and dragging them, they resisting all the way—kicking and screaming. …