We must have a way to make choices and settle matters of difference in our religious practices. We cannot do this unless there is an accepted standard of authority. Authority means “the power or right to command or enforce obedience, to make final decisions, to have jurisdiction.” Authority is related to that which is lawful, or that which men are at liberty to do.… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: BIBLE
CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE AS THE WORD OF GOD?
In an age when we have little to trust or rely upon, we may wonder if even the Bible can be trusted. There are many reasons, however, that we can trust the Bible as the word of God. First of all, we can trust the Bible because we trust God and it is God’s book, revealed to mankind, and in perfect harmony with His nature and character.… Continue Reading
BOB DOLE’S SOLUTION
Bob Dole, senator from Kansas, and presidential candidate in 1996, was severely injured in battle just a few months before the end of World War II. Initially paralyzed from the neck down, he endured years of surgeries and treatment which allowed him to walk again, but he never regained much use of his right arm. To look “normal,” he learned to hold a pen in that paralyzed right hand, and shook hands, with his left hand.… Continue Reading
MUST THE CHRISTIAN TITHE?
Tithing is the custom of giving a portion (ten per cent) of products or money to a king or priest. The first biblical mention of tithing is in Genesis 14, when Abram returned from a great military victory and gave a tithe of the plunder he had acquired to Melchizedek, who was the king of Salem, and a priest of God.… Continue Reading
IS THE BIBLE INFALLIBLE?
Yes. Infallible means “incapable of erring, sure, certain, unerring.” A close synonym for infallible is inerrant, which means “free from error.” The Bible as revealed by God in the “original autographs” (original written copies) is both infallible and inerrant. The infallible Bible does not just “contain the Word of God,” it IS the Word of God. Because it is infallible, it gives us all that we need for faith and practice in serving God. … Continue Reading
IS THE BIBLE FILLED WITH CONTRADICTIONS?
No! Some are quick to claim, “The Bible is filled with contradictions!” This claim, however, has never been proved to be true, and it is a claim that is most often made by those who have little or no knowledge of the Bible. The Bible, as the inspired Word of God, cannot contain any contradictions. What it does contain, however, as might be expected of any literary work, are apparent contradictions, that is, passages that seem to be contradictory, but which are not contradictory at all when properly understood.… Continue Reading
WRINKLE’S HEADSTONE
She never really cared that much for the piece of carved stone that her deceased husband had found in an old quarry, but Ruth Beeston thought it would serve well to mark the burial place of her dead cat, Wrinkle. She decided to put it up for auction, however, when a local art historian discovered that it was a thousand year old carving of the apostle Peter.… Continue Reading
SECOND ONLY TO THE BIBLE
It was required reading in Jr. High School. I can still remember trying to slog through it, and not appreciating it at the time. It is the story of a fifty-year-old man setting off on a quest to do great deeds and right all wrongs. Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes was quite innovative when first published (part one in 1605, and part two in 1615).… Continue Reading
MUST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS EXCEED THAT OF THE PHARISEES?
The words of Christ in Matthew 5-7, the “Sermon on the Mount,” are often considered a summary of all Christian living. If all the best of modern psychology were gathered, it would not compare in beauty and simplicity with the Sermon on the Mount. Early in that sermon, Jesus made a strong statement: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).… Continue Reading
WHAT WAS THE ATTITUDE OF CHRIST TOWARD THE SCRIPTURES?
The attitude of Christ toward the scriptures was one of complete trust, knowing that He relied on His heavenly father completely. He said, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16). He astonished the people because He spoke with authority, by appealing to the scriptures (Matthew 7:28-29). He warned that it was by his words that all will be judged: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).… Continue Reading
PERSONAL ARMOR
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him” (Proverbs 30:5).
The shield was a very important part of the personal armor of the ancient soldier. With this personal armor, the soldier was protected against the blows of the enemy’s sword or arrows of the enemy’s archer. The effectiveness of the shield depended on the quality of the shield and the skills of the soldier.… Continue Reading
WHAT DOES “NO SCRIPTURE IS OF PRIVATE INTERPRETATION” MEAN?
Peter concludes the first chapter of his second epistle with these words. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.… Continue Reading
ARE THERE “LOST BOOKS” OF THE BIBLE?
We have long understood that the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament make up God’s complete revelation to man. The Bible does mention other ancient books, however. Joshua 10:13 says, “The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher?”… Continue Reading
WRITING IN BOOKS
Bev Ellis, an Australian book store owner was understandably upset when a customer told her a strange man had been defacing many of the store’s Stephen King books by writing in them. She was surprised to catch up with the man in a nearby Woolworth’s and find out that it was Stephen King himself, who had autographed the books (World, September 18, 2007).… Continue Reading
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD”?
The apostle Paul wrote to the evangelist Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). This verse well-illustrates the need for understanding that word meanings may change, and we must be ever on guard against misapplying or twisting scripture, even when we try to teach the truth.… Continue Reading
ARE MEN TODAY RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS FROM GOD APART FROM THE BIBLE?
Many today claim that God has spoken directly to them, or that He speaks to them just as He did to the prophets in days of old. God has not promised to speak to man today, however, except through the Bible, His written word. The Bible places constraints on what the followers of Christ can and should do, so some throw off those constraints by claiming special revelations from God.… Continue Reading