Biblical answers to common questions about faith, doctrine, and Christian living.
In 1 Corinthians 7:15 Paul affirms that if an unbelieving mate abandons his Christian companion the Christian is "not under bondage." Some allege that this provides an additional cause for divorce other than fornication (Matthew 5:32; 19:9). But is there real evidence for this position?
The writer of Hebrews speaks of those who are beyond the possibility of repentance (Heb. 6:6). Does this mean that if a Christian falls away from the faith, he can never return? Is it even possible for the child of God to apostatize --so as to be lost? This week's Q&A segment addresses this issue.
A frequently asked question is: "Where did the different races of mankind come from?" For many years evolutionists contended that racial differences were the result of different lines of evolutionary development. This theory has been thoroughly disproven. The Bible presents an entirely different viewpoint.
How can God be viewed as good, when the Bible suggests that he created evil?
A commonly asked question is this: "Who made God?" Some ask the query sincerely. Others frame it cynically. The answer is the same in both cases.
Does the Bible sanction a speaking in "tongues" that involves the utterance of "ecstatic" sounds that are understood only by the speaker and God? Sincere Pentecostal folks answer in the affirmative. They contend that these indiscernible sounds are the "tongues of angels" (1 Cor. 13:1). This article demonstrates that there is no support for such a view in the Corinthian text.
Matthew 10:23 is a difficult text that has generated much controversy among Bible students. Just what is the meaning of the Lord's statement, that the apostles will not have evangelized all the cities of Israel, "till the Son of man comes"? Wayne Jackson discusses this problem in this week's Question segment.
Why do Christians teach that the dead are conscious, when the Scriptures refer to death as "sleep"?
Does God grant pardon to the "alien sinner" by means of prayer? Some suggest that the case of Cornelius (Acts 10) supplies an affirmative answer. This week's question explores this issue.
Sabbatarians contend that all of the Ten Commandments are binding today, including the requirement to "keep the Sabbath day holy." They allege that if one argues that the Ten Commandments were abolished when Christ died, this would license all sorts of evil today. Is this argument sound? Wayne Jackson addresses this in this Q&A segment.
The article explores the concept of re-baptism, discussing its validity from a scriptural perspective, and the circumstances in which it might be considered necessary, such as a lack of understanding or faith at the time of the original baptism.
Sometimes the Bible condemns hate. Sometimes it seems to encourage it.
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul refers to Christ as "the firstborn of all creation." Does this phrase suggest that Jesus was a "created" being? The "Jehovah's Witnesses" so allege, but what is the truth of the matter? Study this intriguing question with us.
The New Testament records an episode where Jesus "cursed" a fig tree. Many people are disturbed with reference to this incident. What is the meaning behind this strange circumstance?
In a letter to the church at Corinth, Paul affirmed that "the natural man does not receive the things of God." Some allege that this text suggests that one cannot understand the Scriptures without direct guidance from the Holy Spirit. But, as Wayne Jackson demonstrates in this article, this view reflects a misunderstanding of the apostle's argument.
On his way to Golgotha, Christ addressed a group of Jerusalem's weeping women, and asked: "For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" What is the meaning of this mysterious "green tree" saying?
What is the meaning of Paul's command, "Forbid not to Speak in tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39)? Does this imply that the gift of tongues was to continue to the end of time?
Traditionally, churches of Christ have observed the Lord's supper each Sunday -- and only on that day. Now, some are suggesting there is New Testament authority for daily communion, or for the serving of the supper on days other than the Lord's day. Unfortunately for those who so argue, the New Testament "authority" for this evolving procedure is missing.
A church leader teaches that both Christ and the Holy Spirit were created by God. He denies that Jesus and the Holy Spirit possess the nature of deity. What should be done by the faithful of that congregation?
