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Why is there so much religious diversity in the world—or even in the community of “Christendom”? Surely such is not the ideal will of God. Let us consider this theme most carefully.
The American Standard Version of the New Testament suggests that a woman must “fear” her husband. Does this seem reasonable?
Some sincere Christians contend that the child of God may not address Christ, either in praise or through prayer. Will this case stand in the light of critical investigation? Carefully study this issue with us.
A recent news item highlighted a case where an inmate was refused the privilege of being immersed for the remission of his sins. A chorus of sectarian voices argued that “hard cases” like this negate the belief that baptism is a necessary condition for salvation. Is this quibble valid?
Many folks within the domain of “Christendom” applaud the system of “denominationalism.” But does the “denominational” principle have the approval of Scripture?
The Scriptures teach that each congregation of the Lord’s body is under self-rule, but with limitations. Sadly, some do not recognize these limitations and jeopardize their fidelity to sound doctrine.
The Christian lives in a world where he interacts with other people on a daily basis. What sort of impression are we leaving upon others? The exercise of “common sense” principles of courtesy can have a wonderful effect upon your fellows. We reflect upon some of these in this week’s Penpoints art...
What is acceptable worship? This article is the second in a two-part series.
Recently a preacher raised the question: “Can we all understand the Bible alike?” He declared that we cannot, and asserted that those who believe that we can are simply entertaining an ignorant viewpoint.
This article explores the biblical concept of being a “born-again” Christian, discussing the spiritual rebirth through the Holy Spirit, the role of baptism, and entrance into the kingdom of God.
False teachers do exist (2 Peter 2:1), and the ideas they advocate are dangerous. In this study, we will direct attention to some false teachings relative to the Holy Spirit.
There are those in the body of Christ who are clamoring that women must throw off the yoke of male domination and claim their rightful place in the Lord’s kingdom.
The devil is after us. He wants us to join him in hell’s fire. In Ephesians 6:12-18, the apostle Paul pleads with Christians to take the devil’s malicious plans seriously. He calls upon us to appropriate the only available means to stand against the wiles of Satan — the whole armor of God. Such w...
References to "worship" are common in both the O.T. and the N.T. The Hebrew term shachah (about 100 times) refers to "bowing" before an object of religious devotion. Similarly, proskuneo (59 times) in the N.T. means to prostrate oneself, do obeisance. Worship can be offered to the true God (Gen. ...
Woman was fashioned from flesh and bone taken from the side of man (Gen. 2:21-24). Male and female qualities were designed by God (Mt. 19:4); these characteristics are not accidental developments of an imagined "evolutionary" process. The Hebrew term for "woman" is ishsha, thought to derive from ...
Several Hebrew words are rendered by the English "wine," the most common of which are yayin (134 times) and tirosh (33 times). The basic term for "wine" in the Greek New Testament is oinos (33 times). In both Hebrew and Greek, wine is a generic term for the liquid produced from squeezed grapes. S...
Jesus once prayed that God's will might be done on earth, just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Jehovah's will is what is best for humanity and what he requires us to implement in our lives. The Lord has the right to exert his will because of who he is (deity), and he can impose it in any way c...
Some religions are based upon philosophical premises that are embraced emotionally, apart from intellectual substance. That is not the case with Christianity. Christianity is grounded in history, and there are historical facts and concepts that must be understood and endorsed, preliminary to acce...
The term "truth" carries several connotations in the Bible. (a) Truth can convey the idea of loyalty. Those who abide in Jesus' teaching are "truly" his disciples (Jn. 8:31). (b) True may denote that which is genuine, in contrast to the counterfeit. God is "true" deity; idols are not (1 Thes. 1:9...
The adjective "spiritual" has several senses. (a) It may refer to a being that is "spirit" in nature, e.g., angels (Eph. 6:12). (b) Spiritual may denote that which is from God, thus is lofty in its quality (Rom. 7:14). (c) Spiritual may connote a person who has access to sacred revelation by supe...