Sin

The lessons learned from the Parable of the Prodigal Son – concerning the consequences of estrangement from God, and those qualities necessary for restoration, are treasures indeed.

Could anxiety be sinful? Yes, if we accept the testimony of Jesus and respect Paul’s apostolic command.

But the Bible certainly acknowledges that life’s complications can be depressing. The words ...

LaGard Smith is a “scholar in residence” at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. This lawyer/author has recently created a mild sensation with the publication of his latest book, After Life. In this week’s Penpoints, Wayne Jackson provides a brief review of Smith’s book.

Does any man have the right to forgive sins? Some suggest that Jesus granted this authority to the apostles, and then, through them, to others (see John 20:23). Can you explain this passage?

The Jews of the Old Testament regime were responsible to the law of Moses. But what law were the Gentiles under? This is a question that perplexes many Bible students.

After becoming a “child of God,” is it possible to lose one’s “inheritance”?

The idea that all people will be saved appears to be gaining momentum. But the fact is, this dogma has no basis in Scripture and logically it is irrational.

A significant group of misguided souls alleges that the “grace” of Jesus Christ has dispensed with the need for “law.” This “antinomian” ideology is designed to throw the mantle of fellowship around those who have not obeyed the Lord in the process of becoming a Christian. The adversarial conflict that some see between “grace” and “law” is false.

Before we obey the gospel, we are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). But the question is, to what does this refer: the physical body or a spiritual condition?

It refers, of course, to our spiritual conditio...

A sincere lady lives in terror because she fears that she is lost and cannot find peace of mind.

There are some who teach that the wicked will not be required to endure an “eternal punishment” (see Mt. 25:46) in hell. They argue that since “hell” is the “second death,” and as “death” is to be “destroyed,” it follows that hell will be destroyed ultimately. In this week’s Question and Answer segment, Wayne Jackson responds to this fallacious argument.

How would it be possible for one to be happy in heaven, knowing that some of his loved ones are suffering in hell? This is a question that every thoughtful Christian has pondered at times. Is there a reasonable solution to this problem?

One of the most controversial contexts in the book of Acts has to do with Paul’s activity in the Jerusalem temple, as recorded in Acts 21. Did the apostle violate the law of God in “purifying” himself in that ritual? Some so claim, but is this a necessary conclusion?

The “Gay community” is “in your face” these days, foisting their agenda of perversion upon a largely unsuspecting society. Progressively downward we seem to spiral, toward an abyss of amoral corruption. In this week’s Penpoints, Jason Jackson responds to the oft-repeated charge of “homophobia.”

The conditions of the first century world attest to the wonderful planning of God.

Why would someone claim that babies are awful creatures?

How can God be viewed as good, when the Bible suggests that he created evil?

The damaging effects of sin and the rigors of the Christian life can seem overwhelming. But in Philippians 3:13-14, the inspired apostle Paul sets forth an uplifting approach to life.

Genesis 6:6 indicates that “it repented Jehovah that he had made man.” Does this mean that God regretted his creation?

Have you ever heard of a “Christian Bar”? Jason Jackson considers the ethics of an “anything-goes” approach to evangelism.