Articles

• Who Is Your NEIGHBOR, Biblically Speaking?

  Both the Old Testament and New Testament teach us to “love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39 & James 2:8). But who specifically is your neighbor? ‘Neighbor,’ in the Hebrew is rea (RAY-ah), which means “friend, companion, fellow.” In the Greek it’s plésion (play-SEE-on) meaning “someone near or nearby.” In other words, your neighbor in […]

• What Happens to the SPIRIT at the Second Death?

  Addressing the death of an unredeemed person, Ecclesiastes 12:7 says “the spirit returns to God who gave it.” “Spirit” here refers to the “breath of life,” aka the animating life force from God, noted in what theologians call ‘the creation text’: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into […]

• Is It Scriptural to Say “GOD SHOWED UP” at a Service?

  You might hear a minister say something like “God showed up and showed off” at a particular service. Since the LORD indwells every spiritually-regenerated believer, is it biblical to say this? The phrase can be defended as scriptural. To explain, anyone born of the Spirit has the indwelling Spirit, which means God indwells the believer […]

• Are Believers the RESULT OF a Covenant or IN COVENANT?

  There’s this teaching going around that believers are not in a covenant with God but, rather, are the result of the covenant between Abraham and the LORD (Genesis 12:1-3 & 17:4-5). A minister can be observed teaching this in this 7.5 minute video. He is correct that believers in Christ are the product of the […]

• Why DIDN’T Catholics Want People Having Access to Scripture?

  Historically, Catholic leaders have curiously objected to people having access to the Holy Scriptures. For instance, when the codex book form replaced the scroll, and parchment made from sheep or goat skin replaced papyrus, the Catholic Council of Toulouse, France, 1229, forbade anyone who was not a priest from owning a translation of the Bible […]

• The Origin of the MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

  It helps to understand what’s happening in the Middle East by examining where this ongoing conflict started, as revealed in Scripture. Abram, who was soon renamed Abraham, found favor with the LORD and God viewed him as a friend (Genesis 12:1-7 & James 2:23). He was promised that his descendants would be “a great nation” […]

• Did PAUL’S MESSAGE Contradict Jesus & James’ Gospel?

  Here’s the argument in question: The book of James declares works, the keeping of the commandments, as part of the process of justification. From James’ point of view, salvation is by faith plus works. This contradicts Paul’s salvation by grace through faith and not of works. Actually, there is no contradiction. Notice what Paul quickly […]

• What Are the APOCRYPHA and PSEUDEPIGRAPHA?

  The books contained in the apocrypha (ah-POK-rah-fah) & pseudepigrapha (soo-doh-PIG-rah-fah) are noncanonical writings from the intertestamental period, or “400 silent years,” between the Old and New Testaments; and up to 300-400 AD. ‘Apocrypha’ means “hidden away” while ‘pseudepigrapha’ means “false writings,” mostly because the claimed author of the text is not the actual author. Some of what these books say […]

• Did Israel Have a QUEEN in Biblical Times?

  Yes, in Judah during the time of the divided kingdom, as observed here: 1When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. 2But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal […]

• Are There Different Kinds of GRACE?

  This verse is relevant to the question: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 The Greek word for ‘grace’ is charis (KHAR-ees), which means “grace, favor, kindness.” There are different kinds of charis depending on the […]