May 1, 2007

Romans 14

The “grace-unity” doctrine is one of the biggest dangers facing the church today. It is sometimes called “unity-in-diversity.” It is the old denominational concept that we can each have our own understanding of the Bible and we cannot say that one is right and the other is wrong. Sin and error can be overlooked because of spiritual weakness and differences of understanding. This idea is popular among the religious world. As time goes on, its popularity is increasing in the Lord’s church.

Romans 14 is often used to try to defend the concept of unity-in-diversity. Because of the sharp disagreements that exist, I believe many brethren think that Romans 14 is a difficult passage to understand. It may be true that it is not as simple as some passages (i.e. Mark 16:16), but we certainly can understand what Romans 14 is teaching. I hope this article will help make it a little clearer.
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May 1, 2007

Why the School Shootings?

[This article was written by Tim Haile.]

Our nation has once again been shocked by another tragic school shooting. On April 16, 2007, Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people and injured 17 more at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Sadly, these shootings have occurred frequently enough over the past 15 years that we tend to forget just how many of them have taken place. It hasn’t been that many years ago that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 and injured 24 in Littleton, CO (Columbine High School, 1999). Along with these school killings, many other gang related murders occur at the hands of youths. It is not my purpose in this brief article to document the dozens of such shootings that have occurred, but rather to shed some light on why they are occurring, and why they are occurring with such increased frequency.

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April 25, 2007

“O How I Love Your Law!”

Bible reading

The psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). He went on to say that the law of God had given him wisdom, insight, and understanding (Psalm 119:98-100). He abstained from evil and practiced the ordinances of God (Psalm 119:101-102). He concluded this section by saying, “From your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104).

Notice the contrast. He loved God’s law and hated every false way. Because he understood God’s precepts, he hated everything opposed to and out of harmony with them. Why? For the same reason we should. Sin separates man from God and ends in eternal death (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23; James 1:15). Teaching something other than God’s truth causes one to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). Understanding these things should cause us to “hate every false way.”
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April 23, 2007

Understanding the Putting Away Controversy

The topic of marriage, divorce, and remarriage is a controversial issue among brethren. There are several different views regarding the Bible teaching on this subject. There has been much writing and debate recently – particularly over the rights of an innocent put-away spouse. Debates (whether written or oral) can be useful in presenting two sides of an issue for an audience to more easily compare the teachings with Scripture. However, when one goes to study the subject, the amount of material available may seem overwhelming. The purpose of this study is to clear up some of the confusion so we can more easily see the truth contained in God’s word.Continue Reading

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April 15, 2007

Merger

The Christian Chronicle recently reported that the Highland Oaks Church of Christ has recently merged with the nearby Pitman Creek Church of Christ. Yet what is unique about this merger is that each congregation is going to remain where they currently are. They will now be “one congregation meeting in two locations,” sharing “a common staff, eldership, budget and vision.”

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April 5, 2007

Victory in Jesus

Revelation

The book of Revelation is one of the more difficult books in the Bible to understand. Because of the prevalent use of symbolic language and Old Testament references, it requires much study on our part to get a firm grasp on the book. But if we simplify the message of Revelation, we see that it describes a struggle between good and evil – those who are for God and those who are against God.
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April 1, 2007

Personal Responsibility in the Work of Evangelism

Many in our day and time do not want to take responsibility for their actions. They want to blame others for various problems. They want to leave work that needs to be done for others to do. In contrast with this mentality, we see that the Bible teaches the importance of individual responsibility and personal accountability.

Paul told the brethren in Corinth, “Test yourselves” and “examine yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). We will each stand before Christ in judgment as individuals (2 Corinthians 5:10). Each person’s fate will be determined “according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” On that day, we will not be able to slide into heaven based upon what others have done – whether they may be our family, our brethren, or anyone else.
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