August 1, 2021

17th Year of Plain Bible Teaching

Bible open outdoors

Well, here we are again after another year…

Plain Bible Teaching began its first year back on August 1, 2005. That means that yesterday we completed 16 full years. Today begins year number seventeen!

A big “THANK YOU” to all of you who have been reading, commenting, and sharing these materials with others. I know that some of you have been following Plain Bible Teaching since the beginning. Others of you have just recently discovered the site. Regardless of how long you’ve been following, I’m glad you’re here and hope you continue to find the material being published here to be beneficial.

The goal from the beginning has been to publish materials that can accurately be described as “plain Bible teaching” in order to help others learn or be reminded of what the word of God teaches so that they might be encouraged to live in a way that will be pleasing to the Lord. I am sincerely thankful that I’ve been able to do this for this long and, Lord willing, I plan to continue this work for many years to come.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Site News
July 28, 2021

Stand Your Ground

Man standing on mountain

“Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory” (2 Samuel 23:11-12).

The passage above describes the valiant efforts of Shammah, one of King David’s “mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:8).* The notable event recorded about him was his defense of a piece of farmland. He “took his stand” and refused to back down, even though he had to fight alone. Of course, he was not truly alone even though “the people fled.” The text makes it clear that “the Lord brought about a great victory” on that day, but he had to be willing to stand his ground and fight.

What is interesting about this passage is that there is no indication given as to the location of this plot of ground. There is no mention of who owned it, what city was nearby, or the region in which it was located. The only information that is given about this land, besides what was grown there, was the fact that the Philistines had gathered in that place to fight. Because the enemy was there, that was the place where Shammah took his stand to fight.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , ,
July 14, 2021

The Result of Following Your Heart

Walking shoes

“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

A popular idea in our modern culture is that we should “follow our heart.” While this is popular, it is not wise. Our heart, on its own, will not direct us in the way we need to go. Jeremiah said, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). In the passage quoted at the beginning of this article, the Lord said that man’s heart is “deceitful” and “desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). The rest of that chapter elaborates on this idea.

In this article, we are going to examine that chapter (Jeremiah 17) and see what happens when we follow our heart. However, we first need to understand the context. Jeremiah had been warning the people of Judah about destruction that was coming. They had rejected God, embraced idolatry, and refused to repent of their sin; so God was going to punish them through the Babylonian army that was coming against them. Though we live in a different time and under different circumstances, the basic points are the same. We will experience the same pitfalls as they did if we also “follow our heart.”

What happens when we follow our heart? This chapter describes six consequences that will come from this.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , ,
June 30, 2021

Lessons from the Farmer

Farmer

We are living in anticipation of the Lord’s return. Jesus promised His apostles, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). We are looking forward to that same hope. All the faithful – living and dead – will “meet the Lord in the air” when He returns and then “we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This is a comforting thought for the Christian (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

Peter spoke of the certainty of this event, but explained that the timing of it was unknown: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). We can be assured that this day is coming, but we do not know when it will be.

Since this is the reality of our existence here on the earth, James encouraged us to be patient. In doing so, he cited the example of a farmer to make his point:

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near” (James 4:7-8).

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,
June 16, 2021

I.B. Grubbs’ Six Rules of Biblical Hermeneutics

I.B. Grubbs, rejecting legalism

When it comes to studying the Bible, it is common for people to come away with their own understanding of the word of God. Many see nothing wrong with this, despite the varied and sometimes conflicting interpretations people have of the Scriptures. However, when Paul wrote to the brethren in Ephesus, he said, “By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4). He did not expect each of them to have their interpretation of the epistle he wrote by inspiration. Instead, he expected them to have the same understanding as he did. The only way this could happen is for each one to follow a common set of principles as they try to determine the meaning of a particular passage under consideration.

Isaiah Boone Grubbs (1833-1912) was a preacher and also a professor at the College of the Bible in Lexington, KY at the end of the nineteenth century and into the early part of the twentieth century. In the introduction to his material on the epistles of First and Second Corinthians and Galatians,* he outlined six hermeneutical rules that would allow students of the Bible to properly interpret the text. (Hermeneutics simply means “the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible).”**) These principles are not unique to Bible study; rather, they are the same principles that can be used to correctly identify the meaning behind any body of instruction or teaching.

So let us briefly consider these six rules for Biblical hermeneutics.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Restoration History Tagged With: , ,
June 2, 2021

God’s Plan for Worship

Family in Church

“‘Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth’” (John 4:20-24).

In this chapter, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman by a well. The discussion covered several topics, one of which was the issue of worship. After she “perceived” Jesus to be “a prophet” (John 4:19), she brought up a question about worship. In Jesus’ answer, He explained to her some basic principles about worship. These instructions are helpful for us as well.

In this article, we are going to look at what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman and what He teaches about God’s plan for worship. There are four basic points we can take from His instruction on this occasion.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,
May 27, 2021

Audio: Gospel Meeting at the Mountain View church of Christ

Mountain View church of Christ

This past weekend (May 21-23, 2021), I had the privilege of speaking in a Gospel Meeting at the Mountain View church of Christ in Sevierville, TN. You can listen to the audio recordings of the lessons below, or “right-click” the title to download the file to your computer.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Audio