“Better to Go Alone on the Word of God”

William Kinkade: "Better for Me to Go Alone on the Word of God"

In the early days of the Restoration Movement, many people were leaving various denominations in order to try to serve God according to His word without the addition of man-made creeds. One of these individuals was William Kinkade (1783-1832). He was raised as a Presbyterian, but later forsook that sect and others in order to simply follow the word of God alone.

“I then refused to call myself by any name but that of Christian, bore a public testimony against all party names, and declared that I would take no other book for my standard but the Bible. I did not then know that any other person would unite with me to have no name but Christian and take no standard but the Bible, but I thought it was right, and therefore determined to pursue it, let the consequence be what it might. I could have been a Baptist, a Methodist, or a Presbyterian preacher. The two latter sects both strongly solicited me to be a preacher among them, but I utterly refused, because I thought it would be better for me to go alone on the word of God, than to put myself under obligation to believe and preach any system framed by fallible men.” (The Biography of Elder David Purviance, p. 217-218).

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The Influence of Calvinism in Our Song Books

It Is Well With My Soul

Recently at the congregation where I preach, we concluded a study on the subject of Calvinism. We discussed the five major tenets of this false doctrine (often remembered by the TULIP acronym) – total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints – along with some other ideas that are connected to Calvinism.

Over the years, I have noticed that certain ideas that can be found in lyrics in our song books reflect an influence of Calvinism. When someone else made a comment to this effect during our study, I decided to put together an additional lesson at the end about the influence of Calvinism in our song books. That is how this article originated.

Note: The point of this is not necessarily to make a list of songs we cannot sing in worship. We can make some allowance for “poetic license.” However, we ought to be mindful of the influence of Calvinism that can be found in our song books. We teach one another through singing (Colossians 3:16) and we are to sing with understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15). Therefore, it is important to evaluate the songs that we sing to see if they convey the truth.Continue Reading

Good Things to Do When You’re Older

Old man by the water

In a previous article, we discussed some good things to do when one is young. We focused on what young people are to do in order to enjoy life while also pleasing the Lord.

What if we are not young anymore? What responsibilities do we have when we are older?

This is not just about what we are to do when we are “old” (however we want to define that) or at the end of our lives (though it would certainly include that). This is a wide age range, from around 30 years old and up – old enough to influence young adults until death. What does the Bible say about what is good to do when we are older? We will notice six things.Continue Reading

Agabus and Paul

The Prophet Agabus

In the early days of the church, Agabus was one of several prophets in Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-28). Prophets played an important role in the beginning of the church. Paul listed prophets along with apostles as part of the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). Apostles and prophets were given by God to equip the saints and build up the body (Ephesians 4:11-12). The role of the prophets was to reveal the secret things from God (cf. Amos 3:7; Revelation 10:7).

There are two prophecies of Agabus recorded in the book of Acts:Continue Reading

Are You Perfect?

Perfect

[This article was written by Bill Reeves and has been reformatted for viewing online.]

1 Jn. 1:5-10, the controverted text (ver. 7) and context:

“And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin [conditionally, ver. 9!]. If we say that we have no sin [that is, deny the reality of sin as the Gnostics did], we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If [conditionality] we confess our sins [anytime they are committed], he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned [as the Gnostics did, and therefore would not confess their sins] we make him a liar [as they did], and his word is not in us [as it is not in them].”

The phrase “walking in the light” has been used by neo-Calvinistic brethren to assert that if one is “walking in the light” (as they define it), that God continually cleanses them of their sins even as they sin! The bottom line of the issue is the so-called “depraved nature” in man.

“Are you perfect?” is the question often stated by the proponents of this error in an effort to stop the mouths of their opponents. The question is totally invalid, until the terms are defined! Let them tell us what they mean by the word “perfect” in their question. They don’t do it! It is a scare tactic. The question is supposed to halt the one questioned, because no one wants to appear as if he never sins, nor could ever sin again in the future, that he is absolutely like God in sinlessness (although he actually is, when pardoned by God – he has no sins!).Continue Reading

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast (Season 12)

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

We recently wrapped up Season 12 of the Plain Bible Teaching Podcast. The theme of this season was Peter’s instruction to add to our faith (2 Peter 1:5-11). You can listen to the audio from all of the episodes on this page. You can also click on the link for each episode to see the show notes and download the audio files if you’d like.
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Book Review: King of Hearts

King of Hearts (cover)I recently had the chance to read a new book by Brady Cook – King of Hearts – a comprehensive biography of King Solomon.

Bible students are familiar with Solomon – the son of David, wealthy king, builder of the temple, and the wisest man of the earth. His wisdom has been written down for us in the Scriptures, as well as a record of his failings and departure from God.Continue Reading