August 19, 2026

What Is a Sin Not Leading to Death?

Man with head in his handsAt the end of John’s first epistle, he mentioned two different kinds of sins – one that leads to death and one that does not lead to death. What was he talking about? Is there a certain class of sins that God permits or tolerates and, therefore, allows them to go unpunished? Or does John mean something else? Notice what he wrote:

“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16-17).

This is a difficult passage, and some portions of Scripture are like that (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). We must take care not to misinterpret it, but we can understand it (cf. Ephesians 3:4). To do this, we must seek to harmonize it with the rest of Scripture.Continue Reading

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August 5, 2026

Convicting the World

Paul before Felix

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:7-11).

Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus spoke to His apostles and promised to send the Holy Spirit to them, who would “convict [reprove, KJV] the world” (John 16:8). The New International Version translates this phrase by saying He would “prove the world to be in the wrong.” The Spirit would do this “concerning sin and righteousness and judgment,” and we will notice later why this was necessary.

This work of the Holy Spirit would have a direct impact on the apostles’ teaching, and it should on ours as well. In this article, we are going to consider HOW the Spirit would convict the world, how the apostles carried out their work related to this, and what we should do in this regard today.Continue Reading

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July 22, 2026

The Vital Truth of Jesus’ Resurrection

Empty Tomb

The resurrection of Jesus Christ happened almost two thousand years ago, yet it is still remembered, is still talked about, and continues to impact the lives of people throughout the world. The preaching of the apostles was filled with it (Acts 2:22-24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:38-43; 13:29-31; 17:31; 26:23). Today, we continue to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But why? And what evidence do we have that this event happened? Let us consider a few points.Continue Reading

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July 8, 2026

Point Out These Things to the Brethren

Man pointing at an open Bible

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Timothy 4:6).

A preacher’s job is not to find some “new” thing to present to his audience every time he preaches. If he has been preaching the truth, there is nothing “new” for him to teach without getting in trouble (cf. Galatians 1:8-9). A preacher is to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2), which includes informing, challenging, and reminding.

In the passage above, Paul declared the need to “put the brethren in remembrance” (KJV). This can be applied broadly to anything taught in the word of God, but what did Paul mean in this specific context? Notice what he wrote in the verses leading up to this statement:

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).

These were the things that Paul wanted Timothy to “point out” to the brethren. These reminders are still necessary today. Let us briefly consider these points.Continue Reading

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June 24, 2026

Put Away Childish Things

Woody Toy Story doll by lakeAs one moves from childhood to adulthood, various changes occur in one’s physical body, relationships, responsibilities, maturity, knowledge, wisdom, and so on. However, many people do not want to grow up and put away childish things, whether that be in the form of a refusal to take on adult responsibilities or a reluctance to outgrow childhood obsessions (like toys and entertainment).

Paul used this basic principle of growth and maturity as an analogy for our spiritual lives.

“When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).

In this article, we will consider some “childish things” we are to put away from a spiritual standpoint.Continue Reading

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June 3, 2026

What Makes churches of Christ Different?

Church of Christ

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16).

When talking about spiritual matters with other religious people, we often find many things that we will agree about – God is the creator, Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead, there is hope that the faithful will have eternal life in heaven, etc.

However, there are also some significant differences between churches of Christ and other churches. Some who belong to other churches are curious about this, and we want to be ready to give an explanation for what we believe (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).

Before we begin, I want to be clear that there is no “official” position for churches of Christ. We do not have a written creed, nor do we have a denominational headquarters deciding on doctrine. I cannot speak for any other congregation that calls itself a church of Christ. However, there are some teachings and practices that are generally common among churches of Christ but differ from those of most other churches. In this article, we will look at some of these unique characteristics and briefly examine the New Testament to see why we believe and practice them.Continue Reading

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May 20, 2026

The Limits of Fellowship

Warning Sign

The New Testament describes fellowship as something to be valued, built, and maintained among Christians. In his first epistle, John declared that the apostles taught the message of the gospel “so that you too may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:3). When the apostles in Jerusalem wanted to demonstrate their acceptance and approval of Paul and Barnabas, they “gave to [them] the right hand of fellowship” (Galatians 2:9).

The word translated fellowship is the Greek word koinonia. It contains the idea of association, community, communion, and joint participation (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). Because of this definition, this same word is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe a contribution made for needy saints (Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 9:13) and participation in their support (2 Corinthians 8:4), a sharing in the body and blood of Christ as we partake of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16), and a participation with Paul in the work of preaching the gospel (Philippians 1:5).

While we sometimes think of fellowship in a generic sense and talk about the “fellowship” we have with Christians around the world (even those we have never met or even know of), the way the term is used in the New Testament has a much more limited scope. It is true that all Christians – whether they know one another or not – have a common bond in Christ. We are all brethren (1 Peter 1:22; 2:17) and part of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). But fellowship – the sense of community, the close association, the shared communion, and the way in which we jointly participate in the Lord’s work – demands a more personal and localized view of fellowship rather than one that is vague and impossible to see how far it extends.

The reason this is important is because of the limits that we see in the New Testament on fellowship. There are certain people to whom we must not extend fellowship (not associate with them, not welcome them into the local church community, not commune with them, and not work with them in the cause of Christ). It would be impossible to respect the limits placed on fellowship if we were automatically “in fellowship” with others, whether we knew about them or not. 

What are these limits? Notice some of the people or groups we are not to have fellowship with:Continue Reading

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