God’s holiness demands justice just as much as His nature defines love; to deny His judgment is to deny His very nature. The “Yeah, but… God is love” objection fails because it tries to pit God’s love against God’s justice.
The New Testament church has identifying marks — undenominational, congregationally governed, missionary, made up of converted and worshipping and united and pure members — and every member should know them well enough to help keep the church true to the pattern. A congregation drifts the way…
The “thousand years” is mentioned only once in the Bible — in the most figurative book of all — and cannot bear the weight of a literal earthly reign; Scripture everywhere teaches instead one coming, one resurrection, and one simultaneous judgment of righteous and wicked, leaving…
Because the church is a body of members held to a standard of Christian conduct, it has both the right and the duty to discipline disorderly members — teaching and admonishing them toward repentance, withdrawing from the impenitent, and restoring the penitent — and the neglect…
The Greek word ekklesia means “called out,” and a survey of its New Testament uses shows it applied to the local congregation (in several senses), to the one universal church, and to the household assembly — but never to a denomination. Doctrine often turns on a…
Everything in Christianity hangs on faith — “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6) — yet faith is one of the most misunderstood words in religion. Some make it a leap in the dark; some make it mere opinion; some make it a…
This lesson from 2 Peter 1:10–11 explains where true assurance of salvation is found and where it is not. Assurance does not rest on feelings, perfect knowledge, perfect obedience, or good works, but on being in Christ and walking in the light. God promises confidence and stability to those who are diligent and faithful in their walk with Him.
Money is not evil; it is a rival. The person who lets money be a rival of God has lost the capacity to use money righteously. The person who keeps money in its proper place — a tool for supporting life, caring for others, and honoring…
God has always blessed obedience and condemned disobedience; there is only one way to obey — to do what God says, as He directs — but four ways to disobey: refusing, adding, subtracting, and substituting, and all four stand equally condemned. Man is the most disobedient…
The second coming of Christ is a fundamental, frequently-taught fact of the New Testament, to be neither ignored nor turned into a hobby; and because Scripture said certain things must occur before He came, the New Testament does not teach that His return was “imminent” —…