You are not defined by what tempts you. Just because a person may be tempted to be intimate with someone of the same gender, that does not mean that he must give in to that temptation, or that he is destined to be a homosexual. If a married man is tempted to cheat on his wife, that does not mean he must give in to that temptation or that he is destined to be an adulterer.… Read more
Category: Obedience
Trying to Be Nicer Than God
Many today try to justify actions by calling them “loving,” even when those actions contradict what God said. True love does not try to improve God’s standard—it follows it. God has valid reasons for His commands, and they are for our eternal welfare. When we ignore His commands in the name of love, we endanger the very souls we claim to love. Every one of the following actions works against the salvation of souls, in the name of love and tolerance:
- Refusing to address or rebuke sin because some claim that would be unloving (1 Tim.
Claude A.I. and Salvation
Following is the very first conversation I ever had with Claude AI. It knew nothing about me or my beliefs before I asked this question. I wrote:
Based on the Bible alone, not scholars or various groups’ beliefs, what must a lost person do to become saved?
Claude wrote:
This is a question the Bible itself addresses directly in multiple places. Here is what the biblical text says, drawing from both the Old and New Testaments:
The Core Requirements According to Scripture
1.… Read more
Seven Keys to Happiness
Most people want to be happy. From ancient philosophers to modern man, many have spent their entire lives seeking happiness and contentment without ever finding it, because the formula is found only in God’s Word. Happiness comes from our Creator, who wants us to be happy both now and forever. He wants us to realize that He is the ultimate source of joy and peace. With that in mind, here are seven critical keys to happiness:
- Being right with God – Being happy both now and eternally requires a good relationship with the One who made us.
Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions
Every year, there are lists of the “Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions.” They rarely change: lose weight, exercise more, save money, reduce stress, etc. There is nothing inherently wrong with these goals, but have you noticed they are usually self-centered and focused on temporary physical things rather than eternal ones?
Many people obsess over improving their aging and decaying physical bodies, while completely neglecting their souls that will exist forever. God says that bodily exercise has limited benefits, but godliness is profitable in every way (1 Tim.… Read more
Is a Wife’s Submission Shameful?
Many people today hear the word submission and immediately think of something degrading or humiliating. They associate it with weakness or inferiority, and thus the Bible’s teaching about a wife submitting to her husband is often quickly dismissed without proper consideration. The Scriptures present a very different picture, which is neither shameful nor demeaning. Submission is honorable, reasonable, and an example of God’s wisdom in designing the home. Any group of people requires leadership to be orderly and function properly.… Read more
A Tremendous Lack of Love
If we know the Truth but refuse to live by it, this reveals a tremendous lack of love on many levels.
• A lack of love for God: If we truly loved Him with all our hearts, we would be doing His will to please Him and to be with Him forever (Mt. 22:36-38; 1 Jn. 2:3-4; 5:3).
• A lack of love for Christ: If we truly loved God’s Son, we would be obeying Him out of gratitude for His selfless sacrifice: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn.… Read more
What If Jesus Were Coming Back Next Week?
When asking the question, “What if Jesus were coming back next week?” understand that there is absolutely no way to know when Jesus will return. Jesus said we cannot know when He will return, and even Jesus Himself did not know when He would return: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Paul wrote that there is no need to waste time speculating about “times” and “seasons” regarding Christ’s return: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.… Read more
Why Ephesians 2:8-9 Does Not Teach Salvation by Faith Alone
• Acts 19 records the day the Ephesians were saved, and they were not saved by faith alone or told to pray—they were baptized to wash away their sins, just as others had been (Acts 19:5; cf. 2:38; 10:35; 22:16). Ephesians 2 was written after they had been saved by grace through obedient faith, submitting to Christ in baptism (Mt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Gal. 3:26-27).
• Paul was not contrasting faith and obedience, but grace and the Law of Moses.… Read more
Men, Keep Your Shirts On
Many people now consider it socially acceptable for men to be shirtless in public, with much of their bodies on display. Is this pleasing to God? For many years, faithful Christians have taught that God set an objective standard for modesty that applies to both men and women when He clothed Adam and Eve in a garment that covered them from the neck to the knees. Scholars and commentators also note this same point.
In Packer and Tenney’s Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible, the Hebrew word translated as “coats” (KJV) or “tunics” (NKJV) in Genesis 3:21 is described as a garment that reached from the neck to the knees, and sometimes to the ankles.… Read more
God Comes First
Jesus left no doubt about the top priority in life: God must come first. No relationship, career, or personal interest should ever take priority over our loyalty to Him. In fact, placing anything above God is a form of idolatry (Col. 3:5).
1. God Comes Before Family – Jesus warned that following Him may cause division, even in our own households: “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.… Read more
Immigration into the Holy Nation
Countless millions have longed to enter the United States seeking freedom and opportunity. Still, as great as this nation may be, there is one far greater: the “holy nation” built by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago (1 Pet. 2:9). The USA will not last forever, but Christ’s nation/kingdom/church will last forever and ultimately be “delivered up” to Heaven (Dan. 2:44; Matt. 16:18–19, 28; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 5:23). Regarding immigration into Christ’s holy nation:
We Must Go Through the Legal Process – Just as legal steps are required to become a U.S.… Read more
Without Holiness, We Will Not See God
Many who claim to be Christians do not seem to take sin seriously. They joke about their disobedience and show little concern for living righteously—but sin is what nailed our Lord to the cross. There is nothing more serious than that, and true love does not rejoice in iniquity (1 Corinthians 13:6). Impenitent sin is just as deadly after conversion as it was before conversion (Acts 8:12–24; 1 Corinthians 10:11–12; James 5:19–20).
Jesus, the very one who died to save us, also commands us to take up our cross of obedience and self-denial daily (Luke 9:23).… Read more
Another Jesus, Another Spirit, Another Gospel
Paul feared that the Corinthians might be deceived as Eve was, being led away from the pure doctrine of Christ. He wrote, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3–4).… Read more
The Truth May Seem Strange at First
Just because simple New Testament Christianity may seem “strange” to you, that does not mean you should reject it.
When Christ’s church first began, it was new and unfamiliar to everybody. It did not match the Jewish traditions or the pagan practices people had followed for centuries. However, when they realized the Truth, they did not let unfamiliarity stop them. They made the necessary changes and became part of it. That is what God expected then, and that is still what He expects today.… Read more