Articles by Jason Patrick Hilburn
• 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
Was Paul teaching that water baptism is not necessary for salvation when he wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 1:17: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…”? Notice:
1. Paul did baptize. Paul baptized people such as Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas (1 Cor. 1:14–16). His words cannot mean that he never baptized anyone. Paul was carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord for all nations to believe and be baptized for their salvation (Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15–16).… Read more
1. No one man pastor system – God’s Word never shows one man as “the pastor” of a congregation (always a plurality who meet God’s strict requirements), and pastors (elders/bishops/overseers/shepherds) are not the same as evangelists/preachers (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1-4).
2. No sinner’s prayer for salvation – forgiveness is granted at baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16); prayer is how people get forgiveness after baptism (See Acts 8:12-13, 22-24; cf.… Read more
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
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
Too many people today are looking for a church that meets their personal preferences rather than meeting the Lord’s requirements. Instead of asking what Christ wants, people are asking:
• Do they have lots of activities for my children?
• Will I like this preacher better than others I’ve heard?
• Is the building big, beautiful, and modern?
• Is the worship entertaining and exciting?
• Will it make me feel good without requiring change?
Friends, these are the wrong questions.… Read more
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
The question of whether people should still observe the Sabbath is a contentious issue among various religious groups today. Many sincerely believe that keeping the Sabbath is a moral requirement today, making it a test of salvation. This topic is crucial because false doctrines related to the Sabbath can place unnecessary burdens on people’s consciences and even corrupt the true Gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-9).
Understanding what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath is essential for distinguishing between obsolete Old Testament requirements and New Testament commands.… Read more
In the following conversation, Grok (a widely used Artificial Intelligence chatbot) knew nothing about me other than the fact that I had told it I was a preacher. This was the first time I had ever used Grok. It was completely unaware of my religious affiliation. Before asking random religious questions, I wanted to test it for impartiality and accuracy. Its responses have not been changed in any way.
Jason said:
I think I first want to test your Biblical accuracy and see how non-biased you are by asking a couple of questions.… Read more
Question for ChatGPT:
You have repeatedly stated that water baptism is necessary for salvation (based on Biblical teaching), and I agree, but what if someone argues that water baptism cannot be essential, because that would mean people on their “deathbeds” could not become saved?
ChatGPT said:
That’s a great question, and it’s a common objection. Here are a few ways to respond to the argument that water baptism cannot be essential for salvation because it would allegedly exclude people on their deathbeds from being saved:
1.… Read more
Question for ChatGPT:
If people use the penitent thief on the cross to say that people do not have to be baptized in water today to be saved, how would you respond?
ChatGPT said:
“If someone argues that the penitent thief on the cross proves that baptism is not necessary for salvation today, here are a few ways you could respond:
1. The Thief Lived Under the Old Covenant
Question for ChatGPT:
Out of all world religions, which religion is most likely to be true? Please answer in only one word.
ChatGPT said:
Christianity.
Another question for ChatGPT:
You said that out of all world religions, Christianity is most likely to be true. If you could only choose one religious group that is most likely to be following the Bible and pleasing to God, which group would that be? In your answer, please only state that one group.… Read more
An Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) chatbot allows people to ask it questions of practically any kind, and it “works by processing large amounts of text data and using patterns in that data to generate responses that are relevant and coherent” (chatgpt.com). The most widely used chatbot is called ChatGPT: “As of September 2024, ChatGPT is the most popular AI tool in the world. The AI chatbot receives 3.1 billion monthly website visits from over 180 million users” (explodingtopics.com).… Read more
Faithful attendance is a crucial part of Christianity (Hebrews 10:23-31), and many believe that as long as a person believes in Jesus, the church he attends does not matter; but the truth is that the church one attends matters greatly:
