Outlines of Faith

Unity in Regards to Salvation

Martin Luther famously described God's way of salvation as central to the integrity of the church. "If this article stands, the church stands," he wrote, "if it collapses, the church collapses." Indeed, what good does it do to be right...

Unity as Regards Authority

Most differences among professing Christians boil down to a difference in their view of authority in religion. We can find unity, however, if we submit to Christ as Lord. The Old Testament predicted the Christ would be a King from...

Doing the Important Things

One of the clichés plaguing the church is "spiritual giftedness," the idea that God has uniquely equipped each Christian to excel in performing certain tasks in the kingdom. "Spiritual giftedness," as popularly put forward, has spiritual snob appeal. We spend...

The Scoutmaster and the Skunk

Dale was a conscientious scoutmaster. Beyond conscientious, some would describe Dale as obsessive. "Be Prepared," after all, is the Boy Scout motto. At summer camp, Dale was a stickler for the rules -- no room in his troop for delinquents....

Doing the Right Thing

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln tried his hand in many professions, once working as a store clerk. One day, as he closed the store, Lincoln discovered he had overcharged a customer by six cents. Now, in the mid-nineteenth century...

The Way of Faith

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so...

Baptism for Forgiveness

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38, ESV) Those who deny the clear teaching of...

Moving the Goalpost

"You're making a mountain out of a molehill," my more progressive friends would say. They assured me a decade ago that no one among churches of Christ intended to use instrumental music as worship. Over the ensuing years, however, these...

God-Fearing Faith

When I hear the phrase “hell-fire preaching,” an image comes to mind of a man preaching in a tent sometime in the 1920s. Frenetically waving his arms in the air, the preacher shouts and exhorts his listeners to “turn or...

Priorities for the Church

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for...

God Has Spoken

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” We sing these simple words to our children. Sometimes simple truths are the most profound. God has spoken. Scripture completely preserves God’s message to us. This message provides...

Sin

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Galatians 6:1 (ESV) Paul provides a very realistic and practical statement...

A Sad Philosophy

Libertarianism, the political expression of Objectivist philosophy, is a continued force in American public policy. With prominent media coverage of the Religious Right, Christians should realize there is also an active atheistic faction in today's Conservative political movement. The Truth...

The Eternal Christ

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) The deity of the Christ is seen in his unchanging nature, for only of God can we say: "... you are the same, and your years have...

In Faith We Can Find Victory

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV) God has called us...

Do Not Add to His Words

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5,6 ESV). God speaks to us...

Free in Christ

Too many people are looking for a church that pleases them rather than a church that pleases God. When the standard of excellence in the church is "what I like," there is a horrible tyranny of selfish pursuit. People deceived...

The Road Less Traveled

"Two roads diverged in a wood," wrote Robert Frost in his well-loved poem, "And I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Often, in each of our lives, we see points of departure –...

A New Commandment

"Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am...

Remembering Reagan

The death of President Reagan has been a time of reflection on many fronts. The world has changed tremendously in the quarter century since Reagan assumed office in 1980. The Communist ideology which covered half the world is now little...

Sin and Grace

Human nature wants to scale sin down, to make sin more palatable. We like to think that the sins we commit, or that are commonly committed by people we like, are not so very bad. But sin is not measured...

Lucky Lindy

Seventy-seven years ago today Charles Lindbergh took off aboard "The Spirit of St. Louis" on his historic solo flight from Long Island to France. His adventure brought the twenty-five-year-old pilot unimaginable fame and fortune. He soon embarked on a promising...

Integrity

Last month, some motorists in Michigan thought they had found a gold mine. Discovering a computer error that enabled them to swipe their drivers' licenses instead of credit cards, they filled their tanks at the Meijer chain without paying. Over...

An Act of Faith

On January 11, 1992 an eighth grade student from Japan dropped a bottle in the Pacific Ocean. The bottle contained a note with the student's contact information and a request to be notified if the bottle were recovered. From the...

Learning from Donald Trump

Despising low-brow trends, I disdained "reality" programs on television. "Fake documentaries," I scoffed. Then, stumbling across Donald Trump's The Apprentice, I was hooked. Rather than a dumbed-down documentary, The Apprentice is a smartened-up game show offering amusement to its viewers...

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know...

Illumination or Projection?

Following in the wake of our consumer economy, most religious groups adapt their message to the whims of popular culture. The Bible, in contrast, presents itself as a message from God calling us to adapt our lives to God's will....

The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown's best-seller, The Da Vinci Code is delightful as a novel. His compelling plot and quick vignettes move along effortlessly in a story cast upon a backdrop of Western History. The cultural allusions which punctuate the narrative provide intellectual...

Which Path?

"Cheshire Cat," asked Alice, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don"t much care where." said Alice. "Then...

One Command Encompasses All Others

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well (James 2:8). In a style reminiscent of the Sermon on the Mount and of the Old Testament wisdom...

A Consequential Faith

A bitter dispute has engulfed Cosmology, the scientific study of the universe. The universe, baffling the scientists, gives every indication of having been planned. In particular, looking at life on earth, it appears that the world in which we live...

Innovation Without Compromise

In his book Bowling Alone, Harvard professor Robert Putnam notes the increasing division of American culture between "two groups -- the devoutly observant and the entirely unchurched" (p. 75). This social trend has great importance for anyone seeking to share...

Selective Obedience: The Real Legalism

How can I know I am saved? In answer to this question, some have looked to themselves, seeking to earn or deserve salvation. This is legalism, and it is wrong. Salvation is by the grace of God. As we sing...

A Great Man

Peter Robinson, in his recent book "How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life", highlights Reagan's character as an influence on those around the President, thus defining public policy during his administration. A speech writer for President Reagan, Robinson gives an insider's...

The Language of Ashdod

Nehemiah, in the course of his work of restoration, noted that the men of Judah had married Philistine women and the offspring of this union spoke "the language of Ashdod." (Nehemiah 13:23ff) Over the years, this expression has become a...

Heavenly Sunlight

Once we received a flyer promoting a youth event at a nearby congregation. While some of the speakers were unfamiliar, nothing seemed wrong. Later, however, a friend called to ask if I had seen the unedited flyer. It turned out...

A Time for War

It was bound to happen; only a matter of months since Islamic terrorists violated our nation's security, and yet an anti-war movement is growing. Since the 1960s, our nation's media elite has worn a disdain for American institutions, and especially...

The Great Divide

Catholics and Protestants historically divided over doctrinal issues - the worship of Mary, for example. A recent trend, however, attempts to blur the distinctions between the Catholic and the Protestant religions. The brushing aside of doctrinal differences is an outgrowth...

Thirty Years of Killing

It has been thirty years now; thirty years of unrestrained killing, thirty years since abortion became lawful throughout the United States. Faithful Christians should consider three points in evaluating the enormity of this situation: 1. God Champions the Helpless The...

Reality Check

"It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World" has remained one of my favorite movies. Picking up on a dying man's last words, a madcap group of strangers compete against each other in a wild race for stolen treasure buried under...

A New Conservative Translation

One of the most important advances in Biblical studies was the release of The English Standard Version by Crossway Bibles in 2001. Edited by J. I. Packer, this translation has been gaining a sizable following among Conservative scholars over the...

A Big Deal

“What's the big deal about Jesus?” Dirk Ficca asked at a meeting last year of the Center for Progressive Christianity. Ficca, a Presbyterian preacher from Chicago, serves as his denomination’s point man for dialogue with world religions. His zeal for...

Right to Life

Under a new rule announced by the Bush administration, "unborn children" now qualify for government health benefits. In promoting prenatal care, federal policy now defines childhood as beginning at conception. Thousands of poor families will benefit from this change, and...

A Keen Edge

Over the past three years I have had the opportunity to work with my twin sons in Cub Scouts. Recently, at Scout Leaders’ training, I was reminded of the importance of a good knife for productive work. A sharp blade...

The Watching Child

“Parents need to eat the diet they would like their child’s diet to become,” nutrition researcher Jennifer Fisher advises in the September issue of Prevention magazine. “By eating fruits and veggies themselves, parents can start a lifetime of cancer-fighting food...

Who Troubles Israel?

It has all happened before. And, if the Lord awaits His coming, it will all happen again. But it is happening now, the accommodation of God’s church with the agenda of the world. And to those of us resisting the...

Faith

What is faith? How does a person exercise faith? How can we have stronger faith? We shall see that as a mental activity Christian faith is no different from everyday faith. The unbeliever can use ordinary faith, the willingness to...

The Written Word of God

God tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15 to "rightly handle the word of truth." There are some basic guidelines which equip the student of the Bible so as to fulfill the God’s desire that we deal correctly with his Word....

A Moral Foundation

“Reversing the moral collapse of the American family,” proclaims the subtitle of William Bennett’s work, The Broken Hearth. This short book attempts to do just that. Contrasting the current disorder of American family life with a more wholesome past, Bennett...

Care for the Fatherless

The Bible has much to say about God’s concern for the downtrodden. In particular, the fatherless are one of the groups singled out for special consideration. “You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child,” God commands His people (Exodus...

Know the Time

“The times, they are a changing.” Bob Dylan’s observation of social upheaval in the 1960s describes the churches of Christ at the opening of the twenty-first century. Worship is changing. Congregations bring in all manner of deviance, pandering to every...