Category: Subject Index

Neo-Calvinists make an unwarranted distinction between the concepts of justification and sanctification

Study charts for Neo-Calvinism refutation

John Calvin made one wrong assumption, and it totally corrupted and destroyed everything he ever thought or wrote from then on. His decision that God controlled everything crept into his beliefs about salvation, redemption, etc. Look carefully at the TULIP and you will see his erroneous ideas about sovereignty behind every point.

Tongues are languages. In the New Testament, those who spoke in tongues, were miraculously enabled to speak languages, or tongues, they had never studied and never learned. In Acts 2, men from many nations heard the apostles speak in their tongues, their languages, and they understood them (Acts 2:4-11). It is one of those “things that are not debatable.” It is not being done today by the Pentecostals, nor by anyone else. And, that is “not debatable,” either!

Don’t trust your conscience unless it reflects objectively the will of God. And even then, constantly examine it to make sure it has not strayed (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Sermon Charts used for the study of Bible Authority

It is almost universally recognized that men can co-exist peaceably only with a recognition of authority. True anarchists (those who rebel against any established authority or power) are few and far between, because anarchy leads to confusion and chaos. Even one who occasionally breaks the rules understands that the rules are necessary.

Brethren and friends, there is such a thing as “sound” and “unsound” doctrine. We are to support the truth and oppose error. Such has been the case since Satan led Adam and Eve astray in the garden. Not all the rhetoric and faulty definitions in the world can change the nature of truth and error. Nor can all the soft and compromising attitudes among brethren conceal false teaching or false teachers. The Bible says much more about error, false doctrine, etc., than space here permits in our study. But let’s not be moved off the sure foundation of God’s word as a reference for fellowship to the quicksands of emotional compromise. “Contend for the faith…” (Jude 3).

It is now obvious that there is a mindset that is established among the people of God which parallels that of Israel. Some will not walk in the old paths, and will not listen to the warnings from God’s word. There is a need for watchmen today. Every Christian should fulfill his obligation to be a watchman by warning brethren against error, and encouraging them in truth.

Any departure from the Biblical pattern is serious. As we have maintained from the beginning, the scripture must be appealed to for any practice. If there is no Bible pattern for a practice, it must be rejected. The practice of Institutionalism in churches of Christ is divisive, and without Biblical authority. As with any religious error, the practice must be halted, and the adherents must repent to be accepted of God.

We can not know the time when Christ will come again. “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.” It may happen tonight, it may not happen for 1,000 years, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). What we can do, rather than looking to the sky and partaking in all this silly speculation, is prepare for his coming by living lives of righteousness. Premillennialism is an enticing doctrine. It captures the fancy of the religious, and makes for good fiction. But it does not pass the test of scripture. It is error, and must be exposed.

The theology of Calvin offers false comfort. The underlying assumptions have been long held, and the tenants have been accepted without sufficient examination. The doctrine fails the test of scripture, and should be rejected by all Bible believers. We should follow the example of the Bereans, who “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

So many claim to love Jesus, and yet they work and worship with religious organizations whose origin and creeds are from men. These churches do not do the work of the Lord, and they do not respect the authority of Christ. They are self-willed and presumptuous in their teaching and practice. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

Though many in the laity would not accept such a proposition, the Catholic church still claims to be unique among Christian denominations. It claims to be the sole Church of Christ. However, as we have seen, a careful examination of scripture reveals it to be far different from the church of the New Testament. To find the “sole Church of Christ” we must find an institution that is identical to that described in scripture. The Catholic church is rather an apostate institution, and is therefore unworthy of our support or membership.

In this series of articles we will be examining religious error. We do not intend to offend in this, though as Jesus did, we most probably will cause offense to some. Our motivation is a concern for lost souls, and a desire to expose evil influences to save some from sin. We are no better than our Master. We must follow the example of the apostles (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1). It is our prayer that the reader will examine each article with an open mind.

We must not heed those who would pervert the gospel of Christ. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-8). The faith has “once for all” been delivered to the saints (cf. Jude 3). Rather than trusting in our own devices, may we all defend the standard established by God.

As Christians, we are to be lights to a world in darkness (Matt. 5:14-16; Phil. 2:14-16). Surely that obligation includes the responsibility to exemplify the virtue of honesty in all of our conduct. Let us commit ourselves to speaking only that which is true. When tempted to lie in order to reach a goal, let us remember that God knows the truth and He will bring it out in time. The cost of lying is just too high. If we tell the truth, we build on a solid base for the present and for eternity. Our lives will ultimately be blessed if we speak the truth as God has done in His speaking to man through the Bible.

There is hope for the sinner who mourns over his mistakes. There is no hope for one who is so seared by sin that his conscience is immune to the pricks of rebuke (Eph. 4:19). Judah was revived seventy years later with the work of Haggai, Zechariah and Zerubbabel. Sinful man is revived by dying with Christ and being raised with him to newness of life (Rom. 6:1-13). “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Heb. 6:19).

Those who speak in tongues that are not understood produce confusion. They do not produce learning, edification, comfort, and peace. Hence, they are not to speak to others if there is no interpreter — “If any man speak in an unknown tongue (remember, an unknown tongue is simply a language not understood by the audience), let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God” (vv. 27, 28). Pentecostal churches violate these words of the Spirit every time they engage in what they call “tongues speaking.”

Being “thankful” to God is often spoken of as a “duty,” and “obligation.” While no objection can rightfully be registered to thanksgiving as such, we surely must not limit our understanding of it to this realm. One might as well think of watermelon as being composed only of rind, or of roses only of thorns if we fail to see the purely voluntary and “from-the-heart” side of thanksgiving. While duty and obligation define the obedient nature of the children of God, there is much more to our relationship to God than response to commands.