The Four Translations (author unknown)

There were four clergymen who were discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version because of its simple, beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it is more literal and came nearer to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked Moffat's translation because of its up-to-date vocabulary.

The fourth minister was silent. when asked to express his opinion, he replied, "I like my mother's translation best." The other three expressed surprise. They did not know that his mother had translated the Bible. But he assured them, "She translated it into life, every day of her life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw."

Bible Bible Translations King James Version KJV

God's Sheep by Randy Baker

God refers to his people as “sheep” and “the flock” repeatedly in His word. For those that have not had the “opportunity” (a choice word!) to work with sheep, God’s wisdom in choosing this animal to represent us may not be immediately obvious, but it is a perfect fit! Experiences from years of wintering domestic sheep near Bitter Creek (“crik”) in northwest Wyoming may help illustrate why. [...]

Read the entire article here: rb_godssheep.pdf

Christian Christianity Church of Christ Church of Christ

Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

The attached pdf file contains a 15-page exchange I had with another student of God's word. In the exchange, we discussed the following topics:

1. Whether water baptism is necessary for the remission of sins (I believe baptism by immersion in water is necessary);
2. Being "born again," and the meaning of "water and the Spirit" (John 3:3,5);
3. Complete obedience to God's word, and the fact that the Bible says that each of the following saves us: grace (Eph. 2:5), faith (John 3:16) and baptism (1 Pet. 3:21);
4. The thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43), and what the text does and does not say about this incident;
5. The fact that the New Testament did not come into effect until the death of Christ (Heb. 9:16-17);
6. The fact that without the resurrection of Christ we are still lost (1 Cor. 15:14, 17);
7. The baptism of John (Mark 1:4; Acts 19:1-5) and the baptism of the Holy Spirit;
8. Water baptism and (1) the necessity of of faith and repentance prior to baptism, (2) the proper authority for baptism (e.g., John vs. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - Acts 19:1-5 & Matt. 28:19), (3) the necessity of immersion in water (as opposed to sprinkling or pouring), and (4) that the purpose of baptism is the remission of sins (Acts 2:38);
9. The views of Catholics with respect to "Holy Water;"
10. The views of Martin Luther with respect to the book of James, faith only, and works (Martin Luther did not believe that James was neither the brother of Christ, nor even an inspired author, but a fraud and that the book of James did not belong in the Bible!);
11. and a few more things as well....

Baptism Baptism of the Holy Spirit Baptism_of_John Holy Water James Martin Luther Obedience Re-Baptism Salvation Thief on the Cross Christian Christianity Church of Christ Church of Christ

What saves us? Complete Obedience.

"You have probably hear that faith, and faith alone, saves us. Personally, I do not believe that this is true. The Bible says many things save you and I believe that they are all necessary. I do not believe that I can simply choose the passages(s) or commandment(s) that I like, but must do all the things commanded. In others words, I must COMPLETELY obey God in ALL things."

Read the entire post here.

Baptism Faith Only John 3:16 Obedience Salvation
Christian Christianity Church of Christ Church of Christ

"Temples Made With Hands" by Jeff Himmel

as originally published in LifeLines:

In his sermon at Athens, Paul observed that God "does not dwell in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24). The Lord of heaven and earth doesn't need some man-made edifice in which to live. But I sometimes wonder if anyone really believes it.

Over the centuries many Catholic and Protestant churches have invested enormous sums to build magnificent cathedrals and sanctuaries in which to worship. Regarding these as "holy ground," many folks seem unable to distinguish their religion from their place of meeting. And some of that mind set has spilled over into the Lord's church. I don't think most of us revere our meeting house the way many in the religious world do. But there is often an undue emphasis placed on the building in which we meet.

God's command for Christians to assemble (see Hebrews 10:25) makes necessary a place to assemble. That certainly authorizes the local church to provide a place, which I believe includes building or purchasing one if the means are available. Still, the Bible never specifically mentions a congregation owning a building (or any other physical property). Brethren gathered in private houses (Acts 12:12) and other borrowed or rented places (Acts 19:9; 20:7-8). And secular history tells of early Christians meeting in caves and even tombs when it was necessary.

What's the point? A local church obviously doesn't have to own a meeting house to survive. And it definitely shouldn't center its entire existence around one! But that's precisely what happens with many of us: We let the building become the focus of our activities instead of an expedient to them.

Too many churches aim virtually all of their planning and spending at the meeting house and related physical items. Isn't it time to get new song books? How's the pew padding holding up? Do we need to repave the parking lot? These are the topics that tend to dominate "business meetings" and eat up most of the budget. In contrast, it appears that first-century brethren spent most of their resources to support evangelists and provide for needy saints-things we can hardly do if every dollar and every thought are for some man-made structure.

It's curious that brethren will pour every ounce of time, energy, and money into things that are used only a few hours a week, while often leaving more important matters undone. Do we feel more comfortable spending $7,000 for new carpeting than $700 trying to reach the lost? Perhaps we view these physical investments as more of a "sure thing." After all, when we spend a certain amount on new song books, we know exactly what we'll get for our money. If we spend the same amount to do something as simple as mail out correspondence courses or buy space for a newspaper article, well, who knows whether anyone will be converted or not?

Sara and I have tried hard to teach our children that the church is people, not a building. Maybe it's time we adults remembered that, too. If a tornado came and swept away our meeting house tomorrow, we would not cease to exist as a congregation of God's people! We would still have the duty of preaching the word, caring for brethren in need, and building up the body of Christ. And whether we admit it or not, we'd still be able to do all those things successfully.

I'm thankful that God has blessed the church here with a comfortable place in which to worship. It is a help to our work in many ways. But I'd rather see us meet in an open field every week than to forget that it is we who are God's house (1 Timothy 3:15), not some structure of wood and brick.

Authority Buildings Christian Christianity Church of Christ Church of Christ

Counting the Cost by Jeff Himmel (about J.D. Tant)

J. D. Tant was a colorful gospel preacher in the southwest many years ago. One story tells of some brethren who wanted to have him hold a gospel meeting, but said they couldn't afford it.

Tant made them a proposition: "Brethren, every time you buy a sack of tobacco or a plug of chew, put the same amount of money in the treasury and save it for the meeting next year. I will take whatever you save up and be satisfied with it."

The brethren seemed delighted and said they would get back to him. They got off to themselves and did some figuring, then came back and pointedly informed brother Tant that they could not possibly do it with a clear conscience. They explained, "No preacher is worth that kind of money."

J.D. Tant Church of Christ Restoration Movement

Americans, God, and Truth by Jeff Himmel

As originally published in LifeLines:

National & International Religion Report (11/28/94 and 3/18/96) gave the findings of some Barna Research Group surveys dealing with Americans' religious beliefs. The studies reported that some 96% of American adults believe in God. (Before you get too excited about that, you should know that 30% of those people "embrace an unorthodox definition of God, such as a state of higher consciousness.") But what caught my attention was another finding: while the majority of Americans claim to believe in God, 71% say there is no such thing as absolute truth - including about half of those who identify themselves as Christians.

That's right: Almost everyone in our country professes a belief in God, but barely a fourth believe in a personal God who holds men accountable to a definite standard of right and wrong. And this view is shared by a lot of folks claiming to be disciples of Jesus - the one who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

With that sort of thought prevailing, it's no wonder our friends and neighbors are adrift in moral uncertainty. They need the anchor of steadfast hope in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:19). Brothers and sisters, we have our work cut out for us. Let's get to it.

Barna Research Group Christian Christianity Polls/Statistics Church of Christ Church of Christ