Saved by the Gospel

Who will be in hell? Unusual question, but a good question to ask. Of course, Satan and all his angels will be there (Matthew 25:41). Hell will be filled with those who know not God and do not obey the gospel of Christ (II Thessalonians 1:8), with backsliding Christians (II Peter 2:20-22), with those who are lukewarm (Revelation 3:16), with the immoral (I Corinthians 6:9-10), with the fearful (Rev...

How different our world would be, our workplaces, our schools, our neighborhoods, even the church, if everyone constantly possessed and displayed the fruit of the Spirit! “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). How different our world would be if everyone truly loved God a...

Many would object to baptism as being necessary for salvation, saying it is a work. Baptism is most certainly a work – it is a work of God (Colossians 2:12). When a person is baptized, God saves him from his sins (Mark 16:15-16, Titus 3:5, I Peter 3:21), washes his sins away (Acts 22:16), places that person into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13) – that body is the church of Christ (Ephesian...

Is your church a “Yellow Pages” church? “Well, I don’t know,” some would answer. “I don’t even know what a “Yellow Pages” church is.” Nowadays, some people may not even know what the Yellow Pages are! There are a lot of churches that are in the Yellow Pages that are not found in the Bible’s pages. In fact, not one of the denominations in existence today can be found in the scriptures. When those p...

“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11) Sometimes someone, when describing another person, may say “You never have to wonder what he’s thinking. No sir. He always speaks his mind and doesn’t hold back!” Sometimes, people will even say that about themselves, as if it were something to give them reason to boast, something of which they can be pr...

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18) Before man had the completed Word, God revealed Himself to man in various ways. (Hebrews 1:1-2) Some of these ways included speaking directly to man, as He did in Adam’s case. (Genesis 3:9)  God sometimes spoke through a dream, as He did with Daniel in Daniel chapter 7. Today we can all o...

“There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”  (Proverbs 13:7) At first reading, this verse may seem like some kind of contradiction. Not at all! Many people spend their wholes lives seeing how much they can accumulate in terms of this world’s goods. They’re proud to look at their portfolio with all its stocks, bonds and 401k....

I wish I knew how to play the guitar. I even have one. So why don’t I know how to play it? I guess I’ve never wanted to play badly enough to take the time to learn. It’s hard! Seem funny? Maybe. But I know I’ll never know how to play until I take the time, and put forth the effort, to learn. Bible study can be a lot like that. I’ve heard people say they wish they had a greater knowledge of the scr...

From Psalm 18:1-3 “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” This short text includes no less than eight expressions that describe the refuge God p...

A great lesson can be learned from Nehemiah 8:1-12. The people gathered as one man. Unity among God’s people is as important today as it was in Nehemiah’s day. The people wanted Ezra to "bring the book," indicating they had a desire to hear God’s word. Attention was given to God’s word. The Bible will be of benefit to us today only if we pay attention to what we read, realizing it can be understoo...

It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced on earth. Heaven, that is. Consider what Peter has to say about heaven in I Peter 1:3-5. Peter describes our inheritance in heaven as incorruptible – the passage of time can never cause it to corrode or decay. It’s undefiled – totally pure. No sin, not even a hint of sin, will ever enter therein. It does not fade away – we will never tire of its beauty....

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take th...

In the midst of our country’s discussion concerning school shootings, abortion, homosexual relationships and even same sex marriages, it would do us well to remember the inspired words from Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” The answer to our problems is really not difficult: welcome God back into our society and exalt him as Lord. Accept God's...

The image of a skull and cross bones is often used to depict danger and death. It has been seen in a variety of places, from flags of pirate ships to poison bottles. Wouldn’t it be nice if sin came in a bottle labeled with a skull and cross bones? Maybe then people would realize the deadly nature of sin, for it really is a poison to the soul. James wrote, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am t...

“I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12.) It is only right that Jesus would describe himself as the light of the world. Light serves as a guide. Lights along an airport runway are used to enable an airplane to safely land. Lights are used on the ocean to guide a ship safely into harbor. Turning on a light allows us...

In II Kings 5:1-14 we read about a man named Naaman.  Naaman was a great and honorable man. But he was a leper. When a messenger from God told Naaman he could be cleansed of his leprosy by dipping in the Jordan River seven times, he became angry. Naaman had expected some great thing to happen, thus cleansing him of his leprosy. Eventually, however, Naaman did as he was told and was cleansed o...

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, For the Bible Tells Me So. We often think of this song as one for little children. But notice the line, “Jesus loves me, loves me still, though I’m very weak and ill, from His shining throne on high, looks down on me where I lie.” In truth, this is a song for people of all ages. It’s comforting to know that, from the time we come into this world til the time we take ou...

What would it take for you to lose your faith? To walk away from God? Severe economic downturn, perhaps the loss of your income? Personal heartbreak or a family crisis? To be diagnosed with a terminal illness? The death of someone dear to you? The prophet Habakkuk felt that God was not listening. He incorrectly thought that God was inactive in men’s lives. Yet, notice Habakkuk’s words from Habakku...

Have you ever met someone at the end of the day and asked them, “How was your day today,” only for them to respond, “Oh, it was just another day.” The phrase, “It was just another day” seems to minimize the significance of the day. It seems to express the thought that the day was somewhat trivial with nothing special about it. There is no such thing as “Just Another Day” in God’s eyes, nor should...

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Have you ever read this verse and thought the opposite is also true? No, I don’t mean the opposite of what Paul wrote. But the same thought expressed in an opposite manner. Have you ever read this verse and thought, “If we have hope beyond this life, we are of all men most joyful!” It’s true! Chr...

Prior to Paul's conversion he was a blasphemer, a persecutor and was injurious to the church. I Timothy 1:13. He would often take the Lord's disciples captive and have them put to death. Acts Chapter 9. But in Philippians 1:1 he identified as a servant of Christ. Why the difference? Paul is a wonderful demonstration of the power of the gospel and its ability to change men's hearts. His life is an...

“If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also cou...

"He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 17:15). This verse serves to remind us of those who are increasingly quick to go to great lengths to lessen the atrocity of sin. But no matter what man may call sin, God still considers it sin. Man has the ability to decide to do right or wrong. But man does not have the right to...

Have you ever considered that many people give more attention to maintaining their car than they do their soul? When it comes to their automobile, they may rotate the tires and check the tire pressure regularly, check the oil level and make sure the belts and hoses are in good shape. After all, a car can be very expensive to replace. But your soul is of far greater value than your car and, more im...

‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. John’s statement concerning Jesus is short and simple. Yet it holds several lessons for us. First, John refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God. The very purpose for Jesus coming to earth was to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin. Second, Jesus is the Lamb of God,...