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1. HE IS THE BUILDER OF IT. (Matthew 16:18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 2. HE IS THE FOUNDATION OF IT. (1 Cor. 3:11) For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 3. HE IS THE HEAD OF IT. (Eph. 5:23) For the husband is the head of the…

The city of Tyre is mentioned nearly sixty times in seventeen books of the Bible. This ancient Phoenician city occupies an important place in both Bible and world history. Many great truths are understood as we look at those verses which tell us about this important nation, which developed our alphabet and spread it around the western world. Nebuchadnezzar and Tyre While many Bible students are aware that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city of Jerusalem and carried the Jews into Babylon…

Although many regularly mention repentance as part of the plan of salvation, citing verses such as Acts 17:30 and Luke 13:3, and while many refer to Peter’s rebuke of Simon, the former sorcerer, to demonstrate that Christians also need to repent (Acts 8:22), few seem to understand that repentance should become part of the basic mindset of every Christian in a very real way. When Jesus said, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”…

As we have observed previously, repentance is an intellectual enterprise–not the emotional godly sorrow that provokes it or the corrective actions that follow it. However, the nature of these required intellectual changes often elude us. Paul described this process in great detail, as we observed in the last issue. So, for further elaboration, we return to Paul’s description of repentance in the second Corinthian epistle. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it…

Repentance, as 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 demonstrates, is not sorrow, but neither is it itself the change in behavior. Repentance is the mindset that lies between the two. However, interpretations attempting to make clear the mindset of repentance have oversimplified it, failing to analyze it as the whole of a series of internal changes in viewpoint. Paul actually provides an explanation of the changes required in repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:11. Commending the Corinthians for their response to his previous letter,…

Repentance is fundamental to Christianity, yet it often provokes controversy, including among God’s people, when a person suggests that repentance requires more than saying, “Oops!” When Paul addressed the Corinthians in his second epistle, he commended them for their positive response to his first epistle, especially in regard to the matter of church discipline, using it as a motivation for positive response to this second letter. Moreover, Paul’s word choices in this section of scripture augment his overall argument. Repentance…

The great principles of restoration have evidently been placed in mothballs-something to keep in a box and be brought out again occasionally as a curiosity, to support a certain position, or to ridicule. The real concept and vitality of true restoration are lost upon the current generation. When one quotes, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths . . .”(Jer. 6:16), too often he is thought of as some mossy…

If you were to ask the average Sunday morning Bible class, “What is repentance?” I am sure there would be some diversity as far as answers go. Some would say, “Repentance is godly sorrow,” while others would answer, “Repentance is a turning or a conversion.” Though we realize that both of these answers are very closely linked to repentance, neither is an adequate definition alone. Notice what Paul says about this in 2 Corinthians 7:10. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance…

It was Solomon who described himself as “…on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation” (Prov. 5:14). What caused this? Was it because he hated instruction, despised correction, chose disobedience and refused to listen. Every Christian needs to be aware of how this could happen to them in the assembly. On the other hand, in that same assembly of Christians, there are those who understand that in so many respects the assembly of the…

Our world is falling apart. Our country is going down the toilet. Smut, garbage and trash of all sorts are thrust in our faces while society grows comfortably numb and the church languishes under the burden. It seems like all is lost. Tired of hearing “gloom and doom”? Well, allow me to remind you of something gloomy Christians seem to have forgotten. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My…

One might think of life as a journey and all humans as pilgrims. Every journey has a destination. People usually like to map out a plan and know the nature of the destination before them. We usually look for the best route and the most pleasant place when we arrive. Every person has a destination for eternity where one shall ever be. There will be no return trip. Each should consider where he is headed. Let us consider the two…

One of the mistakes far too many make is forming opinions and often arriving at a final conclusion before we hear the complete story. Solomon said, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13). Also remember that in defense of Jesus, Nicodemus said, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing” (John 7:51). Yet, many people arrive at conclusions simply because of…