Is a religious service or legal certificate necessary for a couple to be truly married in God’s sight? What about common-law marriage? Marriage is not the invention of men, nor is it under the authority of human governments. The Bible lays down the essential elements of marriage, declaring it an institution of God from the […]
Why does our Statement of Faith (#10) on Christian Living in This We Believe keep repeating “As a result — not a cause — of redemption, believers should. . . .“ Doesn’t this water down the importance of obedience? With you (the questioner), the Church of God affirms the high value Scripture places on […]
Paul told the Corinthians to follow (“imitate,” NKJV) him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1). Why not just follow Jesus directly, instead? Why follow Paul? You may be assured that Christians do not follow Paul in the same sense that we follow Christ. In the ultimate sense, we have only one Teacher-Rabbi-Leader […]
I think my family is addicted to their smartphones. How should I address this problem? Electronic devices are addictive and damaging to people when their use becomes a way of avoiding people; you hold them in one hand and drive with the other; their use means that you are often inattentive to others; you […]
I can’t believe God really cares about what we put in our mouths. Aren’t the unclean meat laws so old covenant? The Bible is a big book with many pieces of truth. As we study to fit its various pieces dealing with food into a harmonious whole, we avoid over emphasizing one truth-piece while […]
What’s new about the new covenant? Among God’s formal agreements with men, the old and new covenants take up the most space in Scripture. Let’s compare and contrast them here. The old covenant was given by God to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These Israelites were led out of Egypt, through the Red […]
What do we say to those who think we can do anything we want with our bodies because it’s what we are on the inside — the soul — that really matters? Isn’t the body important to God, too? Yes, the whole person is important to God — inside and out. Paul prayed that our […]
What does progressive revelation mean? Does it affect our belief that Old and New Testaments together are God’s rule for faith and conduct? Progressive revelation is a theological term for the idea that on many Bible topics God’s truth is revealed gradually and incrementally, starting in Genesis until His ultimate Word came through Christ. […]
Our statements of faith say that Jesus always existed with God the Father. Can you share scriptures for this belief? Eternality is an attribute of Deity. It says that God has neither beginning nor end. As the great I AM, Yahweh always is. The biblical evidence points to the conclusion that Jesus Christ the Son, in […]
Is it enough to confess our sins to God privately, or is the church needed for confession? We’ve all heard the saying “Confession is good for the soul.” But for many, confession is an abstract idea that isn’t part of their daily lives. Many associate confession exclusively with a person speaking to a priest […]
