Fortify Your Faith in an Age of Doubt

Please Explain 1 Peter 3:21

Author: Wayne Jackson

Does baptism come before or after the salvation contemplated in 1 Peter 3:21?

Please explain 1 Peter 3:21, especially the phrase which says that “baptism” is the “answer of a good conscience.” Would not this teach that a person has a good conscience before he is baptized? Would not this indicate then that salvation... Read more

The Left Behind Series

Author: Wayne Jackson

This is a review of the _Left Behind_ book series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, which advocates dispensational premillennialism.

On a flight from Chicago to London, several passengers aboard Capt. Rayford Steele’s plane suddenly and mysteriously disappear. When Steele radios to London to report the situation, he discovers that the incident on his plane is not an isolated... Read more

Are Choirs and Solos Authorized for the Church Assembly?

Author: Wayne Jackson

Is performance singing with praise teams, choirs or solos acceptable in the worship of Christ's assembly? What are the arguments for and against this modern movement?

One of the controversies generating considerable interest among the Lord’s people these days is the question of whether or not the use of choirs and solos is permissible in the worship assemblies of the New Testament church. In numerous places the... Read more

Will God Bring All Sins into Remembrance?

Author: Wayne Jackson

Will God remember all sins on the day of judgment, even those once pardoned?

How do you harmonize Hebrews 8:12, which says that God will remember sins no more, with Ecclesiastes 12:14, which states that God will bring every evil work into judgment? Ecclesiastes 12:14 affirms the following: “For God shall bring every work... Read more

Thinking Straight About Abortion

Author: Wayne Jackson

This essay discusses the illogical positions that many argue with reference to aborition.

Each time a significant election draws near, the topic of abortion comes to the forefront, although the issue is rather muted currently. Apparently it is a theme from which most politicians had rather maintain a safe distance. The feeling is that... Read more

Our Universe: An Amazing Machine

Author: Wayne Jackson

Our amazing universe is a wonderful, intricately designed machine.

The term “machine” can be employed in several ways. A wheel, a lever, and a screw are classified as simple machines because these devices transmit or change the application of energy. Other machines are complex. They consist of a number of... Read more

Were the King James Version Translators Biased Toward the "Faith-Only" Doctrine?

Author: Wayne Jackson

This question discusses whether or not the translators of the King James Version had some bias toward the protestant dogma of "faith-only."

“In your commentary on the book of Acts, you cited an author who suggested that the translators of the King James Version had a denominational bias that inclined toward the ‘faith-only’ doctrine. What is the basis of this charge?” The King James... Read more

A New Edict from the Vatican

Author: Wayne Jackson

This editorial discusses the recent Vatican affirmation regarding the "primacy of Peter."

A document issued by the Roman Vatican on Tuesday, September 5, 2000, has ignited considerable controversy in the community of “Christendom.” It alleges that other “Christian churches,” i.e., those beyond the pale of Romanism, are “defective” in... Read more

Three Dimensions of Love

Author: Wayne Jackson

The greatest commandment ... love.

The week prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, commonly known as the Passion Week, was an emotionally charged period for the Son of God. Tuesday of that week was particularly controversial. Several members of various Jewish sects mounted argumentative... Read more

Are We Hooking Our Kids on Drugs?

Author: Wayne Jackson

This essay is a discussion of the growing trend of drug treatment for children.

What’s going on in this country? Thousands and thousands of our youngest children are now being sedated. Parents can’t control them. They can’t motivate them. They don’t understand them. They can’t cope with them. They are frustrated, and at their... Read more

A Character Portrait of Moses

Author: Wayne Jackson

Moses, the man of God, was truly a remarkable person. His character was exemplary in a number of ways. And nowhere has that portrait been captured in such a condensed package as in Hebrews 11:24-27. Study this text carefully and be encouraged thereby.

It is said that reputation is what folks think about you; character is what God knows about you. The Lord does not view us as others do; “man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). One of the prominent... Read more

Evolution's Useless-Organ Argument

Author: Wayne Jackson

A discussion of the so-called vestigial organs

According to the advocates of evolution, many of earth’s creatures have within their bodies certain structures which are entirely useless. Reputedly, these body features are the remnants of a former phase of the animal’s evolutionary past. Even... Read more

Will Wicked People Be Annihilated in Hell?

Author: Wayne Jackson

This question discusses the ultimate fate of the wicked. Will it be annihilation or conscious suffering?

Why do you believe that those who die lost will be consciously punished eternally, when the Bible says they will be “destroyed” (Matthew 10:28)? The question clearly indicates that the author is a conditionalist. A conditionalist is one who... Read more

How to Identify a Cult

Author: Wayne Jackson

Is someone you love trapped in a cult? This article helps to identify the traits of a cult.

In November of 1978, nine hundred people in Guyana, South America drank a deadly grape drink at the behest of cult figure Jim Jones. Our nation was mortified. In 1993, David Koresh led seventy-six souls to their deaths in the Waco, Texas compound... Read more

He Forsook the Treasures of Egypt

Author: Wayne Jackson

A discussion of the faith of Moses who forsook the treasures of Egypt

The name of Moses adorns many pages of the sacred Scriptures. The great prophet of God is mentioned more than 750 times in the Old Testament, and approximately eighty times in the New Testament; he is the predominate figure in the history of the... Read more

Hard Sayings in the Bible

Author: Wayne Jackson

How does one account for some of those "hard sayings" in the Scriptures?

One of the Savior’s notable miracles was the feeding of a large crowd (more than five thousand people) by the miraculous multiplication of only five small loaves and two tiny fish (cf. John 6:1-14). On the following day, after Jesus had adjourned... Read more

The Great Commission According to Matthew

Author: Wayne Jackson

One of the last instructions Christ gave to his apostles was to go make disciples of all the nations. In this article, we review the account of this solemn command as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20.

Before Jesus ascended back to heaven, he gathered his disciples together and declared: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the... Read more

Does the Old Testament Condemn Tattoos?

Author: Wayne Jackson

Does the prohibition of the law of Moses, against making "markings" in the flesh condemn modern tatoos?

“So many young people are getting tattoos these days. In Leviticus 19:28, the Bible says: ‘Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you; I am the Lord.’ Would not this passage condemn having a... Read more

Joshua's Farewell Address

Author: Wayne Jackson

This article addresses whether or not people have the right to speculate about who will be saved apart from the declarations of divine revelation.

Joshua, the great commander of Israel, was “old and stricken in years” when he gave a presentation to his people near the end of his illustrious career (Joshua 23:1ff). It is likely that this was not long before his death at the age of 110 years... Read more

Nebuchadnezzar and Archaeology

Author: Wayne Jackson

This article examines archaeological evidence confirming facts presented in the Bible.

Nebuchadnezzar II reigned as king over the Babylonian Empire from 605-562 B.C. He was the son of Nabopolassar, founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 625 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar plays a prominent role in the history of the Israelite people. He is... Read more