Fortify Your Faith in an Age of Doubt

The President, Adultery, and "Baptist Rules"

Author: Wayne Jackson

The dangerous and harmful effects of the false doctrine that a child of God cannot fall from grace

Denominational doctrines that pervert New Testament teaching have devastating effects in a number of ways. First, they condemn those who teach them. Second, they harm those who believe them. Third, corrupt teaching, paraded under the guise of... Read more

Job's Redeemer

Author: Wayne Jackson

"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and at last he will stand up upon the earth."

Anyone acquainted with the Old Testament is familiar with the plight of Job, the ancient sage of Uz. This noble man, greatest of the children of the East, went from riches to rags during a devastating series of tragedies. He was unaware, of... Read more

The Law of Moses: Some Metaphors Considered

Author: Wayne Jackson

A consideration of several biblical metaphors used of the law of Moses.

The law of Moses was given by Jehovah to the Israelite nation some fifteen centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ (Deut. 5:1-5). It was never designed to be a permanent legal system. Accordingly, it was abrogated as a binding law almost two... Read more

Is God Exclusive?

Author: Wayne Jackson

God determines who is to be identified as a Christian; he has not assigned that responsibility to us.

Mike Rappaport is a journalist who writes a regular column for the Ontario, California Daily Bulletin. A recent piece (11/12/98) was titled, “If God isn’t exclusive, why are some believers convinced they’re the only ones who are right?” In this... Read more

Demons: Ancient Superstition or Historical Reality?

Author: Wayne Jackson

Both the Bible and ancient documents refer to demons. But was demonic possession an historical reality or merely a superstition from unenlightened days?

As one begins a perusal of the New Testament, he encounters an unusual phenomenon known as demon possession. The first Gospel writer recorded these words: And the report of him [Jesus] went forth into all Galilee: and they brought unto him all... Read more

The Emotions of Jesus

Author: Wayne Jackson

In addition to possessing a divine nature, Jesus Christ was also flesh and blood (John 1:14), a human being. He thus shared with us the full range of human emotions.

In addition to possessing a divine nature, Jesus Christ was also flesh and blood (John 1:14), a human being. He thus shared with us the full range of human emotions. He could be happy or sad. What circumstances of life made our Lord weep? What... Read more

Exploiting Human Weakness: A Look at Vice Taxation

Author: Wayne Jackson

Christians need to oppose wrong-doing on the basis of principle, rather than capitulating to compromising crumbs thrown to us from the tables of politicians.

As a matter of public policy, it is not uncommon for politicians to pass laws levying taxes on products that for all intents and purposes deliberately exploit human weaknesses. Such legislation has even become popular on the voter level. In 1998,... Read more

A Study of Matthew 24

Author: Wayne Jackson

Matthew chapter twenty-four is a largely symbolic chapter of the New Testament that has been misinterpreted in two extreme directions.

In this era of change, from one millennium to another, there may be no context that has become the focus of more controversy than the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel record. This marvelous depository of prophetic literature has been... Read more

Bertrand Russell and Christianity, Part 2

Author: Wayne Jackson

Part two in a two-part series on Bertrand Russell's reasons why he rejected Christianity

Bertrand Russell is perceived as one of the most formidable foes of the Christian religion that our century has known. In Part 1 we noted that Russell’s essay, “Why I Am Not a Christian,” offered two general reasons for his unbelief. The first of... Read more

Zopyrus the Persian: A Study in Commitment

Author: Wayne Jackson

How dedicated are you to the cause of Christ?

The story depicts one of the most heroic and dedicated acts of ancient history. But before you are prepared to hear it, some background information must be given. Babylon was the glory of the civilized world in the early sixth century B.C. But she... Read more

Starr's Church of Christ -- A Review

Author: Wayne Jackson

Because Kenneth Starr grew up associated with the church of Christ (we understand he currently worships with an Evangelical Bible Church), some have used the connection to vent personal, long-smoldering frustrations, firing both verbal and literary missiles at the Lord's family.

The bizarre conduct between the president of the United States and Monica Lewinsky has brought many people into prominence who otherwise might have remained relatively obscure. One person who has come to the forefront in this sordid scandal is... Read more

Don't Mess with the Target

Author: Wayne Jackson

Spiritually, it is not an easy thing, in a world immersed in wickedness, to live a life dedicated to obeying the law of God.

The Greek word for “sin” is hamartia (a noun), found 173 times in the New Testament. Its verbal counterpart, hamartano, occurs forty-three times. An adjective, hamartolos (sinful), is found some forty-seven times in the inspired record. Obviously,... Read more

Daniel's Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

Author: Wayne Jackson

Biblical scholars have catalogued more than three hundred amazing prophecies that find precise fulfillment in the life and labor of the Son of God. One of these predictive declarations is found in Daniel 9:24-27, commonly referred to as the prophecy of "Daniel's Seventy Weeks."

Jesus Christ emphatically declared that the Old Testament Scriptures contained prophecies he would fulfill (Lk. 24:27, 44). Biblical scholars have catalogued more than three hundred amazing prophecies that find precise fulfillment in the life and... Read more

Was Paul the Founder of Christianity?

Author: Wayne Jackson

Was Paul the founder of Christianity, as some atheists allege?

Atheists are not known for scholarship. They are mainly reactionaries. For various personal or emotional reasons, they have rejected faith in God. Their disbelief is not the result of careful research and objective evaluation of factual data. But,... Read more

Killers Killing Killers

Author: Wayne Jackson

Murder is always a despicable act.

Murder is always a despicable act. Actually, it is an assault upon God himself. Moses wrote: “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Genesis 9:6). The spiritual basis here given, which... Read more

Bertrand Russell and Christianity, Part 1

Author: Wayne Jackson

Part 1 in a two-part series on Bertrand Russell's reasons why he rejected Christianity

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was one of the most influential opponents of Christianity of this century. When he won the Nobel Prize in Literature (1950), he was characterized as one “who constantly figured as a defender of humanity and freedom of... Read more

When Will Oprah Free Her Slaves?

Author: Wayne Jackson

It is a grievous tragedy that many, like Oprah Winfrey, and those mesmerized by her, are enmeshed in antiquated superstition.

Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest women in America. She is worth millions of dollars. She has a popular day-time television show. She produces movies. She’s a “mover and shaker” in the entertainment industry. She has to be an intelligent... Read more

Gold, Silver, and Iron: Three Rules of Human Conduct

Author: Wayne Jackson

Is the Golden Rule really all that golden? Yes, especially in contrast with two other rules of human conduct.

NOTE: The gifted T. B. Larimore (1843-1929) once delivered a discourse titled “The Iron, Silver, and Golden Rules” (see Srygley 1949, 190-207). That presentation furnished the seed thoughts for this article. Jesus had been teaching in Galilee, the... Read more

How Old Is the Earth?

Author: Wayne Jackson

How old is the earth? What does the Bible say? What about science? Does it really matter?

Dr. Hugh Ross, a theologian/scientist who contends that the earth is billions of years old, has characterized the issue of the age of the earth as “a trivial doctrinal point” (1994, 11). Others claim that the Bible simply does not speak to this... Read more

The Death of Matthew Shepard

Author: Wayne Jackson

Shepard was a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming. He openly professed homosexuality. Apparently, he was lured from a bar and taken to a remote place; there he was tied to a fence, pistol-whipped, and left exposed in the cold. Eventually, he died.

The tragic case of Matthew Shepard has been prominent in the news of late. Sheperd was a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming. He openly professed homosexuality. Apparently, he was lured from a bar and taken to a remote place;... Read more