[This article was written by Tim Haile for the Parkway church of Christ.]

President Obama and his democratically controlled congress are now in a frenzy to pass their national health care plan. An effort is currently under way to get the plan passed in the House of Representatives, then use a “budget reconciliation” procedure to pass it in the Senate. This procedure requires a simple majority of only 51 votes for passage. This reconciliation procedure is now being pursued, for since the election of Scott Brown, the Senate lacks sufficient votes to pass the bill with a 60-vote majority.

I strongly object to the nationalized health-care plan on several grounds, but my primary concern involves the practice of abortion. The Senate health bill, in its present form, provides for taxpayer funding of elective abortions through federal funding of Community Health Centers. The House bill originally provided 7 billion dollars for these centers, but Obama raised the amount to 11 billion. Because this funding is a part of the actual bill, it will not be subject to the Hyde Amendment that bans federal funding of abortions. The wording of this bill will have to be changed by Senate procedures in order for abortion funding to be prevented.

Continue reading…

Shortly before Moses’ death and the Israelites journey into the promised land, Moses spoke to them about the choice they had before them. This choice was so important, it was literally a matter of life or death.

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.

“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

While we are not under the same law today as they were (cf. Colossians 2:14), there are lessons for us to learn here. Many themes in the Old Testament are repeated in the New. Let us notice briefly the reminders for us in this passage.

Continue reading…

It is not uncommon to hear one talk about taking a leap of faith. Often this phrase is used to refer to some aspect of our response to God — believing in His existence, acknowledging His work in Creation, accepting the Bible, meeting His terms of salvation, or trusting that His way is best.

What is a leap of faith? While it may be true that people use this phrase in different ways, it seems that there is one way in which it is generally used. For many, a “leap of faith” is a willingness to believe something, even if they have their doubts about it. If something cannot be proven, a “leap of faith” is required to accept it. Again, not everyone will use this phrase in this way. But this is generally the way in which it is used. Therefore, this is the definition we will consider in this article.

Faith is absolutely essential for salvation (Romans 5:1; Hebrews 11:6). However, God does not expect us to take a “leap of faith.” He expects us to be convinced in His existence, His word, and His promises.

The Hebrew writer provides us with a definition of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Notice the terms he uses to describe faith — assurance and conviction. This is more than a wish. Faith is not believing something because we just want it to be true. Faith is believing what God has said because we are convinced that it is true.

Continue reading…

Calvinism teaches that man is born totally depraved, separated from God, and unable to come to Him apart from a divine operation of the Holy Spirit upon his heart. Why is man allegedly in such a state? It is because of Adam’s sin.

The basic idea is this: God created Adam and Eve in the beginning. Later, these two sinned (Genesis 3). Because of Adam’s sin, all of his descendants are cursed, having inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin. One key verse for this doctrine is Romans 5:12 — “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

What we need to remember is that the Bible speaks of two different types of death – physical death (the separation of the spirit from the body) and spiritual death (the separation of man from God). Adam suffered both of these. One was a punishment for his sin. The other was a consequence of his sin.

Continue reading…

These two terms are used a lot in discussions about religion and politics. For this study, we want to focus on the use of these terms in the area of religion, particularly as they relate to our approach to God’s word. Should we have a conservative or a liberal approach to the Scriptures? Does it matter? While the Bible does not use these terms, it does address the concepts. One of them describes the mindset we must have when studying and seeking to apply the word of God.

First, we must be clear about these terms. What do we mean by conservative and liberal? One who is conservative favors traditional views and values and tends to oppose change. As it relates to Bible study, this means a strict adherence to the word of God and opposing changes to the gospel. One who is liberal does not view themselves as being limited to established or traditional attitudes or views. Regarding Bible interpretation, a liberal approach favors a loose or approximate view of the Scriptures, rather than a strict, literal interpretation. Basically, one with a liberal approach to the Bible believes there are a number of ways in which one may acceptably interpret God’s word, while a conservative approach seeks to find the one way that God intended us to receive His word.

Continue reading…

Jason Hardin’s new book, “Hard Core: Defeating Sexual Temptation with a Superior Satisfaction,” deals with the problem of pornography and its impact upon those who view it. One who questions just how much our society, families, and even churches have been infected by pornography needs only to read chapter four to be impressed with the statistics. The numbers are staggering. This problem cannot be ignored.

Continue reading…

The notion that a Christian cannot fall from grace is held by many people in the religious world. But this “once saved, always saved” doctrine is simply not true. The Bible is filled with warnings about falling away and examples of God’s people who have.

Tim Haile has put together a thorough study on this topic, examining several passages to demonstrate that a Christian can indeed fall away and be lost and that we must therefore be diligent to remain faithful to God. Below is an excerpt of his study:

Continue reading…