Listed below are 25 lessons on current questions and events with over 500 pages of detailed class notes and special handouts.
Introduction and Overview
Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
May one continue living in adultery after coming to Christ? Does God permit divorce in the absence of adultery? Can a Christian Scripturally Marry a Person Divorced for Other Than Adultery? Can you remarry if your former spouse lusted for another in his or her heart? For more information on 1 Corinthians 7, see Lessons 10 and 11 from our series of lessons on that book. Those notes cover the so-called Pauline Privilege and the phrase "remain as called" in 1 Corinthians 7.
Baptism
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? What about the thief on the cross? Wasn’t he saved without baptism? What about Cornelius and his household? How is baptism related to circumcision under the Old Covenant? Is baptism a "work"? The class notes discuss a dishonest denominational outline on salvation that incredibly says nothing about baptism. To see that outline, click here. The class notes also discuss an incident described in a book entitled History of Denton County Baptist Association. To see that excerpt, click here.
The Role of Women in the Church
What about women preachers? May a woman exercise authority over a man in the secular world? If the Greek words for “wife” and “woman” are the same and the meaning determined by context, does this impact the permissible role of women in the church? Which is referred to in 1 Cor. 14:34? Acts 2 says “your daughters shall prophesy.” Does this authorize women to preach?
End Times
What are the 70 weeks in Daniel 9? What are the 10 horns in Daniel 7? What is the relation between Daniel and Revelation? Who is the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3? Is the war in Iraq a fulfillment of prophecy? Who is the anti-Christ?
Mormonism
Is Mormonism a “Christian” religion? What do the Mormons teach about God and Christ? What do the Mormons teach about eternal life? What is baptism for the dead as taught by Mormons? Other items you may find of interest are Alexander Campbell's review of the Book of Mormon and a newspaper article showing how the Book of Mormon was derived from a novel.
Social Drinking and Gambling
What is gambling? Am I gambling when I buy stocks? Isn’t there a lot of social drinking in the Bible? How can it be wrong?
Instrumental Music in Worship
Has God authorized a particular type of music in worship? Can a Christian listen to religious songs that are accompanied by mechanical music? Do Ephesians 5:17-20 and Colossians 3:16-17 apply to the worship service? Isn’t instrumental music just a matter of choice?
The Lord's Church
Why do we write “church of Christ” rather than “Church of Christ”? Was the church discussed in the Old Testament? What did Jesus mean in Matthew 16 when he discussed “my church”? How are Isaiah 2, Joel 2, and Acts 2 related?
Evolution and Intelligent Design
What gave rise to the theory of evolution? Isn’t there an abundance of scientific evidence that supports evolution? What is meant by “intelligent design”? Is intelligent design scientific or religious? Should intelligent design be taught in our schools?
Forgiveness and Repentance
Must we forgive others absent their repentance? (and should we even ask that question!) Does God forgive us absent our repentance? Why did Jesus ask God to forgive those who crucified him? Was that prayer answered and, if so, when?
The Holy Spirit
What is the gift of the Holy Spirit and when is it received? How does the Holy Spirit work in today’s world – miraculously or non-miraculously?
Open Forum
The questions considered in this lesson are presented in two parts. In the first part the following questions are considered: (1) What is the origin of the races? (2) What does the Bible have to say about tattoos? (3) Were sins rolled forward in the Old Testament? Does God remember forgiven sins? In the second part, the following additional questions are considered: (4) May women teach using the Internet? (5) May a woman baptize someone? (6) How does free will fit in with prayers for one to come to salvation? (7) What is the Christian's view of war?
The Afterlife
Where does a Christian go immediately after death? How can a God of love send anyone to an eternal Hell?
Secular Humanism
What is secular humanism? When the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras wrote, “Man is the measure of all things, of things that are, that they are, and things that are not, that they are not,” he was attempting to state his conviction that truth is relative. He had no idea that he would become the “patron saint” of a 20th century movement called “secular humanism.”
Premillennialism and the Rapture
What is premillennialism? Does it matter what we believe on that subject? What are the consequences of that false doctrine?
The Restoration Movement
Did the church of Christ originate with the American Restoration Movement? Are our beliefs based on the writings of the Restoration leaders? Are we Campbellites? Who is behind the current attacks against the church?
Alleged Contradictions in the Bible
Is the Bible full of errors and contradictions? What is the meaning of inspiration? How is the Bible inspired? What does the Bible say about itself? What does Jesus say about the Bible?
The Christian and the Law
May a Christian be a lawyer? May a Christian ever go to law with his brother? What is a Christian's responsibility to government? What is the relationship between government and the church? Is it ever right for a Christian to participate in revolution against the government?
Time and Chance
Does God know the outcome of a coin flip before the flip? Does anything in the universe actually occur by chance, or is every event, no matter how seemingly minor, part of a preordained plan of God? Does God know our actions and thoughts before we do them or think them? If so, how long in advance does he know these things? Did he know them before we were even born? Did God know Adam and Eve would sin before he even created them? Was it a certainty or just a possibility? It it even possible for God to experience a possibility rather than a certainty? Do we have free will? Can a belief in free will be reconciled with a belief that each action and thought we have had or will have throughout our lives were known to God before we were even born?
The New Hermeneutic
What is the New Hermeneutic? What is the Old Hermeneutic? Why do some criticize the Old Hermeneutic? What do they think we should use instead? What is their motivation?
God and Politics
Should the church be involved in politics? Is God a Democrat or a Republican? Is democracy God's favorite political system? Is America a Christian nation? What can we learn about politics from the Bible?
Jehovah's Witnesses
Who are the Jehovah's Witnesses? What is their history? What do they believe?
Islam
What is Islam? How is Islam different from Muslim? What do they believe? How can we reach Muslims with the gospel? Is Islam a religion of peace?
Muhammad
Why should we study about Muhammad? Who was Muhammad? Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? What are the Satanic verses? Is Muhammad mentioned in the Bible? What do Muslims believe about the cross? Is Muhammad's tomb empty or occupied?
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)