Category: Christian Faith

Is It a Sin to Eat Unclean Meats?

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Is it a sin to eat unclean meats, as designated in Scripture? Many who think of themselves as Christians think not, while presumably those practicing Judaism would disagree.

Consider God’s laws, his commands, for a moment. Why were they given? Was it to deprive humans of things that are good for them, that contribute to joy, peace, happiness, good health? No, quite the contrary. God said to the people of Israel through Moses: “You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33).

In paraphrasing portions of the above verse, Adam Clarke’s Commentary puts the wording as follows: “that you may enjoy life”; “good shall be to you—God will prosper you in all things essential to the welfare of your bodies, and the salvation of your souls” (cf. Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 4:40; 6:17-18; 12:25, 28; 30:15-16; Psalms 16:11; 19:7-11; John 15:11).

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Binding and Loosing, Part 2

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The idea that God gives to some individual or individuals unrestrained authority to make judgments that only he can make concerning salvation, condemnation, and matters of doctrine and law, reward and punishment, has been a cause of unbounded confusion and immense injustice for vast numbers of people.

What did Jesus mean when he said, “…whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”? Indeed, did he even say such a thing?

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Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Binding and Loosing Part 1

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Various churches and ministries have misapplied and misused what the Bible says about “Binding and Loosing” and the “keys of the kingdom of heaven,” associated with the former as in Jesus’ statement to Peter in Matthew 16:19. The result has been that many Christians have been confused about what the Bible really teaches about the aforementioned “keys” and the concept of binding and loosing, and much mischief within professing Christianity has resulted.

In this message, learn what the Bible tells us about what it means to have the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.”

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Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

How Important Is Doctrine?

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Have you given any thought to the question of how important is doctrine to the life of a Christian? Should we be all that concerned about the doctrines taught by the Church we fellowship with? Or is “Church” to be more of a social club where doctrine takes a back seat, and is more or less irrelevant? Does doctrine cause division? And if so, does that mean we should disdain doctrine? How does doctrine affect one’s relationship with God? What is the connection between doctrine and the Holy Spirit? What is the responsibility of the ministry, and of each individual member, with regard to doctrine? It’s very clear from the what the Bible has to say that having the correct understanding about doctrine is of vital importance to anyone who wants to be a Christian as the Bible defines a Christian.

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Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

cogmessenger.org

Will Politicians Save Us?

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A nation’s character, as the Bible makes clear, has a lot to do with its prosperity, happiness, and ultimate destiny. And this applies not only to nations, but the world as a whole. What can we do as a people to avoid catastrophe? What difference can the right kind of leadership make? And what does the Bible tell us about the ultimate solutions to the problems we face?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

cogmessenger.org