Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Knowledge and Conversion

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Many people believe that to be a Christian — to be converted — you don’t have to know much of anything and you don’t have to do anything. More than a few have sought to juxtapose knowledge and faith in such a way as to make it appear they are in opposition to one another. The only “truth” you need to know as a Christian, some allege, is “that the gospel is Christ plus nothing.” The implication, perhaps stated in various ways but amounting to the same idea, is that if you profess faith in Christ as your savior, nothing else matters.

Does the Bible have anything to say about the value, even the necessity, of knowledge in connection with conversion and salvation? Does God honor ignorance? Is knowledge something to be abhorred, shunned and avoided. Or might it be an essential element in one’s relationship with God, and in having a place in God’s Kingdom?

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What is Death?

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Even when we face sickness and death, God is aware of our plight, and if we maintain godly faith, we are safely in his hands. In this sermon, Rod Reynolds explains what the Bible says concerning death – what death is and what is the hope that lies beyond the grave for all human beings.

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Did Jesus Break the Sabbath?

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It’s been asserted that Jesus broke the Sabbath, and hence we are free to disregard it as well. But did Jesus break the Sabbath?

The basis for the idea that Jesus broke the Sabbath is the accusations made by Jesus’ enemies among the Pharisees and scribes. Because Jesus performed miracles of healing on the Sabbath, and did not honor their man made rules regarding Sabbath observance, the Pharisees accused him of breaking the Sabbath. But did he in fact, break the Sabbath?

Rod Reynolds discusses this question and its implications in this message. Continue reading →

Was Peter the First Pope?

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The Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy have made extremely bold and audacious claims. The papacy has claimed authority to appoint kings or depose them, to grant salvation or to deny it.

Innocent III (1198-1216) claimed as pope that he was the “Vicar of Christ” and of God, and that he was “Supreme Sovereign over the Church and the World.” He claimed that “All things on earth and in heaven and in hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ.” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 883).

Pope Nicholas I (858-67) declared: “We popes alone have the power to bind and to loose,” claiming that the judgment of a pope “alone is infallible” (cited, A Woman Rides the Beast, Dave Hunt, p. 85).

Pope Gregory VII (1073-85), “…declared that the power to ‘bind and loose’ granted by Christ to Peter gave the popes ‘the right to make and unmake kings, to construct and reconstruct governments, to wrest from those who disobeyed all the territory held by them, and to bestow it upon those who would hold it subject to papal authority'” (A Woman Rides the Beast, p. 233).

On what foundation do such bold claims rest? They rest on the proposition that Jesus Christ gave to Peter the power to “bind and loose,” and that power somehow was passed on to a supposed unbroken line of successors. The idea is that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, and that he was the first Pope, and that his authority has been passed down to his successors as Bishops of Rome.

It would seem that anyone, especially those who are interested in following Jesus Christ, would want to carefully examine such claims, to test their legitimacy. Before turning over your hope of salvation to such claims, wouldn’t you want to know their validity? Let’s then examine the question: “Was Peter the First Pope?”
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Jesus and James

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While most people who have an interest in the subject, even if they are not nor claim to be converts to Christianity, believe that Jesus Christ actually existed as a human being in the early first century (A.D.), some few claim otherwise. Yet, there’s much evidence, even from various extra-biblical sources attesting to his existence and certain facts relating to what is recorded in Scripture about him.

Our faith in Christ rests primarily on the Bible, which we believe to be the word of God. But it is of interest what we can learn from other historical records, not only about Jesus, but others associated with him, particularly his half-brother, James.

This message, “Jesus and James,” relates information about what some historical records outside of the Bible tell us about Jesus, his disciples, and how they were viewed and treated by the world in the early years of the Christian era. Also, closely related is information concerning especially James, who became a prominent leader in the early Church, and who was eventually martyred.

Interestingly, among the available evidence regarding Jesus and James is an ossuary box recently discovered believed to have been used to entomb the bones of James. It’s hoped you will find the facts presented in this message interesting and edifying.

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