In chapter five of 1 Corinthians Paul gave instructions about how to deal with a member of the church who was living a sinful lifestyle and showed no inclination to repent of it. In verse five he said, "You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." They were to do this by expelling him from his membership in the church in the hope that this action would lead him to repent. Apparently this action succeeded...

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The Bible contains many commands which God has given. Some of them are universal standards of right and wrong which are binding on everyone. Jesus said that these could be summed up in two commands: "Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength" and "Love your neighbor as yourself."

In addition to these universal commands he has often given commands which are directed to a specific individual or group. For example, when he established his covenant with Israel...

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Nearly everyone is familiar with the parable of the good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37. There are several people mentioned in it and there are lessons to be learned from each one of them.

The main character, of course, is the Samaritan. Jesus cited him as an example to follow if we wish to carry out God's command to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Just as the Samaritan is a positive example for us to follow, the priest and Levite who saw the injured man and passed...

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The Bible contains four accounts of the life of Jesus which are very different from each other and each one contains some information that isn't in the others. Some of the differences are so great that the gospels almost seem to contradict each other. Why would God inspire men to write four different accounts rather than just one?

One thing to keep in mind when comparing the gospels is that they are called gospels, not biographies. None of them is intended to give a complete account...

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One hotly debated issue among Christians is that of who are the successors of the apostles and who holds their authority today. I think we can answer that question by looking at what the Bible says about the qualification for an apostle, the purpose for which they were chosen, and their rewards.

One of the first things the believers did after Christ's ascension was to choose a replacement for Judas. In Acts 1:21,22 Peter tells what the qualification for an apostle is: "One of...

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