Bible Fellowship
Tips for Using WhatSaithTheScripture.com ---New Window



What We Believe ---New Window 3-8-98
by Tom Stewart
How to Scripturally measure us.
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An Urgent Call to Christian Perfection ---New Window 1-7-98
An Exposition of the Doctrine of Christian Perfection
by Tom Stewart
Call it perfection. Call it sanctification. Call it holiness.
The issue isn't what you call it. What's important is that you do it.
Christ insists upon our perfection here and now. After all, the only reason why we ought to insist upon any doctrine is because our LORD and Teacher insists upon it. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). I am well aware that our beloved brother Paul plainly warns us as he did Timothy: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our LORD Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness; from such withdraw thyself" (1Timothy 6:3-5). I, too, desire to consent to wholesome words and to the doctrine which is according to Godliness. For this reason, I am writing to you to set forth the doctrine of Christian perfection (or, entire sanctification). Simply put, Christian perfection is to appropriate Christ by faith in all of His offices, capacities, and relations to meet our every need in life... "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:20, Who "shall supply all [our] need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), Who is our "Jehovah Jireh" (Genesis 22:14) (literally, the LORD will provide).

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by Tom Stewart
Why Did God Allow It? ---New Window 4-21-99		Lessons of Columbine: Hatred and Martyrdom, Blame and Forgiveness ---New Window 4-28-99
In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Release of American POWs ---New Window 5-1-99		The Pre-Tribulational Rapture "Confidence" Game ---New Window 5-10-99
Why Will There Be a Tribulation? ---New Window 5-13-99		Don't Worry About the Rapture ---New Window 5-22-99
The Honor of the Eleventh Hour Labourers ---New Window 5-22-99		Y2K and the Pre-Tribulational Rapture ---New Window 6-5-99
Antinomianism- The Popular Heresy ---New Window 6-20-99		Behold, I Come Quickly ---New Window 6-24-99
Laodicea-- What Happened? ---New Window 7-5-99		If My WORDS Abide In You ---New Window 7-16-99
An Impossible Standard? ---New Window 7-20-99		John F. Kennedy, Jr.: America's Departed Prince ---New Window 7-21-99
Why is It So Difficult for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God? ---New Window 7-30-99		Y2K, the Millennium Bug, and Christian Preparation ---New Window 8-1-99
Have You Heard a Still Small Voice? ---New Window 8-14-99		There Shall Be Earthquakes ---New Window 8-19-99
Divorce, Security, and Rapture ---New Window 8-21-99		Charles G. Finney on Christian Perfection ---New Window 8-25-99
The New Millennium ---New Window 9-13-99		Why Does the Wind Blow? ---New Window 10-17-99
The Power of Preservation ---New Window 10-21-99		Gideon and the Pre-Tribulational Rapture ---New Window 10-25-99
The Betrayal of Martin Luther ---New Window 10-30-99		The Vicious Cycle of Prosperity ---New Window 11-9-99
Thanks Be Unto God ---New Window 11-19-99		Hugh Latimer: Example of Christian Courage ---New Window 11-29-99
Christ's Human Sinlessness Proves the Justice of God's Demand for Man's Sinlessness ---New Window 12-7-99		Alone, But Not Lonely ---New Window 12-12-99
The Mainspring of Moral Action ---New Window 12-21-99		What Is Mercy? ---New Window 12-28-99
God's Strange Work ---New Window 1-5-2000		Sir Robert Anderson and the Seventy Weeks of Daniel ---New Window 1-14-2000
Christian Separation ---New Window 1-29-2000		Our Rare Earth ---New Window 2-21-2000
United Religions (2000): A Tower Unto Heaven ---New Window 3-12-2000		Who Has the Right to Judge? ---New Window 4-4-2000
The Most Negative Verse in the Bible ---New Window 4-23-2000		The Necessity of Suffering ---New Window 5-1-2000
China's Future is Written in Scripture ---New Window 5-31-2000		Survival of the Fittest ---New Window 7-20-2000
But Where Are the Nine? ---New Window 7-27-2000		Baby Boomers: Why Shall We Then Live? ---New Window 8-6-2000
"Snake in the House!" ---New Window 8-13-2000		A Little Leaven ---New Window 9-5-2000
The Cold War and Spiritual Warfare ---New Window 9-10-2000		When Will the Violence Cease? ---New Window 10-15-2000
Love and Vengeance ---New Window 10-20-2000		What is the Difference Between the Gospel and the Great Commission? ---New Window 10-25-2000
How to Prevent Divorce ---New Window 10-28-2000		Do Not Litter ---New Window 10-30-2000
Charles G. Finney on the Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit ---New Window 10-30-2000		God Is In the Details ---New Window 11-7-2000
All Things New ---New Window 11-13-2000		A Crisis in America? ---New Window 11-26-2000
The Treasure of True Christian Friendship ---New Window 12-11-2000		The Excellence of Love ---New Window 12-24-2000
Unlocking the Secret of Life ---New Window 1-2-01		Christian, We Are In Better Hands Than We Deserve ---New Window 1-15-01
If I Were God ---New Window 2-18-01		Discovering God ---New Window 2-25-01
Help for Those Who Need Patience ---New Window 3-29-01		Repentance After the Mark of the Beast? ---New Window 4-16-01
Living By Faith ---New Window 4-30-01		Why Study Prophecy? ---New Window 5-18-01
The Manner of the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ ---New Window 6-5-01		Armageddon and the Great Crack in the Earth ---New Window 6-10-01
What's Wrong With the Golden Rule? ---New Window 6-17-01		Lead Us Not Into Temptation ---New Window 6-29-01
What Happened in Gethsemane? ---New Window 7-2-01		St. Patrick: The Trinity and the Shamrock ---New Window 7-22-01
The Danger of Modern Prophets ---New Window 7-24-01		Dumitru Duduman and the Peacekeeper MX Missile ---New Window 7-31-01
Communing With God ---New Window 8-13-01		What is God Teaching You? ---New Window 8-17-01
When You Are Ready to Panic ---New Window 8-27-01		If Jesus Never Came ---New Window 9-7-01
Significance of the Attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon ---New Window 9-16-01		Is It Possible to Guarantee Our Obedience? ---New Window 10-10-01
God Cannot Wait ---New Window 10-15-01		Secret of Abiding in Christ ---New Window 10-30-01
Christian, Be Ready! ---New Window 11-18-01		The Story Behind "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" ---New Window 12-20-01
Pray for the Burnhams' Release ---New Window 12-25-01 UPDATE 6-7-02 Gracia Freed; Martin Killed ---New Window "SANFORD, Florida (June 7, 02): Military action between the Abu Sayyaf Group and Philippine forces has resulted in the death of Martin Burnham and the release of his wife, Gracia." --New Tribes Mission Also, see our article Martin Burnham Went to Heaven ---New Window
Seek God First ---New Window 1-3-02		The Beasts of the Apocalypse ---New Window 3-11-02
Our Light Afflictions Work For Us, Not Against Us ---New Window 3-24-02		The Beast That Was, and Is Not, and Yet Is ---New Window 3-27-02
Stand Right and Stand Fast ---New Window 4-15-02		Sex Scandal in the Catholic Church ---New Window 5-26-02
Why God Must Prove Us ---New Window 6-25-02		A Place Called Safe ---New Window 7-4-02
Things Don't Just Happen ---New Window 7-9-02		The Eyes of Faith ---New Window 7-14-02
Man-Made Earthquakes and the Rapture ---New Window 7-20-02		DNA: Who Owns the Book of Life?v
Social Security, the Stock Market, and Unemployment ---New Window 10-5-02		The Magi and the Star of Bethlehem ---New Window 12-2-02
I Shall Come Forth As Gold ---New Window 12-17-02		The Failure of Prophecy ---New Window 4-13-03
We Must See Jesus ---New Window 7-17-03		Only God Is Good ---New Window 8-3-03
Love Makes the World Go Round ---New Window 8-22-03		An Historical Perspective of Precious Bible Promises ---New Window 12-9-03
Revenge of the Worms ---New Window 12-9-03		When Everything Seems to Fail ---New Window 2-12-04
The Crucifixion of Christ: Jews or Gentiles-- Who Stinketh the Most? ---New Window 4-21-04		What Saith the Scripture? A Way of Life---New Window 12-28-04
What is a Famine?---New Window 1-3-05		Why I Use the King James Version---New Window 1-12-05
How Evolution Undermines the Need for a Savior---New Window 5-8-05		Sin Can Be Prevented---New Window 5-15-05
The Da Vinci Code Effect---New Window 5-26-06

Fellowship Archive
~ for most of this section ~
{NOT included in the "Fellowship" Archive-
"An Urgent Call to Christian Perfection,"
"From the Editor's Desktop,"
"Keeping Covenant" and
"What the Bible Says About...".)


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"And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like Thee, in Heaven above, or on Earth beneath, Who keepest covenant and mercy with Thy servants that walk before Thee with all their heart" (1Kings 8:23). God keeps His Word, and expects the same of us. From the beginning of man's history, the Creator has progressively made Himself known through His Word and works. "Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?" (Jeremiah 23:23). Though man often complains that life has no instruction manual, the Faithful God has always made Himself known to man. "1 God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 hath in these Last Days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:1-2). The very fact that the Son of God, Who is the "Word of Life" (1John 1:1), came into this world as human flesh, demonstrates the importance that God places upon making His Word known. "19 For it pleased the Father that in Him [Jesus] should all fulness dwell... 2:3 In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge... 9 For in Him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 1:19; 2:3, 9). Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Temple, which Ussher's Chronology places at 1004 BC, indicates the understanding that Israel's godly king possessed of the character of God, about 3,000 years after man's creation. "There is no God like Thee, in Heaven above, or on Earth beneath, Who keepest covenant [i.e., performs His agreement or contract] and mercy with Thy servants that walk before Thee with all their heart" (1Kings 8:23). Whatever else that could be said of the Living God, Solomon knew that Jehovah keeps His Word, which binds Him to the Saints with an ironclad covenant. "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God, the Faithful God, which keepeth covenant [Hebrew, berith] and mercy with them that love Him and keep His Commandments to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:9). Of course, all that remains, is for man to be correspondingly faithful at keeping his word to God. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1John 2:6).
Keeping Covenant Part 1. The Promise of the Spirit ---New Window 6-5-2000 by Tom Stewart	"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14). "The grand design of the Spirit's indwelling is to secure the perfect love, complete obedience, or entire sanctification that has ALWAYS been demanded by the Moral Law. '36 Master, which is the great Commandment in the Law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great Commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the prophets' (Matthew 22:36-40). This Law of Love is understood in the New Testament as the Law of Christ. 'Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the Law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2). Always, it has been man's imperative to understand how to submit to this Law; and, now it is plain that a Covenant as old as Abraham has been fulfilled through the New Covenant's giving of the Holy Spirit-- which, BY FAITH secures for us perfect obedience to God. 'That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through faith' (Galatians 3:14)." ---New Window
Keeping Covenant Part 2. A Covenant of Peace ---New Window 6-15-2000 by Tom Stewart	"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the Covenant of My Peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10). "The one who needs most the Covenant of Peace, is the one that is most providentially directed to receive it, because 'my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus' (Philippians 4:19). It has been the experience of the Saints throughout the ages that God's Covenant of Peace has been available to those who have been led to lay hold of it. 'There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling' (Psalm 91:10). 'There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief' (Proverbs 12:21). It is just when the enemy casts the greatest shadow, that we need most to turn to the Promises of God and trust in Jehovah's Covenant of Peace. 'When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him' (Isaiah 59:19)." ---New Window
Keeping Covenant Part 3. God of the Rear Guard ---New Window 7-27-2000 by Tom Stewart	"For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your Rereward [literally, Rear Guard]" (Isaiah 52:12). "As the Church approaches the end of this Church Age, the Saints who are now alive, must address the concept that Someone must be guarding the last of us, as we leave this planet, i.e., by Pre-Tribulational Rapture, Pre-Wrath Rapture, etc... the LORD Jesus understands the difficult situation of His people, who are the "Remnant of His Heritage" (Micah 7:18), that vex their "righteous soul from day to day with [the world's] unlawful deeds" (2Peter 2:8). By faith, before the enemy, who spread themselves out against the Saints as a "green bay tree" (Psalm 37:35) to exterminate the Faithful, our God will interpose Himself, watching our back side, to deliver us; even if He must Rapture us. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36)... Just as we understand the specific Promise of Isaiah 52:12, to be God's Covenant of Himself being our Rear Guard, all of God's Promises may be utilized as Covenants for His protection. "Whereby are given unto us Exceeding Great and Precious Promises: that by These ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2Peter 1:4). We ought to walk with confidence, when we consider that the God of Omnipotence not only goes before us, but He guards us from behind!" ---New Window
Keeping Covenant Part 4. Thou Maintainest My Lot ---New Window 12-18-2000 by Tom Stewart	"The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot" (Psalm 16:5). "If the Holy Spirit has impressed upon you the importance of Christ's ability to maintain all aspects of your walk with Him-- spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, etc.-- then the Psalmist's assertion, 'Thou maintainest my lot', is more than interesting reading. The Saints throughout the ages have added their own 'Amen' to the truth of that statement. When Jacob journeyed to Padanaram, 'he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the Earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it' (Genesis 28:12). God's Providential Provision impressed Jacob so much that 'Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God' (28:20-21). The Immutable God Who said, 'I change not' (Malachi 3:6), still desires to demonstrate His faithfulness in Provision and Maintenance of our lot in life, through 'His riches in glory by Christ Jesus' (Philippians 4:19)." ---New Window GET THE COMPLETE "Keeping Covenant" Archive ---New Window
- More of this series to come. -

... In order to truly live, man needs to know what God thinks. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). For this reason, it is more than a passing interest that we ought to ask, "What saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3). Since "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (10:17), and "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" (Hebrews 11:6), then understanding, believing, and obeying what God has said about anything, is the key to pleasing God. Our "faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6), indicates that we, like Abraham, can be called a "Friend of God" (James 2:23). When our Saviour Jesus Christ said, "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14), He indicated that Ultimate Friendship with Him, is based upon the loving obedience, that began when we asked, "What saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3). "He that hath an ear, let him hear" (Revelation 2:7) What the Bible Says...
What the Bible Says About Suicide ---New Window 3-1-2000 by Tom Stewart	"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1Corinthians 6:19-20). "To those who are morally able to choose, a True Christian will not commit suicide, because suicide is the sin of self-murder. 'If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are' (1Corinthians 3:17). Jesus is presently in Heaven preparing a 'place for you' (John 14:2). And, if Heaven is to be your future Home, then you must 'continue in the Grace of God' (Acts 13:43) and 'hope to the end for the Grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ' (1Peter 1:13). For, if we do not avail ourselves of God's 'Grace to help in time of need' (Hebrews 4:16), then we will most assuredly not 'follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the LORD' (12:14). Look at it from God's point of view. He has already made ample provision for every conceivable circumstance of your spiritual and physical life. 'His Divine Power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue' (2Peter 1:3). To ultimately run out of hope and commit suicide is unpardonable, because it is supreme defiance and 'blasphemy against the Holy Ghost' (Matthew 12:31), and 'hath never forgiveness' (Mark 3:29). The sin of suicide will never take you to the Heaven where Jesus is. 'Then said Jesus again unto them, I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come' (John 8:21)." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Abortion ---New Window 5-1-2000 by Katie Stewart	"Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of The Judgment" (Matthew 5:21). First, abortion "on demand" is the sin of murder, "and ye know that no murderer hath Eternal Life abiding in him" (1John 3:15). Second, if we can rationalize early term abortions, then we can rationalize late term abortions-- even partial-birth abortions. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2Timothy 3:13). Third, if we can rationalize the brutal dismemberment of a newborn child, then we are next ready to selectively eliminate any child that society deems to be inconvenient, physically unfit, socially unacceptable, or politically undesirable. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves" (2Timothy 3:1-2). Finally, if we allow "these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:31), i.e., we will become completely demoralized, desensitized, deceived, and willing for the future Final Solution of the Antichrist to eliminate the world of the religiously "undesirable elements", who refuse to worship the Antichrist and receive the 666 Mark of the Beast, "and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13:15). ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Luck and Gambling ---New Window 7-23-2000 by Tom Stewart	"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my LORD: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8). "Though luck may have the connotation of prosperity or success in the world's vocabulary, it involves the element of chance; and, uncertainty is not part of the success guaranteed by the LORD. Instead, the Saints can find in the Scriptures, Promise after definite Promise to make certain their prosperity and success. 'This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success' (Joshua 1:8)... Since the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) mandates a supreme love for God and a love for our neighbour that is equal to the consideration that we ought to give to ourselves, then gambling violates the Law of Love because it only allows or enables the gain of one party at the expense of another. 'We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil' (Proverbs 1:13). And, 'for the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows' (1Timothy 6:10)." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Divorce and Remarriage ---New Window 12-3-2000 by Tom and Katie Stewart	"They are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6). "Many Christians mistakenly think that fornication has been sanctioned as God's grounds for divorce. Not so. There are no Godly grounds for divorce. Laodiceans loudly proclaim, 'God does endorse divorce 'for the cause of fornication' (Matthew 5:32)'... let's study the passage IN CONTEXT... God puts families together-- it is ONLY man who tears them apart. 'For God is not the Author of confusion, but of Peace' (1Corinthians 14:33)... But peace and contentment only come to those who obey God. 'There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked' (Isaiah 57:21). You cannot cut corners with the LORD and think that your family will enjoy each other's company and share a happy life together, without ordering your steps aright and letting God have control of every aspect. 'Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it' (Psalm 127:1)." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Temptation ---New Window 1-10-01 7-13-01 by Tom and Katie Stewart	"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). "This is a study about understanding temptation, not simply because the Master enjoined, 'Pray that ye enter not into temptation' (Luke 22:40), but because we also desire to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in doing all that is humanly possible to prevent temptation from turning into sin. '10 With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy Commandments... 133 Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me' (Psalm 119:10, 133). From the first temptation of Eve in the Garden when the Serpent succeeded in causing our First Parents to doubt the love of God, to the final 'Hour of Temptation' (Revelation 3:10) of the Apocalypse, mankind has struggled, and will struggle, with the necessity to overcome temptation. Our present unwillingness to enter into temptation is the same unwillingness to enter into the 'Hour of Temptation' (3:10) soon prophesied to come upon this world. 'Because thou hast kept the Word of My Patience, I also will keep thee from the Hour of Temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the Earth' (3:10). But, since 'all the Promises of God in [Christ] are Yea, and in Him Amen' (2Corinthians 1:20), we can lay hold of the Master's instruction to 'pray that ye enter not into temptation' (Luke 22:40), with the bold assurance that, indeed, 'sin shall not have dominion over [us]' (Romans 6:14)!" ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Debt ---New Window 3-3-01 by C. G. Finney	"Owe no man any thing" (Romans 13:8). "There may be such a thing as contracting a prospective debt, giving your obligation to become due at a certain time. But then you do not properly owe, because you are under no obligation to pay till it becomes due. But whenever it becomes due you are bound immediately to pay it... It is unjust to be in debt. If your creditor has a right to demand payment, you certainly have no right to withhold it. If it is due it is a contradiction to say that it is not unjust for you not to pay. It is a contradiction, both in terms, and in fact, to say that you owe a man, and at the same time are guilty of no injustice in refusing or neglecting to pay him. It is as much injustice as stealing, and involves the same principle. The sin of stealing consists in the appropriating to ourselves that which properly belongs to another. Therefore whenever you withhold from any man his due, you are guilty of as absolute an injustice, as if you stole his property." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About What Every Man Knows ---New Window 4-17-01 by Tom Stewart	"Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:24). "Man knows much more than he commonly admits. ABC. 1-2-3. God is. He ought to be loved supremely. We ought to love our neighbour as ourselves... Acknowledging that we know what God says we know, 'as the Truth is in Jesus' (Ephesians 4:21), is the 'beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding' (Proverbs 9:10). Laying hold of the Truth will only be the beginning of an Eternity of learning about God." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Contentment ---New Window 3-24-03 by Tom Stewart	"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1Timothy 6:6). "Godliness and contentment are indeed rare gems, but since they can only be found inseparably combined, they are the rarest of gem to be found in man. 'Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in Faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?' (James 2:5). Unlike the covetous of the world, Christians are to be content with their lot in life-- rich or poor, pleasant ways or a difficult road-- since they understand their physical circumstances to be both God's opportunity to mold them and reach the world. 'To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some' (1Corinthians 9:22)." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About False Teachers ---New Window 10-17-03 by Tom Stewart	"But there were False Prophets also among the people, even as there shall be False Teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the LORD that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (2Peter 2:1). "It is not for simply personal reasons that we must be able to identify, mark, and avoid False Teachers, but that we would obediently and 'earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints' (Jude 3). If the Gospel is to spread and take hold of mankind in all of its Power and Purity, then we must strive or contend valiantly 'for the Truth' (Jeremiah 9:3) as it 'is in Jesus' (Ephesians 4:21) against all that would hinder or destroy the Gospel and the Faith that all men should have toward the LORD, Who gave us the Good News of Redemption, Forgiveness of Sins, New Birth, Power Over Sin and Sinning, and Present Certainty of Eternal Life." ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Why Did Jesus Have to Suffer? ---New Window 2-20-04 by Tom Stewart	"Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to Death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1Peter 3:18). "The Natural Love that we have for ourselves is a Universal Truth, for 'no man ever yet hated his own flesh' (Ephesians 5:29); and, Jesus the Son of Man was no different. 'For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin' (Hebrews 4:15). He had no special enjoyment of suffering, just as we do not enjoy suffering. 'Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a Merciful and Faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people' (Hebrews 2:17). It is difficult for the Righteous to watch the Guiltless and Innocent suffer, because their suffering is our suffering. 'Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body' (Hebrews 13:3). Further, we have been advised by the Scriptures to remain 'simple' concerning the specifics of the sufferings that evil men inflict. 'For your Obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple [Greek, akeraion, harmless] concerning evil' (Romans 16:19). It was only the Providence of God that allowed the human mother of Jesus to be at the scene of Christ's Crucifixion, and one can only imagine the impression upon Mary as she beheld the Agony of her Son upon the Cross! Perhaps it was at that moment that Mary recalled the prophetic words of Simeon from the dedication of Jesus. '34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a Sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed' (Luke 2:34-35). For those we love, suffering and even death for ourselves would be more desirable than to watch them suffer. But, Jesus willingly set His face like flint to suffer the Cruel Death of the Cross for friend and foe alike, e.g., the Roman centurion in charge of His Crucifixion exclaimed about the events and manner of Christ's Death on the Cross, 'Truly this was the Son of God' (Matthew 27:54)." ---New Window GET THE COMPLETE "What the Bible Says About..." Archive ---New Window
What the Bible Says About Angels Or, Who Angels Are and What They Do ---New Window 04-28-05 (from The New Topical Textbook with additions)	Are ministering Spirits. "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place" (Psalm 68:17). "Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:4). "7 And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:7, 14).
What the Bible Says About Heaven ---New Window 04-28-05 (from The New Topical Textbook )	Heaven was created by God. "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth" (Genesis 1:1). "And sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, Who created Heaven, and the things that therein are, and the Earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer" (Revelation 10:6).
- More of this series to come. -

Mandatory Traits of A True Christian
Mandatory Traits of A True Christian Introduction ---New Window 10-22-03 by Katie Stewart	"As He is, so are we in this world" (1John 4:17). "22 The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, 23 Meekness, Temperance: against such there is no Law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-25). "How can you know you are truly a Christian? 'Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit' (1John 4:13). The Holy Spirit of the LORD is only given to those who obey and walk according to His Word. 'And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom God hath given to them that obey Him' (Acts 5:32)." ---New Window
Mandatory Traits of A True Christian Mandatory Trait 1. Loving ---New Window 10-22-03 by Katie Stewart	"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is Love" (1John 4:8). "The first 'Fruit of the Spirit is Love' (Galatians 5:22). True Christians are to 'live in the Spirit' and 'walk in the Spirit' (5:25). 'What saith the Scripture' (Romans 4:3) concerning this mandatory characteristic that all true children have from their Father?" ---New Window
Mandatory Traits of A True Christian Mandatory Trait 2. Joyful ---New Window 12-10-03 by Katie Stewart	"These things have I spoken unto you, that My Joy might remain in you, and that your Joy might be full" (John 15:11). "The second 'Fruit of the Spirit is Joy' (Galatians 5:22). True Christians are happy people! We may not have thought being happy important enough to qualify as a mandatory trait of Christianity-- but, the LORD did! It's the Highest Good He can Will for us." ---New Window
- More of this series to come. -

The Spirit of Slavery
The Spirit of Slavery (Part 1) Or, The Oppression of Slavery Is Not Worse Than the Selfishness of Sin ---New Window 8-18-2000 by Tom Stewart	"Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty" (2Corinthians 3:17). "On February 12th 1793, Congress passed the first fugitive slave law, which required all states, even those that prohibited slavery, to forcibly return escaped slaves to their original owners in the South. That law stated that 'no person held to service of labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such labor or service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.' The Northern states' disregard for this law so infuriated the South, that they instigated Congress to pass a second fugitive slave law (1850), which called for the return of escaped slaves 'on pain of heavy penalty'. This promoted the growth of the Underground Railroad, which was a network of free blacks and abolitionist sympathizers that aided fugitives in escaping to freedom through the North and into Canada. Oberlin College became a station on that Underground Railroad; and, many of Oberlin's graduates maintained schools in Canada for children of fugitive slaves. 'Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works' (James 2:18)... Lincoln succinctly stated his convictions about the evils of slavery, in his last inaugural address on March 4th 1865, where he made direct reference to the ninth verse of the 19th Psalm: 'Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's 520 years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn by the sword, as we said 3,000 years ago, so still it must be said: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.' ...The slavery that was abolished in America in 1865, was an abomination and violation of all the good that is embodied in Christianity; and, the devastations of the American Civil War were both God's judgment upon America, as well as the opportunity for the people to cleanse themselves from the oppression of slavery. 'Thus shall they cleanse the land' (Ezekiel 39:16)." ---New Window
The Spirit of Slavery (Part 2) Or, The Selfishness of Sin ---New Window 5-1-02 by Tom Stewart	"Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty" (2Corinthians 3:17). "Whenever any economic, political, social, or religious system exerts total control of one person by another chiefly for the purpose of economic exploitation-- or, for any myriad of evil purposes that the mind recoils to discuss-- then that is Modern Slavery. As reluctant as any civilized nation is to admit to sanctioning slavery, on February 19th 02, CNN reported: 'The United Nations is launching a global campaign as part of a stark warning about the 'epidemic growth' in human trafficking... Human trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organised crime with an estimated 700,000 people trafficked every year for sexual exploitation and forced labour. Europol estimates the industry is now worth several billion pounds a year' (excerpted from the article, 'U.N. warns of human traffic boom.') 'The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun' (Ecclesiastes 1:9)... The problem with humanity is the selfishness of sin, for all selfishness is sin, i.e., doing 'evil w