By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Romans 9:1, Paul defends his integrity before the Lord, and then adds, “my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit.” How is it that Paul could use his own conscience as a part of his gospel witness? To answer this, this article will discuss the role of the conscience in one’s life, the hardening effect of sin upon it, the cleansing effect of the Word of God, and the call upon Christians to actively maintain a clean conscience so as to properly empower their...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Having informed the disciples of His impending death, Jesus spends significant time, beginning in John 14, comforting the disciples, knowing that His death will be difficult for them to bear. Given that it was Christ who would die, one would think that the disciples would have been ministering to Christ in the same way. This, however, was not the case. To understand this remarkable failure of the disciples, this article will examine Christ’s rebuke in John 14:28 and i...

Mark W. Christy, PhD According to the Apostle James, “the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (1:6b-8).[i] From these words, it would seem that doubt is something that all believers should avoid, and the Scriptures offer multiple accounts of God’s people struggling with doubt. This list of those doubting includes notables su...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Mark 12:29-30, Jesus declares the greatest commandment: “The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”[i] Here, Jesus makes clear that one’s entire devotion should be wholly focused on God who has revealed Himself in unified wholeness. Because of His oneness, people are called upon to worship Him with an undivided loyalty that consumes their entire...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In James 1:14-15, the Apostle provides an overview of the process behind sin. He writes, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”[i] From these verses, four discernible steps in the sin process are provided, and this article will examine each at length. Initially, sin begins in the fallen desires of one’s heart (as James pu...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Kenneth Copeland Ministries asks and answers the following question: “Are you settling for less than God’s best in your life? If you are tolerating any type of physical ailment, anything less than financial abundance, or a struggling relationship, the answer is a resounding yes!”[i] This teaching, commonly propounding by those in the prosperity gospel movement (PGM), finds a ready audience in the self-absorbed, comfort-loving, worldly-focused, and materialistic multit...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In the hyper-emotionalism which pervades much of what is labelled American Christianity, many have failed to realize that love, as the Bible defines it, is never to be divorced from truth. Nevertheless, this rise in sentimentalism has led many professing believers to set aside Scripture as their sole guide for right action in favor of their own emotional barometer. By lowering the value of God’s Word in this way, they have made themselves guilty of elevating themselve...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Many evangelical churches are plagued by wayward Christians, haphazard attendance, and lackadaisical service. While the Church has always struggled against false Christianity, especially in those times when persecution was at a minimum, the modern church often seems to be courting false believers and even comforting them as they continue in their delusion. Many churches have elevated the man-centered components of their worship services by placing a premium on the wor...