Posts by Jonathan Hagar

No sin in all of scripture aroused more indignation in Christ than hypocrisy. On eight occasions Christ exposed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day, pointing out their blatant disregard for the essence of true spirituality. His exposing of inconsistent faith stood as a warning to all who claim to be Christians because…

Popular Christianity measures faith by what rather than how. Faith in the Son of God, and belief that God did raise His Son, Jesus of Nazareth, from the tomb of Golgotha results in the salvation of man. Many understand faith by what is believed and not how it is lived. Faith in Christ alone will…

Who Were the Pharisees? The Pharisees in the Bible were members of a religious group or party that frequently clashed with Jesus Christ over his interpretation of the Law. The Pharisees probably got their start under the Maccabees, about BC 160, emerging as a scholarly class dedicated to the teaching of both the written and oral law and…

In the time of the judges, God observed, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Philosophers have often flatted themselves by claiming that they have discovered a new perspective, a new view of truth, or a revolutionary worldview. While they…

There exist ‘Christians’ who attend church services, organize church events, provide financial aid to struggling families, mentor youth, host devotionals in their homes, and teach the plan of salvation to all who listen. However, these same Christians lash out in fits of anger when an elder, preacher, or young Christian steps out of line by…

So many false doctrines and fictitious claims exist about the Holy Spirit that it would take more than a five-part series to include everything. Many questions surrounding the Holy Spirit have no direct answer in the Scriptures; the Scriptures do not reveal what is not important (Deut. 29:29; Acts 1:7). Believers must trust that what…

The study of the Holy Spirit in how He works in the lives of Christians today requires a deep and focused study of the Scriptures. In order to do the study justice and not leave people confused, one would need more time and space than this short article. Let us consider a small but controversial…

On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the apostles received the power of the Holy Spirit that was the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4-5). After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were able to produce miraculous deeds beyond what mankind could explain (Acts 2:6-7). Many began to wonder as to…

Matthew recorded, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall…

The Holy Spirit may be one of the most debated topics within the churches of Christ, and often stirs debate within the denominational world, even among the same denominations. The Holy Spirit permeates the scriptures from the beginning of the Bible in the first chapter to the last book in the last chapter of the…