On October 16, 2002, John Paul II celebrated the anniversary of his 24th year of service as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. News commentators compared this lengthy tenure with that of Peter himself! In this week’s Penpoints, Jason Jackson discusses the alleged connection between the apostle Peter and the man who now claims to be the apostle’s modern successor.

How do you maintain your faith in the face of personal tragedy?

The commands found in the Bible may be classified in several ways to help our understanding.

Why do Christians believe in angels? What does the Bible actually say about the existence of angels, their origin, nature and role as God’s ministering spirits?

Why do our children succumb to apostasy when they reach maturity? What can we do about it?

Some people believe that every human being is a “child of God,” thus no one will be lost. Others allege that any “good” person is God’s child. How is one to view this matter biblically? Study this question with us.

Many speak of being “called” by God. From the biblical perspective, how is this accomplished? In this week’s Question and Answer session, Jason Jackson addresses this inquiry.

A golden lamp stand with seven lights was placed in the ancient tabernacle of Jehovah. In the book of Revelation, we find the “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Rev. 4:5)—the number seven symbolizing the perfect Spirit of God. What do you know about the Holy Spirit?

John Kitto was a remarkable Bible scholar of the 1800’s. His essay on “Woman,” penned in 1850, is a delightful composition in tribute to one of God’s finest creations.

Does the home influence the religious development of children?

Is “faith” a gift of God that is bestowed independent of man’s freedom of choice? In a recent article we argued that such is not the case. In view of our dispute of the Calvinistic position, a courteous critic asks for an explanation of Hebrews 12:2, and the divine affirmation that Jesus is the “Author” of “our faith.”

Those who teach that salvation is solely by faith, without further acts of obedience, have a difficult time reconciling Paul with himself. Study this matter with us.

Satan is the consummate deceiver. There is nothing that pleases him more than to see deluded men repudiating the idea of eternal punishment—which the Lord explicitly affirmed.

Does baptism come before or after the salvation contemplated in 1 Peter 3:21?

Words are vehicles of communication. Since it is the case that “words” can lead either to salvation or to condemnation, it is important that Christians craft a vocabulary that expresses biblical ideas in their purest form. Study this issue with us in this month’s Feature.

For Bible believers, there can be no compromise between evolutionary chronology and the biblical historical record.

This article, originally published in 1993, addresses the book written by popular songwriter-comedian, Steve Allen (1921-2000), Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion, and Morality.

Jesus once spoke of an “eternal” sin, for which there is no forgiveness. What was that sin? Can it be committed today?

The writer of Hebrews speaks of those who are beyond the possibility of repentance (Heb. 6:6). Does this mean that if a Christian falls away from the faith, he can never return? Is it even possible for the child of God to apostatize —so as to be lost? This week’s Q&A segment addresses this issue.

The family of man is one, and the Bible was right about this issue 2000 years ago!