Category: Writings by W. Ross Rainey
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A Living Legacy, by W Ross Rainey
A writer’s or speaker’s style is generally punctuated by words, expressions and phrases which, though perhaps interestingly varied, nevertheless become typical of the individual. Such words and expressions are found in the style of the human authors of the Bible, for while it is hastily affirmed that the Bible is…
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A Charming Christian, by W Ross Rainey
In his tragedy entitled, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare through the person of Juliet asks the question so often cited: “What is in a name?” In the Bible, especially in the Old Testament Scriptures, names generally bear a spiritually significant meaning. Sometimes Bible personalities live up to the meaning of their names,…
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A Business Woman Believed , by W Ross Rainey
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey was well under way when the Apostle and his companions were stopped by the Spirit of God from taking the Gospel of Christ into Asia and Bithynia, the result being that the Holy Spirit thrust them over into Europe. Having crossed the Aegean Sea this party…
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The Intercessor, by W Ross Rainey
Three times over in the Bible, and each in an entirely different context, Abraham is called “the friend of God” ( 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). In 2 Chronicles 20:7, King Jehoshaphat prayed to the Lord in a time of national crisis and referred to Abraham as God’s “friend…
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By-products of Prayer , by W Ross Rainey
The question is often asked, either inwardly or outwardly “Why pray?” There are many reasons why the Christian ought to pray, (e.g., he is commanded to pray — Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Colossians 4:2; the example of Christ — Luke 3:21; 5:16; 9:29; 22:39-46; 23:34; etc.; God has revealed in His Word that He desires and needs…
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Believer’s Baptism, Part 3, by W Ross Rainey
1 Corinthians 1:13-17. “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household…
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Believer’s Baptism, Part 2, by W Ross Rainey
Some Problem Passages There are several New Testament passages which have been misunderstood and, as a result, misapplied in regard to believer’s baptism. Mark 16:16. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” There are those who maintain that water baptism is…
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Believer’s Baptism, Part 1, by W Ross Rainey
The Lord Jesus Christ instituted only two ordinances for His Church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Having perverted these two, the Roman Catholic Church has added five more ordinances, or what they refer to as “sacraments,” but with no Scriptural authority or foundation for them. They are confirmation, penance, extreme unction, marriage, and holy…
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Believer’s Baptism, About, by W Ross Rainey
Its Mode Almost endless confusion and controversy have arisen over the proper mode of believer’s baptism — whether it should be administered by sprinkling or immersion. Actually, the word “baptize,” derived from the Greek word bapto, is a transliteration of the lengthened form baptizo, a transliteration being the bringing of a word into another…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Divorce and Remarriage, Part 2 of 2
It goes without saying that divorce is one of the major problems in Western nations today. The latest verified statistic for the United States is that forty percent of all marriages now end in divorce. Not only is society deeply affected by this escalating scourge but the church as well.…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, Divorce and Remarriage, Part 1 of 2
Does the Lord’s exception in Matthew 19:9 and Matthew 5:32 “except for fornication” warrant the innocent person in a divorce to remarry? If a Christian thus divorced marries a Christian equally irreproachable in character, would an assembly be warranted in refusing fellowship, or taking action in any way? Answer by W. E. Vine and…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, A Biblical Challenge, Part 2 of 2
William Carey [1761-1834], missionary to India, has generally been acclaimed as “the Father of Modern Missions.” In 1793 he arrived in India. At first he was virtually destitute in Calcutta, but quickly mastered the language and soon went to work translating the Bible into Bengali, in addition to his business,…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey, A Biblical Challenge, Part 1 of 2
A Special Note On December 26th the editor left for almost a month’s ministry in the State of Kerala, India. In view of this, I thought it would be appropriate to reprint an article I wrote last year for the Gospel Missions of India “Newsletter.” Since my article is of…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 10
Communicating With Cultists In this final study on the cults we want to consider something of the important matter of communicating with those who have become entangled in today’s proliferating web of cultic doctrine. When dealing with any professed member of a cult, we are not only well advised but…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 9
The Charisma Of The Cults According to George Gallup, the American pollster, some 16 million Americans have been involved with cultist religions and Eastern mysticism. It is estimated that most of these mesmerized followers are between the ages of 16 and 25. In previous articles we have surveyed eight cults,…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 8
Seventh-Day Adventism The Seventh-Day Adventist movement is one of the fastest growing groups today, as well as one of the most deceptive of all false religions. On, the surface it might seem uncharitable to place this group among the cults, but after examining their teachings it seems to me that it…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 7
Unitarianism Unitarianism is a “system of religious thought which rejects the doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Christ, and seeks to show that a genuinely religious community can be created without doctrinal conformity. It has evolved from emphasis on scriptural authority to a foundation on reason and experience.…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 6
Bahaism As a religious movement Bahaism was founded in Iran and began with Mirza ‘Ali Muhammad (1819-1850), a young Persian merchant, better known in the circles of the faithful as “The Bab” (or “Gate”). He assumed that title on May 22, 1844, claiming to be that greater prophet, “The Messiah,”…
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From the Editor’s Notebook, by W Ross Rainey,Cults, Part 5
Theosophy Theosophy is closely akin to both Spiritism and Bahaism, being a mixture of Oriental occultism and Western liberalism. The term “Theosophy” is commonly identified with the Theosophical Society founded in New York City in 1875 by Colonel H. S. Olcott (1821-1907) and Madame H. P. Blavatsky (1831-1891). They claimed…
Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded 