The Vanity of Earthly Pleasures - Elder James Oliphant

"Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities. All is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Our Idea of Grace - Elder James Oliphant

"To the praise of the glory of His Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:6) Our ideas of grace correspond with our ideas sin. One who thinks himself good and deserving will have diminutive ideas of God's grace in his salvation and one who regards himself as a poor unworthy sinner will have the highest ideas of grace. The Savior said he to whom most is forgiven will love most. So he that sees himself as most unworthy will love most and he will have the most exalted ideas of grace.

Pantheism - Elder James Oliphant

Pantheism is the doctrine that the universe is God a system of theology which maintains that matter is God. Ingersoll said, "Nature is God." Christianity maintains that the universe is a creature. "The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead." (Romans 1:20) The invisible things are not God nor a part of God. The Bible distinguishes between God and the universe. God is the creator and to all else it assigns the place of a creature. Elder Lemuel potter once asked, "Where did the Lord get his children?" He answered, "God made or created them." This view a scriptural. The Creator is infinitely above the creature. We are so far below God that our worship is due to him.

Salvation by Grace a Bible Doctrine - Elder James Oliphant

When I first joined the church I found I was not able to understand the Scriptures. I believe that all men are born with bias to conditionalism. This was "the first liquor put in the pot" and "the odor of it is often hard to get entirely rid of." It was so with me. "Choose this day whom ye will serve." (Joshua 25:15) It was some time before I saw that this text could be harmonized with the views we hold. Also "Work out your own salvation." (Philippians 2:12) I applied this to all men and it was hard for me to see that this text did not support the conditional theory. "Whosoever will" (Mark 8:34) was hard for me to see. I studied hard and things came right to me. I believe that the idea that there are two salvations helped me much to harmonize the Scriptures. "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you shall never fall." (II Peter 1:10) When I saw that these words applied to the children of God and not to the world it was all plain to me. I saw how it agrees with the doctrine of salvation by grace. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered his son Isaac upon the altar?" (James 2:21) Had Abraham done this while unconverted it would teach different to what it does. "We see how then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only." (James 2:24) In some sense the people of God are justified by works. It took me some time to fully get this distinction but when I did get it, it served as a key to many texts.

The Covenants by Elder James Oliphant (Audio Book)

In this audioblog version of his short essay, The Covenants, Elder James Oliphant gives a concise and accurate summary of some of the covenants found in the bible with particular attention given to the conditional and unconditional natures of each, and the ramifications of such on the everlasting covenant of salvation.  A proper understanding of the unconditional nature of this covenant, so far as man's participation therein is concerned, is a great remedy to many false doctrines taught today which seek to conjoin the works of God and man in the fulfillment of this covenant.