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October, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
c Around the Fang’s ‘Tables By P a u l W. R ood
W ofd and God’s purpose are not in danger, but people and nations are in danger— that is why we need to “ con tend for the faith.” Rejection o f the faith brings collapse and judgment. H ow shall we contend fo r the faith? First, we contend for the faith by accepting it. No one is saved apart from believing in the physical resurrection of Christ (Rom.. 10:9). This doctrine involves every fundamental doctrine. Not only is it necessary to believe in order to be saved, but it is necessary to believe in order to be used in the Lord’s service. Scholarly intellectuals having no positive, dy namic, authoritative message are failures, while more com mon and less brilliant men with powerful .messages are successes. Secondly, it is necessary to stand for this faith without compromise. Many people are tempted to compromise because of promises of position and honor. Let us stand as firmly for the truth of God as the rock of Gibraltar has stood through the ages. This does not mean that we should be like a bull in a china closet or that we should call every one a modernist who does not agree with us in matters o f interpretation. The shepherd of the sheep must warn against the wolves that would destroy the sheep. He must analyze books and movements in order that he can effec tively expose that which is false. But we must be sure of our facts— know twice as much as we tell, then speak fear lessly. Thirdly, we must live the faith. It must be not only in our heads, but in our hearts. W e must possess a subjective apprehension o f objective truth. There must be an emo
As we hearken to the injunction o f Jude Contend for to “ contend earnestly for the faith which the Faith41 waa once for all delivered unto the saints,’;’.; there are three questions which arise. These questions a fe: 1, What is “ the faith” ? 2. Is "the faith” in danger ? 3, How shall we contend for “ the faith” ? What is " the faith” ? The faith means the body of Christian truth held by the historic church; it is that truth upon which evangelical Christians are united, These his toric doctrines are: the infallibility and inerrancy of the Word o f God, the virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious atone ment, physical resurrection, ascension, and personal, vis ible return o f our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the trinity o f the Godhead, the deity and personality o f the Holy Spirit, the lost and undone condition o f every child of Adam apart from Christ, the necessity o f the new birth, the eternal punishment o f the unsaved, and the eternal bliss of the saved. “ The faith . . . was once for all delivered unto the saints.” It was not invented or discovered by man, but delivered by God. Paul could say that he had “ kept the faith” ; that is, he had been true to the great doc trines of Christianity. Our Lord foresaw the apostasy of the end time and suggested that there would be a wide spread denial of the faith upon His return. “ Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith in the earth ?” Is the faith in dangert “ No, a thousand times no”— one of D. L. Moody’s favorite expressions. The Bible is not in danger. “ For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” W e keep carbon copies of our writing; God
tional, volitional, and ethical response to the truth o f God. Sin must not be tolerated or ex cused. Antinomianism is blasphemous. A New Testament standard of Christian living must be maintained, the Holy Spirit being our dy namic and the living Christ, our victory. Lastly, w < m u s t
keeps the original copy of His Word in heaven. If every Bible in the world were to be de stroyed by God-haters and Christ - rejectors, the original copy would not be touched. Fur thermore, the Word of God lives in the memo ries o f the children of God. I f every Bible was destroyed, God’s revelation to man could be reproduced from the memories o f those who had hidden His Word in their hearts. In spite o f skeptics, critics, and blasphemers, the old Book stands. Apostasy and lawlessness do not cause God to quake. When the enemies of God counsel together against Him, “ He that sitteth in the heavens
propagate the faith. It is not sufficient to hold the truth; it must be preached. There must be a passionate and de termined effort to make Christ known. W e are present in the world in o r d e r to introduce Christ. Men are dying; souls are perishing; hearts are hungry. Our chief business in life is to win souls. The prodi gal world must be evangelized, and those believers who hold “ the faith” must obey the Great Commission!
To make clear the standards, and to declare publicly the doctrinal position of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, an impressive and sacred service was held September 8, 1936, at the opening of the fall semester, at which time the members of the Board of Directors and of the Faculty signed the Institute's statement of faith which appears in the central column of the following page. A part of the group may be seen in this picture. Paul W . Rood, President (extreme right), and R. G. Le Tourneau, newly appointed member of the Board of Directors and the author of the article on page 373, are shown signing the statement and defining their beliefs.
delivered at the opening o f the fall semes-
*Synopsis o f a message ter at Biola.
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