January 1929
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
37
I
I I n t e r n a t i o n a l L e s s o n C o m m e n t a r y Heart o f the Lesson — K. L. B. :: Outline—David L. Cooper :: Children—John A. Glasse
attested by miracles, as well as that of His prophets and apostles. Prophecy pro claimed His advent through thousands of years and announced in daring promises the perpetuity and final victory of His kingdom. After witnessing the victories of the cross for 1,900 years, how can it be doubted that omniscience was back of the Scriptures and thatomnipotence is carrying them into execution ? History and experience have added an unimpeachable testimony. This Book of books has had a divine efficacy. Its words are, as our Lord said, “spirit and life” (Jn. 6:63). They are “quick and power ful” (Heb. 4:12). As one writer has said: “Penitence still confesses its abasement in the language of David; faith lingers upon the rapt visions of Isaiah; with John we meditate upon the very words of Jesus; with Paul we receive the assur ance of redemption in looking unto Christ; with the oldest of the prophets we still anticipate the day when the seed of woman shall crush all power of sin. The human heart knows no depth of spiritual sorrow, no height of spiritual joy, no elevation of faith, no wonder of divine or human love, for which it may not find here fitting speech.” We do not hesitate to say that beyond the revelation of this Book, no scheme of human wisdom has ever reached. It furnishes the only truly rational and authoritative solution to all the perplexing and final problems of human destiny. The very contents of the Bible are such as to give an antecedent probability that it cannot be the work of the unaided human brain. It MUST BE the Word of God. It is well to remember that two-thirds of the Bible is prophecy. We are exhort ed especially to study prophecy (Rev. 1:3; 22:7; Lk. 11:28; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:9) and warned not to despise it (1 Thess. 5 :20). It points to prophecies ful filled as assurance of the accomplishment of things declared (Isa. 42:8-9). The Bible was not intended to be a scientific textbook, although we believe that all settled conclusions of science will be found in harmony with correct inter pretation of the Bible. Discrepancies exist, not between statements of the Bible and facts of science but between erroneous interpretations of the Bible and facts of science, or between plain state ments of the Bible and immature con clusions of science. The primary purpose of the Bible, however, is to reveal the Son of God (Jn. 20:31), show the way of eternal life (Jn. 5:39), and provide the comfort and hope of-believers (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). If the Bible is the one infallible text book, someone may ask, why do we have so many religious sects, all professedly built upon the Bible, but disagreeing among themselves? To this we can only say that it is not the revelation of God but the expounders of that revelation that must take the responsibility for the
over a period of 1,500 years. Yet we have one book, with one consecutive plan, from Genesis to Revelation, more regular, more progressive and more stately than any epic or drama. The entire revelation cen ters in one Person, in the Old Testament foretold and in the New Testament de scribed. The whole Bible has respect to one object—the redemption of the race from sin; in the Old Testament sym bolized, . in the New Testament realized. Central in this marvelous volume is the God-man, the Saviour, Jesus Christ, the ever-living Head of a spiritual and eter nal kingdom. His divine commission was
February 3, 1929 The Holy Scriptures
Texts: Deut. 6:4-9; Josh. 1:8-9; 2 Kgs. 22:8-20; Neh. 8:1-8; Psa. 19:7-14; Lk. 24:25-32; Acts 17:10-12; 2 Tim. 3:14-17. L esson in O utline I. The Daily Study of God’s Word. Deut. 6:4-9. II. Obedience to God’s Word, the Basis of a Successful Life. Josh. 1:8, 9. III. The Restoration of God’s Word, the Cause of a Great National Revival. 2 Kgs. 22:8-20. IV. The Interpretation of the Word of God to the Masses. Neh. 8 :l- 8 . V. The Nature, the Preciousness, and the Power of the Word of God in the Life of the Individual. Ps. 19:7-14. VI. The Testimony of Jesus, the Spirit of the Word of God. Lk. 24:25- 32. Vll. An Honest Study of the Word of God and the Results, Acts 17:10- 12 . VIII. The Divine Origin and Sufficiency of the Word of God. 2 Tim. 3:14- 17. T F there is an inspired record of divine * truth existing, it is in the Bible, or no where. No other book on earth can pre tend to hold such an eminent place, either ' __ their effects upon the lives of those who have been touched by them, and they afford a very high probability of divine inspiration. In every way the Bible is unique and wonderful. In no other writ ing does the Divine Being appear so majestic, condescending, holy and loving, and certainly nowhere is man so truly portrayed both in his humility and his dignity. So thoroughly have the claims of the Bible been verified in human experience that we are logically forced to believe its statements concerning inspiration extend ing to all parts and even to the jots and tittles of words (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21; Rom 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). The law is inspired (Jn. .5:39, 45-47). The Psalms are inspired (Lk. 24:44). The prophets are inspired (Lk. 24:25). The New Testament writers are inspired (Jn. 16: 12-13). These various portions of the Bible were composed by some forty writers on the basis of his tory or general con sent. Here are the words of God or we do not have them in any credible form. Take the contents of the Bible as a whole and consider
Cutting — - Sm ar t—Sarcastic / By R. H . B oll Editor of Word and Work “The servant qf Christ must not strive, but be gentle toward all, apt to teach, forbearing , in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves” (2 Tim. 2: 24). It is too easy to “speak unadvisedly with our lips”—to let the flesh have control, and perhaps even to make a virtue of impatience, intolerance, and selfish irritation, as though that were the mark of the valiant soldier of Christ. Doubtless there are those who think they are doing God a service when they run full tilt at and over any and everybody in or out of the church whom they consider to be in the wrong, or who dif fers with them on one point or another. But that sort of atti tude does not need to be en couraged. In fact most right- thinking brethren will agree, that there has been entirely too much of that sort of thing already. That is not what is meant by “contending earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.” It requires neither piety nor spirituality, nor a very high order of courage, to blaze away, and “skin the sects,” to be cutting, smart, and sarcastic, and to condemn at wholesale those who are out of line with the “sound doctrine.” But to speak “the truth in love,” not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward ali men, is God’s appointed method for reaching the hearts of men with the Gospel of the grace of God. One cannot cast out Satan by Satan.
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