mind of God; He revealed this “mys tery” to Paul, as all New Testament teaching proves. Again, Christ Himself, following Peter’s great confession that Jesus was the Son of the living God, declared in Matthew 16:18, “ Upon this rock I will build my church.” Ever since Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given, our Lord has been building His church as He said, and no organization has a right to the New Testament title of Church which does not accept the basic truths of the Bible concerning the Person .and work of Jesus Christ. His deity is attested by the circum stances attending His birth. Every prophecy in the Old Testament regard ing the first coming of Christ was ful filled to the very letter. His unique death evidences the uniqueness of His Person. Never man died as He died, and even in dying He dismissed His own spirit. When He died the sun blacked out, and the earth trembled at man’s awful sin. Men die for their own sins; our spotless SavioUr died for the sins of others. The triumphant resurrection of Christ is conclusive proof of His deity. The resurrection of Christ is the best attested fact of history. All words in italics in our English edition of the Bible have been added by the translators to make the meaning clear. Sometimes it is difficult to express in the English language the true mean ing of the Greek and Hebrew words. For example, some Hebrew words are so freighted with meaning that the translators found it necessary to supply words which would bring out the true richness of the original text. For this reason all words in italics in our Bible are not found in the original Hebrew and Greek. Often they do clarify the subject matter, but we need also to be careful at times, lest they obscure the meaning. What proof do you offer that the Bible is the Word of God? Whole volumes have been written on this subject. It is so vast that I cannot, in small space, make more than a brief statement as to the actual proofs con cerning the divine inspiration of the Bible. It is the inspired Word of God, authentic, authoritative and infallible. Here are some of the external evidences which we must consider. The ancient manuscripts in the great libraries of the world go back to a very early date. Some of the manuscripts of the New Testament were written as Why are some of the words in our English Bible put in italics?
early as the fourth century A.D. We still have copies of the Greek transla tion of the Old Testament which Christ used when He was on earth. His word concerning it is sufficient! It was trans lated not later than 250 B.C., and is called the Septuagint Version. The ver sions, or translations, of the Bible into the many languages of the earth are manifold. Let us consider that about fifty of the early church fathers quoted the New Testament so freely in their writings that almost the whole of the New Testa ment could be put together, with but few exceptions. History has borne out the prophecies foretold in the Bible. What could be more striking, and more convincing, than the way prophecy has been, and is being fulfilled concerning the Jew, and the land of Israel? Archae ology has proved many of the facts of Bible history. Monuments and tablets have been uncovered which prove be yond all doubt that they told the story of creation, the fall, the flood, and other events recorded in the Bible. Abraham’s early home, Ur of Chaldea,. has been discovered. These are but a few of the silent testimonies from the monuments to the eternal verity of the Word of God. The attacks of Satan upon the Word of God also prove its divine origin. These attacks have been unceasing, un mitigated and violent. Any other book would have been torn to shreds long ago, but God has miraculously preserved His word against attacks of fire, water, sword, and against the more subtle at tacks of skeptic, critic, and “ scientist, falsely so called!” What is your opinion of the congrega tions who unitedly repeat the Lord’s Prayer in the opening of the morning worship hour? It sounds “ legalistic” to me, and I do not join. I can pray the Lord’s Prayer from a heart of worship and praise to God with those who love Him but do not see “eye to eye” with me on dispensational truth. If they believe on the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for their salvation, they are chil dren of the household of faith, and I can worship with them. There is one phrase in the Lord’s Prayer that is strictly on legal ground: “ Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” By the grace of God, He has forgiven us, even though we did not deserve for giveness. When we utter this petition in public assembly, or on any other occasion we should ever be mindful that we can ask forgiveness only on the ground of the grace of God. T H E K I N G 'S B U S I N E S S
Dr. Louis T. Talbot
I am puzzled about First Corinthians 11:5,6, which refers to the woman’s having her head covered in church. Does not verse 15 explain this? In those days the heads of female slaves were shaved, and so an “uncov ered” head was a disgrace, and a mark of servitude. Yes, according to verse 15, the covering could be the hair of at least reasonable length — now often called the “ long bob.” It had no refer ence to hats, which, of course, were not worn in that day. How can I convince a new believer that Jesus paid ALL the debt of his sin? The words of our Lord in John 19:30, “It is finished” announced that the work the Father had given Him to do, was finished. When a work is finished that means it is completed in every detail. There is nothing to be added to it; nothing that man can do but accept it. An illustration often used to make men realize the completed work of our Lord is the story of a man who owed a debt he could not pay. Year after year passes and still the debtor is unable to fulfill his obligation. Suppose a friend steps in and pays the debt, giving him the can celed note. The debt is then paid by the kindness and grace of another. This is but a poor illustration of what Christ did for us—He paid the debt of our sin, and when He cried “ It is finished” He meant there was nothing more to do but to accept the gift of eternal life. What constituted the original New Testament Church? The New Testament Church began on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2, and “ The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch,” Acts 11:26. Concerning the beginning of the church, much might be said. The Old Testament saints did not even know that the church, the bride of Christ, was in the
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