Bible Institute Number
JANUARY 1923
Bevtfare! Bev?are! Any Preacher or Teacher who Denies ¡ Inspiration of the Bible, Virgin Birth, Sacrificial Death, Physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ ISAN Enemy of the Truth! WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? " For many deceivers are entered into the world, * * * I f there come any untoyou and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed; for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker o f his evil deeds."— (2 John 7 ,1 0 ,1 1 .) Your Responsibility You should seek the wisdom of God in the distribution of these sacred funds. You have a right to know, and are accountable for knowing, where your funds are going, and the character of work and workmen entrusted with them. Your Reward If faithfully administered in His name and for His glory, you will find your re ward in the glory. Your funds will welcome you “in the everlasting habitations/* Your Regret Money is a sacred trust. We are stewards. We must give an account of our stewardship. We should avoid RECKLESS GIVING. We should seek to make every penny bring the largest possible glory to our Lord. We will have no re grets if we make investments of this sort. Our Recommendation We will guarantee to invest for you sums in any amount, and advise you where and how they are used, guaranteeing that they will be used in definite, soul saving work. We do this, knowing that we must give an account unto God.
Write for any desired particulars
£ H O R T O N Superintendent, Bible Institute
T H E K IN G ’S BU S IN E S S MOTTO: *7, the Lord, do keep It, / w ill water It every moment, lest any hurt It, l will keep It nlaht and dav “ Isa. 27:3 " PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HO PE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CAL. E ntered as Second-C lass M atter N ovem ber 17, 1910, a t th e P o st Office a t Los A ngeles, C alifornia u n d er th e A ct of M arch 3, 1879. - A cceptance fo r m ailing a t special ra te of p o stag e provided for in Section 1103, A ct of O ctober 3 1917, auth o rized O ctober 1, 1918 . Volume XIV January, 1923 Number 1 Rev. T. C. HORTON, E d ito r in C hief. Rev. K EITH L. BROOKS, M anaging E d ito r ALAN S. PEARCE, C irculation R epresentative Contributing Editors DR. F. W . FARR DR. FRENCH E. OLIVER DR. A. C. DIXON CONTENTS Editoriais—Anno Domini, 1923 (3 ), News for th é New Year (4 ), Insured Invest- 1 7 ? “ A n]rtPf°ISOnM a * th® Source B Divorcing Christ from H is Teachings (7 ), A part from Me Ye Can Do Nothing” (8 ). A N ew 'Y ear’s Resolution— (11) B ible Briefs— (12) E arly N arratives of Genesis— By Prof. Jam es Orr, D. D. (13) Get Oiut of th e Trenches— By H. Tydeman Chilvers (18) The F irs t Two Verses of Genesis One— By K. L. B. (23) The Devil and th e Church— By Edward M. Bounds (25) Did Jesu s P reach to th e Spirits in P rison?—Difficult Passages__ Bv Dr. R. A. Torrey (28) A Word W ith th e Unsaved—By J. W. Pegan (30) Justification— F undam ental Studies (31) B ible In stitu te in China— By Mrs. F ra n k K eller (32) Evangelistic Stories by In stitu te W orkers (34) Notes on th e Jews and Prophecy— (40) Hom iletical Helps— (42) Bible In stitu te Happenings— (46) In tern atio n al Bessons— (48) New Series of Sunday School Bessons from Gospel of John__(74) Current.R eligious Comment— (98) Good Books— (99) PLEASE ^ h e n se n d in g su b s c rip tio n s , a d d re ss co rre sp o n d e n c e to O ffice o 6 8 B u sin ess, B ib le I n s titu te of L os A n g eles, 6tt- H ope S tre e t. C h eck s m ay be m ad e p a y a b le to Bible I n s titu te o f L o s A n g eles. Do n o t m&ke ch eck s or money o rd e rs to in d iv id u a ls co n n ected w ith th e B ible In s titu te . Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.25—SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS Special Club Rate for Ten or More Subscriptions 75c Each God W ill P reserve H im self a Church— By Rev. Bob Shuler (19) Give th e Gospel a Chance—By Rev. Alex. R. Saunders (20) A ltogether Too Courteous to th e Critics— By A. E. C. (21) O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A
A HAPPY NEW YEAR! What a Royal Time I Had Last Year Going All Around the Globe and Blessing Thousands
There Are 50,000 of Us Waiting for Orders Send Us Out on Our Mission of Blessing
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“A New Y ear is upon us, w ith new duties, new conflicts, new trials and new opportunities. S ta rt on th e journey w ith Jesus— to w alk w ith Him, to w ork w ith Him, and to w in souls to H im . This may be th e la st y ear of our lives, b u t a happy year it w ill be to those who, th rough every p a th of tria l, o r up every h ill of difficulty, or over every sunny height, m arch on in closest fellowship w ith Jesu s.” (Theodore L. Cuyler.)
“I w an t th e New Y ear’s opening days To fill w ith love, and p rayer and praise. Some little th ing s to do fo r Thee, l o r Thou h a st done g rea t things fo r me. “I w an t some o th er soul to b ring To Thee, my Saviour and my King, Thou w ilt not, Lord, my prayer deny, F o r Thou canst all my w ants supply. “In Jesu s’ nam e ou r p ray er we raise, Whose guiding h and has blessed o u r days. And may we, Lord, in godly fear Serve Thee th rough all th is coming year.”
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ANNO DOMINI, 1923 There it stands, “ The Year of Our Lord, 1923” ! While it is true that thousands of people reject Jesus Christ as Lord, yet not one of them can make a contract, sign a deed, make a will, transact any business by letter, publish a hook or paper of any kind, without setting his seal to thè universally admitted fact that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, revealed in the flesh as recorded in the Bible, attested to by living witnesses, was indeed LORD. There it stands, “ A. D. 1923,” and millions of papers, letters and official documents will hear the inscription and broadcast the truth that this is the year of our Lord. It confronts every infidel, every Christ-deny- ing sceptic, every apostate preacher and teacher,—“ Jesus Christ, born of the virgin, is LORD.” \ When New Year’s Day comes and the greeting is given “ Happy New Year” it will be a testimony to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 1923 years ago He opened His eyes in the midst of a ruined world. He was cradled in a manger. Love brought Him here from Heaven’s courts. Love kept Him here, dominated Him, in the pilgrim path while the shadows of the Cross were upon Him. Love was transparent in every act, word and deed of His life, and was manifest in its fullest flower upon the Cross when He bore the sins of the world and satisfied every demand of righteous judgment. He died as the Lamb of God and bore away the sins of men, and He was LORD. He broke the bars of death and came forth a victor. He was
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T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S LORD. He is in the glory now as LORD. He is coming to take the sceptre and rule as LORD, amd through the eternal ages He will be KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS. Pity the poor deluded, Lord-denying sceptics and covenant-breaking preachers in their silly, sentimental efforts, seeking to' rob the LORD of His glory and ruin the lives of men for this world and the world to come. Make up your mind to, rally to His standard and make A. D. 1923 the best possible “ year for our LORD” . —T. C. H. NEWS FOR THE NEW YEAR The King’s Business magazine is the representative of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It is the medium through which the wonderful work God has been pleased to do through the Institute is given to Christain people in this and many other lands,---not for the purpose of boasting of its accomplishments, but to give glory to God for the privilege of witnessing to the fact that in these days of departure from the old-time Christian faith the old Bible and the whole Bible is still the treasury of truth and works as effectively as ever in the saving and sanctifying of souls. The Institute has two very definite lines of service,B-Pirst, the training of men and women in the knowledge of the whole Word of God; and, second, the practical work of reaching the unsaved with the Gospel. Its teaching is along the definite lines of faith which have characterized the evangelical church of the Fathers. It has no apologies to make to the Modernists, and no intention of following the vagaries of many of the schools and churches of the land. The fact that the deed to the property contains our statement of doc-' trine makes it impossible that there shall ever be any teaching, either through the school or through The King’s Business, contrary to this state ment, a synopsis of which appears on the back coVer of the magazine. Its position can never be changed. It is prepared to give abundant proof that the Gospel of the. Son of God works its own royal way in the hearts and lives of men in the twentieth century as it did in the first. It is prepared to prove that the Gospel has not changed and that the nature and needs of men have not changed. The ungodly teaching in the centers of culture has not been able to give new birth to sinful souls. Cultured criminals now, as in the days of Christ’s crucifixion, have proven to be the most cunning and cruel of all. Our practical evangelistic work among all classes testifies to the fact that only on the bosom of Him who says, “ Come unto Me and I will give you rest ’’ is there rest for the souls of lost men. Theories and speculation may do for the school room, but they will not work in the soul room. In a later issue of this magazine will be given a digest of the work of the Institute for last year. (It is impossible to include it in this issue, as all matter for the January issue must be in the hands of the printer November 1st, because of the fact that the magazine is issued a month in advance that our readers may have their Sunday School lesson helps in ample time.) In teresting incidents in connection with our evangelistic activities will be found each month under the caption “ Evangelistic Department’’. NEW SERIES OF S. S.
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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Another service to which The Kind’s Business is devoting itself is found in its editorials, contributed articles, Sunday School lesson expositions and Bible helps for the use of those who have not the opportunity of an Institute training; by this ineans conserving the faith of those Christians who refuse to be led astray« by the many false prophets who have gone out into the world from so-called Christian institutions of learning. We deem it opportune at this time to say that the Bible Institute of Los Angeles has no millionaires upon whom it can depend for funds, but is dependent upon the Lord alone to, supply its needs, which we have no hesi tancy in laying before Christian people. We are preparing to make The King’s Business better and more helpful than ever before and covet your prayers in our behalf. —T. C. H. INSURED INVESTMENTS' You have heard the story, have you not, from the lips of some friend who had been led to bite the bait of the charlatan who had m in ing1 stock, oil stock, real estate, bonds of all kinds, attached to which were rainbow promises of fabulous returns, but which proved to be a worthless invest ment? You were sorry, you pitied him, and wished he had counselled with some wise banker or business man before parting with his hard-earned funds, but it was too late. The story is so old and yet so pitiful. There is a danger equally serious facing God’s people who are led to put their funds into a sack with the expectation that they will be used to LESSONS (Page 74)
6 T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S glorify God in the saving of souls and the building up of His church. But, alas! alas! too often they are used instead to destroy souls and to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Every wise Christian man or woman should insure their investments for God. We have a right to know, and God will hold us accountable for know ing, whether our investments of money are being used for His work. No preacher, no teacher, no missionary should get a penny of our money unless he is known to be a true believer in the whole Word of God. Claim the right and enforce it. Not a penny put into a building that may be turned over to Satan’s use, as many of them have been! Not a penny for a publication that does not stand four-square for the' great fundamental doctrines! Not a penny for an apostate preacher whose lips are clothed with blasphemous denials .of the virgin-birth and blood atonement of Jesus Christ! Not a penny for a religious organization which does not ring true to our Lord and His word! Not a penny for an annuity unless it is insured for God’s glory! Not a penny in a will that will bring regrets in another world! Make your investments bring definite results for Him who shed His blood for you. T. Q- -¿Mi, jfc ^ ^ POISONED AT THE SOURCE The Farm Journal recently carried a cartoon (herewith reproduced) suggesting that the pretense of cleaning up the movies' is a farce. The uicture prompts the thought that there is little to be expected from film censorship when so many actors and actresses are themselves corrupt.^ A mere glance through the daily paper, which records faithfully the doings of the movie colonies, is sufficient to show what this stream is at the source. Yet some of our churches are bringing the movies into the church because occasionally they turn out religious'films. Professing Christian people are placed in the position of supporting the crowd that not only themselves live for pajama parties and all but swim in booze, but put in a good part of ¿heir time producing pictures that are sure to destroy the moral conscious ness of youth and start thousands on the way to the red lights. Mr. R. D. Henkle, in the Christian Herald, is not at all extreme when he says that there must be war to the hilt between church people and the movies if we are to escape the certain depravity toward which the ordinary picture trends. He says: “ Let any Christian mother s girl attend such pictures as ‘Wedded but no Wife’, ‘Twin Beds’, ‘Temptation’, ‘Parlor, Bedroom qnd Bath’, ‘Broken Husbands’, ‘The Married Flapper’, ‘A Wide Open Town’, ‘His Common Law Wife’, and others, and if that mother’s heart is not broken it will be next akin to a miracle.” Such food can never foster virtue and nourish purity. The church of God can only save her sons and daughters by giving relentless battle to such forces, and the sooner we whet our swords and get at it the safer will be our homes. REGARDING THE REWARDS FOR
THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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Some are now being surprised to learn that the kind of pictures turned out for American use are by no means the worst that are being produced at our movie colonies. Missionaries in Africa are complaining that some of the vilest of moving pictures are'being sent outdo that land and that the natives have formed an opinion of Americans. It is a great hindrance to the missionaries in their work. How can a missionary persuade the be nighted heathen of the superior value of the Christianity which he brings from America ? Another report comes that pictures sent out to Mesopotamia would not be tolerated in the United States. Nightly, it is reported, the Arabs gather to witness scenes of a vile order, that must leave on their minds the im pression that Christian lands are given over to shameless deviltry. In Jerusalem, within one hundred yards of the tomb in the garden in which the Saviour of the world is supposed to have lain after his cruci fixion, there is a moving picture place of the cheapest and most sensational sold, showing low and sensual pictures of American life. ' Apparently nothing can be done to stop this infamy. It is, alas, too true that vice flourishes in our nominally Christian cities. It is our sorrow and shame. But to have it uncovered to the world in all its rottenness, upon the movie screen, is the multiplication of wickedness, and with such hideous infection being spread among the heathen, how can it be hoped that they will turn a ready ear to Christian missionaries ? —K. L. B. Sei v M/ v . M l l afe DIVORCING CHRIST FROM HIS TEACHINGS Quite frequently someone who has been approached with the Gospel, will reply, “ Give me the Sermon on the Mount—tha t’s Gospel enough for me,” They are under the impression that the Sermon on the Mount fur nishes them simply a set of ethical rules, and that the doctrines, such as the blood atonement, the resurrection, and the Deity of Christ, are not referred to. Thus they show how superficial has been their reading of that great sermon. In it, Jesus Christ makes some tremendous claims as to His own Person”! GESTIONS SEE PAGE 9,
8 THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S and work. For instance, in Matt. 5 :17 He declares Himself to be tbe ful- filler of both law and prophets. This is a tremendous statement. 'I t carries us back to Isa. 53, for instance. It takes in the necessity df the blood atone ment, the doctrine of sin and depravity. It takes in the scores of prophecies as to His redemptive work. Belief in the Sermon on the Mount therefore involves belief in Him as Redeemer and Lord. Six times in Chapter 5 Jesus makes such statements as .this: “ Moses said—BUT I SAY.” He claims authority to brush aside former laws. This is supreme egotism unless His Deity be acknowledged. . In 6:9 He assumes to teach men how to pray.. Jesus is the revelation ot prayer. No mere man could assume such a responsibility. In 7:21-22 He "claims to be absolute Lord and Master over men. He speaks of the final days and says, “ Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord.” Again—“ Many will say unto ME, Have we not done mighty works IN THY NAME?” In this same passage we ¡also note the unique relation ship which He claimed to the Father. Always, in speaking of His own relationship, He says, ' “MY Father,” never classing Himself with others. In speaking of those saved through Him, He says, “Your Father but never “ OUR Father.” Why is this? He is the “ only begotten Son.. I We are sons only through identification .with Him. His relationship is unique. In 7:23 He declares Himself Judge of all the world. “ Depart from ME.” “ I never knew you.” ' . . _ Finally, in 7 :24-27, He affirms the supremacy of His words above all 0t 6These are a few of His claims. Nothing can warrant such words but His Deity. One therefore does not escape the ‘‘doctrine of Christ” {2 Jn. 9) by limiting himself to His first sermon. How foolish is the man who would .attempt to separate the teachings ot Christ from CHRIST HIMSELF. One is powerless to live the teachmgs ot Christ without HIM. He Himself is the “ sure foundation” and it is only because He is, that He can reasonably ask anyone to accept His words, ihe Serlnon on the Mount is “ the Word made flesh and dwelling among us. —K. L. B. KM/gl afe afe “APART FROM ME YE CAN DO NOTHING There lies before us the simple creed of a very modern church. It is beautifully printed in two colors. It is handed to all who visit that church. It says: HHH “ Our Faith “ The Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the leadership of Jesus, salvation by character, the progress of man onward and upward forever* * Here is the up-to-date program of salvation by character and good works. The strange thing is that it professes to be under the “ leadership of Jesus” while denying the fundamental principles that Jesus emphasized continually. . Salvation by character Jesus branded as impossible. He told the best manwho ever came to Him that apart from a new birth through the Holy Spirit he was lost. He pointed that man to the cross as his only hope.
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 9 . And what did He say of the good works of unregenerate men? “ Apart from me ye can do nothing.” Here is the condemnation of all the busy life of men of the: world, not lived in vital union with Christ—lived in inde pendence of His saving work upon the cross and His regenerating work in the heart as a result of definitely accepting Him:
Gave to the poor —.......... ........——-— 150 times Spoke kindly to persons .................................. - 475 times Voted- for reforms ............................................. 25 times Sent flowers to the sick............... ..................—— 50 times Aided worthy civic enterprises.—.—-......... - ....... 35 times Various deeds of mercy.:.....——........ .......... ——550 times Result..........................1......... 0000
Apart from me—nothing! Nothing for our own highest good! Nothing of eternal benefit to our fellowman! Nothing for the Kingdom of God! The “ leadership of Jesus”—and this is His estimate of all the activities of those not saved through the blood! . * Just “ dead works”—Heb. 9 :14. Dead works are those done with the object of getting life. A man who hopes to get life through his works evi dently does not have life. The child of God is to know that he has life as a present possession, and not until then can he bring forth fruit unto God. The vital works flow from the implanted life. Grace received creates good works. The Holy Spirit makes them vital. The dead works of the natural man may appear for a little time to be like the works of the born-again man, ,but in God’s estimate there is a fatal deficiency—the lack of divine vitality. “ The Leadership of Jesus”—and His epitaph for the tombstone of the person who hopes to be saved by- character and good works is Here lies -r-----:— ---------- • HE DID NOTHING. —K. L. B. ¿1^ ¿Wj. ^ , REGARDING THE REWARDS So many helpful suggestions were received In response to our appeal to the members of The K ing’s Business fam ily th a t we have been somewhat embarrassed in th e m atter of deciding to whom the prizes should be awarded. Every suggestion was good,— a number of them being along sim ilar lines, and some of them had already been tried out by us. We deeply appreciate th e in terest tak en by our friends and are sending a personal acknowledgment to each one, the first, second and th ird prizes having been awarded as follows: FIRST PR IZE—Mr. R. E. Rolens, Los Angeles, California. Suggestion: S tart a Scholarship Contest. The individual or organization (Young People’s Society, Sunday School, etc.) sending in th e larg est number of subscriptions during a given period to receive a y ear’s scholarship in th e Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles. (Tuition in th e Institute is w ithout charge, b u t cost of room and board for one year is 1350.00). The person sending in th e next larg est number of subscriptions to receive a scholarship in th e Correspondence Course at
10 THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S th e In stitu te, and the th ird largest number to receive a lib rary of books to the value of $25.00. SECOND PR IZE— Mr. C. C. Wakeman, Cliftondale," Mass. Suggestion: Organize a Loyalty Club—members to be sent a membership card containing th e rules of th e Club, as follows: ’ Each member to prom ise to. remember The K ing’s Business daily in prayer. Speak to someone (o r w rite) every week about The K ing’s Business and' its helpfulness. Twelve subscriptions will en title th e member to a “Loyalty P in ” . Twenty-five subscriptions will en title th e member to books to the value of $5.00, to be selected from Biola publications. THIRD PRIZE—Miss Annie K. Pettigrew , Edgewood, R. I. Suggestion: K ing’s Business B irthday P arty— to be celebrated in November, 1923, being th e th irte en th b irthday of th e magazine. Each subscriber to make a b irthday present of The K ing’s Business to some friend, th e subscription to begin w ith th e b irthday number of the magazine. Miss P ettigrew sends in also an original poem to be used in connection w ith th is b irthd ay party which, of course, we are keeping in reserve for th e occasion. It will be noted th a t these th ree suggestions can be used w ithout in any wajf conflicting w ith each other. Fo r instance, th e members of th e “Loyalty Club” ' could also engage in the “Scholarship Contest” as well as have a sh are in th e “B irthday P a rty ” . Who will be the first to sta rt th e “Scholarship Contest” , full details of which will be given in th e F eb ru ary issue?
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WAS PETER POPE? “Upon th is rock I will build rotf church” (Matt. 1 6 :18 ). W hat rock? The Roman Church says P eter was th e rock on which the church was built. P ete r himself tells us the church is built, not on himself but on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom he had ju st confessed (1 Pet. 2 :4 -9 ). B u tler’s Roman Catholic Catechism says: “Whom does th e Pope succeed as visible head of the church? Answer: St. P eter, chief of the apostles, vicar of Christ on earth , th e first Pope and Bishop of Rome. In th e ligh t of history P e te r is any thing but an infallible repository of tru th or even th e chief of th e apostles. The apostle P aul had to censure him openly for Judaizing (Gal. 2:11-16). P aul declared th a t he him self was not
a whit behind the very chiefest of the apostles (2 Cor. 1 1 :5 ). A t th e g reat council of the early church held a t Jérusalem (Acts 15), it was not P ete r who presided, bu t James. P eter was sent out to preach by the o th er disciples (Acts 8 :1 4 ). P ete r was a m arried man (Matt. 8:14 ) and in spite of the fact th a t Ro manists claim he, left his wife afte r entering the service of God, 1 Cor. 9:5 inform s us th a t P ete r’s wife accompa nied him in his journeys in th e cause of Christ. ■P eter speaks of himself as an elder ef the church only (1 Pet. 1 :1 ; 5:1-3). P ete r never was in Rome.
In fact, th e only tim e P e te r . ever acted like a Romish Pope was when he drew his sword and slashed off a fellow’s ear (Jn. 1 8 :1 0 ), and then the Lord had his work to undo. —K. L. B. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A GILT-EDGED
A Nwu frar’a J&raiUttum. fur 1323 s
I am living in the era of the World!s crisis. I am living in the era of the Church’s crisis.
I must face the New Year with a deep consciousness of these solemn facts, and plan to make my life produce the largest possible fruitage for my Heavenly Father, through lip and life. THEREFORE I will, with unquestioned faith,. give more time to the definite perusal of the Word of God. I will give more time to prayer for God’s blessing uppn His work and workers. I will give more time to personal work for the salvation of lost souls. I will seek to live a more self-sacrificing life. I will seek to acquaint myself with the facts concerning the world’s needs and the needs of the true church. I will give more liberally to God’s work and with more definite knowledge of where and how my gifts are being used. I will stand, by God’s grace, with unquestioned confi dence in the whole Word of God* and with the un sheathed Sword of the Spirit, contend for the faith once for all delivered, against all deceivers in school and church. —T. C. H.
INVESTMENT. (See Page 32)
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MARGINAL ILOTES FOR YOUR STUDY BIBLE
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Tim .iiiiE iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiif • Jesu s’ train ing school for Christian workers—Mark 1:17. How a preacher ought to preach— Mark 1:22. Demons may be orthodox—Mark '3:11. F ou r senses in which Jesus was the Son of God: 1. As born of a virgin (Lk. 1 :3 5 ). 2. By divine decree in His resurrection (Ps, 2 :7 ; Acts 13 :33 ). 3. He obtained the name of “Son of- God” (Heb. 1 :1 -4 ). 4. He was Son of God by inh eren t right, in the bosom of the F ath e r (Jn . 16:30; 1 :18 ; 1 Jn. 1 :1 -2 ). ' .
~Mark alone tells us th a t Jesus worked a t th e trad e followed by His supposed father-—6:3. W hat to do, if you are “at sea'“—ta k e Jesus on board—Mark 6:51. - The devil’s “warm ing places” . (Mk. 14.: 54) where Christians catch cold (Mt. 24:12; Rev. 3 :1 6 ). Gethsemane, the place of suffering. Gabbatha (Jn. 1 9 :13 ), the place of judgment. Golgotha (Mk. 1 5 :22 ), the place of crucifixion. The essence of U nitarianism—Mark 15:30. Cf. Phil. 3:18. The first man to believe, after Christ’s atoning work—Mk. 15:39. The gladdest, word in th e Bible—- “He is risen ”-—Mk. 16:6. There are 34 Old Testament quota tions from 13 books in Luke’s Gospel. The Gospel of Luke opens w ith th e earth ly p riest a t the a ltar of incense on earth, and th e people worshipping w ith out in doubt and fear (1 :8 -21 ). It closes w ith the Great High P riest en tering the heavenly Temple, th e sa in tj worshipping w ith g reat joy (24:50-53). Prom Malachi to Matthew (400 years) not a p rophet’s voice was heard. The silence was broken by Gabriel to Zach- ,arias, declaring th e fulfillment of Isa. 40:3-5 (Luke 1:11-13). The name “Zacharias” (Lk. 1 :5 ) means “ Jehovah h ath remembered.” His wife’s name, “E lizabeth,” means “His oath.”
The name “Je su s” (Savior) links Him to Humanity and suggests His career as prophet. The name “ Christ” (Anoint ed One) links Him to prophecy, which He. came to fulfill. Speaks of His work as P riest, atoning for sin. “Lord” (the Jehovah name) links Him w ith Deity, whom He came to reveal. Suggests His Kingship, ru ling over men. Every m aterial circumstance in con nection w ith Jesus was a stumbling block. 1. H is business (Mt. 13 :55 ). 2. His relatives (Mt. 13:56; Jn . 6 :4 2 ). 3. H is residence (Jn . Ir4 6 ; 8 :1 4 ). 4. His life-time (Jn . 8 :5 7 ). 5. H is mind (Mk. 3 :2 1 ). 6. His education (Jn. 7 :1 5 ). . There are seven “F ear nots” in L uke’s Gospel. Lk. 1:13, 30; 2:10; 5 ; 10 ; 8 :50 ; 12; 7, 32. Lk. 1:37 is literally “No word of God shall be void of power.” God’s four-fold purpose in Christ: 1. Reveal H imself (Jn. 1 :1 8 ;,1 4 :9 ) . S. Take away sin (1 Jn. 3 :5 ). 3. Destroy th e work of the devil (1 Jn . 3 :8 ). 4. P rép are a second and glorious advent (Heb. 9 :28 ). Peace— announced a t the b irth of Christ (Lk. 2 :1 4 ). His legacy a t His death (Jn. 1 4 :27 ). The first salutation a fte r the resurrection (Jn. 20:19, 21, 26). NEW SERIES OF S. S,
Early Narratives of Genesis Is There Any External Confirmation of the Much Disputed First Eleven Chapters? By PROF. JAMES ORR, D. D. In “The Fundamental«”
not created by God^—th a t existed inde pendently of Him— how could we be sûre th a t th a t element m ight not thw art, defeat, destroy the fulfillment of God’s purposes? The Biblical doc trin e of creation forever excludes th a t supposition. Coming now to th e question, Is there any external corroboration or confirm ation of these early narratives in Gene sis? Here let me say a little of the relation of these n arrativ es to Baby lonia. Everyone has heard something of th e wonderful discoveries in Baby lonia, and it ;would he difficult to exag gerate th e brilliance and importance of these marvelous discoveries. The point which concerns us chiefly is the extraor dinary ligh t throw n on th e high culture of early Babylonia. Jlere, long before the tim e of Abraham , we find ourselves in th e m idst of cities, arts, letters, hooks, libraries, and Abraham ’s own age— th a t of Hammurabi— was the hloomtime of this civilization. Instead of Israel being a people ju st emerg ing from the dim dawn of barbarism , we find in th e ligh t of thesè discoveries th a t it was a people on whom from its own standpoint the ends of th e earth had come— heir to th e riches of a civili zation extending m illenniums into the past. If you say th is creates a difficulty in representing the chronology (I may touch on this la te r), I answer th a t it gives much g reater help by showing how the knowledge of very ancient things could be safely handed down. F o r us the chief in terest of these discoveries is
th e early n arrativ es of Gene ts are to be understood the irst eleven . chapters of th e iook— those which precede the
times of Abraham . These chapters present peculiarities of th e ir own, and I confine attention to them, although the critical treatm en t applied to them is not confined to these chapters, hu t extends throughout th e whole Book of Genesis, the Book of Exodus, and th e later his tory w ith much th e same resu lt in re ducing them to legend. We may begin by looking a t th e m at te r covered by these eleven chapters w ith which we have to deal. See what they contain. F irst, we have the sub lime proem to th e Book of Genesis, and to th e Bible as a whole, in the account of the Creation in Gen. 1. However it got there, th is chapter manifestly stands in its fit place as th e introduction to all th a t follows. Where is th ere anything like it in all literatu re ? There is noth ing anywhere, in Babylonian legend or anywhere else. You ask perhaps what in terest has religious faith in the doctrine of creation— in any theory or speculation on how th e world came to he? I answer, it has the Very deepest interest. The in terest of religion in the doctrine of creation is th a t th is doc trin e is our guarantee for the depend ence of all things on God— th e ground of our assurance th a t everything in n a tu re and Providence is a t His disposal. “My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and e a rth .” Suppose there was anything in the universe th a t was
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14 th e help they give us In answering the question, How far do these n arratives in Genesis embody for us th e oldest tra ditions of our race? There are two rea sons which lead us to look w ith some confidence to Babylonia for the answer to th is question. Fo r one thing, in early Babylonia we are already far back into the times to which many of these trad ition s relate; fo r another, the Bible itself points to Babylonia as the original city of those traditions. Eden was in Babylonia, as shown by its rivers, the E uphrates and Tigris. It was in Babylonia th e A rk was bu ilt; and on a mountain in th e neighborhood of Baby lonia the A rk rested. It was from the plain of Shinar, in Babylonia, th a t the new distribution of the race took place. To Babylonia, therefore, if anywhere, we are entitled to look for ligh t on these ancient traditions, and do we no t find it? I read sometimes w ith astonish ment of the statem en t th a t Babylonian discovery has done little or nothing for the confirmation of these old p arts of Genesis-—has ra th e r proved th a t they belong to th e region of the mythical. Take only one or two examples. I leave over meanwhile th e Babylonian story of th e creation and th e flood, and take th a t old ten th chapter of Genesis, the “Table of Nations.” Professor Kautzsch, of Halle, a critic of note, says of th a t old table, “The so-called Table of Nations remains, according to all re sults of monumental exploration, an ethnographic original document of the first ran k which nothing can replace.” In this ten th chapter of Genesis, verses 8-10, we have certain statem ents about th e origin of Babylonian civilization. We learn (1 ) th a t Babylonia is th e old est of civilizations; (2) th a t Assyrian civilization was derived from Babylonia; and (3) strangest of all, th a t the founders of Babylonian civilization were not Semites, but Ham ites— descendants of Cush. Each of these statements- was
' THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S in contradiction to old classical notions and to w hat was currently believed till recently about those ancient people. Yet it will not be disputed th a t exploration has justified th e Bible on each of these points. Assyria, undoubtedly, was younger th a n Babylonia; it derived its civilization, arts, religion, institutions, all th a t it had, from Babylonia. Strangest of all, the originators of Babylonian civilization, th e Accadians, or Sumerians, were a people not of Semi- mitic, but apparently of T u ran ian or what the Bible would call Ham itic stock. Take another instance;, in verse 22 Elam appears as th e son of Shem, b u t here was a difficulty. The E lam ites of his tory were not a Semitic, bu t an Aryan people, and th eir language was Aryan. Even Professor Hommel, in defending the ancient Hebrew tra d itio n ,,though t he had to adm it an erro r here. But was there? A F rench expedition went out to excavate Susa, th e capital of Elam, and below th e ru in s of the his torical E lam discovered bricks and o th er remains of an older civilization, w ith Babylonian inscriptions showing the people to be of Semitic stock; so E lam was, a fte r all, th e son of Shem. In the story of the Tower of Babel in chapter I I , again is it not in teresting to find th e Bible deriving all th e stream s of mankind from th e P lain of Shinar, and to find archaeology bringing, cor roborative proof th a t probably all the g reater stream s of civilization do take th e ir origin from th is region? F o r th a t is th e view to which th e opinions of scholars now tend.
Glance now a t th e stories of Creation, of Paradise, and of th e Deluge. The story of P aradise and the F all we may dismiss in th is connection, fo r except in the case of the picture on an ancient seal which does b ear some relation to th e story of th e tem ptation in Eden, th ere has yet been no proper parallel to th e Bible sto ry of th e fall. On the KEEP THE SILVER DOLLAR SMILING
THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S o ther hand, from th e ru in s of Assyrian libraries have been disinterred fra g ments of an account of creation, and th e Babylonian version of the story of th e deluge, both of which have been brought in to comparison w ith the n arrativ es of the Bible. L ittle need be said of the Babylonian creation story. I t is a de based, polytheistic, long-drawn-out, mythical affair, w ithout order, only here and th ere suggesting analogies to the divine works in Genesis. The flood story h as much more resemblance, bu t it too is debased and mythical, and lacks wholly in th e higher ideas which give its ch aracter to the Biblical account. Yet th is is the quarry from which our critical friends would have us derive the n arratives in the Bible. The Israelites borrowed them, it is thought, and purf- fied these confused polytheistic legends and made them the vehicles of nobler teaching. We need not discuss th e time and m anner of th is borrowing, fo r I cannot see my way to accept th is ver sion of events a t all. There is not only no proof th a t these stories were borrow ed in th e ir crude form from th e Baby lonians, bu t the contrast in sp irit and ch aracter between the Babylonians’ products and the Bible’s seems to me to forbid any such derivation. The de based form may conceivably arise from corruption of th e higher, b u t not vice versa. Much ra th e r may we hold with scholars like Delitzsch and K ittel, th a t th e relation is one of cognateness, not of derivation. These trad ition s came down from a much older source, and are preserved by th e Hebrews in their pu rer form. This appears to me to ex plain the phenomena as no theory of derivation can do, and it is in accord ance w ith the Bible’s o.wn rep resen ta tion of the line of revelation from the beginning along which th e sacred tra dition can be tran sm itted . Leaving Babylonia, I must now say a few words on the scientific and histori-
15 cal aspects of these narratives. Science is invoked to prove th a t the n arrativ es of creation in Genesis 1, th e story of m an’s origin and fall in chapters 2 and 3, th e account of p atriarch al longevity in chapters 5 and 11, th e story of the deluge, and o ther m atters, must all be rejected because in p aten t contradiction to the facts of modern knowledge. I would ask you, however, to suspend judgm ent un til we have looked a t th e relation in which these two things, science and the Bible, stand to each other. When science is said to contra dict th e Bible, I should like to ask first, W hat is m eant by contradiction here? The Bible was never given us in order to anticipate or forestall th e discoveries of modern tw entieth century science. The Bible, as every sensible in terp reter of Scripture has always held, takes th e world as it is, no t as it is seen through th e eyes of tw entieth century special ists, bu t as it lies spread out before the eyes of original men, and uses th e popular every-day language appropriate to th is standpoint. As Calvin in his commentary on Genesis 1 says: “Moses w rote in th e popular style, which, w ith out instruction, all ordinary persons en dowed w ith common sense are able to understand. * * * * * * He does not call us up to heaven; he only proposes things ,that lie open be fore our eyes.” -; It does not follow th a t because the Bible does no t teach modern science, we are justified in saying th a t it con tradicts it.' W hat I see in these n a rra tives of Genesis is th a t, so tru e is the standpoint of the author, so divine the illum ination w ith which he is endowed, so unerring his insight into th e order of natu re, th ere is little in his descrip tion th a t even yet, w ith our advanced knowledge, we need to change. You say th ere is th e “six days” and th e ques tion w hether those days are m eant to be measured by the twenty-four hours
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T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S n atu re contradict th a t, or does it not ra th e r show th a t in his personal, sp irit ual n atú re man stands alone as bearing the image of God on earth , and founds a new kingdom in the world which can only be carried back in its origin to the divine creative cause. (4) I m ight cite even the region of m an’s origin, for I th ink science in creasingly points to th is very region in Babylonia as the seat of man’s origin. Is it then th e picture of th e condition in which man was created, pure and unfallen, and the idea th a t man, when introduced into th e world, was not left as an orphaned being— th e divine care was about him-—th a t God spake w ith him and made known H is will to him in such forms as he Was able to apprehend — is it th is th a t is in contradiction w ith history? It lies outside th e sphere of science to contradict this. Personally; I do not know of any w orthier concep tion th an th a t which supposes God to have placed H imself in communication w ith man, in living relations w ith His moral creatures, from th e very first. Certainly th e re would be contradiction if Darw inian theory had its way and we had to conceive of man as a slow, g rad ual ascent from the bestial stage, bu t I am convinced, .and have elsewhere sought to show, th a t genuine science teaches no such doctriné. Evolution is not to be identified offhand w ith Dar- winianism. L ater evolutionary theory may ra th e r be described as a revolt against Darwinianism, and leaves the story open to a conception of man quite in harmony w ith th a t of the Bible. Of th e fall, I have already said th a t if the story of it were not in the Bible we should require to pu t it th ere for our selves in order to explain the condition of th e world as it is. On th e question of p atriarchal long evity, I would only say th a t th ere is here on the ope hand th e question of interp retation , for, as th e most conser-
16
of th e sun ’s revolution around the earth— I speak of these things popu larly. It is difficult to see how they should be so measured when th e sun th a t is to measure them is not in tro duced un til th e fou rth day. Do not th ink th a t th is la rg e r reading of the days is a new speculation. You find Augustine in early times declaring th a t it is hard or altog eth er impossible to say of w hat fashion these days are, and Thomas Aquinas, in the middle ages, leaves th e m a tte r an open question. To my m ind these n arrativ es in Genesis stand out as a marvel, not for its dis cordance w ith science, bu t for its agree m en t w ith it. Time does not perm it me to en ter into th e details of the story of man’s origin in Genesis, bu t I have already indicated th e general point of view from which I th ink th is narrative is to be regarded. It would be well if those who speak of disagreem ent w ith science would look to the g reat tru th s embedded in these n arratives which science may be called upon to confirm. There is for example: (1) The tru th th a t man is th e last of God’s created works— the crown and summ it of God’s creation. Does science contradict th at? (2) There is th e g reat tru th of the un ity of th e human race. No ancient people th a t I know of believed in such unity of the race, and even science until recently cast doubts upon it. How strange to find th is g réât tru th of th e unity of m ankind confirmed in the pages of th e Bible from th e very be ginning. This tru th holds in it already the doctrine of monotheism , for if God is th e C reator of th e beings from whom th e whole race sprang, He is th e God of th e whole race th a t sprang from them. (3) There is the declaration th a t man was made in God’s image— th a t God breathed into man a sp irit akin to His own— does the science of m an’s
17
THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S vative theologians have come gradually to see, the names in these genealogies are not necessarily to he construed as only individuals. But I would add th a t I am not disposed to question the tra d i tion of th e extraordinary longevity in those olden times. Death, as I under stand it, is not a necessary p art of man’s lot a t all. Had man not sinned he would never have died. Death— th e separa tion of soul and body, th e two integral p arts of his n atu re— is something for him abnormal, unn atu ral. I t is ■not strange, then, th a t in th e earliest_period life should have been much longer than it became afterw ard. Even a physiolo gist like Weissmann tells us th a t the problem for science today is—not why organisms live so long, bu t why they £ver d ie .' I have referred to th e Babylonian story of th e flood, and can only add a word on the alleged contradiction of science on th is subject. Very confident ' statem ents are often made as to th e im possibility of such a submergence of the inhabited world, and destruction of h u man and animal life as th e Bible rep re sents. I t would be-w ell if those who speak th u s confidently would study the accumulated evidence which distin guished scientific men have brought for ward, th a t such a catastrophe as Genesis describes is n 9 t only possible, b u t has actually taken place since the advent of man. My atten tion was first drawn to this subject by an interesting lecture by the late Duke of Argyle given in Glas gow, and the same view has been advo cated by other em inent geological specialists on glacial and post-glacial times, as Prestw ich, Dawson, Howorth, Dr. W right, etc. The universal term s employed need not be read as extending beyond the regions inhabited by man. There seems to be no substantial reason for doubting th a t in the flood of Noah we have an actual historical occurrence
of which traditions appear to have su r vived in most regions of the world. In conclusion, it is clear th a t th e n ar ratives of Creation, th e P all, th e Flood, are not myths, bu t n arrativ es enshrin ing th e knowledge or memory of real transactions. The creation of the world was certainly not a myth, bu t a fact, and the representation of the stages o f cre ation dealt likew ise w ith facts. The language used was not th a t of modern science, but, under divine guidance, the sacred w riter gives a broad, general picture which conveys a tru e idea of the o rder of the divine working in cre ation. Man’s fall was likewise a tre mendous fact, w ith universal conse quences in sin and death to th e race. Man’s origin can only be explained through an exercise of direct creative activity, whatever subordinate factors evolution may have contributed. The flood was an historical fact, and the preservation of Noah and his family is one of th e best and most widely attested of human traditions. In these n a rra tives in Genesis and th e facts which they embody are really laid the founda tion of all else in the Bible. The unity of revelation binds them up With the Christian Gospel. DID HE HAVE A “B. A.” ? • The story is told of a gilded youth who, afte r struggling for four years w ith th e vicissitudes of^college life, u l tim ately achieved a diploma. Proud' in the possession of his new distinction he retu rn ed to ,th e ancestral h earth , which happened to be located on a farm in the Middle West, jaun tily fitted out w ith an English plaid suit, a flashy tie, a large gold-headed cane, an eye-glass, and a Turkish cigarette. When his fath er saw him, he turned to a neighbor who was standing by and said, “ In th e lan guage of Aaron in th e wilderness, ‘I poured in my gold and out th ere came th is calf.’ ” I
Get Out of the Trenches A Clarion Call from a Noted English Preacher, Dr. H. Tydeman Chilvers, of London
jHE following from Dr; H. Tyde man ChilVers, pastor of the Metropolitan T a b e r n a c l e (Spurgeon’s church) Lon- a rally call to th e Lord’s own Dr. Chilvers takes th e lead in
have been made by th e blood of Cal vary, th a t men may by faith in Christ Jesus be eternally saved. The masses must be made to know in most solemn language th a t they are sinners in the sight of God and th a t unless they re pent, judgm ent is th e ir doom.. Love, blood and power must be upon our ban ner, and th a t banner must be unfurled in .th e power of th e Holy Spirit. But the move must be evangelistic. The Pastors for a tim e must- be evangelists in th e ir own churches; cliques in church life must be broken up; th e re must be some wise personal work, everyone seek ing to be a blessing to another. P rayer4 meetings will have to bring th e g reat b attering ram against the kingdom of darkness. I am not advocating organ izing and advertising g re a t missions, when a m issioner is expected to come and get everyone on his feet and when th a t is accomplished advertise a g rea t revival; bu t each church in its own sphere must rise and do some bush beating. Such a movement may upset some folk; if it does they must go th e ir way and not be allowed to stand in the way of God’s work.
don,' is people.
England in meeting th e pulpit apostasy, and does not h esitate to sound the trum p et w ith no uncertain sound. We must consolidate our forces to en ter th e fray. I am not pleading for any ecclesiastical unity or some great organized body, bu t , ra th e r . th a t we should concentrate all our gifts and talen ts and' means to a g reat endeavor to win men and women to our Lord Jesu s Christ. Let th e Church pu t aside (fo r awhile a t least) th e things th a t do not m atter. All the auxiliaries of church work must be brought into line w ith th e one purpose. Let us take an exam ple from th e modus operandi during the war, when th e whole country was called to rally for one grea't end. This will mean a strong determ ination and conse crated will on th e p a rt of a ll’God’s tru e m inisters. When we have th u s consoli dated our forces, in some measure gauged thé opposing streng th , then we must' dash forward w ith unity of pu r pose, action, method and means. Strong in faith under thé bloodstained banner o r the Cross, we must get ou t of our trenches and strik e in th e m idst of the enem ies’ camp and'» rou t them out and chase them to the death. There must be no dream or though t of defeat, but again and again like Moses, we must demand th e release of the people of the Lord. “Let my people go.” W hat must be th e form of th e aggres sive move? It must be evangelical: The word of the Cross must be our message. In plain, simple language th e people must hear th a t reconciliation and peace
I th ink also th ere should be included in this move a special scholarly on slaught. A number of men and women of renowned sanctified scholarship, lead ers of thought, should by press and pen and speech conduct a g reat campaign among students and a t all centers of learning of a Christian evidential char acter and also for preaching th e gospel in th e very best language. There are hundreds of young students longing for an orthodox move among them , th a t is thorough, real and scholarly, conducted by learned men and women who are filled w ith th e Holy Ghost. DOCTRINAL STATEMENT IN DEED TO
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