discipline. Every Christian has a ten dency to deviate from the will of God. The Word of God is given to keep him in the middle of the road and to help him not to turn either to the right or to the left. Thus the Bible “develops the existing good, (and) also counter acts existing evil.” The inspired Bible is profitable for “ instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Righteousness here means the practical life of holiness. Moody has written in the fly leaf of his Bible these words: “ This Book will keep me from sin; sin will keep me from this Book.” The Psalmist said, “ Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11). Here is the best Book (thy word); in the best place (hid in the heart); for the best purpose (that I might not sin against thee). When the believer used the inspired Bible as he should he will be a “ perfect” man, that is, a mature man in his spiritual life; and he will be completely equipped for the discharging of every duty required of him by the Lord. What a wonderful Book is the Bible, and how silly that any man should want the added “traditions” of any Church when he has the complete and inspired and infallible Word of the living God in the Bible. As Protestants We Believe in the Glor ious Gospel Rom. 1:16,17 In the words of the Apostle Paul every Christian can proudly say “ I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Rom. 1:16). The word gospel means Good News, and what news could be more wonderful than the news that Christ died for our sins, that He arose for our justification, that He ascended into Heaven to be our Intercessor, and that He is coming again to be our King (1 Cor. 15:1-58)! The gospel tells man not what he must do, but what Christ has done. The gospel is not good advice it is good news. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel for many reasons as given in Romans 1:16,17. In the first place he was un ashamed because of the power of the gospel. It was the power (Greek, dyna mite) of God unto salvation. The gospel is like an atom bomb that blasts the sin ner’s heart and lets Christ in. The gos pel really works. Nothing else does, as far as bringing salvation is concerned. A man can be baptized and join the church (any church) and still never know what it means to be saved from the guilt and power of his sin. But let him simply believe the gospel, and the work is done! Paul was unashamed of the gospel because of its scope —“ to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). The gospel is for all men. It is adapted to all men because it requires only faith. This is something within the reach of every man. Religions of the world are largely local and limited by national or tribal restrictions. This is not so of the gospel.
There are no restitutions, nothing to join, nothing to pay, no work of merit to perform all a man has to do is be lieve. The moment he really believes, and trusts in Christ as His sin-bearer, that moment he becomes a child of God forever (John 1:12). Paul was unashamed of the gospel because of its marvelous revelation — “for therein [in the gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17). It is right at this point that the Protestant Ref ormation became a necessity. Men were being taught that righteousness came by works. They were told that they were saved and kept saved by obedience to the requirements of the church. The church had even gone to the place where it taught that through gifts of money sins could be forgiven and souls released from “ purgatory.” Martin Luther knew that such doc trines as these were ruinous to multi tudes of souls, and he determined to oppose such false teachings. He began to preach and teach the same doctrine that the Apostle Paul taught. Luther preached that the gospel of God’s grace revealed the only way whereby a sinner may become righteous, namely by faith in the finished work of Christ. This is the meaning of Rom. 1:17. God’s right eousness is imputed, i.e., reckoned to every man the moment he believes. There is no other way (Gal. 2:16; 3:10- 13; Rom. 5:1; .3:21-31). On this Reformation Sunday let us thank God for the gospel, let us reaffirm our glorious Protestant faith, let us show our gratitude for an open Bible, an open church, and for all of our free doms, brought to us through the gos pel. And let us thank God for the Ref ormation that gave back to God’s peo ple the inspired Bible and the glori ous gospel! of transmission when every manuscript had to be copied by hand, letter by let ter, the only surprise is that there are no more, and that they are no more serious. The facts point to a care in handling the ancient text such as no other writing ever enjoyed. The reliabil ity of the accepted text is nothing short of remarkable. Mr. Spence and the editors of the Look magazine are guilty of a great transgression. Granted the magazine does cater to the bizarre and the sensa tional, still an article from a minister’s son, and one well regarded for his past work, cannot but undermine the faith of the uninformed and that at a time when the moral foundations of America are seriously crumbling. It is true that such an article will sell, but something of more value than Look magazine was “ sold out” by the responsible parties. E d ito r ia lly S p e a k in g (Continued from Page 5)
Testimony to Israel By the Jewish Missionary
I N THIS column each month we hope to recount for our readers some de tails of the Lord’s working in and through the Jewish Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Daniel Rose, Director. God continues to bless our street meet ing work in Hollywood, a place well- known for its wickedness, communism, and tinsel pleasures. Here, in the midst of the hurrying, pleasure-bent throng, we put down our folding organ. As our group of workers circle the organist, we sing the blessed hymns of the glor ious gospel of our Lord Jesus and there are always those who stop to look and to listen. Testimony is given by members of our group, and, as more passersby gather—pausing beside the store win dows of the side street or on the very curb of Hollywood Boulevard—-to listen, we begin our personal work. One evening recently, a young Jewish lad was approached. It was immediately evident that he was hungry to know the truth. He said that he had heard the gospel many times but was afraid he would hurt his family if he accepted it. He always had been approached by workers who were not Jewish and who failed to harmonize his own Old Testa ment Scriptures with the New Testa ment. It was my privilege to show him many prophecies of the Hebrew prophets fulfilled in the New Testament, and I knew he was deeply moved. Still, fear of his parents’ disapproval gripped him. The Scripture concerning Abraham— how God commanded that he leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house, made a deep impression upon him. “ If you put your mother, your fa ther, your sisters or brothers before God, you are not worthy to be His dis ciple,” I urged. The noise of the boulevard traffic be gan to irritate him. “ Let’s go to a res taurant and talk more about this,” he suggested and I gladly consented. There we sat for an hour discussing the Old Testament Scriptures and the New Tes tament revelation of our Lord and I knew the Word was going home. The jarring strains from the juke box in the restaurant began to irritate him this time. “ Could we go for a walk?” he asked, “ Maybe it would be quieter outside now. But perhaps you are too tired?” he added politely. “ Not when there is an opportunity to talk about the gospel,” I answered quickly. “ I’m like a young child then!” We began our walk—a walk that David will never forget—down Holly wood Boulevard. He knew he had to make a decision one way or another. All of his excuses and objections had been met with God’s Word. At midnight, after we had walked about a mile, we (Continued on Page 33) Page Twenty-seven
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