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•THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
June, 1941
of that faith, but it does not mean one’s being contentious with brethren. The faith has been delivered “once for all,” perfect in its completeness, needing no modifications, additions, or subtractions. Points and Problems Among the passages selected for study in this lesson on the Inspiration of ]the New Testament letters, we have the famous text in 2 Timothy 3:16. The Authorized Version translates it, “ Ail Scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable.” But the American Revision renders it, “Every scripture inspired *»f God is also profitable.” This latter version has disturbed many sin- oere Bible students, because it seems to suggest that some Scripture may not be inspired of X3od, It is my humble opin ion that the Revision is wrong in this instance, and the Authorized is correct. The following are a few reasons for this opinion: 1. Fortunately we have in our pos session today the writings of certain great Church Fathers who not only read and wrote the Greek language but also spoke it as their native language. How do they render the text ? Clement of Alexandria makes it, "The Apostle calls the Scriptures inspired of God.” Greg ory of Nyssa refers to it thus: “Every Scripture is, by Paul, said to be in spired of God.” The great Chrysostom puts it the same way: “Every Scripture is, by the Apostle, said to be inspired of God.” Even Origen, ancient prophet of modem criticism, reads the text, } “Every Scripture is theopneustic [in spired] and is profitable.” The same meaning is attached to the text by others of the fathers. Certainly, when these Greek-speaking churchmen unite in explaining the grammar of their own language, “modesty would require us to sit at their feet,” as one has said. 2. The great Bishop Middleton once challenged the production of a solitary instance, in the whole Greek language, where the separation of the two adjec tives standing and connected as these two ( “inspired” and “profitable” ) could be found and justified, as the Revised translation assumes to do. The attempt was made by the liberal John Pye Smith, and failed, as Dr. Tregelles dem onstrated. And the latter, one of the greatest textual scholars the Christian church has ever known, has declared that there is not a solitary instance in any classic author, nor in the New Tes tament, where two adjectives like those in 2 Timothy 3:16, (Connected by a don- junction, are violently sundered and the conjunction manipulated into a mean ingless “also,” , as the Revisers have done. 3. That the Revisers had doubts about the propriety of their translation is seen by the fact that they included the Authorized rendering in a footnote as an alternative version. Furthermore, in other texts where the form of Greek
construction is exactly the same (cf. Heb. 4:12), they have not dared to fol low the method they used in 2 Timothy 3:16. The famous Dean Burgon called the Revised rendering of this text the "most astonishing, as well as calam itous, literary blunder of the age.” And .Dr. Scrivener, also a great textual scholar and critic, adds, “It is a blunder such as makes itself hopelessly con demned.” ' Let us be grateful for the testimony of these scholars, but espe cially for a Bible that is inspired in all its parts. Golden Text Illustration 2 T imothy 3 :16 The late Henry Rogers well said: “Man could not have written such a Book if he would, and would not if he could,” for, as a Scotch servant girl exclaimed, when the Book of Proverbs was being read at family worship: “I dinna like yon Bulk; it kens ower muckle about folk!”—Prophetic News. In God’s Book 1 ’T hessalonians 2 :13 ; 2 T imothy 3:14-17; M atthew 2:1-10 MEMORY VERSE: “Thy word is true from the beginning” (Psa. 119:160). APPROACH: Some children like fairy stories. We know that such stories are just imaginary, but they can LESSON:. The Bible is God’s Book, and it is, true from cover to cover. It is true because the One who wrote it cannot lie, God wrote it Himself. Though men put it down on paper, God showed them what to say. How fascinat ing the stories in the Bible are! How wonderful the glimpses of the One we love so much, the Lord Jesus Himself! Not every one believes that the Bible is God’s Word. One way in which we can prove it to them is to show them how many things were written there hundreds of years before they hap pened. For instance, when the Lord , Jesus was bom in Bethlehem’s manger, and the wise men came asking, “Where is he that is bom King of the Jews?” King Herod was very much troubled. So he asked the priests and scribes where Christ was supposed to be bom. They answered, “In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet.” They had read this in God’s Book. How do you suppose men were able be very exciting. Did you ever have some one tell you a true story ? Wasn’t it wonderful to lis ten to it and think, "This really . hap p e n e d ” ? S o m e books contain true Stories, but there is one Book in which every word is true. Do you know what it is?
to write down just where Christ was to be born so long before it happened? They could only do so because God showed them what to say. Did you ever wish you could talk to God ¡and have Him talk to you ? Well, you can. When you pray yew are talk ing to God-r and when you read the Bible .He is talking to you. Others may choose the books men write, but “The B-I-B-L-E That’s the Book for me: I stand alone on the Word of God— The B-I-B-L-E.”
Object Lesson f T he K ing of C ups
OBJECTS: Several cups of varying • sizes, including an aluminum measuring cup. LESSON: How many of you have stamp collections? It is interesting to make Collections of various kinds. I have a very strange collection. It is a collection of cups. Here is a very small one and a very large one. Next we see a pretty one and a common-looking one. This one is clean and its com panion is dirty. I will put them all out on the table where you can see them. I want you to pick out the King of Cups from this collection. "The king is the silver one lined with gold.” “I choose the large cup with flowers on it, for the king.” Neither of these guesses is right. The most important cup in the collection, and the one I call the King of Cups, is the measuring cup. You may be sur prised, but let us consider the reasons. The measuring cup settles all argu- r ments. If a mother is in doubt as to an amount of flour or sugar, she meas ures it in this cup, and knows that the cup tells the truth. Another cup could ■ not be trusted. This cup quickly dis covers shortages. It is the most useful cup in the house. Xgain, it cannot be- broken. Other cups are easily broken, and can no longer be of service. This King of CupS reminds me of the King of Books—the Bible. The Bible is able to settle all arguments. It meas ures all people correctly. Its decisions have been proved correct. It tells the truth. The Word of God can never be broken. It will last forever. We are reminded of 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
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