B u s i n e s s
June 1928
T h e
K i x g ’ s
336
knees, his difficulties all forgotten, crying, like Thomas, “ My Lord and my God !” This is not to say that perfect discernment will in stantly be given all believers in all things. There are de grees of discernment, dependent upon our soul habits. The study o f spiritual things after conversion, faithfulness in prayer, watchfulness against sin, and one’s habit o f liv ing with reference to the truth he already knows, all affect the spiritual vision. However, prior to regeneration, men are spiritually blind. Upon meeting God’s conditions, the book that was to them like a writing in a foreign language, becomes at once one they love and trust, the essential truths o f which they are able to comprehend and feed upon with satisfaction. “ I Am NOT to be Quoted!” A GENTLEMAN of our acquaintance received a letter from a very prominent Christian leader. It con tained some very “ juicy information” about another Chris tian. If there was truth- in the assertion, the man under fire should have been removed from his position. The recipient o f the letter felt that some very drastic steps should be taken, but, to his disappointment, he found this “ P. S.”:— “7 am absolutely N O T to be quoted.” But you know how it is ! The recipient could not but share such a choice morsel, but in repeating it, he was very careful to say: “ I know this is authentic because So-and- So said so, but he is NO T to be quoted!” After the story had been passed about in this way for a time, with all the sidelights which each conveyor was able to throw upon the matter--—o f course, all being very careful to stipulate that Mr. So-and-So was “ absolutely NO T to be quoted,” one brother got hold o f it who failed to catch the “ P. S.” Being a rather conscientious student o f the Bible, it occurred to him that the proper one to whom to repeat this information was.the Lord. He did so, and the Lord (perhaps not having been told about the “ P. S.” ) seemed to tell this brother to go directly to the man most concerned, on the basis o f Gal. 6:1. He did so. And they had a good laugh. The story had been told about the wrong fellow ! None of the others who had picked up this juicy mor sel had ever come to him about it, How could they ? It would be violating a confidence. Had not So-and-So stipu lated f!‘T ctm absolutely N O T to be quoted” ? So on and on the story goes until some day it will come up against the Judgment Seat o f Christ and all who helped to spread it will be reminded that God has kept books and that they must give account for every idle word. sN/c. Religious Respectability J ESUS landed hard on the religious respectability o f His day. He assailed the cultured, educated, refined, religious leaders and pointed out that they were on the road to hell, leading others into the pit in spite of the fact that they car ried Bibles. “ Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteous ness o f the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom o f heaven” (Matt. 5 :20 ). They were the clergy and bishops of the day. Imagine some reformer of today rising up and saying, “ Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the theo logical professors, bishops and ministers, ye shall in no case be saved.” Would such a man be nailed to a wooden
Genesis Up-to-date Dr. Norman Macleod, the great Scotch preacher, once attended a meeting o f scientists in which the meteoric theory was discussed. He seems to have been greatly stirred by the assumptions o f what is. called advanced thought, for he made a speech whose wit charmed if its logic did not convince.-' He afterward wrote to a friend that "perhaps the men o f science would do well, in. ac cordance with these last results, to re write the first chapter o f Genesis in this way : “ 1. The earth was without form, and void. “2. A meteor fell upon the earth. “3. The result was fish, flesh and fowl. “4. From these ■ proceeded the Brit ish Association. “5. And the British Association pronounced it all tolerably good.”
Heb. 4:12 tells us the Bible is a “ discerner,” literally “ ct critic.” It is the highest critic and criticizes' those who attempt to criticize it. Why is the Bible such a foolish mess to the highly educated individual who writes the above? Here’s the answer :—
1 Cor. 2:14: " The natural man receiveth not the things o f the Spirit o f God; fo r they are foolishness untof him: neither can he know them, for. they are spiritually discerned."
The writers of Scripture were fully aware that their teachings would be branded as “ foolishness” by a very large part of the human race. Why? Because they were setting forth spiritual truths, which only the spiritual mind can discern. It is not strange that unregenerate scholars can make nothing of the Scriptures. They waste their time in dis cussing spiritual topics since they are not born of the Spirit of' God.............. ' . ' . Unaided human reason cannot discover the deep things o f God ( “ Eye hath not seen”— 1 Cor. 2 :9) nor apprehend them by any artistic vision. They are not to be learned in the discussions o f philosophers ( “ nor ear heard” ). Neither can any natural poetic insight find them ( “ neither have entered into the heart of man” ). “ The Christian on his knees sees farther than the philosopher on his tiptoes.” Here wè have the real reason why many untutored peo ple are looked up to as spiritually wiser than many who are very learned. They know by vital experience thè power of God in the life, and have a spiritual discernment that goes to the roots o f our spiritual problems. , We would not discount higher learning, nevertheless it remains true that one may "know grammar and lack grace ; may be scholarly without having saintliness ; may be educated, yet unable to edify others. They have not the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2 :10 ). The Spirit of God alone can quicken the intelligence to apprehend divine things. He mediates between the mind of God and the mind of the believer. The Holy Spirit brings a man like doubting Thomas into the very presence o f Christ and causes all his doubts to vanish in a moment. How many a man, full o f doubts, when brought to the place of accepting God’s salvation, has arisen from his
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker