Q. Lemon Grove, Calif. — “In James 1:13 we read that God does not tempt any man. Yet, in the so-called * Lord’s Prayer w e are taught to say, ‘L ead us not into temptation ’ How would you harmonize these twoP” A. God cannot be implicated in our temptations. To be a tempter He would have to be susceptible to temptation. This we know could nev er be true. Temptation requires the enticement to sin by Satan, coupled with our willing assent (James 1:14, 15). God’s very objective in the uni verse is to keep people from sin. He does not work at cross purposes with Himself. One translation for the pray er our Lord taught the disciples would be, “Do not leave us to wan der about of our own will, vulner able to the devil’s onslaught.” Fre quently the word “tempt” in the Bible is used instead of “test” or “trial.” (Note verses 2 and 12 of James 1.) Jesus suggested in the Ser mon on the Mount, “Lead us not in to this testing, but deliver us from all evil.” Often, when we are tested, we do fall. But God never tests us in the sense of soliciting us to sin. Q. Lodi, Calif.—' “What provision for ventilation was provided in Noah’s ark?” A. Never have we received this ques tion. The Word of God does not give us the answer. The size, as given in the sixth chapter of Genesis, indi cates that it was at least a three- story structure. Incidentally, the typ ical pictures of the ark are not neces sarily accurate. Suffice it to say, our Lord took care of this very practical need for the flood’s journey. GL Inglewood, Colo.— “How does one fall in love with the Lord? While love is a command, yet w e cannot push a button to m ake it happen. How do w e explain things to the un saved about apparent contradictions in the B ible when w e cannot answer them ourselves?”
many others believe this same fact of history. Regardless of the day for the crucifixion it is a Scriptural fact that on Sunday ( “the first day of the week”) Christ rose from the dead. He appeared to His followers and disciples. This is not a fairy tale from someones’ imagination! We believe the day of His death was probably Friday. In the Greek writings, the word for preparation of the Passover came to be connected with Friday. ■ Remember in this connection that when the Jews reckoned time, any part or fraction of a day was con sidered an entire day. But, it is the fact of redemption that is so impor tant, not the specific day or hour. The B ib lical truths concerning Christ’s death and resurrection are the firmest things we can believe in all of the spiritual realm. Q. Costa Mesa, Calif. — “Do you know where I can get a directory of Bibles, listed according to the least mistakes made in translatingF” A. To our knowledge, no such docu ment has ever been prepared. Among our favorites would be The Ameri can Standard Version (1901), per haps the most accurate of all Eng lish translations; The New Ameri can Standard Version (most recently published); The Revised Version of 1881; The Amplified Bible; and, of course, The King James Translation. This last, beloved of all, especially with the New Scofield Reference notes, is particularly helpful. On the other hand, there are some that would contain what we would con sider discrepancies and should be used with discretion. These include The Revised Standard Version; The New English Bible; and The Berke ley Bible. A complete mail order ser vice for Bibles and other books we mention from time to time are avail able through the Biola Book Store on campus. Page 24
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