PANEL DISCUSSIONS with Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland and Dr. Charles L. Feinberg
Q . Vallejo, Calif. — “My wife has been sick for many years, and I have been told that we should expect the Lord to heal her. Is this right?” A. This is a commentary on the Christian life that there are those demanding the Lord to do various things. You must have far greater faith in God than you have in your prayers. This is absolutely vital to a victorious Christian life. Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” No one should demand that the Lord heal him. We can and should pray to the Lord, but it is always, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine, be done.” We have a right to pray for healing but it must be in accordance with the infinite loving will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Q . Fresno, Calif. — “Does the word day in Genesis mean twenty-four hours or a thousand years? I f we say that it can mean a thousand years, al lowing for theological ages, then it is confusing.” A. The word day in Genesis has more than one meaning. When God divid ed the light from the darkness, He called the light day. This means light time. This does not mean twenty- four hours, but is the light time. Then we read, “And the evening and
the morning were the first day.” The word day here is different from its first use. The first means day time, when there is light. The second is twenty-four hours. In Genesis 2:4 we read the interesting summation, “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” This is the entire creative activity of God. In the prophetical books we read of the day of the Lord. This is a period of time, com prising the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ, along with the Tribula tion. The New Testament also talks about the day of salvation. That’s been operative for over 1900 years, ever since our Lord died on the cross. There is also the view that one can allow these days to be 24 hours, al lowing for a great gap of time be tween Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. There is a very fine explanatory note in the New Scofield Reference Bible on this. Q . San Diego, Calif. — “A Christian friend told me that because I smoke I will go to hell.” A. No person ever goes to hell be cause he smokes, or is involved in some other practice of a questionable nature. An individual goes to hell 15
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