£ >
9 9
9
O r . T a l b o t ’s fe? 9 9
9
9 9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9 Q /u -e s tio n B o x
9
ord. How subtle Satan’s wiles are! We need to “ study to shew [our selves] approved unto God, a work man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word o f truth” (II Tim. 2:15). THE FLOOD AND JONAH Q, Please give me some Scriptural proof of the story of Jonah and the whale and also of the flood. A. The Lord Jesus verified the his toricity of these events during His earthly ministry. In Matthew 12:38- 42 He gave the Jews “ the sign of the prophet Jonah” as typical of His own death and resurrection when He said, “ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale (marginal reading of whale in Greek is sear-monster ) ; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40). We read in Luke 11:29-30, where Jesus is speak ing to a crowd of people “ gathered thick together . . . This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Nine- vites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.” Picturing the corruption that will be on the earth at the end of this age, Jesus said, “ But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:37). The apostles also bore witness to the fact of the flood. Again archaeology and the legends of the ancient peo ples prove that they knew of the flood, although it must be admitted that some of the stories corning down through history and legend are per verted accounts o f the Biblical rec ord. Certainly we do not question that God was able to perform these miracles. They are to be classed with all other miracles as supernatural. Indeed our whole Christian faith is based upon the supernatural. THE KING'S BUSINESS
Corinthians 3:11-15). The Bible also teaches that there will be no envy in Heaven. Nothing shall enter there that would defile. We do not have to harmonize these things. However, even with our finite minds, we can readily see that just as some have a greater spiritual un derstanding — shall I say capacity for the things of God? — just as some let Christ take their whole lives now on earth, even so will their ca pacity for the enjoyment of Heaven be greater. The little child who loves the Lord is as happy as he can be, but surely the older we grow and the more we have fellowship with Christ, the greater grows our capac ity of love for Him. I like to think of our rewards in Heaven as something that shall be “ to the praise of his glory,” some thing that will mean even greater service for Christ throughout all eternity, rather than to think of re wards as something for our own pleasure. I like to think of the crowns awaiting the Christian in this light, all to show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. To me, this settles all such questions as the one PRIVATE INTERPRETATION OF BIBLE? Q. Please explain this verse found in Second Peter 1:20: “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” A. The explanation of this statement is that we may not take a Scripture out of its context, or interpret one verse apart from the whole Word of God. It is not to be treated as an isolated truth. That way it could mean anything under the sun that we might want to make it mean. This is exactly what many would-be critics of the Bible have done, but they only show their ignorance, as well as their defiance of the living God, by such perversion of the inspired rec
FAITH AND WORKS Q. You say we do not have to do any thing to be saved. Later you quote Matthew 26:27, 28 which says that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, saying to His disciples, “Drink ye all of it.” How do you harmonize your first statement with this com mand to do this with Christ’s com mand that we be baptized? A. My friend, this and your next question show how confused the legalists are in regard to the plan of salvation; that is, how a sinner is really brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. When He said to His disciples, “ Do this in remembrance of me,” He was not talking of those who needed salva tion, but to those who already pos sessed it. He had already told them to rejoice because their names were written in Heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life. How were they saved? How did they get their names writ ten in Heaven? By partaking of the Lord’s Supper? No! A thousand times, no! They got their names there when they believed the exhor tation of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb o f God, which taketh away the sin o f the world” (John 1 :29) and accepted Christ. My friend, one does good works, not in order to be saved, but because he is saved. If you are resting in your “ doing” as you evidently are, you are going to be very disappoint ed one of these days when you meet Him who said over and over again that salvation is all of grace, with out works of any kind. Rely only upon Christ who accomplished re demption on the cross. THE BELIEVER'S REWARDS Q. How can there be degrees of re ward for saints in Heaven? Would that not be a source of envy and strife? A. The Bible teaches that there are degrees of reward in Heaven (First
28
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs