9
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
January 1930
s o T c z - y o i G o y The Salvation of Scripture—The Need B y B. B. S utcliffe Portland Union Bible Classes , Portland, Oregon (All rights reserved)
way and found himself out of God’s way and lost. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). In eating, man doubted God’s word, i.e., His truth. Doubting God’s word he denied His truth, and denying His truth he acted in spite of God and became a criminal. Here again the choice was man’s and again he decided .for Satan and against God. But when he did this he broke God’s law, and this was crime. “ Whosoever com- mitteth sin transgresseth also the law” (1 John 3 :4 ). In eating, man doubted God’s deity, i.e., His person and being. Doubting God’s deity he denied His authority, and denying His authority he acted in opposition to God and became a rebel in the universe. Once again the de cision was with man, and once again he decided for Satan and against God. Hence it is written, “ I f when we were enemies we were reconciled to God” (Romans 5 :10). The nature of sin may therefore be summed up in one word:—doubt, or unbelief. It is the primal doubt or distrust of God that denies His nature, which is love; His revelation, which is truth; and His very being, which is Deity. This is the sin of which it is the office of the Holy Spirit to convict man (John 16:9). The salvation of the Scripture is needed because by sin man has become a sinner, a criminal, and a rebel, be fore and against God. T he C ondition of the R ace by the F all In the second place the Bible teaches that the need of salvation exists because of the condition of the race by the fall. Each member of the race is involved in Adam’s sin. Each was in Adam when Adam fell. . The question as to whether Adam fell up or down, or whether he be came better or worse through the fall, does not alter the fact that he stepped from the place God had in structed him to occupy. It was a small thing, just one step, but it was like a step over a precipice. When Adam went over, all the race went in him. The theory that men are born into this world on the plane upon which Adam originally stood, is wholly false. The present generation was born of its parents, and the parents, in turn of their parents, and so on back until we reach Adam after the fall. All come into this world upon the plane to which, and not from which he fell. “A s by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Each member of the race is involved individually by personal sin. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). “All have sinned and come short o f the glory o f God” (Romans 3:23). “ I f we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us .............. I f we say we have not sinned we make God a liar” (1 John 1:8, 10). Each member of the race has sinned and come short of the standard. That standard is none other than the Son of man, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the perfect Man, God’s standard. It may be that the coming short is much less with some than with others, but none reaches to the
ARIOUS church creeds in both Roman Cath olic and Protestant communions as well as various so-called sacred writings such as the Koran, Vedas, etc., contain teaching concern ing the subject of Salvation. Turning from all such teaching to the Bible, we are to seek, not for confirmation of what we already believe, but for information as to what the Bible really does teach on this subject. We will begin by seeking information as touch ing the need of salvation, and when we open the Bible the need is at once apparent. T he F all of the R ace In the first place the Bible teaches that the need of salvation exists because of the fall of Adam. By this fall sin came into the world, and death by sin. In the Old Testament this fall is directly referred to in Genesis 3 : 1-6; Job 31:3; and Hosea 6:7 (R . V .). As far as the fact of the fall is concerned, the Bible repeatedly declares it, and it is everywhere assumed throughout the Scriptures. Man also admits the fact of the fall, though the world’s writers and philosophers may call it by another name. Conscience also reminds us of the fall by setting up a standard within each man unto which none can measure; no man feels he is as good as he ought to be. The nature of the fall is revealed in the record of Genesis 3 :l-6. It is to be noted that the fall came because the fact, the truth, and the immutability, of the revelation God gave to man were brought into question. “ Yea, hath God said?” questioned the fact; “ Ye shall not surely die,” questioned the truth; and “ Ye shall be as God,” questioned the immutability of the revelation. That which we usually call sin—murder, lying, steal ing, etc.— is merely the fruits or results of sin. They are sins, the effect, rising from sin, the cause. If sin were absent the sins would not be there. It is for this reason that, in any plan for helping the race, sin itself must be considered. The words of Genesis 3 :6, “ he did eat,” reveal the true nature of sin. This “ eating” was a small thing in man’s estimation. The thing he did was good, because there was nothing wrong with the tree or its fruit. God had declared that this tree, together with all other trees, was “ very good” (Genesis 1:31). There-was nothing hein ous in eating; the -tree was good and the fruit was good ; why then should he not eat of it? But it was a tremen dous thing in God’s estimation, because in eating man re vealed the heart and nature of sin, from which all the ills that afflict mankind have sprung. In eating, man doubted God’s love, i. e., His nature. Doubting God’s love he denied His goodness, and deny ing His goodness he acted apart from God and became a sinner. Man stood, as it were, at a crossroad. He must make a decision. God had said, “ Thou shalt not eat” ; Satan said, “ Eat.” The final decision rested with the man, and he decided for Satan and against God, thus indicating that he believed Satan to be good and God to be evil. But it was man’s choice and he chose his own
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