^ W y W O R D shall ac- complish that which 1 please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it. — isa. 55-11
Tke Word of tke Lord is not bound 2 Tim . 2:8
Tke Word of our God skall stand fo,rever. isa. 40:8
M A R C H , 1920
Bible Institute ofLosAngeles (IMCORPORATED) LO S A N G E L E S , C A L IFO R N IA , U . S. A .
Free Training School for Christian Workers
DIRECTORS
Lyman Stewart, president J. M. Irvine, secretary
R. A. Torrey, vice-president Leon V. Shaw, treasurer
^
T. C. Horton, superintendent
H. A. Getz
Nathan Newby
J. O. Smith
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
We hold to the Historic Faith of the of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ. The Personality of the Holy Ghost. The Supernatural and Plenary authority of the Holy Scriptures. The Unity in Diversity of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement.
Church as expressed in the Common Creed The Necessity of the New Birth. The Maintenance of Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ. The Everlasting Existence of the Spirit. The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Impenitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan.
SCOPE OF THE WORK DTTPT)nCT? . The Institute trains, free of cost, accredited men and women, in the ■rU-KirC/oHi. knowledge and use of the Bible. DEPARTMENTS* s ^ d ^ 6 *nst*tute Classes held daily except on Saturdays and (2) Extension work. Classes and conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists. (4) Spanish Work. Personal work among Spanish speaking people. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the Hebrews and mission for Jews. (7) Bible Women. -House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and distribution of selected books and tracts. (10) Harbor Work. For seamen at San Francisco harbor. (11) The Biola Hall. Daily noon meetings for me« in the down-town district, with free reading-room privileges. Evangelistic service every evening. (12) Print Shop. For printing Testaments, books, tracts, etc. A complete establish ment, profits going to free distribution of religious literature.
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S MOTTO: p the Lord, do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. -.......... .............. ............... ........... = Isa. 27:3 ................................ 1 -J PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES R e v .T .C . HO RTON , Edited in Chief Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS, Managing Editor Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California under (he A ct of March 3, 1879 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, A ct o f October 3, 1917 . authorized October 1, 1918. Editorials: Americanization of the Foreigner (243) The Bare Knee Instead of the Bended Knee (244) No Peace, Says the Pope (244) The Jazz Band Cure (245) Wheelology (246) Take Heed What Ye Hear (246) I-d-0 Cabinets and Ouija Boards (247) Christ’s Prussian Methods (248) Man’s Extremity God’s Opportunity (249) , Sentence Sermons (251) Seven Essential Doctrines of Christianity —Dr. R. A. Torrey (252) A Church Without the Holy Ghost— Dr. Joseph Parker (259) Why I Am a Christian —Dr. A. C. Dixon (261) Is a PremillenniaJist a Pessimist? —Rev. W. S. Hooton (263) The Peril of Democracy —Dr. I. M. Haldeman (265) Bible Institute Happenings (267) Evangelistic Stories from Experience (270) Homiletical Helps and Bible Outlines (277) Thoughts for Unsaved People (280) Jewish Notes (282) Delivered from Intellectual Assassination (284) Prayer’s Daily Reminders —Great Commission Prayer League ; (287) International Sunday School Lessons (290) Daily Devotional Readings —Dr. F. W. Farr (314) LEND A HAND! We want to send this magazine to missionaries and country pastors who need it. Can’t do it without funds! P L E A S E When sending subscriptions, address correspondence to Office of The King’s Business, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 536-558 South Hope Street. Checks may be made payable to Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Do not make checks or money orders to individuals connected with the Bible Institute. Volume X I March, 1920. Number 3 CONTENTS
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O W BIBLE PRATERS are AN SW ERED ty PROMISES
( Prepared lrp one of our readers, an invalid lady 76 years of age. Ske kas memorized tke N ew Testament since 70 years of age. I
Answer—“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, He shall cover thee with his feathers and under His wings shalt thou trust.$%g-Ps. 91:1, 4. Prayer—“O Lord correct me, but not in Thine anger.”—Jer. 10:24. Answer—“I will correct thee in meas ure.”—Jer. 30:11. “ For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth.”—Prov. 3:12. Prayer—“ Forsake me not utterly.”—Ps. 119:8. Answer—“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”—Heb. 13:5. Prayer—“When I am old and gray headed, O God forsake me not.”—Ps. 71:18. Answer—“ Even to your old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs I will carry you.”—Isaiah 46:4. Prayer—“Hide Thy face from my sins, blot out alb mine iniquities.”—Ps. 51:9. Answer—“I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins.”—Isa. 44:22. Prayer—“ Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak.”—Ps. 6:2. ' Answer—“The people that do know their God shall be strong.”—Dan. 11:32. “My strength is made perfect in weak ness.”—2 Cor. 12:9. Prayer—“Hear me speedily, O Lord, my spirit faileth. Hide not Thy face from me.”—Ps. 143:7. Answer—“The Lord is nigh .to all them that call upon Him in truth.”—Ps. 145:18. “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.”-r-James 4:8. Prayer—“ Bow down Thy ear, O Lord, hear me for I am poor and needy.”—Ps. 86 : 1 . Answer—“ My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”—Phil. 4:19.
RAYER—“Save me, O Lord, for lt h e waters are come in unto l ^ ^ m y soul. 1 am come into deep waters, where the floods over flow me.”—Ps. 69:1, 2. Answer—“ Fear not, thou art Mine, when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee.”—Isa. 43: 1 , 2 . Prayer—“ Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak, O Lord heal me.”—Ps. 6 : 2 . Answer—“ He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”—2 Cor. 12:9. “I have heard thy prayers, I have seen thy tears, behold I will heal thee.”—2 Kings 20:5. Prayer—“ Be merciful to me, O God, for my soul trilsteth in Thee, yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will 1 make my refuge until these calamities be over past.”—Ps. 57:1. Answer—“ The Eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms.”—Deut. 33:27. Prayer—“O Lord I trust in Thee, let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.”—Ps. 25:2. Answer—“ The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble and He knoweth them that trust in Him.”— Nahum 1:7. Prayer—“ I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way.”—Ex. 33:13. Answer—“I will teach you the good and right way, only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all thy heart.”—1 Sam. 12:23, 24. - . “ And thou shalt hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it.f|Isa. 30:21. Prayer—“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wing.”—Ps. 17:8.
iM
“ N o Good Thing Will He Withold from Them That Walk Uprightly”
MÊÊ
January 1, 1919................................. 5,900 Subscribers January 1, 1920.................................14,000 Subscribers ^Us. ^
T w e n t y - f i v e t h o u s a n d Subscribers for i920 To The King’s Business Family: Last year we asked the members of our King’s Business family to help us, double the number of subscribers to our magazine, to which request they heartily responded, and we take this occasion to return our hearty thanks to every one who helped. Your time and your money were well invested. Now, for 1920: May we lay upon your hearts another request? Will every subscriber and friend help us to reach, during this year, ten thousand more subscribers? We feel sure that any one of our good friends could secure at least one more. It means only TWO CENTS A WEEK! It can he easily done provided you do not think that someone else will do your part. It will bring a monthly message of good and helpful things to any minister or missionary, Sunday School teacher or young Christian. You cannot lose if you secure someone as a subscriber, but you may be losing a great blessing if you fail to make the investment of another dollar. We earnestly request every subscriber and friend, after reading this, to offer a prayer for this project, and then to do what you think the Lord would have you do concerning it. We will keep you posted as the good work goes on. T H E A M E R IC A N I Z A T IO N of the Foreigner An interesting pamphlet on the “ Americanization of the Foreigner” is in our hands. Its purpose is to instruct the preachers and furnish material for sermons. There are many good things in the pamphlet, but we looked in vain for any suggestion concerning the use of the Bible in making American citizens of these foreigners. As is so often the case, the main agency in effecting the best results is omitted. The Bible is the best book for making real, true American citizens out of foreigners, or natives either. The Bible is the book that would make a good American preacher, too, and it would not be a bad plan to teach it to the students of the Theological Seminaries. We need a lot of true American preachers and teachers—men who are true to the Bible and loyal to the heritage left us by our fathers.
244 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S In this Americanization work we need to get down to the basis of the difficulty, and to the foundation upon which our; country was founded. Give them the Bible, and then any other good hooks that are essential, but don’t- omit the best book. T C H T h e B A R E KN E E instead of the Bended Knee Mr. Harry Carr, Special Correspondent of the Los Angeles Times, writ ing from New York, says that !!a mild sensation has been created by the bare knees of some of the Methodist choir young ladies who are taking part in a big religious spectacle entitled “ The Wayfarer” now running at Madison Square Garden.” ' The old fashioned method of the Methodists was the bended knee, and the bended knee brought blessing to the hearts of many people, but the new fangled method by which the world is to (be made better every day evidently is a less solemn but more spectacular method, and more to the taste of the choir girls. The “ bare knee” girls may make better wives and mothers, but we have our doubts. Who is responsible for this change of custom from the bended to the brazen, bared knee ? Is this performance, authorized by the church officials, supposed to be to the glory of God and the getting of gold? How can such officials preach separation from the world? Dancing used to be an abomination to- the Methodist Church and con trary to its doctrines. Is there need of some new kind of doctors to treat this new disease? - - T. C. H. S& jé ? Mk ‘N O P E A C E ,” says tke Pope All of the cardinals present at Rome gathered at the Vatican to give Christmas greetings to Pope Benedict. In returning the greetings, the Pope lamented the lack of order among the nations due to the efforts to give man kind peace and welfare while ignoring God. He also recalled the urgent necessity of aiding the poor. Who is more to be blamed for ignorance of God than the leaders of a system which deny the people, through whom they rule, the only Book capable of giving a knowledge o f Gud-nsthe Bible ? If the Pope is earnestly seeking to promote order among the nations, let him unchain the Bible and send it broadcast among the benighted folks of Italy, of Austria, of Spain, of Portugal, of South America, of Central America and poor Mexico. If he is earnestly desiring to feed the poor of Austria who aré starving to death by thousands, let him turn loose the Peter’s pence, sell the Vatican for hotel purposes and lead the priests out in personal ministry, dispensing the proceeds in a practical, Christlike manner. Let him give the Bread of ' Life for the souls of the people, and baker’s bread for their bodies. If his soul is stirred with sympathy, let him do these things, and he may help to bring peace to the restless souls of Europe. —T. C. H.
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Wlv? Not Let Him Tote His Own Drum?
T H E J a zz Band Cure A Doctor of Divinity is quoted in a Denver paper as saying that “ slow, mournful, church music is obsolete, ’ ’—and he has decided to wake the mem bers of his church up by installing a jazz orchestra as a regular Sunday feature. Got to get the people some way. The war being over, they cannot play the professed patriotic stunt any longer. Got to find some other way to keep the shekels coming into the coffers of the church. The entertain ment stunt in the pulpit soon palls on the people. We must either give them a first class Gospel sermon, or a first class entertainment, and when a man lacks the ability to give the former, he must necessarily resort to jazz or something else. Even the funny story in the pulpit plays out finally, for the funny papers keep ahead of the game, and a man is pushed to the wall to know what to do to keep the restless people satisfied. There is something tremendously solemn in this pulpit business, and the most serious part of it is the fact that these men took sacred vows when they entered the ministry, which they are violating with an unconcern that is appalling. Have these men forgotten that they are not through with this business when they quit the ministry, or when death calls them? How about the Lord Jesus to whom they have been recreant, and how about the souls of men who have been tricked by a church sign and have had an entertain ment given them rather than a message of warning and entreaty? The entertainment game may he played for a season, 'but there is a just judgment coming. “ Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” —T. C. H.
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W h e e l o l o g y It used to be “ theology” , but now it is■ “ wheelology” . Onee it was “ turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God'and to wait for His Son from Heaven.” Now it is turning wheels,—church wheels, En deavor wheels, Sunday School wheels, club wheels,—all kinds of wheels, but mighty little grist. Some of the people are so exhausted turning wheels that they have no time for the Word of God and prayer. How we pity poor Paul and the early church! They knew nothing in those days of modem methods, nor modern theology. They knew the cruci fied, risen, glorified, coming Christ by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. They believed the Word of God. They believed in prayer. They loved the lost, and in simple faith wenti forth telling the matchless story of God’s redeeming love. Men, women and children, convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, were broken down, and, confessing Jesus Christ to be both Saviour and Lord, were born from above, and added to the church—the Body of Christ. Those were the good old days when God laid the foundation strong and deep. We are in the “ New Era” now, they tell us (more’s the pity), a brand new era, only the “ brand” seems to lack the smile of God’s approval; an era of wheels, of “ wheed'le-do ” and “ wheedle-dum.” But the Lord has not changed, and. when a little band of Bible Insti tute students went forth on Christmas Day afternoon to have a good time in soul-winning, and returned at night to tell what great things the Lord had done, reporting, among other things, that some thirty persons had con fessed Christ,—the Gospel seemed to work just as it did in the year of our Lord 33. It would not be a bad idea to let the wheels rest awhile and adopt the early church plan of just going out and doing what the Lord said to do “ Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” T. C. H. ^ T A K E HEED Wkat Y e Hear. (Mark 14:24.) Fenton’s translation puts it: “ Be careful what you listen to.” The Cambridge Bible says: “ Stand upon your guard lest yd be imposed upon.” Jesus said again in Mark 13:5, “ Take heed lest any man deceive you.” Is there any force in these words for the present day? When our Lord warned, “ Beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees” He knew how insidiously unbelief would grow upon the unwary listener and how, like deadly fumes, it would result eventually in overcoming both in tellect and will. He knew that those whose souls were at first vexed at hearing false doctrine, if they kept listening, would at length grow so accustomed to the plausible sophistries that they would be swept ofB their feet. He had but one suggestion to offer—Don’t go where that which is against the Word of God is being taught. The Apostle Paul sounded the same warning in writing to the Bomans (Bom. 16:17)—“ Mark them which cause offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and AVOID THEM.” There is certainly in our day as great a peril to the Christian pilgrim in the spiritual Sodoins that waylay him at every turn, as in the “ Vanity
THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S 247 Fairs” of the world. A godly minister of wide experience recently said, “ As I look out upon the world I have (been led to believe that next to sin, religion has done more to damn the world than anything else. What is the matter with India ? Religion without Christ. What is the matter with Africa—China? What is the matter with numbers of people in our own land? They are brim full of religion yet they scorn the atoning blood. Re ligion that does not look to the Cross” . What shall we say to those who write and want to know what they should do? Their pastors have deserted the faith and are preaching abso lute rot. It is a matter that individual believers must settle on their knees with a Bible open before them. There may be instances where it is clearly the believer’s duty to maintain his membership in a church for the purpose of testifying to the Word of God. But there is plenty of evidence to show that hundreds of others will have their faith wrecked if they continue to sit under the preaching of men who are not true to their ordination vows. K. L. B. §4» I-D-O Cabinets and Ouija Boards There has been, since the war, a widespread curiosity concerning the so-called occult sciences. Thousands have dabbled in spiritism and its kin dred evils. In the holiday advertising of some large stores in the cities, considerable attention was attracted by the advertising of new kinds of “ spirit apparatus” for the amusement of young people. For some of this strange apparatus, it was claimed that by their use the operator could re ceive messages from their loved ones of the unseen world. They were said to be direct mediums of communication between the known and unknown. For several years there has been a large sale of “ Ouija” (we-ja) boards. They have been the means of leading hundreds of young people into spiritism. As many know who have experimented in these things, there is a peculiar fascination in these practices, and a strange effect upon the mind is often produced. Whole neighborhoods often go wild over the mysterious manifestations and devote hours to the experiments. A depart ment store owner of our acquaintance, who disposed of considerable of this kind of apparatus during the holidays a year ago, received so many com plaints from customers concerning certain evil effects upon their sons and daughters who had used it, that he shipped back to. the manufacturers a quantity of the infernal machines and vowed he would never permit their sale again. Many people scoff at the idea of there being Satanic powers back of these things—and that is exactly what the devil desires them to do, for then he is certain of a hold on his victim. We hre plainly warned that as we approach the end of the age, evil spirits, knowing their time is short, will manifest themselves in various ways, so as to mislead the very elect. (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Thes. 2:9-10; Rev. 13:13-14.) Hence the revival of spiritism in every form at the present time. The Ouija board is constructed with a pencil or a pointer in vertical position, so that when the personality is yielded over to it, it will write words or point out letters and answer all manner of questions. Some ex plain that it is done through personal magnetism, power of the mind, etc.,
248 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S but the strange thing is that intelligence is imparted which was never in the mind of the operator. Lost articles are often located, and most mys terious things happen to those Who study the laws of operation. One fea ture is the number of indecent words that are produced. The moral and spiritual effect upon those who practice these arts, and the character of the utterances obtained is proof enough that an evil power is back of them. God does not seek to lead His children by such methods, and His Word con demns all such dabbling in the powers of darkness. “ In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” To seek direction from any other source except God Himself, is a dangerous practice and positively forbidden by the Bible. ' ; u K. L. B. j JK j . a » C H R I S T ’S Prussian Metkods During the war two Chicago University professors scared a lot of simple folks out of their 'belief in the second coming of Christ by insinuat ing that the doctrine was “ pro-German propaganda.” They went so far as to suggest that those believing in the premillennia]! coming of the Lord should be investigated. And what next! Why, a prominent preacher of the West now charges that if Christ comes in power to reign, as it is taught by hundreds of Bible scholars that He will, He will be guilty of using “ Prussian methods” . He contends that it is unthinkable that Christ should ever have to resort to any kind of force to conquer the world. Of course there is nothing new in the argument that man can conquer the world without the literal coming of the Lord, even though those who have used thé argument have always been a little embarrassed for Scripture to show that it is the purpose of God to conquer the world by religion, edu- ' cation and scientific progress in this present age. However, it does seem a bit presumptuous to charge that it would be analogous to “ Prussian methods” for Christ to judge this age and seize the reins of government over His own earth. Has He no right to clear His'earth of the tares that will be among the wheat to the end? May He not assume His own right ful authority? Is there no difference between a rapacious Prussianism and the righteous exercise of divine power? Let’s face the facts: has the progress of the Gospel ever justified the hope that the world as such would ever accept it? No one denies the power of the Gospel to accomplish its own end. The question is, was it ever the design of the Gospel to convert the whole world in this age? It has always sifted men. It draws—it repels. It saves—it hardens. Savour of life— savour of death. Power of God—foolishness. What Scripture says it will ever be1different in this age? We are plainly told that its acceptation will be limited, and that in the closing days of the age, it will be more limited. (2 Tim. 3:1; 4:3-4; 2 Thess. 2:8-12.);. God is gathering out a people for His name. (Acts 15:14.) That is what the Gospel is intended to do. It always has done it, is doing it now, will doj it until the Body of Christ is complete.
THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S 249 , When that Body is complete and Christ comes in the clouds to receive His own, there will be a great disillusionment on the part of those who have cried, -‘ where is the promise of His coming?” They will see that they have been misled by that world spirit who is “ arrayed as an angel of iigHt.” K. L. B. M A N ’S Extremity—God’s Opportunity The message which we print here is not a preacher’s sermon, but an editorial, in a secular daily, the Pittsburgh Leader, of October 31st-, 1919, and was designed as a preparation for a national day of prayer Sunday’ November 2nd, 1919. We give it with the same emphasized words as in the original. You would search many denominational papers in vain for such a message, and they would view it as a dismal, gloomy song of the pessimist ; but there is a ring of truth in it not often found in these days ; a note of warning that we may well ponder. Read every word of it. Then read it again. Then pray. Then pray again: ‘‘Man’s Extremity is God’s Opportunity. Human management of the affairs of the universe is failing. Without Divine Intervention, the world and its people will plunge into chaos. America is rent asunder by the spirit of Defiance of Law and Order. There appears to he no man or men big enough in this land to stay the rising tide of disaster. - The President of the United States has failed to bring order out of disorder. No public man possesses power or influnce sufficient to allay the turmoil. Employer and employe cannot reach that mutual understanding, that neces sary harmony, upon which the livelihood of all of the people is dependent. An industrial warfare is being waged behind whose lines lurks anarchy. Famine, destitution, bloodshed and misery fringe the battlefields. The American flag is no longer reverenced by all of the people. American institutions, American traditions, American hopes, American aspira tions are no longer respected by many Americans. Raucous voices rail at patriotism’s plea. The American republic is_already in the twilight of its darkest hour. It would be folly to deny the desperate conditions that exist. It would he criminal to conceal the deadly peril of the nation. The people of the United States must arouse themselves to a realization of the growing menace before they are annihilated by the powers of evil. The true Armageddon is at hand, and the eagle, flying in mid-heaven, is say ing with a great voice, ‘Woe, Woe, Woe, for them that dwell on the earth.’ All that human power could do, has been done. Man’s extremity has arrived. It is now God’s opportunity. God alone can Save the world. ‘Make haste, O God, to deliver me, cried the Psalmist; bow down thine ear to me and save me; in thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.’ If the world is to be saved, if America is to be rescued, if life and happiness for all the people are to be perpetuated, then must we all echo that prayer. ‘In God we trust is our national motto. And it is to God that we must now appeal.’ Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Perhaps these trials are being thrust upon us to bring a wayward people back to the Throne of Grace. Our efforts, our thoughts, pur labors, our progress have all been along material lines— of the earth, earthy.
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There has been too little spirituality in our activities. Our bodies have grown while our souls have shrunk. Now, as the clouds darken around us, as a nation and as individuals, our physical sight grows dim and our spiritual vision increases. The people of America must g6 down on their knees and ask for Divine aid. Next Sunday, in all of our churches, of all sects and all denominations, there should be humble, united confession of error, and earnest, honest prayer to the? Creator for mercy and help. We must pray for our country, that it may be exalted in righteousness. We must pray for those who exercise authority that they may be wise and just. We must pray for all our citizens that they may be faithful to duty and obedient to law. We must pray that our land may be a land of-liberty and peace, of .mutual service. We must pray, believing that God hears our voices and supplications, that gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. It is not in the role of the alarmist that the Leader calls upon the people for a revivifying of the spiritual. It is a sane and serious knowledge pf conditions that all who read a newspaper today must admit are not exaggerated, that obliges the Leader to speak with truth and candor. The labor strikes, existing and to come, are not ordinary labor disputes. The world has known nothing like them and their effect upon mankind may plunge the world into horrors that history has never recounted. That is why the Leader is appealing to the clergymen, tO[ all people to whom religion is a reality, to all to whom God is an actuality, to make the coming Lord’s Day a day of appeal for divine aid for a world facing cataclysm. Humanity has failed to preserve humanity. ‘God Help Us’ is our plea. In prayer alone exists hope.
Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Again in the words of the Psalmist:
‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber’.”
jMfc a » a » a »
To urge upon all men everywhere the unfailing value of the Bible. To obtain from individuals in all walks of life testimonials to the signifi cance and influence of the Bible. To obtain these objects, meetings will be occasionally held to claim public at tention to the Holy Scriptures. The culmination of this crusade will be on Bible Sunday, December 5th, 1920, when there will be a great dem onstration for the Bible.
BIBLE YEAR— 1920 Following a plan adopted in Great Britain, and promoted there by a repre sentative interdenominational Commit tee! of which the Lord Bishop of Dur ham is President, the New York Bible Society has launched the movement in this country to make the year 1920 Bible Year. Objects: To claim for the Bible a larger place in our individual and na tional life. To increase public interest in the Bible as God’s revelation to man.
To know the world, one must know God; to know God one does not have to know the world. True/ religion possesses God; true science finds God; true philosophy seeks God. There are two men who please God: the man who loves Him with all his heart because he knows Him and the man who seeks Him with all his heart because he knows Him not. The atheist sees God in nothing. The pantheist sees God in everything. True godliness sees God over everything and looks for Him in anything. To believe the evidence about Christ is not necessarily to believe on Him. From God men may keep away, but from Him they can never get away. Let no man think because he plans not with God, he plans without God. The. remedies for the ills of men that have no Christ in them are like the lights that glow in the field on sum mer nights; beautiful in the dark until daylight reveals them to be only-iii bugs. By falling before God, we rise toward Him. Man is not great until he beholds his own littleness. The crying sin toward man is selfish ness; the crying sin toward God is self- righteousness. A man’s satisfaction with himself is to God’s satisfaction with him as the arms of the scales are to each other; when one goes up the other goes down. Tears of pain may draw men to God but tears of penitence draw God to men. It is a mark of true knowledge of God when men see themselves as most unlike God.
Have furrows been cut in your heart? Then let God sow the seeds of His grace there. Keep yourself a bruised reed and God will make out of you a polished shaft. There can be no peace with self with out the death of Christ and no peace with God without ,tho death of self. God asks little of you, but He asks your best. Christ is ready to turn your water into wine, but He expects us to keep it from turning to vinegar. God may shut every door about us, but He never shuts the door above us! God can be moved only in the propor tion you are ready to let Him move you. Men will be condemned for what they are— sinners. They will be punished for what they do. Human love lives on what it receives; divine love lives on what it gives. Men look upon the quantity of their sorrow; God upon its quality. Only that is true love to Christ which enables us to love our enemies and pity His enemies. True love to man comes only after a crucifixion; true love to God only after a resurrection. Demons believe in Christ; saints trust Him. If you do not trust God you cannot afford to trust men. If the world has nothing to say against you, Christ will have little to say to you. . Most of the shadows that cross our path through life are caused by our standing in our own light.
Sederi Absolutely Essential
Doctrines o f Christianity Sermon P reíicKeci at T*Ke CHurcW of The Open Door, Los Angeles, California BT DR. R. A. TORREY Dean of Bible Institute
imagine for one moment that one Gos pel was as good as another. Further more he had that absolute clearness of thought that comes from being inspired of God, that made it impossible for him to be beguiled into believing that one gospel was as good as another. One gospel was true, the very truth of God; all. other gospels were false, a counter feit and lie of Satan. So one Gospel meant salvation, all other gospels meant damnation. And so Paul cries in our text, “If any man preacheth unto you any Gospel other than that which ye received from me, let him be anathema.” Paul knew that his Gospel was true and that it was the only true Gospel, for he got it right from God. As he himself says, “ The gospel which was preached by me is not after man. For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.” Now Paul tells the truth in this claim that he makes here, or else he was a deliberate impostor, or else he was a sadly deceived man. It would be easy enough to prove that he was not a deliberate impostor by proof that is un answerable; the outcome of his teaching proves clearly that he was not a de ceived man, therefore his claim is true, that the gospel -he preached was given to him by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, and is as much the teaching of Jesus Christ as anything that the Lord Jesus Himself taught with His own lips when He was here in the flesh on the earth. What then was the Gospel that Paul preached? The one true gospel, the only saving Gospel, the only gospel that has any right to call itself Christian. If we study Paul’s epistles and Paul’s ser mons carefully, we will find that there are seven essential, cardinal points in the gospel which he taught, seven great truths on which all others turn. If a man holds these seven points, he is all
Text: “But though we, or an angel from Heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we have preached unto you, let him be Anathema. As we have said be fore, so say I now again: If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be Anathema. . . . For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the gospel which was preached by me. That it is not after man. For neither did I ^receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.” Gal. 1:8, 9, 11, 12. T HERE is a widely prevailing opin ion today, that what a man be lieves is not of any great import ance, but that how a man lives is the all-important matter. This is a very puerile fallacy, for it ioses sight of the all important and indisputable fact, that how a man lives is determined by what a man believes. As a man thinketh in his heart, as a man really believes, so he is. (Prov. 23:7). .Qur real thoughts, our actual beliefs, determine our con duct, they determine our character, they determine our life and they determine our eternity. To many men one Gospel is as good as another, as long as in any sense it can be called a Gospel. Indeed there is much today that is called a “ Gospel” that is in no rational sense a Gospel at all. For example, we hear much about “ the Gospel of Social Ser vice.” Now beyond a question, social service is important, but it is not a Gos pel, and any one who calls it a “ Gospel” uses words in a very careless and en tirely unwarranted sense. But many of the so-called Gospels, indeed all of, the Gospels except the Gospel that Paul taught, are, as he says in thè verse which immediately precedes our text, not a Gospel at all, but, to use his own words, “ Which is not another gospel: only there are some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” They are not gospels, though they pre tend to be, they are simply attempts to pervert the one real gospel, “ the gospel of Christ.” Paul did not think one Gospel was as good as another. He was too clear and logical a thinker, to
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right; if he denies any one of the seven he is all wrong he is preaching another gospel than Paul preached and does not deserve fellowship; indeed to give him fellowship js to become partaker of his evil deeds, as John puts it in 2 John 10, 11,;“' “If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting: for he that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works.“ This is plain language, indeed it is severe language, but it is language that is inspired of Cod. What are these seven fundamental, cardinal points in the Gospel Paul taught? Reliability of the Bible X. The First Cardinal and Funda mental point in the Gospel that Paul taught, the first absolutely essential doctrine of the Christianity is, THE DIVINE ORIGIN AND ABSOLUTE RE LIABILITY OF THE BIBLE. As Paul puts it in 1 Thess. 2:13, the first epistle that he was inspired to write, “ For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.“ He puts it even more specifically and definitely in 1 Cor. 2:12, 13, where he says, “But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the -Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth,: combining spiritual things with spiritual words.“ Here Paul claims absolute inerrancy for his teaching, he claims that it is of divine origin and that the very words were taught of God. Regarding the Old Testament Scriptures, Paul in 2 Tim. 3:16, 17 says: “ Every Scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correc tion, for instruction which is in righteousness: That the man of God may he complete, furn ished completely unto every good work.“ Again he says in Rom. 3:1, 2: “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit of circumcision? Much every way: First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.“ The word translated oracles means utterances; so Paul taught that the Scriptures with which the Jews were entrusted, that is our present Old Testa ment, were “ the utterances of God.” This doctrine of the divine origin and
absolute reliability of the Bible is funda mental; in a way, it is more fundamental than any other doctrine. If a man is astray here, he is pretty sure to go astray some where else, before long. If a man is absolutely sound here, he is very likely to become sound every where else in course of time. Here is always the Devil’s first point, and chief point of attack. In Eden Satan first beguiled Eve by getting her to doubt God’s Word, and her yielding at this point led to all the awful tragedy fol lowing. In his assault upon our Lord in the wilderness, here was the Devil’s first point, and repeated point of attack. He approached our Lord with an if. God had said, “ Thou art my Son in whom I am well pleased,” Satan said, “ if thou art the Son of God,” etc. Our Lord Himself tells us in Luke 8:12, that when the seed of God’s Word is sown in men’s hearts in order'that it may be accepted and thus save them, “ THEN COMETH THE DEVIL AND TAKETH AWAY THE WORD FROM THEIR HEART, THAT THEY MAY NOT BE LIEVE AND BE SAVED.” The Devil knows there is saving power in the Word of God, in the words contained in the Bible; therefore his constant and persistent aim is to some how get the Word of God out of men’s hearts, to some how get men to discredit God’s Word. This is the real aim of the “ higher criticism.” It is not of course the conscious aim of all higher critics, but It is the aim of the Devil who is back of them, and whose unconscious but very effective servants they are. This is also the purpose of unbelief in all its forms. It is the purpose of the so-called ■“New Theology.” , It is all built upon not taking God’s Word as meaning what is really' says. The true gospel is the gospel that is taught in the Bible. It is taught in the Whole Bible, the Old Testament and the New, and when one begins to discount or discredit any part of the Bible, he has set out upon a course that will inevitably lead him into utter error and blackest mid night. The Divine origin and abso lute reliability of God’s revelation, was not only a fundamental point in Paul’s teaching, it was a fundamental point in the teaching of our Lord Himself. He taught that the Mosaic Scriptures were the Word of God. He said they were in so many words in Mark 7:13, as will be seen if we study the passage in the
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light of its context. He said also, that “ one jot or one tittle (one smallest letter or part of a letter)” should “ in no wise pass from” the revelation made by God to Moses “ until Heaven and earth pass away,” (Matt. 5:18). He taught that the Old Testament Scrip tures were absolutely irrefragable and ineri;ant, that “ the Scriptures cannot he broken” (Jno. 10:35). He taught that all things written in any one of the three recognized divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures, “ the law, the prophets and the Psalms,” our present Old Testament, must be fulfilled (Lk. 24:44). Put a peg down here, the first absolutely es sential doctrine of anything that has any right to be called a Christian faith, is that of the divine, origin and abso lute reliability of every part of the Bible. Deity of Christ II. The second fundamental and cardinal point in the Gospel that Paul taught, the second of the absolutely essential doctrines of the Christian faith, is THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRUE AND FULL DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST. Any gospel that makes Jesus of Naz areth anything less than God manifest in the flesh, anything less than a person who was possessed of all the attributes and perfections of God, anything less than a person who stands absolutely alone among the sons of men as a being worthy of the worship of angels and men and all created beings, is another gospel than the gospel that Paul preached, and is a false gospel, and has no right to term itself Christian. The doctrine of the absolute deity of Christ is found not only in specific statements in Paul’s writings, but is implied every where, and forms the very warp and woof of the system of truth that he taught. There is of course not time to go into detail, but in Phil. 2:6-11 he says of Christ Jesus, “Who, existing originally in the iorm of God, counted it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equality with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, bem gm adein th e likeness of men; and being found IN FASHION as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obed ient unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which name; THAT IN THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess \that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In Col. 2:9, he says,
“ In him (that is in Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” In Titus 2:13 In a correct translation of the passage, the translation of the English Revision, Paul says, “ Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of OUR GREAT GOD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST.” In Rom. 9:5 He says of Jesus, “ Who is over all, God blessed forever.” The Jesus Christ, the Saviour, of the gospel Paul preached was a person who was absolutely divine, who was “ over all, God blessed forever.” It is true that he was God manifest in the flesh, a God who humbled Himself and took upon Himself the fashion of a man, but He did not cease to be God. Jesus Christ made the same claim for Him self. He demanded that all men should honor Him “ even as they honored the Father” (John 5:22, 23). He said that he that had seen Him had seen the Father also (Jno. 14:9). He demanded that His disciples believe in Him even as they believed in the Father (Jno. 14:1). When Thomas fell at His feet and looked up into His face and said, “ My Lord and my God,” He accepted this ascription of deity, commended Thomas for seeing it at last, but gently reproved him for not seeing it sooner (Jno. 20:28, 29). Any gospel that pre sents to us a Saviour who is anything less than very God of very God, or presents to us any other person than Jesus of Nazareth as divine Saviour, is another gospel than the one Paul preached, another gospel than the one true gospel, it belongs to another system o f doctrine than Christian doctrine. Both the doctrine of the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of the divine origin and absolute reliability of the Bible involve the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of our Lord. You cannot discredit the Virgin Birth of our Lord without discrediting the Bible, and you cannot deny the Virgin Birth of our Lord without clouding His deity, so belief in the Virgin Birth of our Lord is abso lutely essential to a truly Christian faith. Substitutionary Atonement III. The third essential doctrine of the Christian faith, is that JESUS CHRIST DIED ON CALVARY AS A REPRESENTATIVE, AND AS A SUB STITUTE FOR SINFUL MAN, AND THAT THERE IS REMISSION OF SINS
THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S FOR REPENTANT AND BELIEVING MEN ONLY ON THE GROUND OF HIS SHED BLOOD. In the careful definition that Paul himself gives in 1 Cor. 15:1-4 of the gospel that he preached, he says: “Now 1 make known unto you, brethren, the Gospel which 1 preached unto you . . . For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according: to the Scriptures.” He says again in Gal. 3:13, the epistle from which we not only get our text, but which is entirely given up to a detailed description and definition of the gospel. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: For it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” And he says in 2 Cor. 5:21, “Him who knew no sin (that is Jesus Christ) He (that is God the Father) made to be sin on our behalf: That we might become the righteous ness of God in him.” He says in Rom. 5:10, “We were reconciled to God THROUGH THE DEATH of His Son.” We do not need to multiply quota tions. There can be no doubt that the gospel that Paul preached was that Jesus Christ died as a substitute for us sinners, and that it is on the ground of His atoning death, on the ground of the shedding of His blood, and on that ground alone, that there is pardori and salvation for us. Jesus Christ is, ac cording to Paul’s doctrine, our Pass- over Lamb. As he himself puts it in 1 Cor. 5:7, “ CHRIST OUR PASSOVER IS SACRIFICED FOR US,” that is to say, it is on the ground of His shed blood that God passes over and spares those who believe on Him. Any Gospel that leaves out the teaching that Jesus Christ’s death was in the fullest sense substitutionary and vicarious, that is that He u righteous one who deserved to live, died in place of us guilty sinners who deserved to die, is a radically dif ferent gospel from the one Paul preached, and is utterly unchristian, thoroughly unsound and untrue, and will lead to perdition any one who ac cepts it, and the one who preaches it, no matter with how much skill of rhe toric and elegance of delivery he preaches it, deserves not to be com mended and listened to, but to be “ anathema.” This doctrine of the sub stitutionary character of Christ’s death, of course involves the doctrine that all men are sinners and hopelessly lost, so
255 hopelessly lost that they can only be saved by the atoning death of one who was both God and man in one person. Literal Resurrection IV. The fourth essential and cardi nal point in the Gospel Paul preached, is the doctrine of THE ACTUAL AND LITERAL RESURRECTION OF THE BODY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AFTER HIS DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY. In the passage to which we referred in the preceeding division is a passage in which Paul gives a careful definition of the Gospel he preached, after having said, (1 Cor. 15:1-4), “For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” “And that he was buried and that HE HATH BEEN RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY according to the Scriptures Paul here says that the two central points of his gospel were, first, The atoning death of Jesus Christ, and sec ond, the literal raising from the dead of that body which had been “ buried.” There is no point in Christian doctrine that Satan is attacking more vigorously and more persistently today, than the actual, literal resurrection of Jesus Chrijst, (from the dead. Many, very many, even in supposedly orthodox pul pits deny or question the actual and literal resurrection of the body of Jesus Christ from the dead. They say that they “ believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” but oftentimes if you question them closely, what they really believe in is the resurrection of His spirit, or some even go so far as to say the resurrection of the Christ Spirit, in man being made Christlike today. But it was no such resurrection as this that Paul taught, indeed that would be no resurrection. That which is raised, must be that which fell down, and it was the body of Jesus which fell down, not His spirit, and it was the body of Jesus that was raised. Paul devotes, the entire fifteenth chapter of 1st Corin thians to an insistence upon and exposi tion of the truth of the resurrection of the body of Jesus. So fundamental and so cardinal was the truth of the resurrection of the body of Jesus Christ in the mind of Paul that he says, . “ If Christ hath not heen raised, then is our preaching: vain, and your faith also is vain.” 1 Cor. IS:14. Take away the resurrection of Jesus Christ and we have no Christianity left. Paiil says that the only doctrine a man
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