question: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” “ And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism” (Acts 19:2, 3). Let us pause here to note that their very answer to Paul’s question shows that they were on Old Testament ground, as Paul himself goes on to state in verses 4-6. When Paul explained to them that they had to believe in the Christ whom John preached, then “ they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And . . . the Holy Ghost came on them” (Acts 19:5,6). Up until this time, they were not believers in the New Testa ment sense at all. They had been look ing forward to a work which they ex pected God to do for them, being ig norant of the fact that He had already finished that work on Calvary. They admitted that they knew nothing of the meaning of Calvary—till Paul explained it to them. A teacher in our Sunday school says we should not teach children the Ten Commandments, . because we are not under the law, but under grace. What is your opinion? It is a serious mistake to make such a statement, for “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc tion, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). I think, however, that I know what this teacher meant. Let us approach the question from her point of view. Very often children, and older peo ple too, are taught that they must keep the Ten Commandments, in order to be saved. That is legalism, and no man was ever saved by keeping the law. It is God’s holy standard, “our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” ; for “ by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law reveals to us the holiness of God and the utter inability of man to keep it in his own strength—or to keep it at all, for that matter. Now we know that Christ was “ born under the law,” and that He kept it absolutely, perfectly, because in Him was no sin at all. We know also that He kept it for us; and that by His finished work on the cross, we are saved. God sees us identified with Christ. We are justified; God’s holy law is vindicated and magnified. We are no longer under
the law, but under grace. The law is exacting. The law is stern. And the pen alty for breaking it is death. We should emphasize the grace of God, making children and older people see first of all the great love of God in Christ unto salvation. But, on the other hand, we should teach them the Ten Command ments to show them God’s holy stand ard, to show what our Lord did for us in keeping the law, and in delivering us from the curse of the law. Moreover, the Ten Commandments have a restrain ing influence on anyone who will read them. And, finally, “ the great command ment,” which sums up the law, is “ the law of love” ; “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . and thy neighbour as thyself.” I believe unequivocally in the state ment in Second P e ter 1:21, “ The p roph ecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” There are many other unmis takable evidences that our Bible is di vinely inspired. Our Lord Jesus Christ testified to the divine origin of the Old Testament in quoting it on a number of occasions, and by using it to refute the temptation of the devil. His word is final! The apostles also quoted from it freely, believed it and preached it. They testified to the inspiration of the New Testament. (Read 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21.) Let us think now of the ful filled prophecies—and they are legion— and they prove beyond all doubt that the Old Testament foretold the message of the New, and the New quotes and fulfills the Old. Add to these evidences the power of the living Word to regenerate and change the heart and the life which is unmistakable proof of its divine in spiration. Then let us think of the mar velous unity of the Book, written over a period of thousands of years, by dif ferent human instruments of varying degrees of education, in different lan guages, and in different styles of writing. Such circumstances as these would ordinarily make for anything but unity, and yet we have this one wonder ful Book, with one message, telling the story of the one and only Saviour of men. Do you believe in the divine inspira tion of the Bible? It puzzles me to un derstand how it was compiled.
Dr. Louis T. Talbot
When will Philippians 2: 10, 11 he fulfilled—“ That at the name of Jesus every knee should how, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” ? When Christ comes to rule in His glory, during the millennium, this con dition will prevail, but in the case of many unsaved nations, bowing the knee and confessing the Lordship of Christ will be enforced by Him who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. However, after the millennial reign is over, and the great white throne judgment has taken place, and the eternal ages begin, there will be no enemies of Christ left, for they will have found their place in the lake of fire, and so all who remain will bow the knee and confess the name of Jesus forever and forever in love for Him who redeemed them by His own precious blood. If believers receive the Holy Spirit at conversion, as many teach, why did Paul ask certain disciples at Ephesus, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” (Acts 19:2.) The Scriptures clearly teach that a believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit when he believes. Galatians plainly speaks, “And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” One becomes a son of God when he be lieves on the Lord Jesus Christ as John 1:12 definitely states: “ As many as re ceived him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” “ Because ye are sons”—not because of anything else —“ God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” Now for your question, let us examine Acts 19:1-7 carefully. Here we read of a company of men to whom Paul puts the
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