Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

While Jesus was teaching regarding God’s concern for our welfare (the very hairs of our head are numbered, Lk. 12:67), a man came to him saying, “Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me” (12:13). Jesus refused the role of judge or divider of inheritances and then warned, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (12:15).

Being overly concerned about material things was a danger in Jesus’ day and is still a danger today. The Christian living in America in the twentieth century who is not alert to the threat of materialism to his soul is not aware of the devices of the devil. We have lived in a prosperous time; we have accumulated many possessions. The warning which God gave through Moses is relevant today: “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the, Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God …. lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein: and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God . . .” (Deut. 8:10-14).

Jesus warned about the danger of “covetousness.” The word pleonexia means “striving for material possessions” or “greedy desire for more.” He gave the following parable to illustrate the danger:

The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Lk. 12:16-21).

“There are not many places in the Bible where God calls people fools, so the fact that He singles out a preoccupation with things as folly is striking. In the Old Testament the man who says there is no God, that is, the atheist, is called a fool (Psa. 14: 1; 53: 1). So if that rich materialist is called a fool, it puts him right up there in the company of the God-deniers. In fact, there is an obvious connection, for regardless of his intellectual opinions, the man who operates like the fool of Christ’s parable is a practical atheist after all” (James Montgomery Boice, The Parable of Jesus, pp. 104-105).

Lessons From The Parable

There are several lessons which we can learn from this parable which have application to us.

1. The Sin of Misusing Wealth. Some apparently have the idea that being rich is sinful and being poor is virtuous. That is not taught in the Bible. As a matter of fact, some of the Lord’s most faithful servants were rich, such as Abraham and Job. The Lord gives man the power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18). “Both riches and honor come of thee . . .” (1 Chron. 29:12). Being wealthy is not a sin.

Like any other gift from God, wealth is to be used in His service. Through wealth, one can lay up treasures in heaven (Lk. 12:33; 1 Tim. 6:17-19). He does this by helping the needy, supporting the gospel, providing for his family, and other things. Most of us never think of additional wealth being a tool for doing additional good for others (cf. Eph. 4:28). Like the rich man, we think only of what things we can do for ourselves when our wealth increases. We think, “I can buy a bigger house, a new car, new furniture, new clothes, put it in a savings account, etc.” This parable was designed as a warning to the man who is laying up “treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (12:21). This conduct will only lead to eternal damnation.

Wealth has a tendency to entangle us. “Wealth tends to trap us into self-absorption, materialism, and insensitivity to others – just as sin entraps us” (Boice, op. cit., p. 105). It had done this for the rich man. When his wealth increased, he thought only of himself. In his sixty-one recorded words, eleven referred to himself (“I” and “my”). He was wrapped up in himself. He reminds us of what William Barclay related: “It was said of a self-centered young lady, ‘Edith lived in a little world, bounded on the north, south, east and west by ‘Edith'” (The Gospel of Luke, p. 168).

Augustine observed that when the rich man’s goods increased, he thought only of himself and not of how he might help others. Instead of tearing down his barns and building larger barns he should have helped others. He wrote, “Thou hast barns – the bosoms of the needy, the houses of widows, the mouths of orphans and of infants” (William Taylor, Parables Of Our Savior, p. 268).

Hence, this rich man ignored the fact that his wealth was a stewardship from God. He failed to consider that he must give account of how he used his wealth in God’s service.

2. He Thought Possessions Would Bring Pleasure. This rich man made the mistake which many rich and many who desire to be rich make. They think that things will make them happy. The richest man in the world, King Solomon, testified that riches do not bring happiness (Eccl. 2:3-11). Our limited experiences with the things which money can buy have confirmed this. “The Romans had a proverb which said that money was like sea-water; the more a man drank the thirstier he became” (Barclay, op. cit., p. 168).

How many times have you thought, “If I could just buy . . ., I would be happy”? I remember thinking, “If I could just buy this new car, I would be happy.” Finally, I bought my new car. And I was happy – for about six months. After that, I had 42 months to keep paying on a car which no longer made me happy. There is always something else, just outside our financial reach, which we think will make us happy. The nature of such things is that they only provide temporary satisfaction (Eccl. 1:8).

Some poet wrote,

We squander out health in search of wealth,

We toil, we sweat, we save.

Then we squander our wealth in search of health

And only find the grave.

3. He Forgot That He Must Leave His Possessions To Others. James Montgomery Boice made the following observation regarding the kind of reasoning which the Lord used with the rich fool:

I said as I began the parables of wisdom and folly that our Lord characteristically appealed to self-interest. I think, however, that of all such appeals there is none that presents the issue on such a low level as does this parable. Think of it. It is the story of a dying man, a man leaving this world to spend an eternity in bell without God. In such circumstances Jesus could well have argued, “Consider what you have gained in terms of what you are losing. Compare your present pleasures with your future deprivation and suffering.” He could have said, “Weigh the value of your soul over against your possessions.” But that is not what He said. He knew the man had no regard for such things. He did not value his soul. So the Lord comes down to the level on which he is operating and talks about his possessions only. His argument is, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? The one thing that might possibly get through to such a man was the thought of someone else enjoying what he had spent his life to gain. Think of that, if nothing else will move you. The Spanish have a grim proverb: “there are no pockets in a shroud” (op. cit., pp. 107-108).

Some of us need to give thought to Jesus’ question, “Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” We have worked hard and saved. Death is just around the comer for more of us than we realize. What will become of our possessions? Some leave all of thei ‘ r possessions to some relative who has absolutely no love for the Lord. He will use what they have worked hard to earn in carousing, riotous living, and other forms of ungodliness. Even if it is not used to support immoral conduct, their wealth still will not be used for carrying on the Lord’s work.

Some need to give thought to some things to which they can leave their possessions which will exalt the Lord’s will i Some could leave a sizable estate to support gospel preaching. Some could leave money to erect a church building. Some could leave money to publish religious tracts, books, and literature. Some could provide an education in a good, wholesome environment for some child who needs that environment to resist sin’s temptation. Surely we should give thought to what we are going to do with our inheritances. We are stewards of this world’s goods.

4. He Forgot That Death Might Be Near. The rich man thought, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (12:19). The Lord said, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee” (12:20). Needless to say, it was “this night” and not “many years.” Many of us are thinking “many years” while the Lord might be thinking “this night.” The day of preparation will soon be over for each of us. What then? Each of us needs to make preparation for eternity. Do not postpone obedience to the Lord for we have no guarantee that we will have a tomorrow.

Conclusion

Each of us can profit from Jesus, parable. The danger in reading such a parable is that we make application of it to someone else instead of to oneself. After all, how many of us have torn down our barns to build larger barns lately? I would like to paraphrase the parable to make the parable more compatible with twentieth century living.

The labor union of a certain company went on strike for higher wages. After several weeks of bargaining, the company agreed to give all of its employees a $1.00 per hour wage increase, more medical benefits, more vacation time and paid absences, and a larger retirement package. In addition to this, the company offered matching funds in stock purchases and profit sharing. Discussion was given to a four-day work week and twenty-five-years-and-out retirement program.

A certain employee who was a member of the labor union went home to his wife and announced his newly acquired wage package. Together they considered this new wage package and said, “What shall we do? We have no more room in this house for new furniture and a second car.” They thought within themselves, saying, “This we will do. We will sell our present dwelling for a nice profit and buy a larger house. There will we place all of our new furniture, new drapes, new television set with video recorder, and two car garage with automatic garage door opener in which we can park our new cars. And we will say to our souls, ‘Souls, you have nice place with nice furnishings in which to live for many years. Take thine case. Eat steak, potatoes, and salad. Drink Pepsi and Diet Coke. Be merry.”‘

But God said unto him, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall this new house be? Who will watch your new television set with remote control and use your new video recorder? Who will drive your new cars and park them in your two-car garage with garage door opener? Who will eat your steak, potatoes, and salad? Who will drink your Pepsi and Diet Coke?

“So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 8, pp. 226, 246-247
April 19, 1984

By Bill Cavender

“And when Eau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beerl the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: and they were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah …. And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Beth: If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Beth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother …. So Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddanarem, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take 2 wife of the daughters of Canaan; and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddanamm: and Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; and Esau went unto Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mabalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaloth, to be his wife” (Genesis 26:34-35; 27:46; 28:1-9).

I suppose parents who are sincere Christians have six basic desires regarding their children: (1) that they be healthy, both mentally and physically; (2) that they grow up to obey Jesus Christ, to be true to God and the church all their lives; (3) that they marry loyal and true children of God, Christians; (4) that they engage in an honorable occupation for their livelihood; (5) that they be a blessing to themselves, their families, the church and the world all their lives; (6) that they be prepared to die, to face Jesus in the Judgment Day successfully, and to inherit God’s wonderful promise of eternal life in heaven. I know that these matters are what my own wife and I have thought of, hoped for, taught, and prayed most about regarding our children from the days of their births until the days they left home to go out into the world to be on their own. And our daily hopes and prayers for them and their families are still regarding these same matters.

Nothing is more heart-rending, spirit-breaking, discouraging and hurtful to godly parents than to see their children grow up to be disobedient to God, to turn their backs on Christ, to marry unwisely and unscripturally, to engage in dishonorable occupations, to be a curse and a hindrance to the world and to the church, and then to lose their souls for all eternity in the devil’s hell (Matt. 25:41). Tragic, indeed, are the tears, toils and trials of parents who tried, yet still lose a child or children to the devil and to sin. Marrying unwisely, marrying someone who is not of the faith, marrying someone who has no scriptural right to marry, marrying someone who is not compatible with the ideals, faith, works, life and hopes of a child of God is one of the common mistakes made, especially of the young, which leads to the loss of spiritual interests and values, and finally to the loss of the soul forever and ever (Matt. 25:46).

We can learn some good lessons regarding the marriages of Esau. He had godly parents (although they evidently made some mistakes in showing partiality to their children, being willing to deceive one another as Rebecca did Isaac), was circumcised the eighth day, was reared under religious influences (belief in God, worship and sacrifices), yet despised his birthright and blessing, was a profane man, and married very wrongly and unwisely. We see:

(1) He married Hittite women, heathens of Canaan who were generally immoral in conduct and worshipers of idols and demons. His own character and spiritual stature were demonstrated by the type of women he desired and married. Birds of a feather flock together. They did then and they do now. A man is still judged by the company he keeps, including women he dates and marries (and vice versa, women are judged by the company they keep, date and marry). Evil companions still corrupt good morals (1 Cor. 15:33).

(2) He did not consider his parents. Most young people do not. They do as Esau did. They do not realize their own families will be constantly intermingled and involved with those whom they marry. Esau’s wives were ” a grief of mind” (“bitterness of spirit”) to Isaac and Rebekah: “a standing grief, not only because of their heathen descent, but also because of their uncongenial tempers. They brought only trouble into the family” (Jacobus). These ungodly women would not change, and Isaac and Rebekah could not. Esau married out of the faith. Grief and sorrow, not happiness, resulted.

(3) Isaac and Rebekah hoped to avoid in Jacob the marriage mistakes Esau had made. Probably about age 57 to 77, they sent him away from home, away from heathen Canaan, away from heathen women if possible, to be among their kinsmen who were believers in God. Chances of successful, happy marriages are greatly increased the more Christians associate with other true believers. In homes, churches, communities and schools, our young people need to be with other Christians. Money spent by wise and discerning parents to keep their children in an environment and association of true believers is some of the best money we can spend. Faith, godliness, godly companions and marriages to true believers are worth more money than any of us will ever have and are eternal values, not reckoned nor counted in silver and gold, dollars and cents.

(4) Jacob obeyed his parents – Children should do that for it is God’s will (Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:1-3). They will be blessed if they do. Even someone as old as Jacob was when he left home is wise to listen to the counsel of loving, experienced, aged parents. Jacob’s wives were believers. Although the tragic, terrible practice and custom of polygamy prevailed, still Jacob was not plagued with wives who were heathens. His marriages were better than Esau’s.

(5) Esau married a third wife. She was of Ishmael’s family, Isaac’s half-brother. Why Esau did this is not clear. Whether it was to please his parents after he had so displeased and hurt them the other times, or whether he belatedly sought to ingratiate himself with his parents, or whether he was sincerely trying to do better and right, cannot be determined for sure. But the harm was done. He could not turn back. He could not undo the past. Bad marriages last forever: if not in fact, they do in influence. They are generally disastrous to life, happiness, good and salvation. Do not ruin now and forever the only life God gives you by entering into a unwise, unscriptural marriage.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 9, pp. 225, 248
April 19, 1984

By William C. Sexton

A parable of the Lord which is peculiar to Mark’s gospel is that of the seed! We would do well, if we would look carefully at this parable relative to the growth of God’s kingdom. Let us think on two levels! how the individual is gained for the rule of Christ and how the ruled people work to build up a group who will submit to His Rule!

Jesus said,

So is the kingdom of God, as if a man cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come (Mk. 4:26-29).

There are a number of significant points made in this parable, which we should be conscious of as we operate under the authority of Christ. We should observe these principles as we seek to grow, as well as observe them as we seek to help others to enter and develop in the kingdom of God.

1. Seed is essential to provide kingdom-citizens! This fact is stated clearly in many places and it is illustrated here, as parables illustrate principles established elsewhere.

Man may sow seed, but the germ of life resides within the seed, producing after its kind. One will never sow one kind of seed and reap fruit of another kind; the plant is determined by the seed. The seed of the kingdom is the word of God (Lk. 8:11). Therefore, the seed is indispensable, if kingdom-citizens are to be made.

Many people fail to accept this principle, thinking that God operates independently of His revealed word. However, just as surely as night follows day, one will not find a Christian where the seed, the word of God, has not been planted ‘ Let us be aware of this fact and see the implications of it. (1) If we wish to grow, as citizens in the kingdom, we must have planted in our mind the word of God. (2) If we wish to gain others and bring them into the kingdom, we must be careful and sure to present to them the pure seed, unmixed with our ideology, etc.

2. Mystery in the Seed. None of us can explain why a seed placed in the ground, provided proper moisture, conditions, etc. will in time sprout, spring forth in a plant. However’ we have all observed that such is the case. God, the Creator’ has placed the life in the seed. Such is the way things are! We have no plants which are not so produced.

The principles that are operative in the plant and animal kingdom are also operating here. We need to see that such is true, and conclude “no planting, no harvest.” The kind of seed planted will determine the kind of fruit that can be expected, if indeed fruit is produced. The Word of God produces faith (Rom. 10: 17; Jn. 20:30-31). Faith produces movement to obey the words, the requirements set forth therein (Rom. 6:16-18; Heb. 5:8-9). Repentance is a demand of “all” men everywhere (Acts 17:30-31). Confession is produced by the person whose faith leads him to repent, because Jesus points to the necessity of such (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10). Baptism is the last of these steps in one’s movement toward salvation in Christ, which bring about the establishment of the relationship (Rom. 6:3-4).

Why such things are required, man does not know, except as we observe what happened in the New Testament (Acts 2:22-41; Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). We see that these are acts produced by the word working in the heart of persons. Christ promises that sin is forgiven at this point. Faith moves one to so act. What about you, friend? Have you allowed the seed to enter the ground (your heart)? Has it produced the plant (baptized person by faith)? Are you growing?

3. The progress is orderly! First the blade, then the ear, and finally the grain is produced. One will not become a citizen of the Kingdom, except in an orderly fashion: Seed planted, time to germinate, plant springing up – one coming in faith, obeying, because he understands that such is required of God.

Likewise, growth doesn’t just happen! People begin to put off the old man and put on the new man. Daily, one has to consciously watch his language (Eph. 4:29), do that which is good (Eph. 4:28), and put away all unclean behavior. He has to allow Christ to be the “ample (1 Pet. 2:21-25).

One will not find himself automatically doing all that should be done or automatically leaving undone the inappropriate. Instead, one will find that he is missing the mark. Immediately, confession, repentance and prayer to God is in order (Acts 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9). Moving on, growing by study and practice (Heb. 5:11-6:1ff) is essential for the kingdom-citizen.

4. Congregational Development. Just as the growth of kingdom-citizens is orderly and gradual, so is the growth of a congregation of those ciiizens in a community. The citizen must meet regularly, with the God-ordained practices of worship, teaching the pure word of God, and encouraging godly living. Such must take advantage of the many methods of evangelism available to them. Individually and collectivly a demonstration must be made of the power in the gospel message to change peoples’ lives.

The faithful must be consistently patient, ever standing for the right and opposed to the wrong! Honesty must characterize them – individually and collectively. Spirituality must be “first” in the order of business in the life of the individual and the group in all that they do. Fruit isn’t reaped the next day after the planting takes place. Cultivation, watering, and waiting are all necessary to produce the fruit (1 Cor. 3:6-10).

Each group, that is under the head-ship of Christ, will take care of its own inter-group functioning, according to God’s instruction. Then they will reach out with the gospel message to others. Many groups go astray today because they reach out with something other than the seed. When the fruits are ready for picking, the taste has changed, because another seed was sown. Beloved, a congregation of God’s people has to get its life from Christ. His blood flows only to those who are connected by way of having been born into that family and then continued by correcting the faults in which one finds himself involved (Acts 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9). A congregation which offers fellowship on any basis other than that approved by Christ through His word, is sowing seed other than that of the kingdom of God.

Beloved all growth is not healthy, desirable, and Godapproved. Are we mindful of,these principles of growth set forth by the Master in this parable? Let us be careful observers, faithful practitioners, optimistic activitists involved in the growth of the kingdom of God on both the personal, as well as the group, level. The results will be eternal in duration and spiritual in nature.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 7, pp. 209-210
April 5, 1984

By J.W. McGarvey

In addition to Biblical works of the kind just mentioned, the preacher should also study works on the Evidences of Christianity. It is no reproach to a man of little education and poor opportunities for study, that he believes in the divine authority of the Bible, not because he has made a special study of its evidences, but because he has been educated to this belief. The value of faith is determined, not by the source whence it is obtained, but by the effect which it has on our lives. Of the preacher, however, more than to his is rightly expected. He should know for his own sake, and in order that he may teach it to others and defend it when attacked, the line of evidence which supports our faith.

The exhaustive study of evidences is a lifetime work. The books on the subject are numbered by the hundred. Some of the questions involved are exceedingly intricate, requiring much learning and research for their solution; new questions are constantly arising, and the line of defense, as a consequence, is ever changing. Only the few who are possessed of learning, leisure, and libraries, can explore the entire field. But there is, and from the nature of the case there must be, a fixed line of positive evidence on which the faith has always rested, and on which it must continue to rest to the end of time. With this every preacher should endeavor to make himself familiar; and he will find that, in the main, it is simple and very direct.

It is better, when practicable, to begin the investigation of questions in dispute with some fact admitted by all parties, so that all may start from common ground. This rule would suggest as the very first question in a course of study in Evidences, the inquiry whether the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures, which we now have in hand, as all parties to the controversy know, have been so preserved from the date of their composition as to be substantially the same that they were originally. If it cannot be made to appear that they are, the investigation need not go any farther; for what is the use of spending time to prove the divine origin of an ancient book if no reliable copy of it has been preserved to us? The study, then, of the state of the Greek and Hebrew text, by the aid of works on Biblical Criticism, is the first task before the student of Evidences. But though first in logical order, it is the last in the order of actual development. Biblical Criticism cannot yet be called a completed science; for, while it has almost completed its task on the New Testament, it has done comparatively little on the Old. Still, enough has been done to assure the student that in the whole New Testament, with well defined exceptions of brief passages and single words on which we can place our ringers, we have the very words and syllables which were penned by the inspired writers. The number of those yet doubtful is rapidly diminishing under the hands of the critics, and none of them leaves doubtful any matter of doctrine or duty. The best works to study on this subject, taken in the order in which I name them, are the History of the Printed Text by Tregelles, Scrivener’s Introduction to the Critical Study of the New Testament, and the Appendix to Westcott & Hort’s Edition of the Greek Testament.

Having satisfied ourselves that the New Testament books have come down to us without material change, we must next inquire when and by whom these books were written. Were they written by the authors to whom they are commonly accredited, or are they spurious compositions of a later date? It is idle to inquire into the inspiration of the authors until we know who the authors were. On this subject, commonly known under the title of the Canon of the New Testament, the preacher will find much valuable information in the introductions to the various books in his Commentaries, and he will find similar information in his Bible Dictionary. After mastering these he is prepared to study appreciatively Westcott’s work on the Canon, the most masterly work on the subject now extant in the English language. He will find, also, nearer home, in Prof. Fisher’s Supernatural Origin of the Bible, and Ezra Abbott’s small work on the Genuineness of the Gospel of John, some special arguments of very great value.

Having traced the New Testament books to their reputed authors, we next inquire what evidence these books furnish, apart from their claim to inspiration, in favor of the divinity of Christ. This depends upon their authenticity. If their statement in matters of fact are reliable, including what they say of the miraculous, then, whatever may be the qualifications of the writers in other particulars, the claims of our Redeemer are established, and the Christian religion is proved to be of divine origin and authority. This question is treated here and there, in connection with particular passages, throughout all the good Commentaries, and there are several most excellent works devoted entirely to its discussion. Of these I may mention, as among the most valuable, Blunt’s Coincidences Paley’s Horae Paulinae, and Rawlinson’s Historical Evidences.

But when we have proved that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, our task is not yet completed. However true the claims of Jesus, and however truly and authoritatively he spoke, unless we have a reliable account of his teaching, we know not how to avail ourselves of the blessings which it offered to the world. Moreover, a very large part of the teaching found in the New Testament came not from him, but from the pens of his disciples, and unless they possessed some qualification for speaking with authority in matters spiritual and eternal, we are thrown back at least upon our own fallible judgment to decide what is right and true. This makes it necessary that we next inquire whether or not these writers were inspired, and to what extent their inspiration guarded them against error. If when writing they were miraculously inspired of God, then all that they have written is infallibly true; if not, then every man is left to judge for himself when they speak the truth and when they do not.

While almost any work on the general subject of evidences that you make take up, and every valuable Commentary, contains proofs of some kind is conceded to them even by many extreme rationalists, I am not able to name a work which, in my judgment, contains a thoroughly satisfactory discussion of the nature and extent of inspiration. It is purely a Biblical question, to be determined by statements of the Scriptures themselves. As a brief outline of a course of study on the subject, I recommend that we inquire first of all, what Jesus promised his disciples in the way of inspiration. Examine these promises with the utmost care so as to determine with the greatest possible precision what they mean. Secondly, let us examine with equal care what the Apostles claim to have realized in fulfillment of these promises. Thirdly, consider the bearing of all facts recorded which tend in any way to modify the promises and the statements concerning their fulfillment, and let these have due weight in forming our final conclusions. In this way alone, it seems to me, can an adequate theory of inspiration be evolved, and in this way every man of fair scholarship and sound judgment can safely prosecute the inquiry. I commend it to my brethren in the ministry as one of the most important inquiries which can in this age engage their attention. There is no other question on which the minds of preachers are now more unsettled, and there is none on which it is more important that we have settled convictions. If a man fall into doubt concerning the inspiration of the sacred writers, though his faith may appear to live, it is dead – it is rotten at the core.

At the close of this series of inquiries, the student of evidences is ready to gather up and appreciate a multitude of collateral and of independent arguments which are scattered through the books on the subject, and he is also ready to enter upon the consideration of all objections and of all arguments on the other side which he shall not have encountered already. In regard to the latter, I have a suggestion to submit, which may be dignified by the title of a rule to govern our readings in evidences. Never read an attack on the Bible at a given point until the Bible at the point of attack is understood, and its evidences known. Of course, you may stumble upon some attack, or you may look into a work, or listen to a lecture, for the purpose of ascertaining what attack is made. But when a book is within your reach which you know contains an attack on a particular part of the Bible or on a particular line of its evidence, never read that book until you have made yourself acquainted with that which it attacks. This is but a maxim of common sense, and its observance is necessary to fairness. It is enforced in courts of justice and in all properly conducted discussions. The evidence which the plaintiff can furnish in support of his claims is always heard before that of the defendant who attacks his claim; and in criminal cases, the only reason why the accuser is heard first, is because he claims that a crime has been committed by the defendant, and the evidence in support of his claim must be first heard. In public discussions, no one hears the negative until after he has heard the affirmative. If you listen to unfriendly representations of a person before you are acquainted with him, you may be prejudiced against one whom you would otherwise highly esteem; and if you hear unfavorable statements concerning a book which you have never read, you can scarcely do justice to it when you read it. So it is with the Bible. Thousands of unbelievers owe their unbelief to the fact that they have listened to the negative in the discussion concerning its claims, before they have heard and understood the affirmative. No grosser injustice could they have perpetrated against their own minds or the Bible.

Before leaving this general division of my subject, I must add a suggestion in regard to the reading of general literature. It has been truly said that there is no department of knowledge which the preacher cannot make subservient to his high calling; yet there is a limit to the possibilities of acquisition, and he who limits his efforts at acquisition to that which will do him the best service is the one who studies most wisely. As a rule, an earnest preacher’s knowledge of general literature is confined chiefly to what he acquires before he enters fully upon his life work; for after this, literature belonging to his special department is so urgent in its demands and so enormous in quantity, that if he does it justice it will absorb, all of his time. Still, there are hours of relaxation in, which a brief excursion into neighboring fields is refreshing to the student and from it he will usually bring back some valuable spoils.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 7, pp. 201, 217
April 5, 1984