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Peter Wade.
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The God of Detail(Part 3) by F.E. Marsh
There arc certain claims the Scriptures make, and requirements for which they call.
The first requirement is, The Recognition of the Bible being Inspired. The claim of the Book is, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (II Timothy 3:16). Scripture means sacred writing. When we claim the Scripture is inspired we do not mean translations. Translators have made mistakes. We mean the original Scripture was the product of the Holy Spirit, and not the evolution of man's thought. "Inspired of God" means "God-breathed," or "God breathing." The late Dr. Bishop, of America, once said, in speaking of the Bible itself being the greatest proof of its Divine origin, "The Scriptures are their own self evidence. We take the ground, the sun needs no critic -- truth no diving bell. When the sun shines, He shines the sun. When God speaks, His evidence is in the accent of His words."
Throwing overboard all theories about inspiration, we must accept the fact of it. The contents of the Book prove Him Who wrote it, and the words are "Words which the Holy Ghost teacheth" (I Corinthians 2:13) Even those who have been tinged with modernism have to own there is that which is Divine. The late Archdeacon Farrer acknowledged "There are over a million and a quarter words in the New Testament and only about 1,300 of which are considered doubtful words. There are 17,000 in Matthew, and on a rough calculation only 17 of these are doubtful, leaving, 16,983 absolutely genuine words. In Matthew 24 there are 830 words in Greek, and only 5 of these are disputed words, thus leaving 825 words, respecting which there is little room for dispute or difference of opinion"; and the same writer affirms, "No disputed word is so vitally important, as to destroy the sense of Scripture." Another critic owned to his students, "Take all we can away, there still remains the fact, it is the only message that meets human need."
As the greatest evidence of Christianity is the Christ, so the greatest proof of the Bible is the Bible.
The second requirement is, we must have spiritual life to have the capacity to understand the Book. Illumination within is essential to comprehend the inspired Book without. We need eyes to see the sun, to see the sun that shines. Caroline Fry, out of her personal experience, was able to pen this testimony: "The Scriptures are good for me in sadness, for they are full of encouragement; good for me in doubt, for they are full of promise; good for me in carelessness, for they are full of warning; good for me in contrition for they are full of mercy; nay, they are good for me in any case, for they are full of Jesus." When we know Him in faith, we receive spiritual life, and then we find we need His Word that the life may be nourished.
The third requirement is a spiritual condition in the saint to understand the spiritual Book. For that spiritual Book is for a spiritual people to develop their spiritual life. Paul had to say to the unspiritual Christians in Corinth, that they were carnal, hence he had to remind them, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (I Corinthians 2:9,10). There is a minute form of life, called a Rotifer, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, but when the drop of muddy water, which is the world in which it lives, is placed under a microscope and a powerful light is turned upon it, the Rotifer is seen to be a perfect form of life, and is so transparent that its heart can be seen beating. As that minute form of life can be seen by means of the illuminated microscope, so as we walk in fellowship with God, He reveals His secrets to us, as He did to Moses, "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel " (Psalm 103:7). They only knew His ways by His acts, but Moses knew God's ways before He acted.
The fourth requirement is, we need to see the Christ in the Book, to understand the Book of which the Christ speaks. We read of the disciples more than once, that not knowing the Scriptures, they did not understand the words and acts of Christ (John 2:22; 20:9), and after His resurrection He explained to the two disciples and the eleven, that His death and resurrection were but the fulfillment of the Scriptures (Luke 24:27,45), and John writing of the events associated with the death of Christ, again and again said of those events, they were that the Scripture might be fulfilled (John 19:24,28,30,36,37), and Christ's own testimony was, "They are they which testify of Me."
What the notes are to music, what the egg is to the shell, what the kernel is to the nut, what the diamond is to the ring, what the life is to the tree, what the heart is to the body, what the sun is to the moon, so Christ is to the Bible. If He is taken away we have nothing but an empty sepulchre.
There was once an artist who made a wonderful shield, and worked his own name so cleverly into it, that it could not be removed without destroying the shield. The Bible is like that shield, Christ is so identified with it, that the one cannot be taken away without destroying the other. The Living Word and the Written Word are so identified the one with the other that they cannot be separated. As we cannot have music without notes, eggs without shells, kernels without husks, diamond ring without ring, tree without life, body without heart, light of moon without sun, neither can we have the Christ apart from the Bible.
This is proved if we call to mind one fact, namely, that which is applied to Christ is designated of the Bible.
"His name is called the Word of God" (Revelation 19:13).
"Pressed upon
Him to hear the Word of God" (Luke 5:1).
"I will be unto her a wall of fire" (Zechariah 2:5).
"My word like as a fire" (Jeremiah 23:29).
"His name shall be called Wonderful" (Isaiah 9:6).
"Thy testimonies are wonderful" (Psalm 119:129)
"Worship Him that liveth for ever" (Revelation 4:10).
"The Word of
God liveth for ever" (I Peter 1:23).
"My Beloved... is chiefest among ten thousand" (Song of Solomon 5:10).
"The law of Thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver" (Psalm 119:72).
"A bone of Him shall not be broken" (John 19:36).
"The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
The fifth requirement is to be taught by Him Who inspired the Book. Three essential things are connected with and supplementary the one to the other, namely, the Christ explains God, the Word explains Christ, and the Spirit explains the Word. Of the Scriptures, Christ, and the Prophets, we read, "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you; searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (I Peter 1:10,11). The prophets did not understand until they were taught, and when they were taught they knew. A personal acquaintance with the Author of the Book will give us to understand the contents of it. To know Him is to find them.
The sixth requirement is to believe the Spirit resides in the Scriptures. An old Puritan has said, "The Holy Spirit always rides in the chariot of His Word." Christ said of His words, "The words which I speak unto you they are spirit and life" (John 6:63). Professor Godet comments, "Christ's words are not merely the means of communicating life, but the Holy Spirit is resident in the words." The Word of God is living (Hebrews 4:12), therefore if we would have the life of the Word, we must be in touch with the Word of Life.
The seventh requirement is a wholehearted study and search to know the meaning of the Scriptures. There are three words that have been translated "search" in the New Testament. The word "search" in John 5:39 and 7:52 means to seek out and is used of a lion which scours the country and traces the footsteps of the man who had robbed it; and is associated with Him Who is the Searcher of hearts, and the Spirit Who "searcheth the deep things of God" (Revelation 2:23; I Corinthians 2:10). The word "search" in Matthew 2:8, means to examine in order to verify, and is used of those who "enquire" to find out (Matthew 10:11), and also of one who wishes to "ask" about anything, that he may know (John 21:12). The third word is found in Acts 17:11, where there were Bereans who "searched the Scriptures daily," and means to divide, to make a distinction, to judge, to sift, and which results in a decision. This word is rendered "Examined" in Acts 28:18, "Discerned" in I Corinthians 2:14, "Asking question" in I Corinthians 10: 25, and "Judge" in I Corinthians 4:3. On the human side, it will therefore be seen, there has to be careful study, whole-hearted diligence, and spiritual discernment. A great leader of a religious organisation defined sin as follows: "Sin consists in doing that which we know to be wrong, inwardly or outwardly, or in not doing that which we know to be right." He could not have put man's consciousness of sin, if he had known that "sin is a missing of the mark of God's requirement, or any want of conformity to the will of God," and that the law said, "Though he wist it not, yet is he guilty."
The eighth requirement is to count upon the Holy Spirit to make true in our experience what is true for us in the Word. Professor Bonney, in speaking of the study of Geology, says: "The study of Geology has added much to the happiness of my life; it has taught me to appreciate more fully the beauties and marvels of nature; it has often restored me, when weary and jaded, to bodily health; it has helped me to bear those trials which are the common lot."
In a deeper and more satisfying sense, the child of God can say: "The reception of the Sacred Word by the Holy Spirit, has been the medium of the joy of my life; it has revealed to me the beauty and satisfying perfection of my Lord; it has ever been the channel of blessing in every condition; and it has ministered comfort and power as I have received it from Him, Who is its Author."
The ninth requirement is a consistent practice of what we have been taught, to enjoy what we know. This must be if we remember, "The Word" is the Bestower of Life (I Peter 1:23), the Revealer of Christ (John 5:39), the Giver of Assurance (I John 5:13), the Imparter of Joy (Jeremiah 15:16), the Inspirer of Prayer (John 15:7), the Sword of Victory (Ephesians 6:17), the Sanctifier of the Heart (John 17:17), the Feeder of the Soul (I Peter 2:2), the Equipper of the Servant (Acts 8:4), and the Plan for Guidance (Exodus 40: 16,19,21,23,25,27,29,32). When thou hast read what Heaven hath writ,
Let thy best practice second it,
Then twice the precept read shall be,
First in the Book, and then in thee." Lastly, the spiritual truths of the Book can only be communicated by means of the Spiritual Power of the Spirit. "Comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (I Corinthians 2:13) has been rendered, "communicating spiritual things by means of spiritual power." The live wire which communicates its power and moves the car, is only alive as it is connected with the powerhouse. The same principle holds good in the Lord's service. Christ not only told His disciples to preach the Gospel, but to tarry till they were endued with power, that the Spirit might communicate it to others. Labour must be "in the Lord" or else it will be "in vain," but it can never be "in vain" if it is "in the Lord." The Spirit needs the work and us, but He needs us for His work, even as the cog wheels need each other to move the train on the Swiss mountain railway.
What a different world there would be if we always followed the Inspired Scriptures and the Inspirer of them. What a different Church there would be if its behests were obeyed; and what different individuals we should be if we knew the Scriptures experimentally.
We say of the Book what J. Cooke has done, "A nation would, indeed, be truly blessed, if it were governed by no other laws than those of this blessed Book. It is so complete a system that nothing can be added to it or taken from it. It contains everything needful to be known or done. It affords a copy for a king, and a rule for a subject; and gives instruction and counsel for a senate, authority and direction for a magistrate. It cautions a witness, requires an impartial verdict of a jury, and furnishes the judge with his sentence. It sets the husband as lord of the household and the wife as mistress of the table; tells him how to rule, and her how to manage. It entails honour to parents, and enjoins obedience to children. It prescribes and limits the sway of the sovereign, the rule of the ruler, and the authority of the master; commands the subjects to honour, and the servants to obey; and promises the blessing and protection of the Almighty to all that walk by its rules. It gives directions for weddings and for burials. It promises food and raiment, and limits the use of both. It points out a faithful and eternal guardian to the departing husband and father -- tells him with whom to leave his fatherless children, and in whom his widow is to trust, -- and promises a father to the former, and a husband to the latter. It teaches a man how to set his house in order, and how to make his will; it appoints a dowry for his wife, and entails the right of the firstborn, and shows how the younger shall be left. It defends the right of all, and reveals vengeance to every defaulter, over-reacher and oppressor.
"It is the first Book, the best Book, and the oldest Book in the world. It contains the choicest matter -- gives the best instruction; affords the greatest pleasure and satisfaction that ever was enjoyed. It contains the best laws, and the most profound mysteries that were ever penned. It brings the best tidings, and affords the best of comfort, to the enquiring and disconsolate. It exhibits life and immortality from everlasting, and shows the way to glory. It is a brief recital of all that is past, and a certain prediction of all that is to come. It settles all matter in debate, resolves all doubts, and eases the mind and conscience of all their scruples. It reveals the only living and true God, and shows the way to Him, and sets aside all other gods, and describes the vanity of them, and all that trust in such. In short, it if a Book of laws, to show right and wrong; a Book of wisdom, that condemns all folly, and makes the foolish wise; a Book of truth, that detects all lies, and confutes all errors; and a Book of life, that shows the way from everlasting death.
"It is the most compendious Book in the world -- the most authentic, and the most entertaining history that ever was published. It contains the most ancient antiquities, strange events, wonderful occurrences, heroic deeds, unparalleled wars. It describes the celestial, terrestrial, and infernal worlds, and the origin of the angelic myriads, human tribes, and devilish legions. It will instruct the accomplished mechanic and the most profound artist. It teaches the best rhetorician, and exercises every power of the most skilful arithmetician; puzzles the wisest anatomist, and exercises the nicest critic. It corrects the vain philosopher, and confutes the wise astronomer. It exposes the subtle sophist, and makes diviners mad. It is a complete code of laws, a perfect body of divinity, and unequalled narrative -- a Book of lives -- a Book of travels, and a Book of voyages. It is the best covenant that ever was agreed on -- the best deed that ever was sealed -- the best evidence that ever was produced -- the best will that ever was made, and the best testament that ever was signed. To understand it, is to be wise indeed, to be ignorant of it, is to be destitute of wisdom.
"It is the king's best copy, the magistrate's best rule, the housewife's best guide, the servant's best directory, and the young man's best companion. It is the schoolboy's spelling book, and the learned man's masterpiece. It contains a choice grammar for a novice, and a profound mystery for a sage. It is the ignorant man's dictionary, and the wise man's directory. It affords knowledge of witty inventions for the humorous, and dark sayings for the grave, and is its own interpreter. It encourages the wise, the warrior, the swift, the overcomer; and promises an eternal reward to the excellent, the conqueror, the winner and the prevalent. And that which crowns all, is that the Author is without partiality, and without hypocrisy, 'in Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.'"
So we say of this wondrous Book,Yes, 'tis a mine of precious jewelry,
The Book of God; a well of streams divine!
But who would wish the riches of that mine
To make his own; his thirst to satisfy
From that pure well; must ear, eye, soul, apply;
On precept, precept scan, and line on line;
Search, ponder, sift, compare, divide, combine,
For truths that oft beneath the surface lie.
Yes; there are things which he who runs may read
Nor few there are, which yield a harder part,
To mark, discern, and know. With cautious heed,
'Tis God's command, survey the safety's chart;
Lest arduous things, distorted, death-ward lead
The mind unlearn'd, and the unstable heart.
This page Copyright © 1998 Peter Wade. The Bible text in this publication, except where otherwise indicated, is from the King James Version. This article appears on the site: http://www.peterwade.com/.
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