"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (I Peter 4:11).

An Oracle of God is an utterance of God. Oracles of God are utterances of God. The utterances of God are recorded in the sacred writings.

According to the foregoing scripture, the one who professes to speak for God has the right and authority to speak ONLY what God has authorized Christ and His apostles to speak (John 12:49). Jesus Christ did not dare say anything His Father did not give Him commandment to speak. Jesus had no liberties in this matter. The apostles of Christ did not dare to speak or preach anything their Lord by the Holy Spirit did not inspire them to say. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit could inspire them to speak ONLY the words of Christ (John 16:13, 14).

The apostle Paul disclaimed any right to take liberties to use words he might, in human wisdom, choose (though preachers do today, who try to make the scriptures say what they want them to say). I quote 1 Cor. 2:13, "Which things we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words." God did not leave it to the whims of men to express His (God's) thoughts.

It is true that words are the vehicles of thoughts. That has been true since creation. Another truism is: IF THE WORD IS NOT IN THE SCRIPTURES, THE THOUGHT IS NOT THERE. We would ALL be well advised to measure our preaching and our belief accordingly!!

It is GOD'S THOUGHTS, and CONSEQUENT WORDS, that we should be chiefly interested in during this life since the words of God, spoken by Christ and His apostles are going to judge us in the last day.

I have been led to understand that it is the right of the one who speaks or writes, to choose his own words in expressing himself, so long as said language is within the bounds of TRUTH, FACT and RIGHTEOUSNESS. Man may speak ill advisedly, but God NEVER! Governments may have the right to dictate what their representatives are to say, in their name. Above all, to God belongs that right.

Who is there so bold and impudent as to even suggest, in either word or deed, that God the creator of man with all his faculties -- including man's SPEECH -- did not nor does not know best HOW to tell man what was in His mind, and what He wanted man to know and do? God did that by giving to man the sacred writings. Since when has man become God's instructor (I Cor. 2:16)?

It is only when one is so impressed with his own human superior wisdom (?), and educational attainment, is wise in his own conceits (Rom. 12:3, 16), and has grown presumptuous, that man become guilty of "the great transgression" (Psalms 19:13). Such men receive the plaudits of men, and with their "good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom. 16:18). And we might add, they deceive those who are not as well qualified, scripturally, to judge the TRUTH, as they should be.

May I suggest a few scriptures for our admonition (Deut. 29:29; 18:20; Gal. 1:7-12; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2 Tim. 4:2).

Deuteronomy 29:29

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: But the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this law."

This scripture, if it teaches anything, teaches that humanity is utterly and completely dependent upon God to reveal unto us ALL that He wants us to know, for His glory and our good. WE KNOW NOTHING, POSITIVELY NOTHING OF INFINITY, OF GOD, HIS MIND or WILL,

Of OUR OWN SOULS, of SIN, of REDEMPTION, and HOW TO WALK THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, EXCEPT HE REVEALS IT TO US. And He has CHOSEN HIS OWN LANGUAGE and WORDS TO MAKE HIS REVELATION.

Deuteronomy 18:20

"But the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that same prophet shall die." The modern preacher is occupying relatively the same position to the ORACLES OF GOD that the ancient prophets did. THEREFORE, LET US BEWARE!

Galatians 1:7-12

In these verses there are several outstanding statements which should arrest the deepest concern of all disciples of Christ.

(a) There were those in the churches of Galatia, who were preaching something different, making changes and were thus PERVERTING the gospel of Christ (verse 7).

(b) If an apostle or an angel from heaven should preach other than that which Paul preached unto them, "let him be accursed" (verse 8).

(c) If any man preach any other than "that ye have received, let him be accursed" (verse 9).

(d) Do I now persuade men, or God? (verse 10).

(e) Do I seek to please men? (verse 10).

(f) If I yet pleased, men, I should NOT be a servant of Christ! (verse 10).

(g) The gospel preached by Paul IS NOT AFTER MAN (verse 11).

(h) "It came be revelation of Jesus Christ" (verse 12).

Conclusion: We are allowed and have a right, yea are commanded, to preach only that which was preached by Paul and received by the Galatians. Does this sound as though we are at liberty to use words other than the words Paul was instructed by the revelation of Christ to preach? NO! TEN THOUSAND TIMES NO!!!

II Timothy 3:16, 17

This scripture informs us that: (1) all scripture is given by inspiration of God. The scripture Paul had reference to was the Old Testament. However, the writings of the New Testament, as they came from the pens of said writers, are NO LESS INSPIRED. (2) They are profitable for four things, full, complete and perfect: (a) DOCTRINE, that is teaching the things we obediently are to believe: (b) REPROOF; (c) CORRECTION; (d) INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, that is, doing right. And so COMPLETE AND PERFECT are these scriptures, that they will, if used as they are intended, make the man of God perfect. and thoroughly furnished for every GOOD WORK It is not a good work to do more than God has required.

The foregoing is the word that Paul charges Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:2-4 to preach, and warned Him against turning away from them and turning to fables as many young preachers are doing today.

A vital question! Can modern educational training qualify one to ADD TO the scriptures, which are already PERFECT? NEVER!!

With this array of scriptures, BOLD INDEED are they who pose as gospel preachers, who would dare to trifle with God's sacred writings, knowing their eternal welfare is at stake and an eternal curse is theirs unless they repent.

May I use one illustration? A few years ago, one of the United States ambassadors to Russia, overstepped his rights of office, when he gave his personal opinion, beyond what he was authorized to say. He was recalled immediately, and was through as far as Russia was concerned. In Deuteronomy 18:20, Moses tells us what God thinks of anyone who takes the liberty of doing what is encouraged to be done by a writer in a religious journal recently, when he said, "Just so, we are at liberty to express Scriptural truth with other than Bible words." May I challenge the truthfulness of this statement? Unless one uses the EXACT EQUIVALENT of the word or words used in the scriptures. NOT OTHERWISE.

They who preach the gospel, who attempt to quote God's word are honor bound to use God's word verbatim, and are in the same position, relatively, as the one who says that I said a certain thing. Unless he quotes me verbatim, he is not telling the truth. For, any change he might make in the word for word utterance, he has changed not only the word, but also the meaning, no matter how small the change. It is therefore, NOT MINE. Just so is with the sacred scriptures.

Almighty God has given the sacred writings. They are His. He has spoken of His WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE, and has chosen His own words out of said wisdom. God knew what was in His own mind, His thoughts, and has spoken accordingly, whether we like it or not, or whether we agree with it or not. God did not consult us when He gave us the gospel. Nor are we His INSTRUCTORS.

I have lived a long time and have a very good memory of things said and done forty to sixty-five years ago. The liberties suggested, as quoted earlier in this writing, are not NEW. They are as old as Satan himself. It may be a very definite symptom of the early stages of apostasy which is recurring again as it has in the past. I heard it many times, in different forms sixty to seventy-five years ago, on the part of those who went digressive or transgressed at that time. And, where are they now? Right where our brethren today are headed who take this view of the scriptures: into digression, transgression, apostasy and unbelief toward which the church that calls itself the Church of Christ is drifting much more rapidly than we think.

There is only ONE of TWO THINGS any human, regardless of wisdom, education or smartness, can DO with God's sacred scriptures: We cannot successfully change it. We can, therefore, either accept and believe it, OR, reject and thus disbelieve it. If we attempt to change it we face an impossibility for Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away,, but my words shall not pass Away" (Matthew 24:35). Again, " . . . the words that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

DO NOT TAKE LIBERTIES with the WORDS THAT BELONG TO GOD and not to man! Remember 1 Cor. 1:20; "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world." Read verse 21 and also I Peter 4:11again.

Do not forget: IF THE WORDS WE SUBSTITUTE FOR SCRIPTURAL WORDS ARE NOT IN THE SACRED WRITINGS, THE THOUGHTS THEY CONTAIN ARE NOT THERE.

THE WORDS GOD USED ARE RIGHT AND CANNOT BE WRONG! Therefore we DEMAND a THUS SAITH THE LORD, AND BOOK, CHAPTER AND VERSE please.

Truth Magazine VIII: 8, pp. 15-17 May 1964