Truth Magazine

By Irvin Himmel

For centuries the book called the Bible has been in circulation. It has been translated into hundreds of tongues and dialects. It is read and studied, memorized and preached, discussed and debated, revered and despised. Regardless of one’s personal evaluation of the Bible, it is here and continues to influence thousands of lives in lands far and near. How was this book produced?

The Bible is either the product of the intellect of man or else it came from God. If God had nothing to do with the origin of the Bible, it is strictly a human literary work. If the Bible reflects no greater wisdom than human ingenuity could devise, we must credit it to either good men or bad men. It is absolutely incredible that wicked men could invent a Being so infinitely pure and good as God, or truth so sublime as that which Jesus taught, or a book to exert such wholesome and transforming influence as the Bible wields. On the other hand, honest and good men would not write a work that is fraudulent and then trick innocent souls into thinking’ that it is of divine origin. If how did it come?

The Bible Claims For Itself Divine Inspiration

Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness . . . .” (2 Tim. 3:16). This passage(1) teaches that all scripture is God-breathed.

Peter wrote, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” The prophets did not speak or write out of their own impulse to give their human interpretation of things.”For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:20,21). This is an assertion that the prophets of old who wrote scripture were moved by God’s Spirit, not their own wills. Speaking as moved by the Holy Spirit is inspiration.

The apostles claimed to speak and write under supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit. John testified that Jesus promised them that the Spirit would guide them into “all truth” (John 16:13). On Pentecost they spoke “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Paul affirmed, “Now we have 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 of God” (1 Cor. 2:12). Paul commended the Thessalonians for receiving the apostolic word “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). The apostles taught both by word (orally) and by epistle (writing) (2 Thess. 2:15).

Legally, a man may testify in court in his own behalf. When we allow the Bible to speak for itself, it points to inspiration of God as its true origin.

Inspiration Explained

Not wishing to bore the reader with technical theological definitions, I want to explain inspiration in three simple steps. Please study these three points carefully!

1. God is the cause of inspiration. No prophecy of the scripture “came from private interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:20, H. T. Anderson’s translation). “In other words, God moved and the prophet mouthed these truths; God revealed and man recorded His word.”(2) Similarly, God gave the Spirit to Christ’s apostles that they might know His mind. God is the prime mover in inspiration.

2. Men of God are the agents, of inspiration. God spoke .to the fathers by the prophets (Heb. 1:1); “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21). God spoke by means of men. He spoke to the prophets and through the prophets. David said, for example, “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). Jeremiah wrote, “And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth” (Jer. 1:9).

3. God’s word in human language is the result of inspiration. The total process of inspiration includes both the speaker and his speech, the writer and his writings. When the prophets and apostles spoke or wrote as inspired of God, the word of God was produced in human language. When the Hebrew writer quoted from Psa. 95:7,8, he credited the quotation to the Holy Spirit (Heb. 3:7,8). What the apostles taught by inspiration was labeled “the word of God” (Acts 4:31). Since all scripture is given by inspiration of God, the Bible is the word of God.

God caused inspiration, holy men of God were the agents of inspiration, and the word of God in human language is the product of inspiration.

Extent of Inspiration

Some people think the Bible contains the word of God, but they flatly reject certain parts of it. This view invariably takes away the authority of the Bible and exalts human wisdom. It denies that all scripture is inspired of God and makes the mind of man the final court of appeal. Man sits in judgment on the Bible to accept the part that he wants and to reject the remainder as myth.

It is a popular view that the Spirit inspired the thoughts but not the words of the holy men who penned scripture. As one preacher put it, “Some people say they believe the Bible is inspired in the sense, but not in the sentence. . .”(3) Such a view leaves us with a serious problem. Since words are the vehicles that convey thoughts, if God did no more in inspiration than to give the thoughts, how do we know that the men who received those thoughts selected the right words to convey them? “Words are the clothes of concepts, and ‘naked notions’ are nonentities when one is giving ex pression to his thoughts.”(4)

Paul made it clear that the Holy Spirit taught the words that he and the other apostles used. “Now we have 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 of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:12, 13). Jesus told the apostles not to be anxious how or what they would speak, “for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you” (Matt. 10:20).

The Holy Spirit exercised miraculous influence over both the words and the thoughts of the writers of the Bible. The God-breathed words fully expressed the thoughts which God wanted to convey to the mind of man. He chose words to fit the personality(5) and style of each writer-words in the language and according to the culture of the people to whom His will was being revealed. Inspiration did not exclude factual information. Paul quoted a heathen poet (Acts 17:28). Luke had investigated before writing (Lk. 1:1-3). Inspiration did not exclude personal references. Paul often sent his warm personal regards to his brethren through his epistles. And inspiration did not exclude different literary approaches-some books of the Bible are historical, some poetical, some biographical, etc.

Importance of Inspiration

Certain questions about the mode of inspiration may remain unanswered, but one thing is certain-the Holy Spirit inspired holy men to convey in words intelligible to man the will of God. It is because the Bible is a God-breathed book that it is authoritative and inerrant. Its divine inspiration puts the Bible in a unique position; there is no other book comparable to it in all the world

Man’s whole attitude toward the Bible turns on whether or not he accepts its divine inspiration. The true Christian molds his life by the scriptures because of his strong belief that the scriptures are in fact the word of God.

Truth Magazine XXI: 30, pp. 467-469
August 4, 1977

By Mike Willis

Though many people have a high regard for the Bible, the greater majority still believes that the Bible is a book so filled with mystery that it cannot be understood. Even in reading simple verses, some have a tendency to look for hidden meanings. Because of the belief that the Bible is a mysterious book which cannot be understood, some people have just given up any hope of comprehending the Bible and do not even attempt to read it.

In addition to this, some men attribute our religious divisions to the inability of men to understand the Bible or to understand it alike. Consequently, there has grown up a disposition in religion which states that if a person thinks something is right for him to do, it is right for him. Each person is entitled to his own belief and no one should try to persuade any other person that what he believes is wrong.

My friends, these sentiments are not so. The Bible is not a mysterious book which cannot be understood; a thing is not right just because a man believes that it is right; God is not obligated to accept a man’s religion just because he is sincere and honest; our religious divisions do not come as a result of man’s inability to understand the Bible. We need to back up and consider some of the very basic facts revealed to us by God in His holy Word.

God Made Man As He Is

Maybe this seems ridiculous to state at this point in this discussion of this subject but it is necessary. We must begin with this fact: God created man. The early chapters of Genesis state, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them . . . . Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7).

In this discussion, we must begin with the proposition that man is a product of divine creation. He is not the product of billions of years of chance evolution; he is the product of divine creation. Hence, God made man as he is. The way we think, eat, sleep, drink, etc. were all designed by God.

God Made The Bible As It Is

The second point which we need to carefully remember is that God made the Bible as it is. The writers of the Bible were working under divine inspiration when they penned their words. Speaking of how Scripture originated, Peter said, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:20-21). The Bible came into being because God wanted it written and not because some men decided that religion should have a holy book.

“The Old Testament alone affirms 3,808 times that it is transmitting the very words of God” (Rene Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture, p. 37). On countless occasions, the prophet would begin by saying, “The word of the Lord came to me saying… ” If the Bible is not the product of divine inspiration, it is literally filled with lies. There can be no middle ground; the Bible is either the word of God Almighty or it is a book of lies.

Hence, we are forced to the conclusion that God made the Bible as it is. The Bible is not the chance development of years of religious evolution; it is not a cunningly devised fable. It is the work of God; He made the Bible just as it is.

The Bible and Man

The Bible which was made by God was prepared for man who was created by God. It is designed to be man’s compass to find his way through life (Jer. 10:23; Psa. 119:105); it contains all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3-4); it is man’s complete and final guide in all religious matters (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Inasmuch as God is the author of the Bible and the creator of man, if the two do not fit each other the fault lies with God. Either one of two things is true if man cannot understand the Bible. Either, God was not able to make the Bible understandable to man, in which case He is not omnipotent or He chose not to make the Bible understandable to man, in which case He is not good. Because God has conditioned salvation upon a knowledge of the truth (Jn. 8:32), He is not a good God if man cannot understand the truth. Because I am unwilling to admit either of these propositions about God, I am forced to conclude that man can understand God’s divine revelation.

This is perfectly consistent with the claims of the Bible. Paul said, “. . . understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Earlier, he told the Ephesians that they could understand God’s revelation by reading what he had written (Eph. 3:1-5). Hence, one can understand God’s revelation if he will read and study it. I would like to demonstrate that man can understand the Bible by considering some of the facts, promises and commandments of the Bible which are easily understood. Consider the following:

1. Facts to be believed. The author of the book of Hebrews wrote, “And without faith it is impossible to please’ Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (11:6). Faith is the belief of certain facts. First, one must believe that God is. That is not hard to understand or incomprehensible. Anybody can believe that fact. Other simple facts which everyone must believe include the following: (a) God created all of this world (Gen. 1); (b) Jesus is the Son of God (Mt. 16:16); (c) Jesus died for our sins (Mt. 26:28); (d) He was raised from the dead on the third day following His death and burial. No one has any trouble comprehending these propositions; he may not believe them but he has no trouble understanding them. Hence, man can understand the facts which he must believe in order to be saved.

2. Promises to be enjoyed. The promises of the gospel induce men to believe and obey it: The promises of the gospel are easily understood. Jesus said, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mk. 16:16). The promise is easily understood; Jesus promised to save every man who believes and is baptized. The salvation which he promised is from our sins (Mt. 1:21). Furthermore, He has promised everlasting life (Jn. 3:16) in which we will dwell with the Father to the obedient believer (Rev. 21:3). These promises are not hard to understand. Admittedly, many do not believe them but that has nothing to do with their ability to understand them.

3. Commands to obey. The gospel also contains some commandments which must be obeyed. For example, Peter told those believing Jews on the day of Pentecost that there were some commandments which they had to obey in order to be saved; he said, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Who can misunderstand these commandments? Repentance and baptism are commandments from God which must be obeyed before the individual can receive the forgiveness of his sins.

Here is another sampling of Christ’s commandments: “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:25-29).

From these examples, we can easily see that the Bible is easily understood by any man who wants to obey the Father in Heaven. The problems which confront men religiously have nothing whatsoever to do with his inability to understand what God demands of him. Rather, the problems of men religiously stem from lack of faith rather than a lack of understanding. Men simply lack sufficient faith to do what God says.

Truth Magazine XXI: 30, pp. 466-467
August 4, 1977

By Lewis Willis

For some reason I suspect “prolepsis” is a new term to many. Some might wonder if they had “prolepsis” for breakfast. Hardly! I was introduced to “prolepsis” as a means of revelation in Sermon Outlines On Acts, by C. C. Crawford, published in 1919. Webster defines “prolepsis” as “anticipation.” A failure to recognize this approach to revelation is the , explanation for the existence of a modern denomination we know as the Seventh Day Adventists. In this article I am seeking to show the presence of prolepsis in revelation, so that specific application of its force might be realized.

Some Examples

When Eve was created, “Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20). However, at that moment in time only Adam and Eve comprised the race. It would be some time before she mothered the first person in perpetuation of man upon the earth. So, in anticipation (prolepsis) of that fact, Moses reveals her relation to future descendants. There was a time differential involved.

Matthew 10:2-4 is another case of prolepsis. “And Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him . . . .” Matthew wrote his record of the Gospel over thirty years after the calling of the twelve apostles. In this passage, he connects the sending out of Judas and the betrayal of Christ by Judas in one passage, as if the two events happened at the same time. In reality, they happened three years apart. In anticipation (prolepsis) of his betrayal of Christ, Matthew tells us of the ultimate end of Judas’ acts (Crawford, p. 208).

Application

Now, here is the point I wish to make. In Gen. 2:2-3, Moses reveals that God ended His work of creation and rested on the seventh day. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it . . .” The conclusion of the modern Sabbatarian is that the resting and the sanctifying occurred at the same time. This simply is not so! From the time of God’s rest day, to the sanctification of the Sabbath, centuries passed. If this were all we knew about the consecration of the Sabbath, people in 1976 would be bound by the Scriptures to faithfully observe that day, instead of the first day of the week. However, Moses, who gave us the Genesis 2 revelation (many years after the event, incidentally), also reveals to us when the Sabbath was sanctified and for whom.

Nehemiah, the prophet, said that God came down to Mt. Sinai and inadest known unto them thy holy Sabbath” (Neh. 9:13-14). It was on this occasion that the Ten Commandments were given, one of which is “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” When He said remember the Sabbath, it is apparent that they had some knowledge of the day. Where did that knowledge come from? Why would the Jews in Exodus 20 have occasion to remember this day? Is that remembrance traceable to Genesis 2?

The first introduction the Jews had to the Sabbath was only a few weeks earlier (Exod. 16). When they murmured for food, God sent manna from Heaven to provide their need. At that time, He also gave exact instructions concerning gathering of the manna in anticipation of “the holy sabbath” (Exod. 16:23). In this context, we see at a glance that they knew nothing about the Sabbath, for with the explanation Moses gave them, some still did not understand how God intended it as a Jewish day of rest. When finally reaching Mt. Sinai, God gave them the law of the Sabbath, written on tables of stone. This positive, written law was their guide throughout their generations. It was needed because they knew nothing about the day till then!

In Deuteronomy, the restatement of the Law, Moses pointed out that this law was not given to their fathers, but to those to whom he was then speaking (Deut. 5:13). The purpose of the Sabbath was that they might remember their Egyptian bondage and their deliverance therefrom “through the mighty hand and stretched out arm” of God. Hence, as it was to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from bondage, it has no meaning whatsoever to those of us who are Gentiles (Dent. 5:15). Thus, Moses assures them that the Sabbath was a sign between the Lord and one nation-the Jews (Exod. 31:12-17).

In Hosea 2:11, God said that He would cause Israel’s Sabbath to cease. There would come a time when men would not be bound by the Sabbath Law. But when was this done? Quite simply, the Sabbath and all the rest of the Jewish law came to its conclusion when Jesus Christ died and nailed the law to the cross (Col. 2:13-17).

Conclusion

Therefore, when Moses revealed that the creation ended, and that God rested on the seventh day, and sanctified it, he referred to the time lapse between creation and the events of Mt. Sinai. He anticipated the conclusion of the matter. This is an example of prolepsis. It is precisely the same as when God announced, in driving man from the Garden of Eden, that the seed of woman would bruise the serpent’s head. It was four thousand years later before Christ overthrew the power of Satan in His resurrection from the dead (Gen. 3:15; Matt. 28:lff). “Prolepsis” has been used by the Divine Writers throughout the giving of the Biblical record.

Truth Magazine XXI; 29, p. 461
July 28, 1977

By Irvin Himmel

It was the love of money that caused Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. Seeing that the Jewish leaders had blood in their eyes, Judas went to the chief priests and asked, “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” The agreement was that he would be given thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:14-16).

After Judas had served as guide to them that took Jesus (Acts 1:16), and following the realization that Jesus was condemned to die, the glitter of the money vanished. Knowing that-he had betrayed innocent blood. He returned the money to the chief priests and elders in the bitterness of remorse and regret. They were totally without sympathy. The wicked Judas, an apostate apostle, hanged himself (Matt. 27: 1-5).

It was the love of money that prompted Gehazi to run after Naaman with an evil scheme. After being healed of leprosy, Naaman wanted to give a present to the prophet Elisha. The prophet would accept nothing and urged Naaman to “Go in peace.” Gehazi was the servant of Elisha. Seeing an opportunity to get gain through deceit, Gehazi followed when Naaman started home. Naaman saw him running behind his chariot, so he stopped. Gehazi said the situation had suddenly changed just as Naaman was leaving his master’s house. Two young men of the sons of the prophets had come in from Mt. Ephraim. They needed a talent of silver and two changes of garments. Gehazi declared that Elisha had sent him to overtake Naaman and let him know that a present for these young men would be accepted. Excitedly, Naaman gave Gehazi

twice the amount of silver requested and the two changes of garments. Gehazi hid the silver and the garments.

Upon his return, Gehazi was questioned by his wise master about where he had been. Gehazi denied that he had gone anywhere. Elisha informed his lying servant that he was aware of his crooked scheme. This was no time to be taking money or other gifts from Naaman. “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.” Gehazi went out from his master’s presence a leper (2 Kings 5:15-27).

It is the love of money that motivates some preachers to teach falsely. Paul remarked in writing to Titus, “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake” (Tit. 1:10-11).

Some will teach most anything if the price is right. And the threat of being fired if he dares to speak on certain subjects has silenced the preacher who loved money more than truth.

It is the love of money that makes some people miss many of the services of the church. They take the job that offers the highest pay even if they know in advance that they will be required to work when they ought to be in the assemblies of the saints. In some cases people miss services by working on Sunday when it is not a necessity at all. They work as a matter of choice. They choose work over worship because they prefer financial gain over spiritual communion and praise.

Some day we are going to learn that we can be rich and increased with temporal goods, yet in God’s sight appear “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). The problem is, it may be too late when we finally learn that lesson!

It is the love of money that causes a lot of parental neglect. Mothers and fathers have no time to spend with their children. Both parents are working to bring home more dollars. It is assumed that if there is enough money, all the family problems will be solved. In the meantime, where is love? Where is the mother when daughter has a problem to discuss? Where is father when son needs special guidance and fatherly advice?

Many young people have become runaways. Others have become lawless. In a lot of cases, the lack of money did not influence them to do wrong. To the contrary, it may nave been too much in material things and not enough in true values that drove them.

It is the love of money that is behind much of what now works to destroy America. The pushers make dope addicts out of children because they want money. The liquor industry makes alcoholics by the thousands to build fatter profits. Pornography, prostitution, gambling, and organized crime have become big business in America because of the money involved. Corruption in government usually connects with payoffs.

The Bible is right when it declares that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). No nation is demonstrating this Biblical truth more vividly than twentieth-century America.

Truth Magazine XXI: 29, p. 460
July 28, 1977