CHAPTER V. The Holy Spirit and the Sacred Scriptures. Paul, in writing to his son Timothy, said: "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus; all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (II. Tim., 3: 14-17)." A careful analysis of this Scripture brings out some great thoughts; thoughts that in their very nature are revolutionary: Timothy was exhorted to continue in the things he had learned Christianity may be learned-knowing from whom - Divinely authorized and endowed teacher — he had learned them. He had known the holy Scriptures from childhood, having been taught them by his mother, and these Scriptures are able to make one wise unto salvation. The Scriptures are of Divine origin. They are profitable for correction. They are profitable for instruction in righteousness. By them the man of God is thoroughly furnished unto all good works. No theory of the Holy Spirit's work in conversion or sanctification that eliminates or modifies in any sense the Holy Scriptures, can possibly be true. The Scriptures are Divine in their origin: "Knowing this, first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation; for prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (II. Pet., 1: 20, 21)." This refers to the Old Testament. Of the origin of the gospel John testifies: "And he that saw it bear record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe (Jno., 19: 35)." Again: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (Jno., 20: 30, 31)." Peter testifies to the same effect: "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls; 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; unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven: which things the angels desire to look into (I. Pet., 1:9-12)." Again: Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever; for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you (I. Pet., 1: 22-25)." The Master laid down a double rule as to the ancient Scriptures and as to the inviolability of the word which he 66 spoke: "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture "— what is written — cannot be broken;"- the written word must stand—" say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him (Jno., 10: 34-38)." If the Old Testament Scriptures, to which Jesus referred, cannot be broken; if He could challenge the world as to the truthfulness of His word and the righteousness of His work, we may well conclude that the ancient Scriptures have in them power — power to help, power to save. Hear Moses: "Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you; ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you (Deut., 4: 1, 2)." Again: "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it (Deut., 12: 32)." Hear Paul: "Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ; but though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed (Gal., 17,8)." Hear Jesus in His final message to the church and to the world: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any. man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Rev., 22: 18, 19).” – The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are of God, and no man can change or destroy except to his eternal detriment. The Scriptures span all time; what holds them. together? I answer: The thought-redemption by blood, by Jesus' blood that like a scarlet thread runs from Genesis to Calvary, and from Calvary to the end of the Revelation. There is only one Great Thought — Jesus the Christ, God's own and only Son in the Book, all others are tributary to this one. Who is back of this Great Thought? The living God, Jehovah, the Holy Spirit. God spoke to and through Moses: "And the Lord. came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth; and he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream; my servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house; with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses (Num., 12: 5-8)?" He spoke through David, and his description fits the work of all of God's prophets: "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue (II. Sam., 23:2)." We have in the Old Testament the writings of sixteen prophets, namely: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, and many others. who left no records, and some whose names are not given. He spoke through Jesus the Christ: "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not. the Spirit by measure unto him (Jno., 3:34)." He spoke through the apostles: "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you (Matt., 10: 20)." Again: "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts, 2:4)." He spoke through those . on whom apostolic hands had been laid: "And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied (Acts, 19: 6)." If God spoke through Moses, through the prophets, through Jesus, through the apostles and their associates, the Spirit is the Author of the Scriptures and they must therefore command our most profound respect; and we must conclude there is no escape from it that through them the Holy Spirit is still speaking. 66 It is amazing how consistent these Scriptures are: begin with Genesis and follow with care to the end and there is always something ahead. The testimony - internal — as to their authenticity and veracity is cumulative; it piles up from the beginning, from generation to generation, from century to century, from millennium to millennium. Moses endorsed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God's servants and parties to His covenant: Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land; and God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them; and I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers (Ex., 6: 1-4)." Again: "And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people; remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will |