The Bible
The Bible THE BIBLE
C. R. Nichol
I am! I am self-conscious of my own existence; but my experience, as well as my observation forces me to affirm that I am not self-existent; and more, that others like me are not eternal; and too, that the time when the places which know me now, will know me no more, by reason of the fact that I shall die—and be forgotten. My active participation in the affairs of earth will cease.
There rests on the desk before us a book which we call the Bible. I know the book is not self-existent; nor are the contents of the book the result of chance; for there is no such thing as “chance” if you mean by chance something which has been, is, or may yet be, that is not the result of law. The existence of a law, of course, demands the existence of a law-giver; and without an intelligent being there cannot be one to enact, make, or execute a law; hence, it must follow that the book and its contents come from an intelligent being. From Whence Came The Bible?
One who thinks, and submits his thoughts to thorough analysis, cannot truthfully ascribe the Bible to evil men. To even try to think of this book as the product of wicked, sensual, carnally-minded men is revolting, for:
(1.) It differs from the product of any mere man in all the earth, in style as well as content. It reveals Jehovah with his attribues whom we have never seen, and draws us to him with a personal devotion which time does not change nor adversity weaken. Its stories we read again and again, and each time they come to us with the freshness of the spring morning the splendor of the meridian hour and the radiance of the sunset. It has its heroes-and heroines, and, though it extols them, it also points out their defects, even to the naming of their sins, and pronouncing the malediction of heaven on the lawless, the wicked! The seers who penned the words centuries before the Christian era were conscious that they were not giving a word for the moment, nor for the people of their day only, but for the coming generations; hence, said Jehovah: “Write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it on a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.” (Isa. 30:8).
(2.) Though the Bible was written by some forty different men, covering some fifteen hundred years, there is a unity which permeates it and which can but impress one with the truth that it is like no other book in all the world. Throughout its parts it has a dominant thought, that is: God and his relationship to man; from the song of Miriam to the close of the New Testament some fifteen hundred years later, without being tedious or distasteful by oft repetition of the subject, it continually extols Jehovah. It is a gradual unfolding, a revelation. from time to time to meet the needs of the people as they advance in intellectual strength. To gain an adequate conception of the Bible do not think you can succeed by opening and reading a few verses in one place and then weeks later reading a few verses from a different part of the sixty-six books which compose the volume. Read it to grasp the import of the revelation.
(3.) The Bible cannot be the product of Satan, or his emissaries, for it strikes at sin in its every form breathing threats against the liar, the gambler, the cheat, the dissembler, the irreverent one; and it even promises certain punishment for those who harbor and feed on evil thoughts. It is counter to the kingdom of Satan at every turn. Evil men do not give us books calling on themselves the censure of right-thinking men; rather they try to excuse themselves, or justify themselves for their conduct. A Tree Is Known By Its Fruits
The fruit of the Bible is good only. Within the knowledge of each one there is the man who has, as a result of conforming his life to the teachings of the Bible, been transformed from the besotted outcast of society into a decent citizen; from an inconsiderate husband into an attentive, loving, solicitous spouse; from a cruel father into an anxious protector of his children; from a gambler into a citizen who engages in the peaceful essential fruits of productive work. The fruits of the Bible are good only.
Yes, one may occasionally find on a good tree some knotty, wormy fruit—fruit unfitted for consumption; but one is not to judge the tree by one, or even more than one, undesirable specimen of fruit; for if it is a good tree it will be found that the undesirable fruit is due to some external cause; the sting of an insect, the wound of a hail-stone, or the lack of proper moisture, which dwarfed the fruit. Do not judge the Bible by some moral pervert who sings loud, and prays long, and with a pious mien and confidential air professes to be guided by the teachings of the Bible. The question is: Does the Bible bear good fruit? When men and women live according to its teachings are they made better? Unless one is warped by prejudice, or inflated by self-righteous bigotry, one confesses readily the influence of the Bible is uplifting. Its fruits are beneficial to the community as well as the individual. To say the Bible is untrue is to affirm that it is the most colossal lie ever invented. Who is so careless in his thinking as to affirm that the most hypocritical lie ever thrust on humanity elevates in character. A lie does not elevate people, nor does it make them better.
Material Progress
In addition to the direct results on the character of those who follow its teachings; there are the by-products of the Bible to be counted in its cumulative results.
Though the Bible does not give blue-prints for the building of better houses, it is a fact that where it is believed the better residences and buildings in general are found. Though the Bible is not a treatise on animal husbandry, we do find that where it is followed the best stock is found—the highest type, the most highly developed specimens are found. The Bible is not a text book on the conservation of soil, yet where it is believed will be found the best farming methods, with the best adapted farming implements. Why is this? The Bible gives us, holds out for us, the highest ideals, and in that way stimulates within us the desire for better conditions which are reflected in better houses, with more conveniences. Too, the Bible presents and demands the highest moral standards; which together with the high ideals, quickens us mentally and results in a more intelligent citizenship. A contrast between the countries where the Bible is believed, and where it is rejected, or where its influence has not been felt, can but convince a sane man of the excellencies of the Bible’s influence in even the material things of life. Why is it that nations where the Bible has not been accepted have not kept pace with the nations which are influenced by its teachings? Do not instance what has been copied from the nations where the Bible is believed among heathen nations as an indication of a development, or real progress made by that people. The Indestructibility of the Bible
“Of making many books there is no end.” Some books are still-born, while others are declared to be wonderful productions, and for a few months are ranked as the “best sellers” and then fall out of the public mind. The Bible has been the “best seller” in every century since the invention of the printing press. It has found its way into every corner of the earth where man lives.
Yes, it has had, and now has its implacable enemies; but who were they; who are they? You do not find the enemies of the Bible men who are to the fore in civic righteousness, moral excellencies, and personal righteousness. Voltaire, the French philosopher (1694-1778), became a false prophet, in declaring that within one hundred years from his time the Bible would be relegated and declared unworthy of a place in our homes. The very press which printed his prediction was within less than one hundred years printing copies of the Bible; and the residence in which he lived became a depot in which copies of the Bible were stored. Time and time again have men arisen, proposing not only to do battle against the Bible and to fight its defenders, but to relegate it to the chambers of Lethe. But, like Banquo’s ghost, the more it was killed the more alive it was. Like the law of physics, “action has been equal to reaction in the opposite direction.” The Bible is as indestructible as the sea; its prophecies as certain of fulfillment as death; its influence as irresistible as time. Its ideals challenge the wisest, and lead the illiterate to heights sublime. It reveals to man his origin, nature, and certain destiny.
Science of Right Living
The Bible was not given to teach physical science; yet it indirectly teaches much of the truth found in sciences of material things. There is not a scientific truth in all the world which is not in harmony with the teachings of the Bible. There is much which parades in livery of science, which is science “falsely so-called,” which contradicts the Bible; but there is not a scientific truth in all the world that is out of harmony with the Bible. The first chapter in the Bible has somewhat to say on subjects of astronomy, geology, and other subjects of the natural world. Paul when on trial before Agrippa declared himself pleased that it was his good fortune to be on trial before an “expert” in the law by which he was to be judged; that an expert would hear the charges lodged against him by the Jews, and adjudicate the matter as only an expert could. We, too, should be pleased when we have the opportunity to have men who are expert hear what the Bible says; but let it be remembered one is not an expert in what the Bible teaches who has never studied the Bible; nor is a man an expert who has read only what some man says about the Bible. I! was astonished a few years ago when the late Luther Burban, an expert in the field of Horticulture, presumed to deliver a criticism of the Bible, its teachings; a subject in which his study had been at the most but cursory; yet he delivered himself as though he were an expert in the teachings of the Bible! There a^e men who are expert >n some fields of physical science, but are unprepared to deliver themselves in a critique in some other field. The electrical engineer may be an expert in his field, and entirely unprepared to pre-scribe medicine for a man suffering with a giant sarcoma, or conjuctivilis. More than one time have I met men m public debate where the reliability of the Bible was questioned, and found my opponent to be a man who had read only detached excerpts from the Bible, but had never read the Bible as a student, had never read to learn what it contained—what it said, what it taught; and yet he was proposing to be an expert in its claims!
Let no man assume a hypothesis, and build a theory thereon, and then declare the conclusions reached to be the dictum of science! Many of the “findings” of a few years ago which were paraded m the livery of science have been discarded as rubbish by men who are now called scientists. Some of the theories called scientific in the field of geology a few years ago, are now rejected. The “life succession theory” is an example. Within the next few years we may find much that is now denominated science in biology, atomics, eugemcs, geology, and medicine rejected
Herodotus, a Greek historian (B. C. 5th century), wrote:
“During the winter the sun is driven out of his usual course by the storms, and removes to the upper part How account for the fact that the characters of the Bible did not falter in the face of death, but sealed their testimony when necessary by their death? Do liars, hypocrites, frauds sacrifice their lives to attest a lie; to thrust on the world a fraud? Ethics of Jesus God's Two Books Subdue the Earth. Why the command to subdue the earth? Jehovah placed at man’s disposal everything which was needed to meet his every lawful need. Jehovah knew what man’s every need would be, and placed all necessary things within his reach. The history of civilization is largely the record of man’s activities in obeying the command of Jehovah, “subdue” the earth, which means more than that one is to be a tiller of the soil. In obeying the command, man builds dikes to protect the city from the tidal waves, to prevent inundation when streams are at flood-stage; he throws up levees to hold the stream within the limits of its banks; he builds canals to shorten distances between points on waterways, as well as to drain lands; he chains the water to the wheels of the mills; he impounds water to prevent overflows, as well as to have it for use in ir-rigating in seasons of drouth in arid sections; he builds reservoirs to hold water to supply the cities for domestic purposes; he tunnels the mountains over which the iron horse cannot climb; he converts sand into glass; clay he makes into brick, tiles, and china- ware; ore is refined and converted into countless instruments for man’s convenience; from cotton he makes clothes; from the tree lumber is manufactured to be formed into houses; he mines coal to be used for fuel, or with which to generate steam; he breaks through the walls of the earth and makes her disgorge gas and oil which become his servants;-he reaches to the sky and brings down electricity and makes it transmit his message, and turn the wheels of commerce. Before him remain many details of the task to be accomplished. The God who made the earth and stored it with the wonderful riches to be appropriated by man for his physical comforts also gave us the Bible which is far richer with the wealth of Jehovah’s thoughts which are designed to lead one to right living, soul-culture, that he may be prepared for the society of a higher existence than is ours in this earth. Being Progressive Sanitation “Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee.” (Ps. 119:11)
of Lybia. When the winter begins to soften, the sun goes back into his old place, in the middle of the heavens.”
(Rawlinson’s Herodotus.) The heavens contained all the truth of astronomy, and the earth all the facts of geology, before man discovered any of them. Is The Bible a Forgery?
To attack the Bible is easy. What can be the motive of those who attempt to destroy ik? Has it occurred to you that the ones who declare the Bible is a forgery, a fraud, write books, deliver lectures, and spend money in their effort to destroy the influence of God’s word? Why? Why is it they spend neither time nor money
Wtihin the past two thousand years we have gone far in our material progress. Do you visualize the worn traveler as he plods along the dusty road at the rate of two miles an hour; do you hear his groans as he toils up the mountain with his burden? Today he soars high above the earth and spans the distance of his objective at the rate of two or three hundred miles an hour. Time was when to walk with the friends from whom you were separated by miles necessitated the tedium of a journey reducing the distance to a few feet before conversation could be had. Now within the comforts of your home you may talk with your friend by phone, or radio who is a thousand miles away. Surely our material progress has been most wonderful, and the end is not yet. Out and away stretches the challenge and points to greater accomplishments; the challenge will be met, and the stakes will again be moved! Have you paused for a moment to ask: What has been our progress in giving the world a higher standard of ethics within the past two thousand years? Two thousand years ago in Palestine, a Small country, removed from the centers of population a young man named Jesus, who had toiled in the shop, said: “Whatsoever ye would that men do unto you, even so do ye also unto them.” Mt. 7:12) Have there not been through the centuries since Christ—are there not now—giants who have spent their time studying social science and moral ethics? How is it that there has not been given us a rule of action superior to this one delivered two thousand years ago? Has there been no progress among the pronouncements of men, and their discoveries in the science of rules of life? The Bible declares man to be God’s offspring, and leads him to recognize his dignity. If one compels you to go with him a mile, if he makes you for the moment a physical slave, go with him the second mile of your own accord, thereby showing him that you are a freeman. The religion of Christ is not unethical. If you are worshipping and remember that there is one who has a grievance against you, leave your gift at the altar and go be reconciled to thy brother. This is not to exalt ethics above religion; but it does show the teaching of Christ blends with the ethical.
God has given us two books—nature, and revelation or the Bible. In nature we see some manifestations of God’s power and wisdom, there his will is impressed ; in the Bible we see his love; he is our Father, and his will is expressed. To man he gives the order:
“And God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them: and God said unto them: Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heaven, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:27,28).
The man who is not progressive clutters up the way of man’s progress. He would take up less room if he were dead. The sooner non-progressive men die, the better it will be for civilization. There is no place for the non-progressive man, nor for the reactionary man. (rod’s work in creation was progressive. In the creation of the earth we find the first was the inorganic kingdom, where life, did not exist; it is a kingdom where inertia rules; a kingdom where growth is not found. Mineral, rocks—inorganic things do not grow. Growth is from within; not formation from without. Next in order was creating the vegetable kingdom, in which wre find seed-time and harvest; growth. Then appears animal life; the first in the lowest order, but step by step was the march made till man was created in the image and likeness of the Creator—and he was created a full-grown man, endowed w7ith the power of speech. The work was progressive, from the lowest order of matter to man, the highest of earth’s creatures. Man possesses a physical, mental, moral, as well as spiritual nature. Such are the facts detailed in the Bible; and such is the dictum of science. The Bible declares the vegetable kingdom is perpetuated by reproducing after its kind. That such is true, is known. It is also true that God’s revelation to man was progressive. With the passing of the years his revelation was made as man w7as prepared to receive it. The religion given for the patriarchs was exactly fitted for them in the state of their development; so also the system of religion given the Jew's—it was exactly suited for the purposed design. Too, such, is true of the Christian religion. The Ch.iistian system is declared by Jehovah to be the perfect system.
During the past few years the medical world of science has learned much about contagious and infectious diseases, as well as other diseases, and how more successfully to treat the patient who suffers from them. The progress has been so fitting that it now repudiates much that was formerly regarded as scientific in the medical world. In our schools our children are taught a deal about the human anatomy, ventilation, and sanitary laws, and about the prevention and spread of diseases. It has not been long since it was learned that the use of the common drinking cup was a source of spreading disease. Thousands of years before the medical world knew anything about the laws of scientific sanitation, the Bible made known a system of sanitation superior to any now in operation in the most enlightened communities. (Lev. 15; Deut. 23:10-14). The most enlightened nations in the days of Moses did not have chemical laboratories, test-tubes, and the apparatus now in use by which discoveries are made. Whence came the laws of sanitation delivered by Moses? He who rejects the Bible as a revelation from Jehovah, the omniscient one, cannot account for even the laws of sanitation made known to the Hebrews the thousands of years ago. The Bible contains God's word; it is his completed revelation to man of his will. Let your life be formed, your character shaped, and your destiny sealed in keeping with its teachings. The Bible is an incomparable treasure. He who follows its teachings is rich in character, a benediction in society and heir of heaven. It contains the divine recipe for happiness in time and eternity. It tells you how to obtain a title- deed to an inheritance uncorruptible, and that fadeth not away.