F.B. Hole
Frank Binford Hole (1874 – January 25, 1964) was a British preacher, evangelist, and author whose ministry within the Plymouth Brethren movement spanned over six decades, focusing on biblical exposition and gospel outreach. Born in Barnes, Surrey, England, to Samuel Hole, a mercantile clerk, and Clara Faulkner, he grew up in a middle-class family near his cousin Hamilton Smith, a fellow Brethren writer. Educated at King’s School (now part of King’s College London), he briefly worked in the family business and banking before dedicating himself to full-time ministry at a young age, driven by a conversion at 16 that marked him as one who “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” Hole’s preaching career began with tent missions alongside Arthur Cutting in rural England, later extending to the West Indies and South Africa, where he shared the gospel with clarity and illustrative power. Known for his teaching gift, he served as editor of Edification and Scripture Truth magazines, writing commentaries like The Gospels and Acts and Hebrews to Revelation between 1928 and 1947, which influenced figures like Billy Graham. His sermons emphasized joy, peace, and the foundations of faith, delivered at Brethren assemblies and conferences worldwide. Married with family details unrecorded, he worked from Little Britain in London with assistant E.M. Aves for 45 years. Hole died at age 90 in Sutton, Surrey, England.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
F.B. Hole emphasizes the importance of upholding divine order in the Church, even when faced with low spiritual power and worldly influences. He warns against the temptation to view Scripture as optional and highlights that God's commandments are not subject to personal preferences. Drawing parallels to the meticulous instructions given for the tabernacle and temple, he underscores the need to follow God's divine order for His spiritual house in the New Testament without alteration.
Divine Plans and Obedience
When spiritual power is low and worldly principles come into the Church, the tendency is to find the divine order irksome because it makes certain demands on a good spiritual condition—a condition not present. It also exposes the worldly weakness which is present. So, the strong temptation is to be careless as to the instructions of Scripture which are thought to be useful on many occasions, interesting, instructive but optional—something that may be obeyed, not something that must be obeyed. All this, however, is entirely swept away by the fact that these instructions are "the commandments of the Lord." We thus are not at liberty to alter them according to our tastes and feelings. As an analogy, think of what was instituted in connection with the Law of Moses which only gave "the example and shadow of heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5). When Moses was about to make the tabernacle, God told him to "make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mount" (Heb. 8:5) Moses strictly followed God’s pattern. Later, when the permanent house was to be built in Jerusalem, "David gave to Solomon, his son,…the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit…all this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing" (1 Chron. 28:11–19). Again, every detail was divinely ordered in writing. In the New Testament we have in writing the divine instructions as to the order of God’s spiritual house. Are we given any more liberty to tamper with these instructions than was allowed as to the instructions for the material, earthly house? Certainly not!
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Frank Binford Hole (1874 – January 25, 1964) was a British preacher, evangelist, and author whose ministry within the Plymouth Brethren movement spanned over six decades, focusing on biblical exposition and gospel outreach. Born in Barnes, Surrey, England, to Samuel Hole, a mercantile clerk, and Clara Faulkner, he grew up in a middle-class family near his cousin Hamilton Smith, a fellow Brethren writer. Educated at King’s School (now part of King’s College London), he briefly worked in the family business and banking before dedicating himself to full-time ministry at a young age, driven by a conversion at 16 that marked him as one who “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” Hole’s preaching career began with tent missions alongside Arthur Cutting in rural England, later extending to the West Indies and South Africa, where he shared the gospel with clarity and illustrative power. Known for his teaching gift, he served as editor of Edification and Scripture Truth magazines, writing commentaries like The Gospels and Acts and Hebrews to Revelation between 1928 and 1947, which influenced figures like Billy Graham. His sermons emphasized joy, peace, and the foundations of faith, delivered at Brethren assemblies and conferences worldwide. Married with family details unrecorded, he worked from Little Britain in London with assistant E.M. Aves for 45 years. Hole died at age 90 in Sutton, Surrey, England.