098. Chapter 93: Concerning the Temptation Whether God's Word is True
------------ CHAPTER NINETY-THREE ------------ Concerning the Temptation Whether God’s Word is True Man’s Various Opinions of the Holy Scriptures A small ship will sail safely over reefs upon which a large ship will crash. Such is also true for people as far as giving credence to the Word of God. Some do not look beyond the surface of the Word of God, nor do they seriously reflect upon the fact whether it is God’s Word. They hear and read it as something that is beneficial in nature -- and beyond that they do not know what to say about it. Such is generally true for natural men who concern themselves but little with God and religion. Others receive it as being of divine origin, doing so simply because the church and everyone else declares it to be so. They neither desire nor are able to contradict it. Such generally do not derive any benefit from the Word and leave it be for what it is.
There are people -- wretches I ought to call them -- who succumb to the doubt of Descartes and fall into his whirlpool. They are of a quick understanding in their own eyes and insist on seeing, touching, and experiencing things. Wherever some knowledge is to be acquired, they are there. They put their reason upon the judgment seat and summon the Bible before them for the purpose of cross-examination, thus demanding at the same time that God give them an explanation of what He has said. Such are punished for their blatant boldness by being given over to a strong delusion -- and frequently to eternal damnation.
Some are secretly wrought upon by the Holy Ghost (unbeknown to themselves) to believe the truth of the gospel in general and that the Scripture is of divine origin. The Word is effective upon their heart for comfort and godliness and they do not seek to know whether they are assured of its divine origin. God spares their little strength and does not subject them to these temptations. I counsel them that they proceed in their simplicity and submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. They will thus enter heaven while others are battling each other.
Many of the Godly are Subject to This Temptation
Many of the godly, however, contrary to their wishes, become subject to doubts as to whether the Bible is the Word of God. Frequently the devil is the instigator, perhaps by way of sudden interjection: “Is this really true?” Or he may conceal himself in a subtle manner and craftily create the opportunity to arouse such thoughts, bringing forth counterfeit arguments and stirring a person up to respond to these. Thus, the safest course is to despise such suggestions and flee from them. However, such doubts also proceed from our own unbelieving heart. Sometimes one may quickly set such suggestions aside without giving heed to them; and thus they do no harm. Sometimes such suggestions have more effect, however, and we begin to entertain doubtful arguments (which I do not wish to mention here lest they gain a foothold) as they present themselves, and we reflect upon them. If this causes us to be in a dilemma and stimulates us to respond to it, we have become captives. This begets all manner of undesirable frames such as darkness of understanding, unbelief, listlessness, restlessness, fear, and impotence. Such persons will then neither be able nor have the vigor to come to Jesus to view and receive Him as Surety. They will not be able to go to God through Him in order to be justified and they will not be able to derive comfort from any promise in the Word. The Word then neither functions as a hammer, fire, sword, or balm; nor does it nourish them. Such are kept from praying; and if they pray, it is spiritless, and the exercise of faith is nearly absent in it. All religious exercises are impeded, and they would pursue an independent religion of a natural sort, if both the spiritual light and the life yet residing in the soul did not prevent this. Since, however, this spiritual life and light cannot gain the upper hand over inherent unbelief (it being strengthened by natural reason), the soul will thus be grievously tossed back and forth. There can be neither rest nor peace in the soul, but only unsettledness and sorrow. This is not only the result of being unable to believe, pray, or engage themselves, but also because of an inability to ascertain Christ to be Surety and the complete way of salvation (for this is the necessary consequence of doubting divine truths). They are then also tempted to reject Him as such. Their conscience will rebuke them for this as being a dreadful and abominable sin, and it will cause them to be fearful of being damned. This condition will thus inflict considerable harm upon the soul.
How such would rejoice if they could be conclusively and powerfully convinced that the Bible is God’s voice, His declaration, and His Word! Since, however, this cannot be ascertained by either external senses or reason, but must be determined by faith alone, this must be the work of the Spirit of faith: “It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6). The Spirit reveals to the conscience of believers that the Word of God has been inspired by the Spirit of God and is the infallible truth. Nevertheless, as faith in Christ is wrought by means of the Word, God likewise also uses means to convince of the truth of the Word itself. They are but means, however, and they cannot be efficacious unless the Spirit works by those means. May the Lord therefore work in the heart of such a faltering soul as I am engaged in seeking to convince and strengthen her. In the meantime, may such a person refrain from opposing us in this. Let him rather be silent and submissively allow himself to be instructed that the Bible is God’s Word.
Why the Scriptures are the Inspired Word of God
Anyone who is in his right mind and knows himself to be a human being will believe in things which are beyond that which he sees with his eyes and hears with his ears. We do this daily and without misgivings when someone informs us about something. It has been drilled into our minds, and will not be erased until we die, that the Duke of Alva caused thousands of people in the Netherlands to be murdered, decapitated, hanged, and burned for the sake of religion. Furthermore, no one doubts that Rome already existed two or three thousand years prior to this date, formerly was the residence of the emperor, and presently is the seat of the pope (even though one may not have seen it). It is also an unquestionable fact that Jerusalem has been a great city and that a prominent temple has been there -- a temple first built by Solomon, and rebuilt by Zerubbabel after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. You believe that the Jewish nation resided in Canaan and that their religious practice consisted of the performance of all the ceremonies which are recorded in the Bible. You furthermore believe that this nation descended from Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham; Abraham in turn descended from Noah (in whose time the flood came upon the entire earth), descending via a series of ancestors. He, via a series of ancestors, descended from Adam -- the first man whom God created, from the dust of the earth. You believe that Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, and by way of the desert, led them to Canaan, and that this Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. You furthermore believe the other books were written by other men, and that the Jewish nation, for nearly two thousand years, accepted all the books of the Old Testament as divine and as the only rule for their faith and doctrine. It is known to nearly all -- Jews, Christians, and Muslims unquestionably affirm this to be so -- that the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem 1882 years ago [Note: Considering that this work was published in AD 1700, this figure is obviously incorrect.] , was a Prophet mighty in words and deeds, was crucified on the Passover outside Jerusalem, and that the sun was darkened on that given afternoon. These matters are so well-known to everyone, that a person would first have to dehumanize himself and doubt whether he himself truly exists, whether places and people do exist outside of the reach of his vision, and whether any word is true that has ever been written by a man, before he could doubt the things just mentioned. That which troubles you, however, goes beyond all this; it relates to the way of reconciliation and salvation through Christ. In order that you may be delivered from this, stir up your heart to exercise faith as in the truths mentioned, and it will be subservient to prepare your heart to be instructed by the following argument.
Secondly, come a step closer and cast your eyes upon those Scriptures which we know to have been written two to three thousand years ago. Observe the prophecies found therein and compare them with their fulfillment; observe how evident it is that they are of divine origin. Consider these few but well-known prophecies as an example.
It was promised and foretold to Abraham that his seed would wondrously multiply, possess Canaan as their inheritance, and enter into it four hundred years later. Did it not thus come to pass? It was prophesied to the Jews many years in advance that they would be expelled from Canaan and be led away to Babylon; that subsequent to this they would be restored to their country by a king named Cyrus; and that the temple, which would be destroyed to the ground, would be rebuilt by them. And thus it came to pass. It was prophesied that after this restoration, Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed and that the entire Jewish nation would be dispersed among all the nations, living without sacrifice, without king, free from idolatry, and in contempt. Is this not true at the present time? It was prophesied nearly two thousand years in advance by Moses, and later by other prophets, that there would be a Messiah, that is, Christ, who would be Prophet, Priest, and King. It was prophesied that He would be the seed -- not of a man -- but of a woman, would be born from a virgin, from the seed of Abraham, Judah, and David, in Bethlehem, and this would occur 490 years after the restoration from Babylon.
Furthermore, it was prophesied that He would be poor and despised, bear the sins of the children of God, be rejected of the chief priests, be delivered to the Gentiles, be scourged and crucified, have the lot cast for His clothes, arise from the dead, ascend into heaven, and that the Gentiles upon the entire face of the earth would believe in Him. Were not all these things prophesied in the Holy Scriptures many hundreds of years in advance? Have not they all been literally fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ? Has not all this been clearly recorded by the apostles and evangelists, -- mentioning times, places, and persons involved -- doing so at a time when friends and enemies were as yet living who had witnessed this with their own eyes? Must not even the Jews themselves acknowledge this today? Do not even pagan writings bear witness to this? Does not all of Christianity believe this? Add to this all the typological persons, objects, and services within and external to the temple, and observe how precisely they all match the anti-type, the Lord Jesus; and how that He having come, all these have been nullified. When we consider all these things comprehensively, we must force our eyes shut in order not to see the divinity of the Scriptures.
Thirdly, attentively consider the contents of the Scriptures and compare them for a moment with all human writings. How obscure, crude, mundane, vain, and foolish they are! Is there any divine light which shines forth from them? Whatever is to be found in writings concerning God and religion has been derived from this Book. Whatever has not been derived from it is infantile and ludicrous. However, divine luster emanates from the Scriptures. How gloriously they speak of God and the immortality of the soul; of man’s corruption, perversion, and impotence; and of the soul’s communion with God, eternal glory, the righteousness of God, and condemnation! Consider the spiritual manner in which spiritual matters are presented -- how obscure and hidden they are for man, and would have continued to remain hidden if they had not been revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Furthermore, these truths, having thus been revealed, cannot be understood in a spiritual sense except the person himself be spiritual. Consider how they are all subservient to draw man away from all that is earthly and transitory and to direct him to God in order to serve and glorify Him in pure holiness, peace, and joy. What human being could fabricate such spiritual matters and present them in such a spiritual fashion? All this should convince a person that the Holy Scriptures are truly and solely of divine origin.
Fourthly, proceed by considering what effects these truths have upon the heart of man. When the apostles turned to the Gentiles, they began nothing less than a war with mankind, doing so without sword and weaponry. What other outcome could be expected but that they would be treated by everyone as fools -- yes, would be killed at the very outset? Wherever they came they found uncivilized people who had no knowledge of God, and who as roaring lions would sooner have torn them to pieces than that they would have listened to them. But behold! What irresistible power the gospel had upon their hearts! From wolves, lions, and bears they became lambs. These truths took hold of men by the thousands and led them to manifest the patience of Christ. They began to love Him, trusted in Him, surrendered body and life willingly to Him, and shunned neither fire nor sword. Instead, they persevered in professing divine truths, and thus Asia, Africa, and Europe were filled with the gospel. The more the truth was persecuted, the more it proliferated to the amazement and vexation of the persecutors. And, when the Antichrist solicited the help of all kings and powers in order to extinguish the burgeoning light of the reformation, neither their fire, sword, gallows, nor instruments of torture could avail anything -- except to torment them with vexation. For the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church and brought forth fruit a hundredfold -- to the regret of the ungodly and to the joy of the godly. Who does not perceive in all this the divinity of the gospel?
Fifthly, consider furthermore the efficacy which the gospel has upon your heart and the heart of others. This is most wondrous in its nature. Not only are they changed in their initial conversion as if a dead person became alive, but their souls are subsequently filled with wondrous light, love, sweetness, joy, peace, and liberty, so that they can do without everything, consider all but as dung, and are able to endure all things. How joyously the martyrs went to the fire and the gallows! How they sang in the midst of the flames! What bliss they considered it to be able to die a cruel death for the name Jesus! Consider the innumerable multitude of believers of all times and places. They all have the same foundational confession, the same Spirit, and the same life. If one by chance happens to meet someone and hears him speak the language of Canaan, then their hearts will immediately be united in love -- more than brothers. Consider also that whatever is expressed to be the truth in the Word of God is also in truth in your heart.
One can perceive and sense that it is one and the same Spirit which speaks in both. You have frequently been amazed that you discovered the same spiritual frames in the Scriptures which you had previously already discovered in your heart without knowing that they had already been recorded in the Scriptures. You then remarked, “This is also recorded in the Word of God!” When you take note of all this, how can you but be convinced and exclaim, “Thy Word is the truth! Those interjections and suggestions which torment me are without foundation.”
Encouragement for Believers
Perhaps you will say: “Upon all these things I must be silent; I cannot prove the opposite to be true, and that which has been said already stimulates me considerably to believe. In the meantime, however, I remain restless due to unbelief asserting itself. I do indeed wish to believe, but I cannot. Oh, what counsel can you give me? How shall I ever come to the point of having a strong and vigorous faith without doubts?” It should be known, however, that:
(1) God leads most of His children by way of this temptation -- especially those who have a keen intellect -- in order to exercise and strengthen their faith, which subsequently is indeed the case.
(2) God thereby acquaints His own with their unbelieving heart and their impotence to believe, so that on the one hand they may be humbled, and on the other hand power and sovereign grace may be exalted when He grants faith. And thus the lesson derived from this cross is more beneficial to them than comfort and rest.
(3) All believers have always made the Word the foundation of their light, comfort, and walk and have thereby overcome under all circumstances and endured all things. Are you now wiser than all of them? Do you wish to join yourself to the ungodly and mockers, even though you will rarely find one who dares to touch the Scriptures?
(4) You must make a choice between making reason or faith the foundation for your walk, rest, and comfort. If you choose reason, you will be setting the Bible aside. If it is faith, you must set reason aside in order to establish the truth of the Word of God, for faith rests only upon the words of someone else. Reason is but a means.
Evasive Argument: I am oppressed; I cannot believe. Answer: Since rejection of the Bible can be harmful to you, and the confirmation of the Bible as being the Word of God cannot harm you, it is therefore indeed the safest course to trust in the Word of God. You have no desire to live an ungodly life, and you would instead choose a virtuous life. However, all that reason can teach you, you can also learn from the Word of God -- yes, even more; that is, in a more heavenly and spiritual manner. And if you are tossed about concerning the veracity of other religions, then the same argument holds true: Whatever virtues you could learn from those religions, you can also learn from the Reformed faith in a much more heavenly and spiritual manner.
Therefore, take hold of yourself and say: “I shall thus conclude the Bible to be the infallible Word of God. I thus accept it as the foundation of my faith and life. I shall strictly observe it, continually read it, and familiarize myself with it. I shall capture all thoughts which arise against it and reject them. I read in this Word that man is lost in himself and cannot save himself; that Jesus Christ is the Surety who, by His suffering and death, reconciles the sinner who receives Him, with God; and that the believer must love, serve, and fear God, and walk according to His will and precepts. This I confirm to be so and shall submit myself to. I shall prayerfully and in all simplicity wait until the Lord will further illuminate and comfort me, even though I am as yet not convinced of the divinity of His Word.” In this way the Lord has restored many, and He will also restore you. The Spirit will then bear witness to you that He is the Spirit of truth.