01. he Bible Our Only Guide

SERMON 1 The Bible Our Only Guide

From the beginning the church of Christ has held out to the world that the Bible is our only guide. Peter, one of the foundation preachers, said, “If any man speak let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11).

Brother Campbell said, “We speak where the Bible speaks, and are silent where the Bible is silent.”

Such being true it is then important that we know how to study the Bible to enable us to so divide it as to make it a safe guide to us from earth to heaven. Paul, in writing to Timothy, said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

This shows that in our Bible study there is a right and a wrong way to divide the Bible. No one can have a proper conception of the word of God who does not know how to rightly divide it.

The Bible is a large book dealing with man during the past 6,000 years. The law of God to one man may not be the law of God to you or to me. It was God's law to Abraham to offer Isaac. It was God's law to Noah to build the ark. It was God's law to Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, yet none of these commands must we obey to be saved.

When the Son of God walked among the children of men, we had no New Testament. When he referred to the Old Bible he divided it into three divisions and said that all things written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning himself were true (Luke 24:44).

Then, I would say, the Bible contains sixty-six books, commencing with Genesis in the Old Testament and ending with Revelation in the New. A period of 1,600 years was embraced in writing the entire Bible. There are thirty-six writers in all—twenty-eight in the Old Testament, and eight in the New Testament.

As Jesus subdivided the Old Bible into three divisions, I now call attention to the diagram at the beginning of this subject. The cross represents the death of Christ. The three shelves on the left contain the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, located respectively under the heads of law, psalms, and prophets where Jesus located them while here. Let the diagram represent the library of law in lawyer's office. One book will give the law controlling the governor, one our county judge, another our county clerk, and so on until all official positions have their duties laid down. On another shelf is a book that treats of murder, another of marriage, and another of good roads. In this manner, different subjects are tabulated, so that any man seeking information on any principle in law can go to that part of the law that treats on any particular point, and gain information on the same.

Again let the diagram represent a doctor's library. One book treats on fever, one on small-pox, and one on tooth-ache. The man suffering with any of these diseases can go to the book which treats of said disease and find the remedy for the same. If the young man wanting information on marriage will read the book on good roads, or the man with a tooth-ache will read the book that treats of fevers, such would derive little benefit from their studies. Such is true of the word of God.

When I was a boy, the preachers I knew then had no conception of a proper division of the Bible, and would as soon go to the book of Genesis to find the plan of salvation as to Acts of Apostles.

The sinner wants to know what to do to be saved. I tell him to study the Bible, and do what it says. He reads about Samson catching three hundred foxes and tying fire brands to their tails and setting them on fire that they might burn up the shocks of corn. The sinner is not benefitted by my instruction. If the child of God wants to live right I tell him to read the Bible and do like it tells him. He reads about Solomon marrying seven hundred women, and he thinks he must do the same to live a Christian life. I misdirect him. So calling attention to the statement of Christ I ask myself, what is “law” The answer comes, a rule of action. Then I go to the Old Bible and locate all the books that come under the head of “law.” Commencing at Genesis, I learn there are at least seventeen books of law. I locate them on the top shelf and read them carefully. Yet no one at the present time is required to do the things those people did in order to be saved. No one can find the plan of salvation in them.

I then turn to Psalms, or sacred poetry, and find at least six books of the Old Bible coming under that head. I read them carefully, and learn of the many grand lessons they teach concerning God and his people. Yet I do not find the spiritual law of life in Christ that makes me free.

I then examine the next sixteen books on the bottom shelf. These books are all prophecy, looking to a coming Christ, and telling me how they worshipped God. Yet I can read them all carefully, and close with Malachi 400 years before Christ, and hear him telling the people to remember the law of Moses (Malachi 4:4).

This closes the Old Bible, and no one this side of Christ can go back to the Old Bible and learn what he must do to be saved.

This confines us to the New Testament as our guide from earth to heaven. Then I start in the New Testament and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I find all prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ fulfilled and read John's statement that these things were written that we might believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing we might have life through his name (John 20:31).

If a man wants faith—and faith is the belief of testimony —it is not necessary to pray for faith as many do; but study carefully the testimony of the four witnesses who were with Christ while here on earth and see if their testimony is sufficient to give him faith.

As soon as I learn what I must believe to be saved, it is then time for me to learn what I must do to be saved.

I take up the next book, Acts Of Apostles, and I find the apostles, waiting at Jerusalem as Jesus had told them to do. In the second chapter of Acts I find the Holy Ghost coming upon them, guiding them into all truth, and telling them what they must preach to all the world. Then it looks reasonable that we can go back to their work, and teach the same things they did, teach people to obey the same commands they did, and God will save the people just like he did those people. If not, why not?

But many good people claim they cannot understand Acts as the apostles did not give the same answer to men and women seeking salvation. They tell us that Peter, on Pentecost, said “Repent and be baptized . . . for the remission Of sins” (Acts 2:38). Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Ananias said, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). If all were teaching the plan of salvation, why give different answers to men wanting to know the way? This question is easily answered by an illustration. A starts to town and meets B. and asks how far to town. B says, “Thirty miles.” A continues the road ten miles and meets C, and asks the same question, “How far to town?” C says, “Twenty miles.” A goes ten miles farther and meets I). He asks, “How far to town?” D says, “Ten miles.” So it is that each tells the truth, yet each gave a different answer. So it is in the plan of salvation. Paul says “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,' and in the next verse it says he spake unto them the word of the Lord. So I turn back to Acts 2:38 where Peter preached the word of the Lord, and read that Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Putting Paul's and Peter's instructions together, I have faith, repentance, and baptism. Result: Salvation, or remission of sins. But I turn to Acts 22:16. Ananias did not tell Paul to believe, because he already believed. He did not tell him to repent; because he had repented. But like the third man who told A he was ten miles from town when he had gone twenty miles, Ananias gave him the last answer and said, “Be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” I can turn to Acts of Apostles and find the complete plan of salvation, but not wholly mentioned in any single case of conversion; but each item mentioned in the different conversions.

I find when summed up: All had to (1) “hear” the gospel (Acts 15:7), (2) have “faith” (Acts 16:31), (3) “repent” (Acts 17:30),“confess” the Son of God (Acts 8:37), and (5) be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). When these commands were obeyed, the Lord added to the church daily those who would obey these commands, and they continued steadfastly in the work of the Lord (Acts 2:41-42).

When the church became established and began to work, we find Paul writing fourteen letters to churches and preachers telling them how to live. James wrote one letter, Peter two, John three, and Jude one. These are all letters of church discipline and church government; telling church members how to live. The last book in the New Testament was written by John. The Revelation not only tells us of the past and present, but crosses the river of death and tells us of the future home God has prepared for those who love him and do his commandments. He tells us that on the other side of the river of death there is no night, but one eternal day; no sickness, sorrow, pain, nor death, but God will wipe away all tears from our eyes. The river of life and the tree of life are found there. So the New Testament properly divided, read and understood, and obeyed is a safe guide to lead us into the city whose builder and maker is God.

Summarizing now, we find twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell me what I must believe to be saved. Acts of Apostles tells me what I must do to be saved The twenty-one letters of Christian instruction tell me how I must live and work after I am saved that I may finally reach the heavenly home we read about in the last book of the Bible.

My brethren are often condemned for preaching so much in Acts of Apostles, but this will be our leading book as long as we teach salvation to a dying world; for this is where we find plan of salvation first taught by the apostles after they had Holy Ghost baptism, which qualified them to preach the gospel to all the world. As long as we teach the same things the apostles taught, and beg men and women to do the same things the apostles taught them to do, we are sure we are teaching the word of God, and are also sure we will be rewarded for so doing at the last day. So let all be satisfied with the simple word of God, to teach and fight it out along that line, knowing, ii' we do this, heaven will be our home.