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  ABILENE1944 LECTURES
  by Abilene Christian College
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The annual Abilene Christian College Lectureship for 1944, featuring a series of
sermons, lectures, and addresses by prominent preachers and teachers in the
Churches of Christ on themes of faith, doctrine, and Christian living.

  Chapters: 13

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. Publisher's Announcement
    2. Jesus Christ, the Savior
    3. Christianity, A Way of Living
    4. The Home—Its Importance
    5. The Sacredness of the Home
    6. Aims and Purposes of Abilene Christian College
    7. The Future of Abilene Christian College
    8. The Work of Religious Education
    9. The Church
   10. The Church No. 2
   11. The Bible
   12. The Bible, No. 2
   13. Some Qualifications of a Gospel Preacher

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  CHAPTER 1: PUBLISHER'S ANNOUNCEMENT
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Publisher's Announcement PUBLISHER’S ANNOUNCEMENT

It is with a distinct sense of satisfaction and confidence that we offer to the
reading public the Abilene Christian College Lectures for February, 1944.

We are persuaded that the addresses that follow possess merit and that they will
rank high in the series of these lectures that we have been publishing annually
since 1919. Those who have the good fortune to possess a complete file of these
great gospel sermons have, at this time, already, a rare collection. A few of
these numbers, only, can now be supplied by the publishers. May God’s goodness,
grace, mercy and love abound yet more and more toward those who have yielded to
him their lives, in devotion and service, and that he may bless the true Israel
of God, in their works of faith and labors of love.

G. H. P. SHOWALTER January 15, 1945 Austin, Texas.


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  CHAPTER 2: JESUS CHRIST, THE SAVIOR
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Jesus Christ, the Savior JESUS CHRIST, THE SAVIOR Hugh A. Clark

It is the custom of Abilene Christian College to ask the preacher of the College
church to deliver the opening address of the Annual Lectureship. I am grateful
for the honor and for the privilege which is thus fortuitously mine of speaking
to you this morning. This Lectureship has come to be an event pleasantly
anticipated both by those of us who live here, and by all the brotherhood
throughout the nation, many of whom find it possible now and then to be present
and to enjoy the rich fellowship and Christian association which the occasion
always affords. Those who do find it possible to be here in person invariably
declare that they have received much inspiration and edification and even many
of those who do not find it possible to come for the Lectures, ultimately share
these benefits with us by reading the Lectures which are published every year. A
very valuable contribution has been made in this way to the literature of the
church for more than a quarter of a century. The College is glad to join with
the School in extending a very hearty welcome to our visitors who are already
here for this opening service of the Lectureship, and by anticipation to extend
the same cordial welcome to all those who will be here later in the week. Our
homes and our hearts are open to you, and your happiness is in a very real and
actual sense our happiness too.

I have the pleasure to address you this morning in behalf of him whose
acquaintance, upon the peril of your soul, you cannot afford not to make. I
speak to you of Jesus Christ, the Savior.

There are many texts. The angel said to the much perplexed Joseph, in a dream in
the long ago, ‘‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall
bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for it is he that shall
save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21.) The Apostle Peter, speaking
to the multitude in Solomon’s Porch, concluded by saying, “He is the stone which
was set at naught of you builders, which was made the head of the corner. And in
none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven,
that is given among men, wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12.)

We should keep ever before us the name, Jesus, and should integrate the whole of
life’s program around him. Especially should we remember that all our religious
life takes its meaning, worth, and efficiency from him. He precedes everything
else, is designed of God to prepare the way for everything else, and indeed, he
is everything else to us. Paul, the apostle, says, “But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and
sanctification, and redemption: that according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31.)

We do not intend to center these thoughts exclusively around the name of Jesus,
and thus to abstract anything from the person of Jesus. The Bible knows nothing
of a system of incantations based upon the use of certain set phrases or words
of supposedly mystical import, which recited by rote or signified by formulary
gesture upon occasion gain the attention of Deity and insure success. The name,
Jesus, takes its worth and bearing in the system of human redemption because of
the divine being who wore it, and the nature and efficacy of the work done by
him. The name, Jesus, is a common name; many others had worn it before the
Christ. The Hebrew form of the name is Joshua, and there were several of the
ancients who wore this illustrious name. There was, for instance, the son of
Nun, minister and successor of Moses, who led the children of Israel over Jordan
and conquered most of the land and gave inheritance in it to the tribes of
Israel. He died at the age of one hundred and ten years, and was buried in
Timnath- serah in Mount Ephraim 1427 B.C. Then there was a Bethshemite in the
days of Eli, 1140 B. C. Into his field came the Ark of the Covenant drawn on a
new •cart by two kine when the Philistines sent it home after it had been
captured in battle (1 Samuel 6:14). I might mention also, the governor of
Jerusalem in the days of Josiah, B. C. 640. The history of this man may be read
in 2 Kings 23:3. There was next, the son of Josedech and high priest at the
building of the second temple, B. C. 520. The Levites also, in the days of
Nehemiah, confess to God; “According to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them
saviors who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries” (Nehemiah 9:27).
This is enough to show that the name is a common name; but not the reason for
its imposition upon the Christ, or Messiah. Our text says, “And thou shalt call
his name Jesus; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins.” Here
then, is a “Name which is above every name,” it is Jesus. It is a name not only
given by the order of God, but it is explained by the same order. Jesus means
Savior; and so God says, “Thou shalt call his name Jesus; for it is he that
shall save his people from their sins”. It is as if God had said, “Others have
been called saviors, but they only saved the bodies of men from temporal, but
this child shall be called a savior for a nobler adversity and a higher
reason—he shall rescue the souls of men from sin—he is an eternal deliverer.”
This explanation by the angel not only distinguishes Jesus from every other who
had worn the name, but it opposes the misunderstanding and prejudice of the
Jewish nation to which he belonged. The Jews had expected a Savior whom their
scriptures called Messiah; but they had cast him in a role of a sort of a
national hero and conqueror who should break the civil yoke and free them from
the tyranny of Rome, to whom at this time they were tributary. Yes, in due
season, their Messiah and Savior would come and marching at the head of their
armies in military dignity and regal splendor would vanquish their civil enemies
and lead them to universal empire, or at least restore them to their ancient
standing and glory among the nations. But how mistaken they were; their Savior
came, as they had been led to believe he would, but not to restore them to a
temporal, civil glory in an earthly Canaan, but to open up the way and lead them
to a better, even a heavenly coun-try. He came not to deliver from civil
bondage, then or ever, (John 18:36) but to deliver men from spiritual slavery to
sin; he came not to deliver from Caesar, but from Satan. The name, Jesus, is a
personal name as distinguished from Christ, or Messiah, which was an official
name, and means anointed. The two names are often used together in the New
Testament in order that, as Lightfoot remarks, “Not only might Christ be pointed
out as the Savior, but also that Jesus might be pointed out as the true Christ
or Messiah, against the prejudice of the Jews”.

Let us look more extensively at the statement that Jesus came to save from sin.
He came then, not primarily as a social reformer, but as a personal Savior; he
came not especially to civilize and culture, but to save the lost from sin; he
came not to suggest improvements in agriculture and industry, he came to free
men from the bondage and guilt of sin; he left the civil affairs of the world as
he found them: he advanced no measures for political and governmental reform; he
came not as a statesman, but as a Savior, and his grand mission was to save man
from his greatest enemy, sin.

Let us think now of sin as an enemy, and take the following views of its evil.
What enemy has man ever had that was comparable to sin? All metaphor falls short
and imagery fails, when one would picture the devastation and ruin of this
country. But we must try, even though we know the effort must result in a mere
adumbration. Let us suppose a physical enemy from abroad, raging with malice and
armed with power, who should overrun our country, pillage our cities and sack
our towns, burn and destroy our homes and schools, take away our liberties,
enslave and imprison our people. Then let us suppose a deliverer to arise and
drive the enemy from our shores forever, restore the captives, and give us back
our liberties and our property. His name would be upon the tongue of the nation
and all would run to do him honor. Children would talk of him in the streets,
and his name would be a household word in every family. But, this enemy would be
a friend compared to sin, and such a savior would not deserve to be mentioned
even in contrast, much less in comparison, with “Jesus Christ, the Savior” from
sin. The only reason men do not generally acknowledge the honor of Christ and
apply at once to him for deliverance, is because they have no adequate
conception of the evil of sin and do not properly value the virtues which it
destroys. One must know the malignity and insidiousness of the disease before he
can or will properly appreciate either the physician or the remedy. So much
depends upon this one point; if sin be the greatest evil and man’s worst enemy,
then he who saves us from it becomes at once our kindest benefactor and our
greatest friend. Let us then make several observations with regard to the evil
of sin.

First, let us think of sin in its opposition to God. lit is logical to reckon
that the greatest evil which is opposed to the greatest good; and this is the
chief characteristic of sin. God is the very embodiment of all that is good,
right, and just, and sin being the very opposite of all that is good, right, or
just, is in opposition to God: is highhanded rebellion against God. This is the
very essence of the evil of sin. Let us not think that the evil of sin is to be
esti-mated by its baseness and grossness, its sordidness and commonness alone;
sin is base and gross, sordid and common, but the chief evil of sin is its
opposition and rebellion against Jehovah God, the Unquestionable Sovereign of
the universe and man. Sin with undisguised arrogance, would depose God from this
sovereignty, abuse his divine mercy and beneficence, profane his holiness, and
insult and deny his omniscience, his justice and his power. The sinner
therefore, is an outcast from God, a rebel against him and his government.

We may, in the second place, estimate the evil of sin by the names which are
given to it in the Scriptures. Names are descriptive titles; this being true,
how evil is sin! I can think of no term that suggests reproach or raises
aversion that is not somewhere in the Scriptures used to describe sin. Sin is
disobedience: it is rebellion: it is the work of the devil: it is ignorance: it
is folly: it is darkness: it is blindness: it is deafness: it is sickness: it is
slavery: it is death! And hence, when the Apostle Paul would speak of it to the
Romans, he condemned it in every period of time; he said, “What fruit then had
ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those
things is death” (Romans 6:21). For the past, there was unfruitfulness: for the
present, there was disgrace: and for the future, there was destruction.

Let us now turn to the effects of sin, and what a picture of evil is presented
here! Look first, to the soul of man. It was sin which defiled it and rendered
it unfit for immediate association with God, banished it from his presence, and
filled it with confusion and regret.

If we turn to the body of man, there too, the evil ef-fects of sin are manifest.
God did not create man to die, but, “Through one man sin entered into the world,
and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned”
(Romans 5:12.) The universal law of mortality that fills our once immortal and
perfect bodies with all those disorders, derangements and defects which
eventually bring every man to the grave, is the direct effect of sin.

There is yet one more way to measure the evil of sin; it is by considering the
means devised of God to save man, the crowning piece of his creation and the
object of his affection, from the utter ruin and eternal destruction of sin.
There was only one being in all the universe through whom this could be
accomplished ; Jesus, The Savior, the Son of God. Through him, and him alone,
could this enemy fall, and man the victim of his foul clutch be released, and
purged from all his pollution and guilt.

But, let us consider now, the way in which even The Son of God, the Lord of life
and glory, could “Save his people from their sins.” And at this point
especially, of all the system of the divine economy, we must “walk by faith, and
not by sight.” To save man, Christ must suffer: by the shedding of his blood we
are redeemed, and by his death we live. The case is this: God’s command was
broken, man stood guilty before his Maker, and the curse, or penalty of the
divine law was due. In the mind of God, the same sanctions and holy wisdom which
caused him to make the law in the first place, would also cause him to uphold
the law and exact the penalty. But God loved man, and desired to save him from
the penalty of the law which was eternal destruction.

How could God, without impugning his own truth and integrity and infringing upon
his own justice, extend to man, the object of his affection, his mercy, clemency
and favor, in such a way as to obviate the penalty of the law end save man for
time and for eternity? This is the great question of human redemption; and the
only answer we can have to it, in the very nature of the case, is the solution
which God devised through Jesus, the Savior, and which he has revealed upon the
pages of the New Testament. On the one hand there was law, sin, guilt,' penalty,
and death; on the other there was love, mercy, clemency, justification, and
life. Between these antipodal al-ternatives God, out of his love for man,
interposed the death of his Son, in which his oivine wisdom saw all that was
necessary to relieve him, as the moral governor of the universe, from the
necessity of executing the penalty of the law upon man, the offender, and which
would make it possible for him, in harmony with every virtue of his perfection,
to turn to man and extend to him his mercy, clemency, forgiveness and
justification in this world, and in the world to come, eternal life. The
simplest expression of this marvelous stroke of divine jurisprudence is to be
found in the language of the apostle Paul to the Romans, when he said, “But now
apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in
Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction; for all
have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his
grace through the redcmpt-on that is In Christ Jesus: whom God set forth to be a
propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of
the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; for the
showing, I say, of his righteousness at this present season: that he might
himself be just and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus” (Romans
3:21-26.) And now, as w’e conclude our reflections for this morning, let us
observe that it is from this propitia tory work that our Lord derives his
highest title. His name is the memorial of this achievement. lie will henceforth
be known through all the ages as the conqueror of sin, and the Savior of man.
And whatever oiher names may be given to him in time or in eternity, it is under
the character of a Savior that he is adored by all the saints of earth and by
all the angels of heaven. “Worthy ns the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.” “Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be the glory and dominion
for ever and ever. Amen”.


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  CHAPTER 3: CHRISTIANITY, A WAY OF LIVING
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Christianity, A Way of Living CHRISTIANITY, A WAY OF LIVING Cecil N. Wright

It affords me genuine pleasure to speak tonight on the subject assigned me, and
I . esteem it indeed an honor to have been invited to appear on this program
—especially since there are so many truly distinguished speakers on it. Religion
has always been to me a most fascinating study. And Christianity is the greatest
and sublimest of all religions—acknowledged even by infidels, by disbelievers in
all religion, to be so. It is also the religion I have espoused. And my life has
been dedicated to the promulgation of it. So, most naturally, I am quite happy
to discuss one of the phases of Christianity with you on this occasion.

Christianity is Truly a Way It was announced that my subject is to be
“Christianity, a Way of Living.” And Christianity is truly a “way.” It is so
described in the Bible, which is the only divine textbook on religion. In it we
read: “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to
Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of THIS WAY, whether they were
men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2). Also this:
“And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months,
disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when
divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of THAT WAY before the
multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily
in the school of one Tyrannus” (Acts 19:8-9). Other passages could also be
quoted, such as Acts 18:26; Acts 19:23; Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14; Acts 24:22. if
time permitted but they all suggest the same thing—namely, that Christianity is
a “way”—and not only a way, but a very defi-nite way, and an absolutely
indispensible way. It is the way personified by Christ, its Founder, who said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me” (John 14:6). It is so definite a way, so defined and restricted, that Jesus
spoke of it himself as “narrow.” Said he: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for
wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruct ion, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow AS the way,
which leadeth to life, and few there be that find It” (Matthew 7:13-14,). In
Acts 16:17 Christianity is called “THE WAY of salvation.” It is also a way of
worship. Said the. apostle Paul in Acts 24:14, “But this I confess unto thee,
that after THE WAY which they call heresy, so ivorship I the God of my fathers.”
And Christianity is likewise a way of living. The apostle Peter said to
Christians: “But like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also in all
manner of living” (1 Peter 1:15, Revised Version). And again: “ * * * Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should “folloiv in his
steps” (1 Pet, 2:21). Christianity, then, is truly a way of living, or, as we
more com monly say, a way of life. We speak of “the American way of life,” “the
Russian way of life,” “the German way of life,” and so on. And there is also
just as surely “the Christian way of life”—the only right way to live in any
country—the only way that makes for peace and a maximum of happiness in this
world, and for hapniness at all in the world to come.

Christianity is Not Antinomianism Christianity being a very definite way, a
narrow or restricted way, it is not antinomianism. That is, it is not a way of
life ungoverned by any law. It is not a system that allows every man to be a law
unto himself. Some folk have the idea that because it is said in Romans 6:14
that “ye are not under the law, but under grace,” Christians are not under any
law m any sense. But such is a distorted notion of the meaning of the passage. I
preached for a while (and only for a while!) where there was an element, very
respectable in manner of life, but very much opposed to any mention whatsoever
of law in connection with Christianity. But they had, of course, to ignore such
passages as: “For out of Zion shall go forth the low, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). “For the priesthood being changed, there is made
of necessity a change also of the law” (Hebrews 7:12)—not an abrogation of law
as such, you will notice, but only a change of law. “To them that are without
law, (I came) as without law, (being not without law to God, but under law to
Christ)” (1 Corinthians 9:21). “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the
law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), “But whoso looketh into the perfect Who of
liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of
the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25). “If ye fulfil the
royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,
ye do well: But if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced
of the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9). “So speak ye, and so do, as they
that shall be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:11-12). “Speak not evil of
one another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his
brother, speaketh evil of the laiv, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the
law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge."

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:11-12). But
why multiply passages further? The fact is already thoroughly established that
Christians are not without law. The truth is that we are not under the lawT of
Moses, which was a system of law only, but are under the Christian system, which
is a system, not of law only, but of grace also. That is the import of Romans
6:14. And Paul, ifi Romans 3:31, says, “Do we then make void the law through
faith?” —that is, through the Christian system. “God for-bid: yea, we establish
the law.” In the original it is not “the law,” but simply “law.” By Christianity
we do not make law void, but we establish law. We ac-knowledge the binding force
of God’s law. In order to become Christians we must be characterized by
“repentance toward God” as well as by “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (See
Acts 20:21). “Repentance” is a change of mind, particularly a change of will or
determination. To become a Christian one must take his mind from off sin, and
focus it on righteousness— on the commandments of God. He has to resolve in his
heart to obey God’s law, to fulfil the law of Christ. Without this, there is no
repentance toward God. And without such repentance there is no Christianity. So
Christianity does indeed establish law— called in James 1:25; James 2:12, “the
law of liberty;” in James 2:8, “the royal law;” in Galatians 6:2, “the law of
Christ;” and in Romans 8:2, “the law of the Spirit of life.” Christianity is,
therefore, a very definite way of life, regulated by “the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus,” to use again the words of Romans 8:3, so that “the
righteousness of the law” is “fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).

Nature of Christianity is Not Determined by the World Christianity, being a way
of life determined by the law of Christ, and not by man, is not subject to
change or modification to make it fit into the ways of the world. Jit is in the
world, to be sure, but not of the world. It is in the world to change the world,
if possible, but not to be changed by the world. Those who seek to modify
Christianity to make it conform to the world, and to be more popular, are in
reality traitors to the Master. Christians are admonished: “And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans
12:2). “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is
not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). “Ye adulterers and
adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James
4:4). “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted
from the world” (James 1:27). Hence, Christianity is something distinct from
worldliness. And Christians are not at liberty to do a thing just because
everybody else does it. God’s word, and not what others do, is to determine how
a Christian lives. The people of God are solemnly warned, “Thou shalt not follow
a multitude to do evil” (Exodus 23:2). Evil, regardless of how popular it is,
and how delightful for the moment, always brings sorrow and suffering sooner or
later. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8). The purpose of Christianity is to promote a way
of life that is better than the ways of the world. And any effort to conform
Christianity to the world is, in effect, an attempt to defeat that purpose.
Those who are genuinely converted, and who truly have the Spirit of Christ, will
not try it—will not even want to try it.

Christianity Regulates All Relationships of Its Adherents Being a way of life,
Christianity seeks to regulate all relationships that Christians may sustain to
other individuals and to institutions. The law of the Lord is not only perfect,
converting the soul (that is, to God), as declared in Psalms 19:7, but the
Scriptures also furnish the man of God completely, unto every good work (2
Timothy 3:16-17). Chief among the relation- ships of life are the following,
with the requirements of Christianity regarding them:

1. Wives to Husbands. “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is
fit in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18). 2. Husbands to Wives. “Husbands, love your
wives, and be not bitter against them” (Colossians 3:19). 3. Children to
Parents. “Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is well pleasing
unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). 4. Parents to Children. “Fathers, provoke not
your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21). “But bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). 5. Servants
to Masters. “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh:
not with eyeservice, as menpleasers: but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men;
knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance : for ye
serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which
he hath done: and there is no respect of persons” (Colossians 3:22-25). This is
written primarily to those engaged in involuntary servitude, but applies equally
to those who labor voluntarily for an employer. And for more scripture on this
and the other already mentioned relationships, see especially Ephesians 5:22 to
Ephesians 6:8; Titus 2:4; 1 Peter 2:18-19; 1 Peter 3:1-7. 6. Masters to
Servants. “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal;
knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven” (Colossians 4:1). See also
Ephesians 6:9. 7. Subjects to Their Government. “Let every soul be in subjection
to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are
ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of God: and they that resist .shall receive unto themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not
be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which
is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister
of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must
needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience, sake. For for
this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending
continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to
whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom
honor” (Romans 13:1-7). “Sub-mit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord’s sake: whether it be unto the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto
them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise
of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put
to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty as
a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men. Love the
brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17). 8. Magistrates to
Subjects. What shall we say about this relationship? We have no scripture to
read from bearing directly upon the subject.

We might do as our beloved Brother Charles H. Roberson did in writing his book,
“What Jesus Taught.” When he had set down instrumental music in worship as a
topical heading at the top of a page, he left the remainder of the page
blank—because Jesus had said nothing about it! And Brother Roberson, along with
the rest of us, does not use instrumental music in Christian worship, because it
is unauthorized. We argue against it because of the silence of the Scriptures.
We call attention to the fact that we are “not to go beyond that which is
written” (1 Corinthians 4:6, Re-vised Version). And we quote 2 Jno. 9, which
says: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath
not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the
Son.” We point out how we can sing, and have that as our only music in worship,
and yet abide in the doctrine of Christ, for the doctrine of Christ authorizes
singing in worship. We also show that^ since instrumental music is not taught in
the doctrine of Christ as to how to conduct himself as a subject, but not as a
magistrate. Hence, as a subject he can abide in the doctrine of Christ, and have
God. But, if he becomes a magistrate, a law enforcement officer, an agent of
vengeance, he does what the doctrine of Christ does not furnish him unto and
becomes that regarding which he has no instructions whatever. Does it not seem
strange that Christians are informed about such reciprocal relations as those of
husbands and wives, parents and children, and master and servants; and that they
are also instructed as subjects of civil government, but not as
administrators—if so be that God had intended for them to exercise the functions
of the latter? What shall we say to these things?

Well, we know this much—namely, that it is safe for Christians to be only
subjects of temporal governments, and not a part of such governments themselves.
Christians have their citizenship in heaven (Php_3:21, Revised Version ), in the
kingdom of heaven. And they may hold positions of responsibility in that
spiritual government, as those of evangelist, elder, or deacon. The word of God
furnishes them unto such, but not unto similar positions in temporal government
though they be citizens of these too. Christians must pay the taxes required by
civil governments, and submit to their ordinances, except when they usurp
authority that does not rightfully belong to them, and issue commands that
contravene the commandments of the Lord. In such event, the inspired apostle
Peter says, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Hence,
Christians must submit to temporal governments, but only when to do so does not
violate the laws of the kingdom of heaven. And they are given no information
that they may administer civil government. All their instructions in connection
with such government regards them as subjects only, not as administrators. I am
not prepared to say dogmatically that a Christian absolutely cannot be a
magistrate; but I am saying that it certainly is a debatable matter, whereas
being a sub- jec only is unquestionably safe.

9. Christians to Neighbors. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (James
2:8). Many other passages also say the same thing. And Luke 10:25-37 shows that
Christians should also be neighborly. 10. Christians to Enemies. It might be
noted that Christians are not told what to do as enemies, for they are not to be
enemies to anybody. They are to be enemies of sin, but not of the sinner
himself. However, they are taught to expect to have enemies. See, for instance,
John 15:18-21. Therefore they are instructed as to how to treat their enemies.
Said Jesus: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you”
(Matthew 5:44). “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to
wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink” (Romans
12:19-20). “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should
walk in his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who,
when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but
committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Pet. 2:21-23). 11.
Christians to Brethren. “Love the brotherhood” (1 Peter 2:17). “see that ye love
one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). “ye an of one mind,
having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing”
(1 Peter 3:8-9). “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). “Be
ye kindly affectioned one toward another; in honor preferring one another”
(Romans 12:10). 12. Christians to All Men. “Honor all men” (1 Peter 2:17).
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even
so to them” (Matthew 7:12). “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good
unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians
6:10). This covers the chief relationships of Christians to others. And do you
not think that this is a wonderful way of life?

Christianity is a Way of Love From what has already been presented, it is quite
apparent that Christianity is a way of love. The apostle Paul also said so.
After discussing the gifts, the faults, and the ambitions of the Corinthians, he
said: “....and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31),
with which statement he began a treatise on love. Then he went on to say:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (or
love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have
the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and
though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity,
I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I
give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1
Corinthians 13:1-3). These statements show that charity, or love, is a primarily
essential element in Christianity—that other things derive their highest value
from love, and without love are worth but little. Then Paul goes on to describe
love, saying: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaun teth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians
13:4-8). And, closing his treatise on love, Paul declared: “And now abideth
faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1
Corinthians 13:13).

Without love, one cannot be like God, for “love is of God” (1 John 4:7), and
“God is love” (1 John 4:8). A Christian must love his brethren, his neighbors,
his enemies—he must love everybody. Said Christ to his disciples: “This is my
commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). It
was through the power of love that Christ’s kingdom was founded and is
perpetuated— not force, but love. Of Christ, Napoleon once said: “Christ was
more than a man. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but
upon what did the creation of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded
his empire upon love, and to this very day millions would die for him.” Yes,
Christianity is verily a way of love. Everything about it revolves around love.
To Christians, the apostle Paul wrote: “Owe no man anything, but to love one
another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt
not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not
bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment,
it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law”. (Romans 13:8-10).

Christianity is a Way of Truth In 2 Peter 2:2, Christianity is also spoken of as
“the way of truth.” And this is not strange when we know that it is a way of
love, and that love “rejoiceth in the truth,” as 1 Corinthians 13:6 says that it
does. Christianity is a religion governed by God’s word, which is truth. See
John 17:17, where Jesus says to the Father, “Thy word is truth.” God’s word is
always truth, for God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2). And neither can one be a child
of God, a Christian, and lie. Christians are commanded on this wise: “Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25).
And Revelation 21:8 says that “all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Again it is
said that there shall not enter heaven “any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” (Revelation 21:27). And that
“without are the dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Revelation 22:15). You notice
how the Christian scriptures class lying, do you not?—-with murder, idolatry,
sorcery, immorality, and the like. This is because Christianity is a way of
truth, and admits of no falsehood of any kind.

Christianity is a Way of Righteousness The Christian way is also called “the way
of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:21). And this is quite natural, for a combination
of love and truth would surely be righteousness. God’s law is based on love
(Matthew 22:37-40). And his word is truth (John 17:17). It is only logical then
that we should read: “for all thy commandments are righteousness” (Psalms
119:172). Christianity includes all that is right, and excludes all that is
wrong. But it is God, and not we ourselves, who is to say what is right and what
is wrong. Men’s standards of right are not always the same as God’s. The apostle
Paul wrote these pathetic words: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God
for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a
zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s
rigtheousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submittted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:1-3). This will
explain why we who try to be Christians—only Chris-tians, and Christians
only—are such great sticklers for a “Thus saith the Lord.” Why we make it our
rule to speak where the scriptures speak, and to be silent where they are
silent. Why we strive never to transgress, but always to abide in the doctrine
or teaching of Christ, as expressed in 2 John 1:9. And why we are urged in Holy
Writ to study to show ourselves approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15).

Christianity is a Way of Holiness Righteousness and holiness are closely
associated. Hence, if Christianity is “the way of righteousness,” it must be a
way of holiness. Accordingly, Christians are admonished to “put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
And Isaiah, by way of prophecy, did speak of the Christian way as “The way of
holiness.” Hear him: “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be
called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it” (Isaiah 35:8).
“Holiness” means purity, or freedom from sin, as seen from Isaiah’s statement
that the unclean shall not pass over the way of holiness. Holiness denotes
especially a pure condition of heart, which in turn produces holy or righteous
conduct. God is holy. And Christians are told this: “As obedient children, not
fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in your ig-norance : But as
he which called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (or
living) ; “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16).
If one is holy, then the lusts of the flesh are mortified. And without holiness
no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Hence, if the flesh is allowed to
predominate, one is not a Christian; he cannot be saved. Hear this: “Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revel-
lings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in
time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”
(Galatians 5:19-21). There have been almost from ihe very beginning those who
have behaved as if Christianity were libertinism. But it is not. Peter said
some, who seem to have been preachers, were “themselves the servants of
corruptions” (2 Peter 2:19). Jude (Jude 1:4) said they turned the grace of God
into lasciviousness. And Revelation 2:20 tells of a church member at Thyatira
that taught and seduced servants of God to commit fornication. But the Lord
condemned that church for permitting such to go on without discipline. And 2
Timothy 3:5 says, “from such turn away.” Christianity is a way of holiness, not
of licentiousness and debauchery. Christians, individually and collectively, are
called the temple of God. Said Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 : “Know ye not that
ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man
defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy,
which temple ye are.”

Christianity is a Way of Peace “The way of peace” is spoken of in Romans 3:17,
also in Isaiah 59:8. And Christianity is that. Its author was prophetically
called “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:7). And when he was born into the world,
the heavens echoed with angelic voices singing, “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13-14). Christians are told to
"follow peace with all men” (Hebrews 12:14). And again, “If it be possible, as
much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Continuing
the thought, the next verse says: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but
rather give place to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if the thirst, give
him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21). Heaping coals
of fire upon an enemy’s head does not mean what a certain lady is reported to
have thought, who went to the preacher to obtain advice as to how to get along
with her husband, and upon being asked if she had heaped coals of fire upon his
head, said no, but that she had tried hot water, and it had failed! But this is
rather a figure of speech taken from the oldtime method of smelting ores. The
ore was placed between layers of coals, the heat from which liquified the metal,
which dripped into a container below, leaving the dross clinging to the coals.
In other words, it was by means of coals of fire that the desirable portion was
extracted. So the idea of heaping coals of fire upon an enemy’s head is not that
of trying to “burn him down,” but of melting his heart, and, if there is any
good in him, bringing it out by doing good to him—overcoming evil with good.
This is in harmony with what Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount, saying:
“resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloak also” (Matthew 5:39-40). Jesus and his apostles did not
say, they did not guarantee, that this would always produce the desired
immediate effect. But it is what they commanded. And the history of man shows
that retaliation, whether by individuals or by nations, has never properly
settled differences. It is impossible that man could make a bigger mess of
things by pacifism than he has by warfare. Wars have been growing bigger and
more devastating with the passing of the centuries. The war of 1914-18 was
fought by the democracies, they said, to make the world safe for democracy and
to end all wars. Did it do it? Well, the present global conflict, almost totally
eclipsing the other world war in scope and destruction, gives us the answer. And
already many far-seeing individuals, men skilled in international relations, are
warning that there is very, very grave danger that we are right now setting the
stage for a subsequent conflict that will utterly dwarf the present one! Not a
few of our own statesmen are shuddering with fear that we shall lose the peace.
Anyway, this we know, that no nation having arisen with the sword has stood for
more than a few centuries, which vindicates the statement of Jesus that “all
they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Any one
who fights with the sword, fights for a cause that will ultimately fail; maybe
it will triumph temporarily, but it will fail in the end. Behold proud Babylon
of Nebuchadnezzar’s day! The Medo-Persian empire of Cyrus ! The Grecian empire
of Alexander the Great! The Roman empire of the Caesars! These one-time world-
empires, where are they today? Fallen, fallen! Forever fallen! They took the
sword. They perished with the sword. And since their day lesser nations and
empires have been rising and falling, rising with the sword, and falling with
the sword. And so it will be as long as the carnal sword continues to be man’s
weapon. The only hope for peace—for world peace and security—is to imbue the
warlike nations of earth with the spirit of the “Prince of Peace.” Jesus Christ
never donned a soldier’s armor. And neither did the early followers of Christ,
if we are to believe historians. The great historian Gibbon is represented as
saying that early Christians refused an active part in “the military defense of
the empire”—that is, of the Roman empire. As late as 248 A. D., Origin, one of
the so-called church fathers, wrote that “we do not indeed ‘render military
service along with him,’ even if he press us to do so;’ but we do ‘render
military service’ on his behalf, by marshalling a private army of religion
through the prayers we offer to the Divine Being.” And we also know from the
Bible that Christians were not expected to engage in the military de-fense of
Jerusalem. See Matthew 24. They were instructed by the Master to flee. And
history tells us that they did—that not a one stayed, and not a one lost his
life in that siege. How could they have fought, and yet at the same time have
successfully taught peace to the world? How could hey have condemned war, and
then escaped condemnation for fighting? Said the apostle Paul, “And thinkest
thou this, 0 man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same,
that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3).

Christians are taught to pray for all men—“for kings, and for all that are in
authority, that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. For this is good and accept-able in the sight of God our Savior; who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1
Timothy 2:1-4). “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty
man is not delivered by much strength” (Psalms 33:16). “ * * * the race is not
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). The Lord, after
all, is the determining factor.”the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and
giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:17; Daniel 4:25; Daniel 4:32). But
“the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 4:16).
Hence, it is altogether possible that Christians can, marshalled as a private
army of religion through their prayers, to borrow" a phrase from Origen, be of
much more service to a nation—yes, even a nation at war—than if marshalled for
military service on the field of battle. It may be that they can also render
service acceptable to God on the battle front as angels of mercy —as physicians,
nurses, amabulance drivers, and such like—any service of a non-combat nature. In
fact, persuaded that such is possible, I, when registering at the command of our
government, offered to do noncombat duty, though going on record as not being
able conscientiously to do combat service. I explained to my draft board that I
had once been an out-and-out pacifist, and that the time had been when I would
have accepted death before wearing a uniform, but that I had somewhat relented
from that view, though not having been able to convince myself fully that the
opposite extreme would be acceptable to the Lord. And I might say that such
represents my attitude even at the present.

Since our brethren have been waxing so warm in discussion on the subject during
the last two or three years, I have endeavored to suspend judgment until I could
make a thorough and satisfactory study of the subject when not under the
influence of war psychology, when no longer would I have flesh- and-blood
brothers in the conflict, and when I thought I might be able to reason more
impartially and sanely. But now I am dealing with a subject that involves that
issue, which makes it incumbent upon me not to sidestep it. So I have had to
give my reasons for not being able as yet to accept the combatant side of the
question. I am not condemning those of my brethren whose consciences allow them
to go further than mine allows me. But I am saying, and I think that all will
agree that the way of the sword is not the means to peace—lasting peace; that
only the religion of the “Prince of Peace,” enshrined in the hearts of men and
leaders of men, can bring surcease from wars and rumors of wars. Christianity,
the way of peace, is the only hope for peace! Only when Christ judges among the
nations, and rebukes many people, will they “beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.” Then, and not till then, will “nation not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” See Isaiah
2:4. Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation, has commanded that we go into
all the world, and preach his gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15) ; and to
have our feet shod with the prepaartion of the gospel of peace—not of war. See
Ephesians 6:15. In the language of the song, “Let us heed the call, brother
dear, for workers, for workers today”—the call for workers to promote peace on
earth, good will toward men.

Conclusion The only ones, however, who have their feet properly shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace, are those who have accepted Christianity in
its entirety—as the way of salvation and the way of worship, as well as the way
of living. So, if you have not already done so, we urge upon you to make a
complete surrender to Christ—make it even now. For now is the accepted time. Now
is the day of salvation. For salvation, believe on Jesus Christ as the Son of
God— believe on him with all your heart, repent of your sins, and be baptized in
the name of Christ for the remission of sins; then worship him each passing day
and week according to the instruction of Holy Writ; and follow the Christian way
of life—the way of love, of truth, of righteousness, of holiness, and of peace—
till you reach the end of the way, which leads to an endless day in the sinless
summerland of bliss and joy and song. If you have followed the Christian way for
a while, but have fallen by the way, or have strayed aside, why not also take
advantage of the present opportunity to make things right with God—to repent and
pray God, and let us pray with and for you, that you may be pardoned and
restored to the favor of the Almighty, and share with all the faithful the
exceeding great and precious promises of God?


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  CHAPTER 4: THE HOME—ITS IMPORTANCE
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The Home—Its Importance THE HOME—ITS IMPORTANCE H. C. Hale My subject is an old
one. The home is the oldest divine institution. God ordained two divine
institutions. In the beginning, God saw it was not good for man to be alone,
hence he made a help meet for him. Since that day man has been groping in the
dark hunting for the ideal home. I have had some difficulty while preparing this
speech to get a proper definition of the home. Perhaps Madame Schuman-Heink’s
definition will help us to see what a home is:

“A roof to keep out rain. Four walls to keep out wind. Floors to keep out cold.
Yes, but home is more than that. It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a
mother, the strength of a father. Warmth of loving hearts, light from happy
eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship. Home is first school for young ones, where
they learn what is right, what is good and what is kind. Where they go for
comfort when they are hurt or sick. Where joy is shared and sorrows eased. Where
fathers and mothers are respected and loved. Where children are wanted. Where
the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned. Where money is
not so important as loving kindness. Where even the tea kettle sings from
happiness. That is home —God bless it.”

Whether the houses we live in are built of brick or wood, they should be real
old fashioned homes. The furniture may not be up-to-date, the pictures may not
be well hung, but these are not the important things about a home. The home
should turn out into the world Christian men and women who will become the
citizens of our nation. We can see some bad effects of the improper home; or
some results when some one did not have the advantage of a mother or father.
Somewhere I ran across these lines, by Odetta Ruth Anderson:

“I had no teaching when I was a kid, Was never corrected for bad things I did
And somehow I was always taught That the shame of crime was just getting caught.
I wouldn’t be facing a convict’s fate If my dad had gone honest and straight,
Nor would I be here today l!f I’ had a mother who could pray.”

If only the parents could realize that they are re-sponsible for the children’s
character!

What the Home Should Be Many solutions to the problem of the broken home have
been given. The Socialist who comes with his definite economic theory or
political program and offers a solution. The Psychologist offers his cure. These
are weighed and found wanting. We need no better book for home training and
character building than the Bible. The great trouble in the world today
regarding the home, is that the Bible has not been respected and used as the
home text book. This Book teaches the father’s responsibilities and the mother’s
duties. It speaks of training children: “Train up a child in the way he should
go, and when he gets old he will not depart from it.” Do we question the
truthfulness of that statement? Some may say that the rule failed at some time.
No indeed! The failure was with the ones who may have tried to train, but if one
departed, that one was not trained. Good fathers who stand four square for
character and truth today are needed! Good old fashioned mothers who do not try
to get their daughters to keep up with the times are the need of the hour!

You will pardon me for reading what others have said. I am reading these lines
which describe far better than the way I might word it. Listen to this one who
describes herself as!

“I AM A REPEAL FEMALE” “Once I was an innocent, beautiful virtuous, religious,
ambitious girl. I went to school and had lofty ideals of doing big things in
life, i hoped some day to have a good husband and a happy home. I loved my
church; I believed my Bible; I went to Sunday School; and was inspired to help
the needy. I was much loved and admired by my friends.

“Then from some whom I thought to be my friends too, I caught the ‘repeal
fever’. I bobbed my hair, rolled down my stockings, cut off my skirts, penciled
my finger nails. I was made to believe that my happiness depended on being
smart; that only popularity, pleasure and a sport life was ideal; and was told
that everybody was doing it.

After hearing the cigarette advertisements over the radio, seeing them in the
magazines and on the bill-boards, and watching my so-called friends indulging, I
was influenced to smoke, and got a great kick out of sitting in public places,
puffing smoke in others’ faces. Having lost my desire to go to church, or to be
with church folk, I went with the crowds to the dance halls, road houses, beer
gardens, and to the cocktail rooms. I soon became brazen enough to call for a
drink at the bar. I learned to gamble, played the races, and had many late-hour
dates.

Now I have had my fling—have been a modern girl, and have had my ‘personal
liberty’. My virtue is gone, my religion is gone, my old time friends are gone,
my beauty is gone. Here I am, an ugly, blear eyed, blotch faced,
cigarette-smoking, half crazed drunken sot! I have repealed everything that was
good, noble, refined, beautiful, moral and spiritual in my life. The few friends
I have, are as miserable as I am. My body is diseased, my heart is broken, my
noble ideals are crushed, my motherly instincts are dead, my good family name is
disgraced, my character is ruined, my ambition is gone! My past is evil, my
present is hell, and my future is dark! I am nothing now but a REPEAL
FEMALE!”—Anon.

God pity that mother who thinks her daughter should be a society belle; and that
by all means must be popular!

God in the Home The home should first of all be dedicated to God. He is the Head
of Christ, who is the Head of the Man who is the head of woman. Godless and
Christless homes are a curse to society and the church. God’s Word should govern
the home. The Bible should be read daily in the home. What a beautiful picture
to see the father with his wife and the mother of his children gathered around
the fireside reading the Bible, and then the blessings of God pronounced upon
the home! I tell you that such homes stand as a bulwark against all the evls
which beset our paths today!

Considering that the Word of God is taught and respected in the home, demands
that law and order prevail. Some of us have been in some homes where confusion
and chaos reigned. The children were noisy and unruly, and there was little
concern upon the part of the parents. A well ordered home is peaceful, and
orderly. The home is a business organization—the biggest of its kind in the
world. This presupposes that there is perfect harmony between the mother and
father. They are free to talk over the problems that confront them. They
practice economy. They will live within their financial means. They will teach
their children that debts are dangerous. The right kind of home is a place where
the children are taught the privilege of work. lit is unfortunate for children
to be reared in a lap of plenty, and fed with the silver spoon. Hard work
develops character. Some of our great leaders—gospel preachers came from humble
homes and were reared in poverty.

Yes indeed we need homes—not merely houses, but homes. The home that John the
Baptist had, when it is said that “They were both (Zacharias and Elizabeth)
righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless;” or the kind of home that Abraham had when it s said: “For I have
known him to the end that he may command his children and his household after
him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to
the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

Responsibilities Of course we understand that there are definite
responsibilities of the children towards the parents. “Children, obey your
parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother (which is
the first commandment with promise). There are many ways of honoring the mother
and father. The first and best way is to remember the word of God as it was
taught by mother and father and live the best Christian life possible. Indeed
this is honoring father and mother. Then they will honor them by treating them
right and providing for them in old age. They will not look upon the father and
mother in the sunset of life as being a burden, but a pleasure. I have known
however some parents who were unworthy of being honored. That father who fails
to set before his son or daughter a good example of a Christian life, certainly
is unworthy of honor! That mother who spends her time at clubs and parties and
hires a colored servant to rear her children is unworthy of being honored! God
bless our homes and may they be Christian, is my humble prayer. I thank you for
your attention given to this lecture.


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  CHAPTER 5: THE SACREDNESS OF THE HOME
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The Sacredness of the Home THE SACREDNESS OF THE HOME H. C. Hale

God is the author of two divine institutions. The home is the oldest which had
its origin in the garden of Eden, when Jehovah God performed the first marriage.
The church is the other divine institution, which had its origin on the first
Pentecost, after the resurrection of Christ. Both these institutions have been
misunderstood and have been desecrated. All the trouble comes because men have
abused the home and the church. We are speaking regarding the sacredness of the
home. I am taking the liberty this evening of reading what others have said
about the home. I shall read some statistics pertaining to the. grave problem of
juvenile delinquency. I am reading these clippings because others have worded my
thoughts. From an old clipping which I have in my hands we have a definition of
the home. Will you listen: “To describe a home is more difficult than many
think. The home is not made up of external circum-stances. There are homes of
granite and marble, of brick or wood. The palace and the cottage are not so far
removed from each other as we often think. The humblest dwelling may be a fairer
home than the most costly mansion. 'Be it ever so humble, there is no place like
home.’ Where love and sympathy have woven their canopy over human lives, the
heart centers itself, as surely as planets in their spheres. Go where you will
in search of beauty, variety, or pleasure, you will say with undissembling
fervency:—

‘There is one land of every land the pride, Beloved of heaven o’er all the world
beside, There is one spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than
all the rest. Say, would’st thou then ask, where shall That spot be found? Art
thou a man, a patriot? Look around: Still shalt thou mind, where’er thy
footsteps roam. That land, thy country, and that spot thy home.’ But the
importance of the home in its relation to the state consists, not simply in its
blessedness, but in its influence upon the formation of character. ‘Who can
measure this influence? The soul is affected by environments to a great extent.
Disposition, character and destiny are often determined before an individual
emerges into manhood, (italics mine, H. C. H.) the most potent energies society
has ever known have come out of the home life of the land.’ Doctor Wool- sey,
one of the ex-presidents of Yale College, says that the decline of the Roman
empire began really in the corruption of home life. President Dwight of Yale
College, in giving an account of how he was educated, says that the whole story
is summed up in a single sentence, T had the right mother.’ He by no means
ignores the influence of other means; but he firmly believes that the
determining part of his education, that which chiefly made him what he is, was
gained during his early years, and in the family.”—American Baptist.

If the decline of the Roman empire began in the corruption of the home, what of
the American home today! We face one of the gravest dangers in the history of
our nation in the gradual decline of the home. It has been brought about by a
lack of appreciation of the sacredness of the home. No doubt during the days of
Noah, when the world was corrupt before God, and that God saw that every
imagination of the thought of man was evil continually—that this downward course
destroyed civilization. This same thing destroyed the Israelites; as well as the
Babylonians; the Grecians. The Cause of Juvenile Delinquency I know that most
people tire of hearing statistics and editorials. They are sometimes as dry as
dust. However I beg of you to listen. Eleven months after Pearl Harbor,
Newsiveek carried an editorial with the following:

“A jolted older generation became suddenly aware of a riotous and ever growing
procession of juvenile burglary, larceny, assault, robbery, criminal homicide,
rape and other sex offenses, arson, truancy, runaways, and disorderly conduct.
Among the gravest cases were those of prostitution both professional and casual,
by girls anywhere from 12 on up,—feminine camp followers, popularly dubbed,
‘Victory girls/ ‘cuddle bunnies,’ who defended their relation with men in the
armed forces on the grounds of patriotic duty.”

Six months later, Ella Winter, writing in Colliers, told of unprecedented acts
of juvenile vandalism, and asserts that in numerous American cities delinquency
among girls thirteen to fifteen years of age has increased from 20 per cent to
58 per cent. Iln one large metropolis there existed a huge organized gang of
boys and girls who committeed holdups, robberies and murders. All smoked
marijuana, and no boy could join who had not perpetrated a crime or seduced a
girl. Four hundred of these young criminals were taken into custody.

Such are the conditons that prompted J. Edgar Hoover, head of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, to issue the vigorous and solemn warning to American parents:

“This country is in deadly peril. We can win this war, and still lose freedom
for all in America. For a creeping rot of moral disintegration is eating into
our nation.

“I am not easily shocked nor easily alarmed. But today, like thousands of
others, I am both shocked and alarmed. The arrests of teen age boys and girls,
all over the country, are staggering. Some of the crimes youngsters are
committing are almost unspeakable. Prostitution, murder, rape. These are ugly
words. But it is an ugly situation. If we are to correct it, we must face it—. .
. These are not isolated horrors from another world. They are danger signals
which every parent—every responsible American —should heed.”

There we have warnings and facts from men and women who are alarmed over our
homes. Here is the irony of it however; and that is our attention must be called
to these things from men and women of the world. We have been sleeping all too
long. It is high time that Christian people wake up and begin to build Christian
homes. But you say, we are young people; and Christian mothers and fathers. I
reply that it is our solemn duty to go forth and preach the gospel of Christian
homes to the world. This is our only hope. The Divorce Evil. Back of the
juvenile delinquency and the breakdown of our homes there must be a cause. Many
men and women and boys and girls look upon the marriage vows too lightly. These
vows are sacred and binding. They can’t be set aside by men, and human laws. Yet
there exists the idea that marriage is for convenience and if it doesn’t work,
we will set it aside. It is no small wonder that we should be alarmed, when we
are told that one out of seven marriages wind up in the divorce courts. Why
this? Young people have not been taught the sanctity of marriage. “And Jehovah,
God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help
meet for him. ” (Genesis 2:18) Note: One woman for one man. Jesus is very plain
right here: “And he answered and said, Have ye not read that he who made them
from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a
man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall
become one flesh ? So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:4-6). “And I say
unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall
marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put
away committeth adultery.” (V. 9) This connection between husband and wife is
closer than parent and child. Paul in speaking of the connection between
husbands and wives and Christ and the church, stated that this mystery is great.
Yes God is the author of marriage. “Marriage is honorable,” said Paul. Then
adultery is dishonorable—yes a disgrace! But because it has been popularized by
Hollywood, adultery and divorce are popular—to such an extent that one does not
become the idol of the youth until he has had a number of divorces (legalized
adultery). Our young people have been influenced too much by the silver screen
and the jazz of the radio, by such as Sinatra and others. The time is here when
consecrated gospel preachers are unpopular, whereas these others hold the
attenion of many fathers and mothers. And the shame of that thing is that many
of these parents are members of the church of Christ!

Responsibilties The marriage vows and the home impose certain responsibilities
upon each member in the home. The place of the husband in the home has been
definitely defined. “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is
Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1
Corinthians 11:3). “And thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule
over thee.” (Genesis 3:16). These scriptures are too plain to demand comment.
One of the reasons why some homes do not function smoothly, is that the man is
not the head of the house. This command does not give the husband the right to
look upon the wife as a slave.

These Scriptures teach also the place as well as the responsibility of the
husband in the home. Some men are often more anxious to hear a statement of
their privileges than a declaration of their responsibilities. Every husband
should love his wife more than any other creature on earth. “Husbands love your
wives,” said Paul (Eph., 5:25). In Colossians he put in the expression: “Be not
bitter against them.” (3:19). If these commandments were obeyed there could not
be unhappiness in the Christian home. Every husband is required to provide
financial support for his family. This duty is inherent in the very nature of
things. That man that fails in this is worse than an unbeliever. He fails in
being a Christian much less as a father. Every man should see to it that he give
the very best to his family. He should make himself a useful citizen and an
influential Christian. The wife will certainly help him in this endeavour. The
husband should be as prosperous as he can be. It is no sin to make money. The
sin comes in the improper use of it. Idleness is a sin however. The husband’s
wages or his salary are not his own. They belong to his family. If anyone in the
family is called upon to go sacrifice and do without, it should be the father.
In the same sense there are definite responsibilities of the wife. “Wives be in
subjection” (Ephesians 5:22). The young lady who decides to marry the man she
loves should be content in being in subjection to her husband. Yes, she is to
love, honor and obey him in the Lord. But again, “Let the wife see that she fear
her husband.” To ridicule this statement is nothing but disrespect to the Holy
Spirit. No one understands this to mean that the wife is to be afraid of her
husband; that she is to jump at every beck and call. “Fear God and keep his
commandments” is also a divine injunction, but God does not want his children to
be afraid of him as if he were a tyrant. He is a loving, kind-hearted Father and
invites us to love him. So it is with the wife and the husband. She is to look
upon him with love and admiration. To her he should be the greatest person in
all the world. But again we read these words: “In like manner ye wives be in
subjection to your own husbands, that even if any obey not the word, they may
without the word be gained by the behaviour of their wives, beholding your
chaste behaviour coupled with fear.” Peter was speaking to wives who had
husbands who were, not Christians. The main thing for the wife is to ’win her
husband over to Christ. How is this to be done? By nagging, and arguing and
creating an unhappy atmosphere? By all means no! Here Peter suggests that some
husbands may be converted without the word. This does not mean that one can be
saved without obeying the word of God, but so far as the wife is concerned she
does her work without the word. She lives a beautiful, Christian life, and this
life is the sermon that demands the respect of the husband. He then will be
eager and anxious to listen to the gospel. I have known as some of you that this
works. Another passage which teaches the responsibility of the wife is found in
Titus 2:3-5. “That aged women likewise be reverent in demeanor . . . that they
may train the young women to love their nusbands, to love their children, to be
sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own
husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” To my mind that is a
beautiful passage. Here the wife is told to love her husband and her children,
and to be “’workers at home.”

Home was ordained as the place for women to work. Today we have all witnessed
the wife and mother leaving the home, and seeking employment in secular and
public work. The children are left with a maid who is often incompetent. The
mother rarely sees her children except at night and morning. The father has no
contact with his family. Please don’t think I am too pessimistic. These are
conditions which face us today. They are realities. Let us do something about
them.

Need for Mothers I do not know why it is, but it is true that the mother has the
most important place in the home. This is no doubt because her responsibilities
were defined by the Lord. “Keepers at home” was not spoken just to fill up
space. Most of the great men had great mothers. Timothy not only had a mother
who was godly, but a grandmother also. There is an old proverb which says: ‘‘An
ounce of mother is worth more than a pound of correction.” All of us remember
some great lesson which our mothers taught us. What a need today of the right
kind of mothers! A young man was leaving home during World 1. His mother stood
in the door and waved good bye to him. Words were few, but those words spoken
were mighty and stayed with that young man.

“I love the words, perhaps because When I was leaving Mother, Standing at last
in solemn pause We looked at one another. And I—I saw in Mother’s eyes, The love
she could not tell me,— A love eternal as the skies, Whatever fate befell me;
She put her arms around my neck And soothed the pain of leaving, And though her
heart was like to break, She spoke no word of grieving; She let no tear bedim
her eye, For fear that might distress me, But kissing me she said good-bye, And
asked our God to bless me.”

Mother home and heaven are three beautiful words. What is home without a mother,
and how can heaven be gained without a home?


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  CHAPTER 6: AIMS AND PURPOSES OF ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
========================================================================

Aims and Purposes of Abilene Christian College AIMS AND PURPOSES OF ABILENE
CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Jas. F. Cox The aims and purposes of any college are its
reasons for its existence. The founder and builders usually determine these
aims. The purposes of any college should be well-known, definite, very worthy,
and justifiable. If there are no good reasons for the existence of any
particular institution of learning, then it just should not exist; and it will
not exist for very long.

Builders of colleges usually set forth their purposes in their charters or their
prospectuses. It is well for V those who direct and administer a college to hark
back often to the original aims of the institution and try their very best to
carry out those purposes.

Schools of various sorts have always existed: parental schools, community
schools, private schools, state schools, and church schools. All of these
schools have had their aims and purposes—varied and different, yet fundamentally
the same, that their pupils might be enabled or prepared to live happier and
better lives. For a long time most of our schools among western peoples were
dominated by the church. Then the state or nation took the schools and because
of sectarianism and religious prejudices, the Bible was forced out of all
state-supported schools, even in those nations claiming to be Christian. Because
the Bible could not be taught in the state schools, many private and church
owned or church governed schools were built where the Bible could be taught and
therefore be given a fair chance.

Many such schools were built by Christians, among these was Abilene Christian
College. In the early part cf the school year 1905-06, Bro. A. B. Barrett, a
graduate of the old Nashville Bible School, came to West Texas and interested a
number of brethren and friends in the establishment of a school in Abilene,
where the Bible and other subjects could be taught by Christian teachers. This
school was known as Childers Classical Institute, the forerunner of ACC.

Below I quote Articles I and II of the charter of ACC, which declare the purpose
of ACC:

“Art. I—The name of the corporation shall be Abilene Christian College. “Art.
IE—This corporation is created for the fol- * lowing purposes, to wit: the
establishment and maintenance of a college for the advancement of education in
which the arts, science, language, and the Holy Scriptures shall always be
taught, together with such other course of instruction as shall be deemed
advisable by the board of directors, and which shall be deemed advisable by the
board of directors, and which shall be managed and controlled as hereinafter set
forth, by a Board of directors, each of whom shall be a member of a congregation
of the Church of Christ which takes the New Testament as its only and sufficient
rule of faith, worship, and practice, and rejects from its faith, worship and
practice everything not required by either precept or example, and which does
not introduce into the faith, worship, and practice, as a part of the same or as
an adjunct thereto any supplemental organization or anything else not clearly
and directly authorized in the New Testament either by precept or example.” In
these quotations I wish you to note three things especially. First, “Abilene
Christian College.” The word college in America means an institution of learning
above high school level. When any qualifying ' terms are used such as
agricultural, industrial, medical, Methodist, or Christian, etc., they tell what
kind of college. This is a Christian college, not just a college. It is
different,-it is Christian as stated above. The original charter name was
Childers Classical Institute. During the sixth session (1911-1912) of the
school, I was President and we called it “Abilene Christian Training School.”
The Board and I believed that the wording of the charter was such that the word
Christian would be an appropriate, qualifying term. We did not call it a college
that year because the school was not at that time doing any college work. My
successor, Brother Jesse P. Sewell,' changed the name to Abilene Christian
College in 1912 which was finally made legal in 1920 by an amendment to the
charter. So, for more than three decades, this school has been known as a
Christian College, and there have been very few who have ever objected to that
name. The second thing I wish to emphasize is that: The charter states that “The
Holy Scriptures shall always be taught along with other subjects.” Through-out
its history this has been done, in fact, the Bible is given and should ever have
the most prominent place in its curriculum. On the seal of the College, the word
Bible is given the most prominent place. We require our students to study the
Bible. More hours aie required for graduation than of any other subject in ACC.
This should always be true. As an executive of the College for sixteen years, I
never had any serious difficulty in enforcing this requirement. I|f at any time
in the future history of this school, any sub versive element should get into
the faculty or the student body and should try to have the Bible department
given a less prominent place, such persons should be overruled and, if
necessary, dismissed. The third statement in the quotation that needs
emphasizing is that this “College is to be managed and controlled by a board of
trustees, everyone of whom must be a member of a congregation of the Church of
Christ.” Such congregation to be free from hobbies and innovations. This
statement emphasizes further and very strongly that the school should forever be
Chrisian.

Another quotation from our charter which further emphasizes and makes manifest
the purposes of ACC is as follows:

“This charter shall never be changed or amended as to qualifications of the
Board of Directors defined in Art. 6 of this charter.” From this quotation, we
see that the trustees, (the ultimate authority in ACC), must, every one of them,
be citizens of Texas and loyal, faithful members of the New Testament Church.
And their faithfulness must be passed on by their home congregation. Since all
these men must forever be Christians, we could harldy expect them to have any
other purpose than to maintain a Christian College.

These three statements then in our charter, viz, the name Abilene Christian
College; second, Bible always to have the most prominent place in the
curriculum, and third, Every trustee to be a faithful member of a congregation
of the Church of Christ,” suggest the aims and purposes of our school. These
statements if ever kept in mind and faithfully observed, are safe guarantees
that ACC will forever stress the spiritual and that it will never be swerved
from its accepted goal: that of developing boys and girls into happy, useful
Christian men and women, able and willing to build real Christian homes and to
be worthy, useful, loyal citizens of our well-beloved America. The standard
four-year American liberal Arts College is a character forming institution. It
has our boys and girls during the character forming period of their lives. It is
the aim of ACC to develop Christian character from this raw material that is
ours. These young people come to us with plastic minds ready, and willing to be
led. After four years, we send them out with the stamp of ACC upon them. It is
our purpose to make it Christian. The Board of Trustees, the President of the
College, and every teacher of the school should realize their responsibility
more keenly after hearing this poem,—The Sculptor:

“I took a piece of plastic clay And idly fashioned it one day And as my fingers
pressed it—still It yielded to my will. “I came again when years were past. That
bit of clay was hard at last: The form I gave it, still it bore, And I could
change it never more. •“Then I took a piece of living clay, And gently formed it
day by day, And moulded with my power and art A young child’s soft and yielding
heart. “I came again when years were gone. It was a man I looked upon. He still
that early impress bore, And I could change it never more!”

It should ever be our purpose to mould our students into happy, useful Christian
men and women prepared well to live the abundant life, the happy, useful life of
service to others whether that life is lived in the shop, on the farm, in the
office, in the pulpit, or in the class room. Everywhere we would have our
graduates live the religion of the meek and lowly Christ. ACC wants every one of
its products, every one of its students, whatever else they may be, first of all
to be Christians. It is not our primary purpose here to make our students into
preachers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, farmers, salesmen, etc. On the contrary,
our primary purpose is and should ever be to mould Christian character. A
secondary consideration and purpose is and should be to help our students to
learn some useful vocation well so that they may obey efficiently Paul’s command
found in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him that stole steal no more, but let him labor
working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have whereof to give
to him that hath need.” From this we see that people ought not only to be good,
but they ought to be good for something. They must not only be willing to give
to others, but they need also to know how to labor efficiently at some good work
so that they may earn their own way and have something to give to others. Our
business is to give an all-round college education. It is our purpose here not
only to teach our pupils how. to think but we should teach them what to think
on. Php_4:12. Here we must lead our pupils into the full, complete, abundant
life that is life indeed. This rises above the material: for, “It is written
that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeded out of
the mouth of God.” ACC, then should be a standard senior college, but different
and superior in that it stresses spiritual development by teaching and
practising Cod’s Word. It would have its students grow as did the Christ, “in
wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man.”

ACC does give and should always give most attention to, and put most stress on
its Bible Department. It should provide for it plenty of helpful classroom
material in the way of maps, charts, pamphlets, etc., and an abundance of
library reference material. It is my judgment that ACC should have a Bible
reference library superior to that of any college in the country, rich in
helpful, carefully, and prayerfully, selected religious literature. The faculty
of the Bible Department should be com-posed of humble, faithful disciples of our
Lord, well- trained in the art and science of teaching and with superior
spiritual and academic training. No hobbyist, no know-it-all and no religious
dictator should be a member of such a faculty.

It should be the purpose of the Bible Department to teach the Holy Scriptures:
the Bible, not as any other book, but to teach it as God’s Word. It should
always be taught as God’s Eternal Truth, and His revealed Will to man. We may
question the truthfull- ness of other books, but not of the Bible.

It should be our purposes to lead our students to know God and Jesus Christ, his
well-beloved Son, so that they may be prepared to enter that eternal home he has
reserved for us in that land of everlasting felicity.

It is our purpose to teach the Bible so that our students will like it, be
interested in it, and will want to continue to study it. They should be so
taught that they will be willing and able to teach it to others.

If this institution maintains such a Bible Department, functioning as indicated
above, and if a genuine Christian environment is maintained and every teacher is
a Christian—teaching his classes from the Christian view-point—then and then
only will it carry out the purposes of its founders and builders and be worthy
the name Christian College...


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  CHAPTER 7: THE FUTURE OF ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
========================================================================

The Future of Abilene Christian College THE FUTURE OF ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
Don H. Morris In these days of uncertainty it would be foolish to attempt to
make predictions or to outline the future of such an instituion as Abilene
Christian College. It is my purpose, therefore, at this time not to try to tell
you what the future of Abilene Christian College will be, but to talk to you
about what we should like for the future of this school of ours to be and to
call your attention to those things which will determine what it will be.

What should be the future of Abilene Christian Col-lege? First, let me call your
attention to the fact that Abilene Christian College is a school, an institution
of higher learning. That may not be. the most important thing about it, but it
is a school.

We should remember also that Abilene Christian College is a liberal arts
college, a college where the arts and sciences have an important place and where
the core of the curriculum is made up of those subjects which we have learned to
think of as being in those fields of learning which lead men and women in the
paths of how to live.

1/ believe that Abilene Christian College can serve many students in a better
way if we who have the re-sponsibility of its direction will carefully and
delib-erately add to its curriculum some of those subjects which have to do
primarily with how to work. We have already made some steps in this direction.
We have now a strong department in business administration. We have been
offering for many years courses in pre-professional fields. We have offered
courses in the practicable working sciences. Now we are making definite plans
for the addition of a department of agriculture and animal husbandry. As I have
said, such new departments should be added carefully and deliberately to our
program of liberal arts studies, but as we do add new departments the school
must see to it in the selection of instructors and in the providing of
facilities that nothing but the best is offered to the student. The work of a
new department need not be extensive. It should be intensive. The college also
is making plans for the addition of graduate work especially in the department
of Bible. If present plans materialize, graduate work in this department will
probably be added by September 1945. From the standpoint of the college the
school should conduct its work in such a way and should provide such equipment
that it will enjoy the highest rating that may be given by college and
university standardizing agencies. At the present time the college is a member
of the Association of Texas Colleges and is on the accredited non-member list of
the Southern Association of Colleges.

Sometimes, not often, the question is asked whether the meeting of the standards
set up by such agencies has any effect on our own particular purposes and ideals
here at Abilene Christian College. The answer is that these associations, rather
than discourage a school like ACC in its own peculiar purposes, encourage it in
attaining whatever ideals and purposes it may have. In fact, one of the methods
used by the Southern Association of Colleges in measuring the efficiency of a
school is to determine whether or not this college is successful in
accomplishing its own ends. The next question we should ask is—What should the
future of Abilene Christian College be from the standpoint of its purposes as a
Christian college. I speak for the Board of Trustees and for the entire faculty
when I say that the hopes and the aspirations of the school must be built here.
The college in this particular, in its purposes and ideals as a Christian
college, must grow and grow into more usefulness and service. We must—we
promise—we must ever keep in mind to guide and determine the activities of the
institution in such a way that its students may continue to grow into
characters—honest, solid, dependable —who may in their lives exemplify strength
and love, and humility and power, wherever they live and whatever they may do.
The college must continue to grow in effectiveness as it holds before its
students God as God and Father, as it holds before its students Jesus as his Son
and Savior, and the Bible as God’s book “once for all delivered unto the
saints”. In all Abilene Christian College must give its students the opportunity
to prepare themselves for the businesses of life and at the same time for
greater service, not leadership—that will take care of itself—but for greater
service that they after they leave Abilene Christian College may be used up for
the good of man and in the service of God.

Now let us ask the question—What will determine the future of Abilene Christian
College?

First, the future of the college will be determined by the kind of board of
trustees that it has. The Board of Trustees is the policy-making body of the
school. At the present time there are thirty-five members of the Board, all of
whom live in Texas. These men, all members of the Lord’s church, are on the
Board because they are interested in serving humanity and the cause of truth
through the college. As Brother Cox has just told you, the charter of the school
guarantees that all board members must be members of the Lord’s church and in
good standing in their home congregations. Brother J. B. Collins as president of
the Board has just told you of the plans that the Board has for the future of
the college. In the second place, the future of Abilene Christian College
depends upon the faculty of the school. The faculty carries on the detailed
work. It carries out the policies of the Board. It is the policy of the
Ad-ministration of the college and the Board that faculty members should be
selected with the greatest of care both from an educational and from a Christian
standpoint. We realize full well that “as is the teacher so is the school.” In
the third place, the future of Abilene Christian College will be determined to a
great extent by the kind of congregations of the church that we have in the
future and the kind of homes that make up those churches. It is these homes and
these congregations from which our students come. Our records show that at the
beginning of school each fall semester more than eighty percent of our students
are members of the church. A part of the other twenty percent come from church
homes. It is difficult to estimate how much such students from such homes
contribute toward the making of a school like Abilene Christian College, but we
do know that they do contribute much toward the building of the school. The
students determine to a great extent the tone of the campus. They are what we
work with. They live in their homes among leaders of their local congregations
for sixteen or seventeen years. They live here at Abilene Christian College for
one or twro or three or four years. Now you can see how the homes and churches
have much to do with the school. It should probably be said in addition that of
the twelve thousands ex-students who have attended Abilene Christian College
approximately eighty-eight percent now are active members of the church of
Christ. In the fourth place, the future of Abilene Christian College will depend
upon your helpful interest in the school. It will depend upon your good will and
your suggestions and even your criticisms which we wel-come. And in the fifth
place, the future of the college depends upon the financial support given the
school. A school like Abilene Christian College must have money. This money
should be spent wisely and well. As to how the school carries on its business
from a financial standpoint I give you as reference any banker or businessman in
Abilene.

Let me say here that those of us who work at the college appreciate more than we
can say the financial support that has been given the school. During the past
thirty months approximately ten thousand individuals have made contributions to
the college. During its history probably between $750,000 and a million dollars
has been donated to the college. Since of the twelve thousand ex-students
eighty-eight percent are active in the church, it means that the college has
cost its friends between $75 and $100 per person for its part in one lifetime of
Christian service.

What does Abilene Christian College need? I am sure that I could convince any
person in the audience this morning that the college could use now, or
immediately after the war, and wisely, at least a million dollars. You know that
we do have on a campaign to raise $325,000. Contributed at present in bonds,
cash, land, and in good pledges we have approximately $83,000. This past week we
learned that the college will be a beneficiary in a probated will and that this
will amount to approximately $10,000 which means that we have approximately
$93,000 of the $325,000 goal which we must reach at the earliest possible time.
Can Abilene Christian College realize these worthy ambitions? Can it grow in
equipment so that it may better serve its students and can it grow in the great
purpose that it has to teach students the way of Christian living? Yes, this can
be done if all of us will believe in and consecrate ourselves to the great cause
for which the college stands and if all of us will lend ourselves to the
building of its future.

Brother J. S. Burgess is one of the most respected and popular men on the
Abilene Christian College campus. A part of the time he tends the shrubbery on
the campus and at other times he serves as night watchman for the school.
Recently he told me this true story.

Many years ago the Sheriff, as the students call him, lived in the hill country
ten or twelve miles south of Abilene. In the same community lived a young couple
with their little son two or three years old. In those days there were plenty of
rattlesnakes and real wildcats in that area. One day the little boy wandered off
from the cottage, or dugout, where its parents lived. The mother missed it and
searched for a little while frantically for the child. Mr. Burgess, now the
sheriff, was called in, and then other cowboys came. There were fifteen or
twenty of them, one going one way and one the other. Finally the sheriff called
them all together, told one man to get on his horse in one place and another man
at his place twenty-five or fifty yards distant and then the next man on at
about the same distance. They lined up on their horses, each man at his place in
the line, and they went over one of those hills ffl an unbroken line and then
over another until finally just as the sun was going down the man who told me
the story stumbled up on the little tot and picked him up and carried him back
to his mother.

Now that is the way the future of Abilene Christian College will be made. Each
man in his place, all of us working together for the continued building of an
efficient and effective college that is a Christian school. Let us hope and pray
that all of us may do our work in such a way that it will be pleasing unto Him
who has blessed the institution throughout its years.


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  CHAPTER 8: THE WORK OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
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The Work of Religious Education THE WORK OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION By Batsell
Baxter

Hopie Training There is no way to measure the training the child receives in a
good home. If a good Christian father and mother could continue the education of
their children on through the high school and college years that would be a
splendid thing. But that cannot be done. The father and mother do not have the
time; they do not have the preparation and they do not have the equipment to
give very much of the high school work or any of the college work. And so the
training of the home is supplemented in the grammar school and continued in the
high school and college. Where father and mother are compelled to stop, the high
school or the college takes over. Father and mother have boosted the child up
the ladder of learning as far as they can. Then the specially trained teacher
takes over. For nine months of the year, one-half the waking hours of the day,
that child is in the hands of a group of teachers. How great then is the
influence of the teacher! The teacher takes the place of both father and mother.

Some Relative Values The public school is an impressive institution. Just about
everything that the sudent needs is provided for him. Even the grammar school
has its library, its maps, and its science equipment, its health and
recreational equipment. In high school, the lay-out for classrooms and physical
training equipment and science equipment is tremendous! In college, the
expenditure amounts to several thousand dollars per student. Everything that the
science of pedagogy knows is provided to develop that boy or girl in every way
possible. But wait—there is no outlay for religi-ous training,no provision in
either the high school or the tax-supported college to teach these young men and
young women how to fit in and to carry on in their relation to God and
Christianity. That is all left out. The church continues to offer its one-half
hour of classwork once a week to the relatively small number who will come.
There is also a half hour sermon in the morning once a week—one hour a week for
religious instruction. Somebody says, “Don’t they have services on Sunday
night?” Yes, a few of the amen corner brethren and sisters do; but most of the
young people are somewhere else. Thus, we have it! At least thirty hours a week
of secular training, one hour a week per religious training—thirty to one! All
of the high school and college students take the secular training—a few of them
continue the religious training. Why should the young people think that the
religious training is important when the older and experienced people give
thirty times as much time and infinitely more money to the secular training than
they do to the religious training? Is there any wonder that young people get the
idea that, after all, religious training is not very important ? An Alarming
Condition That is an alarming picture, isn’t it? So alarming that some good
people in the church have decided to do something about it. There is no
opportunity for religious instruction in tax-supported schools except a little
here and there that is interdenominational in character and utterly unfitted to
train young people in the fundamentals of Christianity. In the sectarian
colleges, the religious training that is offered is sectarian in character, weak
and full of error on some of the fundamentals and often rotten with modernism
and skepticism. From time to time a few zealous Christians have determined to do
something about it. Groups of individuals have set up schools like this one
where a standard secular training can be gotten and along with it as a vital
part of the course the Bible can be taught by Christian teachers.

Christian Education Meets the Test Jesus said, ‘‘By their fruits ye shall know
them.” A few years ago an evangelist and a good singer down in Georgia got a
whole congregation to quit using the organ and return to congregational singing.
I asked the evangelist how they did it. He said, “Oh, the most practical
argument against the organ or piano in worship is to sing it out of business.”
Schools where the Bible is taught by Christian teachers have justified their
existence over and over by their fruits. Let m,e give you the one instance. Out
in Los Angeles is a college where the Bible is taught by Christian teachers.
This college has several million dollars invested in buildings, equipment, and
endowment. Do you know that Abilene Christian College, Harding College, David
Lipscomb College and other such schools built that college? When I first met
George Pepperdine, the founder of that college, he was what we would call a
“Sommerite.” He thought that what we call Christian colleges were competitors of
the church in religious instruction and of the state in secular training. He
thought there was no place for them. Finally, he learned that such colleges are
not competitors of the church but that they continue the work begun in the
Christian home. One day while we were working away making plans toward the
establishment of that school out there, he said this is in substance to me: “I
wonder if you do not have a big question in your mind that I can answer.” I told
him I did. He asked me what it was. I said I wanted to know what changed him on
the question of colleges like the one we were starting to build. What made him
feel that such a thing would be worth the outlay of the means he proposed to put
into it. He said in substance that he had watched the boys and girls who come
from Abilene, from Harding, from David Lipscomb and the others like them and he
had noted that these boys and girls who came out there came to church, came to
the front, and entered in with full consecration in the. work and worship of the
church. It was seeing Christianity as manifested in the lives of these young
people that caused him to turn millions of dollars into the building of an
institution which he hoped .would be like the ones from which they came.

GOD SET THE EXAMPLE Our Lord can use any man or woman for good who will submit
to his will, but so many times he can use the trained men and women for the
greatest good.

Abraham In Abraham’s day, Ur of the Chaldees was a modern city for that day and
in some respects a modern city for this day. Within the last hundred years,
excavators have shown that many of the houses in Ur had their bathrooms with
running hot and cold water and other facilities that not all of your houses have
now. There was a good man named Abram living in Ur at that time serving God in a
woild of idolatry. God wanted to train him to keep the name of God alive in a
world that had turned away from God. The greatest learning of the day could be
his in Ur or the nearby city of Babylon; but that training and the environment
around it were contrary to the things God wanted to do with Abraham. So God took
him out up the valley of one of the rivers in Mesopotamia, away to the Northwest
and then to the South, away from the so-called culture and refinement and arts
and sciences of the mightiest educational center of the world of that day, to a
land of little learning where, crude barbarians herded their flocks and paid
little attention to the strangers in their midst. When God had gotten out of
Abraham’s heart the education and philosophy that was the pride of Babylonia, he
began to teach Abraham and prepare, him for his work of being the Father of the
Faithful, the Friend of God: to be the ancestor on the fleshly side of Christ
through whom the nations of the world would be blessed by faith.

Moses Moses was skilled in all the learning of the Egyptians. He was God’s man
to lead God’s people away from slavery to the promised land. He had the home
training that God had enjoined upon fathers and mothers. With that he had a
state education in the world’s best schools of that day: a state education that
left God completely out. With this preparation Moses set himself to his great
task. His home training gave him the motive, the attiude of heart, the personal
conviction; his state educational training gave him the method, the way of doing
it.

Moses tried to do God’s work the Egyptian way. He failed. You know the story. He
fled for his life. God overruled his mistake. God took him out of that
en-vironment, out into the pasture land of Midian. God spent forty years
training Moses. That was as long as Moses had been living in Egypt. After forty
years of training in the ways and ideals that the state schools of Egypt could
not give him, Moses was ready to do God’s work in God’s way. THE VALUE OF A GOOD
SCHOOL A babe was born into a home in Tarsus of ancient Cilicia. His proud
parents named him Saul. Church history tells us that a great university, the
University of Tarsus was ready with open doors to receive this young man when
his age and experience would enter him in. But his devout Jewish parents passed
the home university by. They sent their boy to an institution of learning in
another country. All the pride and culture and learning of the Greek world was
centered in Athens and so they sent Saul to Athens to the greatest center of
learning and influence in Greece! No, they sent him to the south. Well, it must
have been then to the University of Alexandria. In Alexandria was located at
that time the greatest library on earth. They wanted their boy to have at his
com mand the research facilities from all the world. No, they did not send him
to Alexandria. They sent him to the seat of another kind of learning. They sent
him to Jerusalem to the school of Gamaliel. They passed up the home university;
they turned their backs upon the center of Greek culture and learning; they
ignored the greatest library in the world. Why did they do it? Because they
wanted something put into the heart of their boy that not one of these
institutions had to give or cared to give. What was that thing? That was
preparation for the most useful life and the most effective, life as a servant
of God. Saul came out of the school of Gamaliel with honors. The religious
leaders of his nation immediately offered him position and prominence. The God
of heaven looked down upon the mad career of this young zealot. God analyzed his
preparation, his fitness of heart, his training for a great work. Out on the
highway in the middle of the day the Lord presented his proposition to Saul and
explained the opportunities. Ananias taught him how to be a Christian. This
young man became a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He stood before the
Gentiles and the kings of earth, knowing nothing among them save the Lord Jesus
Christ and him crucified. Twelve other apostles were inspired alike with him by
the Holy Spirit, but Saul had a foundation—-a fundamental religious training and
prepaartion that the other twelve did not have and so he could finally say, “I
labored more abundantly than they all.”

Saul Teaches School We go now to the ancient city of Ephesus, the center of
learning and philosophy of the district called Asia. Paul has preached three
months in the Jewish synagogue, and they have cast him out. He goes to the
school of Tyrannus and in that school he reasons daily. This school work lasted
only two years and so far as we know the religious part of the school died, but
during that two years, the record says, “All Asia heard the word of the Lordand
so it is today. The brightest minds, the most consecrated hearts from Christian
homes are gathered in this and other schools that we call Christian colleges,
and from these schools young people have gone out to many nations of the world
to turn people from skepticism, and sectarianism and heathenism to the
principles of New Tes-tament work and worhip. A college where religious
education is paramount, where the Bible is the chief textbook, is a good place
to send boys and girls; but let us remember that Christian education continues
the training begun in the home. The boy or girl who has a good home foundation
of faith in God and Christ and Christian zeal can build on that in a Christian
college and do a wonderful work for the Lord. They have done it and they are
doing it now and they can do it again, but the boy or girl who has gotten out of
hand at home, who had practically no Christian training or in whose case the
little Chrisian training that was given was practically nullified by the
conditions in that home and by the lives of father or mother or both—that boy or
girl has very little foundation to build on and the college that sets about to
develop that young person into a strong faithful Christian character has an
almost superhuman task. Sometimes it can be done and sometimes it is done, but
when some young person fails to rise above the home training and example we
ought not to blame the college.

Some Turn Out Bad Sometimes a parent from an apparently Christian home complains
that son or daughter turned out bad in a college where relgious influence is
supreme. In that case, granting that the home was Christian, the bad turnout is
not because of Christian teaching but in spite of it. One of the twelve
disciples of our Lord turned out terribly bad. He became a religious wreck and a
suicide; but no one blames the teaching of Jesus for the treachery of Judas.
Judas was a free moral agent and people are free moral agents today. There has
never been a time or a place where free men and women could not choose the good
or the bad. Once in a while in spite of all the good training, somebody like
Judas chooses the bad. Another one slipped. Peter did a thing one night that
brought shame upon him and sorrow to his Lord, yet he repented and he and the
others took the gospel to every nation of his day. The Return to Righteousness
Sometimes young people who apparently go astray and fall out of the ranks in
college come to their senses later on. In a college in Oklahoma, about a quarter
of a century ago, a young man was asked to leave the school because he seemed to
set himself to oppose the spirit and the ideals of it. He had a spirit of
independence that rebelled against the good and chose the evil. He was not
immoral, he did not drink, but whatever the school advocated he was against it.
But out in an environment that was hostile to good and righteousness he came to
himself. The Christian training of the school welled up in his heart. He was a
fighter by nature. When he looked around and found himself engulfed by an
atmosphere of worldliness and drunkenness and immorality he said in substance,
“I am against it and I am going to do something about it.” He sent out a call
for help to the college president who had sent him home. He started a Bible
Study on Sunday. In the summer they held a meeting, and he became the leading
spirit of a movement for good that resulted in a strong congregation in that
community, and he is still going strong for good and right. Sometimes, some of
the greatest disappointments for the time being turn out in the long run to be
powers for good. That reminds me that Simon Peter, who forsook and denied his
Lord in the hour of trial, repented; and fifty days later led the Lord’s little
army of one hundred and twenty in an assault that liberated in one day three
thousand captives from the slavery of Satan and sin.

DEAD COLLEGES For a long time good brethren have realized, to some extent, the
needs of continuing the home training in Christian fundamentals. They have
realized also that the state schools will not give this teaching and are not
prepared to give it if they would. In the generation past good, earnest teachers
and friends have started a number of Christian colleges. I recall in sadness
today the name of Thorp Spring Christian College, Lockney, Sabinal, Gunter,
Southwestern at Denton: these grew and flourished for a time; but they are all
dead now. Why? Why did they die? For lack of building and equipment, for lack of
endowment to meet the demand of Educational Association Accreditors, for lack of
money to pay living- salaries to teachers; not because boys and girls did not
want to go there. These colleges starved to death in the midst of wealth and
plenty of it; Good men and women hung on there, hoping for financial relief
which never came, taught until dire necessity forced them to close the schools
and seek places where they could get enough money to live on.

Excuses for Not Giving I want you to note some things in this regard that
brethren have offered as excuses for not supporting these colleges. One is that
the college might die and then the money would be lost: That’s logical, isn’t
it? Suppose a babe is born into your home. You don’t know whether he is going to
live or not. Thousands of babies have died: and how do you know he is not going
to die? If he does, all the money and care you have spent on him will be lost;
so you just lay him aside over there in a cold room without warmth or food and
he does die. Well, you have saved money.

Anybody who would do that would be tried in court and condemned. He would be
condemned at the bar of public opinion also. But we are not going to do that.
Why? We are going to take care of that baby. Why? Because we love him. But he
may turn out bad, he may land n the penitentiary. Babies have done it; but on
the other hand he may live to be great and good and noble. He may live to serve
the Lord and bless his fellow man; so we take the chance.

Departure from the Faith Some good brethren who decline to support colleges
where the word of God is taught to do so on this ground: the college may depart
from the faith, the college may turn aside from the ideals of the founders.
Well, suppose they do after years of splendid Christian service. While they
remained loyal they turned out young men and women whose preaching and life
turned thousands of lost souls to Christ. In a few years they can do a world of
good. Let me give you an example. Abilene Christian College is loyal to the
ideals of its founders. Throughout the years it has steered a steady course. Let
me tell you what its rivals say: A few years ago a state evangelist arose in a
Christian church convention and told his brethren in substance that his work for
some months had been out in the western part of Texas and that he had very
little progress to report. He said the “conservative” brthren had a college out
there and the boys from that college went out preaching with pay or without, and
that he could not match their youthful enthusiasm and consecration as they
turned souls to Christ. The college to which he referred was Abilene Christian
College. The boys and girls who have gone out from this school to serve in the
name of the Master have already paid back in Christian service more than all the
money which has been given to the school or will ever be given to it.

Church Departures A little more than forty years ago we brethren in Texas saw a
departure in the work of the church. In almost every instance the organ and
society party was in the majority. In almost every instance we who opposed these
innovations lost our church houses. One brother who had more money than
Christian consecration refused to help build another one in his community. He
said in substance, “No, I am not going to give anything to build another church
house. Who knows that somebody won’t come in and take it away from us? They took
that one. Who knows that most of the church won’t go astray and take the house
with them? They did it once and they might do it again.” Suppose all the
brethren of financial means in this state acted that way. But did they do it?
No. Have you read Henry W. Grady’s speech “The New South?” He tells how the
beaten soldiers of the South turned from Appamatox to look upon the ashes of
their homes and stores and factories. He tells how with ax and spade and hammer
and saw they applied their mind and muscle to rebuild their homes and their
fortunes. That thrilling story of achievement is more than matched by the zeal
and consecration with which the soldiers of the cross applied their brain and
bodies to the task of building church houses and re-establishing a work that had
been wrecked by the flood tide of innovation.

Let us go back 1900 years: Let us not forget that the church which was started
by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit and the apostles degenerated in
a few hundred years and apostatized into the Roman Catholic Church. For more
than a thousand years the Roman Catholic Church ruled the world and those who
followed any other pattern in their work and worship did so at the risk of life
and roperty. History presents a gloomy picture. Did the pioneers of the
restoration movement stop on that account? Did they say “the church went astray
once and if we restore it, it will do so again, so what is the use?” No, they
didn’t do that. They were too consecrated to the Lord. With the sword of the
Spirit these soldiers went about winning* back what indifference and lack of
consecration had lost. Now, let’s go back to our schools: Thorp Springs
Christian College, Lockney, Sabinal, Gunter, Southwestern. Not one of these
schools de~ parted from the. ideals of the founders. Let me tell you a matter of
Old Testament history: Look at the times that Israel went astray. It was the
priests that led them away and not the prophets. It was from the schools of the
prophets that the cry came: “Break down your idols and turn back to God.” How
many voices of the priests can you find condemning the evil practices of the day
and fighting under the banner of return to God? It was the voices of the
prophets that thundered from every hill and through every valley. Read your Old
Testament and see if this is not true.

WE ARE LARGELY WHAT WE ARE TAUGHT TO BE Many of you people who are here today
sat in the gymnasium on the old campus a little more than a month after the
administration building burned and heard a man, advanced in years, a man of
influence and power, say these words, “I believe that God has in the world three
great divine institutions: the home, the state and the church. I believe the
home is for the reproduction and rearing of human beings; that the state is to
protect the life, liberty and happiness of its citizens; that the church is that
institution through which human squls are to be saved and fitted for the life
that lies beyond death. I believe that the pillar and support of the truth is
the church and not some humanly organized missionary society. I believe that the
manifold wisdom of God is to be made known through the church.” He had a few
months before repudiated the use of instrumental music in worship. That man had
come almost to the evening of life, that man was Brother Hall L. Calhoun. As a
young man he had gone to college. Brother M. C. Kurfees had been influential in
having him go to a college whose faculty believed in and practiced the use of
instrumental music in worship. This young man’s convictions were changed in that
school, and he came out of it preaching and practicing instrumental music and
missionary societies. He went on, took the Ph.D. Degree with outstanding honors.
One of the strongest debates on the use of instrumental music in the worship is
the Calhoun-Kurfees debate—the debate this man had with the older preacher who
had influenced him to go to that college. For many years Brother Calhoun
preached and practiced what he had learned in that college, then later in life
he came to see again the truth which that college had taken out of his boyhood
heart. He came back to his first love and then a few months later, on our
lectureship, he uttered the words that 1', quoted just a few months ago. That
sort of thing has happened over and over again: only in most instances, the
young man or the young woman never came back to that first love. I tell you, we
are largely what we are taught to be. A good sound college faculty like that of
the Nashville Bible School or Abilene Christian College today could have saved
this good man so that not only the evening of his life, but the prime of his
life as well, would have been given to the teaching and the practicing of the
Christianity that we find in the New Testament. The Care of the Young In 1906
Abilene Christian College was founded. I have already told you what its rivals
have said of its powers and influence for good. It continues the work that
Christian homes can no longer give to high school and college students who have
gone away to school.

One Sunday afternoon about a dozen years ago I had preached at San Angelo in the
morning. That afternoon Mrs. Baxter and I were traveling along the highway to
Christoval. I was to speak at the encampment there on Christian education. As
usual, we were a little late. As that big steel-bodied car roared along the
highway, we were confronted with an unusual sight—a grown ground squirrel
trotted out on the highway followed by a baby squirrel. It must have been mother
and babe. Right in the middle of the highway the mother ground squirrel heard
the oncoming car, saw it. She seemed paralyzed, not certain which way to run.
The baby crouched flat on the pavement. She did a wonderful thing. She stood up
straight and tall on her hind feet and raised two tiny paws in the air as she
faced the car. So far as I know she knew no language, but what she said was
perfectly clear, “This is my baby. Don’t you touch it.” One wheel of that heavy
car could have crushed both her and her baby flat against the pavement. I) could
not stop, so I guided that monster of steel so that the wheels passed them
equi-distant on each side; a little way down the pavement I stopped and got out
to see what I had done. Back yonder about fifty yards that mother and baby were
trotting off the pavement to the side of the road. I sat down on the running
board too nervous for the moment to drive on. The lives of those ground
squirrels were worth only scant consideration. They would end in a few days, at
best. It may be that some predatory animal ate them both that night. I have gone
hunting and with almost glee watched them somersault as the charge from the gun
struck its mark. The thing that impressed me that day was this—God had put it
into the heart of even the lowly four footed animal to take . care of the
younger generation. Every animal has the instinct to protect and provide for its
young. So that old father with the hard, rough hands and swarthy, tanned face
who came to the president’s desk and said, “I don’t want my children to have the
hard time I had. I want to give them something I didn’t get.” That old father
was speaking a sentiment that is as universal as life itself. The Beloved Son A
few years ago a boy preached a splendid sermon in one of the large churches in
Fort Worth. At the close of the service an old man came almost tottering up to
some of us who had sat in the audience and said, “He is my boy.” I am minded of
an occasion when our Lord was clothed in the robes of glory with his countenance
bright as the sun. He had learned obedience by the things which he suffered. He
was ready to make the supreme sacrifice that humanity might be saved from sin.
In that hour of glory the Father in Heaven said direct from Heaven, “This is my
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.” And now, fathers and
mothers, when you come close to the end of the way and in your community and in
other communities your sons and daughters are carrying on in a way to make you
glad and thankful, you can say, this is my son, this is my daughter, and say it
with pride and thanksgiving. In those closing hours of your life the sacrifices
that you have made for institutions like Abilene Christian College will seem as
but little and the reward you have gained will fill your hearts to overflowing.

REVENUE In 1932 or 1933 I sent a letter to a number of colleges and universities
in the southern states, mainly Texas and Tennessee, and asked them what per cent
of their running expenses was paid by their tuition and fees and the profits on
the board. The answer ranged from 75 per cent to as low as 55 per cent. This did
not include the cost of building and permanent equipment. The building and
permanent equipment must be gotten by donations from those whom the Lord has
blessed with wealth. (One man said, from those who have been cursed with riches
and want to get rid of part of the burden.) From 25 to 45% of the actual cost of
operating a college must be paid by donated endowment or by annual gifts or by
tremendous sacrifice on the part of the teachers. For our schools to operate,
our teachers have had to teach for from 25 to 50% less than they could get
somewhere else, and yet the accrediting agencies have paid special tribute to
the work done by these teachers. Though our schools have not had as'much
material equpiment as the endowed colleges and though teachers have had to labor
at a great financial sacrifice, the accrediting agencies have almost without
exception, given full credit to every student who has transferred from our
colleges to one of these endowed colleges or universities.

Pay It Back Young people, we cannot pay the cost of our education. Likewise we
cannot pay for the home training given us by our fathers and mothers. On Buffalo
Bill’s grave out on the summit of Lookout Mountain west of Denver, Colorado, the
tourists find this inscription : “Take a souvenir stone but put another one
back;” and so each visitor gives back what he takes away. Young people, how much
are we taking away? How .many blessings have been given us here? How many
opportunities? How much equipment? What and how much of it are we going to give
back? Stud-ents and former students, we owe a debt. We don’t think much of
people who don’t pay their debts. Now to you older brethren and sisters; Our
young people have returned home to us to be a blessing in the church and to the
community. What are we going to pay back to these good people whose toil and
sacrifice sent them back to us better prepared to serve us and to help us serve
God?


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  CHAPTER 9: THE CHURCH
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The Church THE CHURCH Delivered by G. C. Brewer

“Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is? And they said, some
say John the Baptist; some Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say unto thee, that thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew
16:13-19. This text will furnish us thought for the present study. The church is
a big subject and may be discussed at great length and from different points of
view or with different methods of approach. For this sermon, however, we shall
confine ourselves largely to an analysis of the passage of Scripture which we
have just read. There are various theories put forth upon this passage. In fact,
it has been the battleground of centuries. It is the battleground beween the
Catholics and the Protestants and has been since the Re-formation of the
sixteenth century. The various ideas that are put forth upon this passage are, I
think, based upon a misunderstanding of this figure of speech. That this passage
is highly figurative no one can doubt. This is a beautiful metaphor which gives
us a picture of a building erected by the Lord upon the rock foundation, and
when the building is completed the keys are given into the hand of Peter, but
this is only one picture that we have of the church. It is presented by other
figures of speech in other passages of Scripture. But some people seem to think
that this imagery should be kept in mind whenever we consider the church and
that anything that is said concerning church must in some way fit into this
picture. On this account we have come to think of church in detached and
abstract manner. We look upon it as a thing apart from ourselves whereas we
compose the church. We, if we are Christians, are a part of the church and
whatever is said of the church is. said of the members that compose it. Hence,
it is said of us. It is because people think of the church as something apart
from Christians that we have so much error in the denominational world. The
denominations as a rule teach that one may become a Christian and remain a
Christian and still never be a member of the church. They teach that all
Christians are first made Christians and then by an entirely different process
are made members of the church. They also teach that Christians may have a
church of their own choice. Thus Christians may live apart from all churches or
Christians may make a choice among churches and become united with some
particular denomination.

Another error is that the church is some sort of authority that must be
respected by Christians and to which Christians must submit. Thus, the church
means a group of officials who legislate for and control the individual members.
It is not necessary to tell this audience that these views are wholly
unscriptural.

Nevertheless, many of us who understand that Christians compose the church allow
ourselves at times to have a view of the church that regards it as something
apart from us but which we must never aid respect, defend and protect. We think
of it as something that has been committed to our care and we are standing as
guards over it. We feel that we must defend the church with our lives if
necessary and we regard each other sometimes with jealously and envy and fight
and devour each under the imagination that we are defending and saving the
church. Surely we should know that in destroying Christians we are destroying
the church. That we may see that Christians compose the church and that to
persecute Christians is to persecute the church let us consider the following
Scriptures. Paul said that beyond measure he persecuted the church of God and
made havoc of it. (Galatians 1:13). He also said that he was not worthy to be
called an apostle because he did persecute the church of God. (1 Corinthians
15:9). But how did Saul persecute the church of God? If you will turn to the
ninth chapter of Acts and read the first verse, we have the statement that Saul
breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. Thus
in persecuting the disciples of the Lord he was persecuting the church. We well
know that he carried this persecution to the extent that he entered into the
synagogues at the head of a deputation of officers to arrest and drag out of
these assemblies any Christians that he might find there. He also went from
house to house searching for Christians in the private homes of the city of
Jerusalem and bringing them bound before the officers, having them scourged, in
an attempt to force them to re-nounce their faith and to blaspheme the name of
the Lord. He even gave his vote when they were put to death. He was on his way
from Jerusalem to Da- • mascus, a city some one hundred and fifty miles from
Jerusalem, with authority from the priests to arrest the Christians that he
might find in that city and to bring them bound to Jerusalem when the Lord met
him in the way. From that day on he knew that he had been in error and that in
persecuting Christians ' he was persecuting Christ. In persecuting Christians he
was persecuting the church. Christians are the church and the church contains
all Christians. This is true because in becoming Christians men become at the
same time and by the same process members of the church.

We may learn a little more about what the church is by considering the word
church. The Greek word which is translated church is ecclesia and this word is
compounded of the two Greek words elc, which means out, and lialeo, which means
to call—to call out. The church, therefore, consists of a group of people who
have been called out and called together. When it refers to the body of Christ,
it means those who have been called by the Gospel of Christ out of the service
of Satan and into the liberty of the Lord. This Greek word occurs in the New
Testament about one hundred and fifteen times. However, three times it is used
to designate that mob of people in the nineteenth chapter of Acts who at Ephesus
were excited by Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen when they cried against Paul
because he was preaching against idols and, therefore, against the images of the
idols that these workmen were accustomed to make and to sell. That mob thus
called out and called together by this cry is called an assembly or an ecclesia.
Once the word is used (in Acts 7:38) to designate the group of people in the
wilderness who had been called out of Egypt and were banded together under the
leadership of Moses. The other one hundred and eleven times that the word is
found in the New Testament it refers to the disciples of Christ, to the people
of God who by the Lord Jesus Christ have been called out of darkness into light.
This word church is not used as often in the Scriptures as some people seem to
think it is. Only four writers of the New Testament even used this word. These
writers are Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John. Matthew only records the word as it
was used by our Lord Jesus Christ. lie used it twice and Matthew is the only one
that records that fact (Matthew 16:18; and Matthew 18:15-21). Mark, Luke, and
John do not use the word in their records of the life of Christ. Luke uses it
some twenty times in the book of Acts. Paul uses it in all of his epistles. John
uses the word in his third epistle and he uses it some twenty or twenty-one
times in the book of Revelation. Peter, who is supposed by Romanists to have
been the head of the church as well as the foundation upon which it was built,
never one time uses the term church. It is true that he refers to the people
that compose the church and gives some valuable admonitions to them, but he did
not speak of them as a church. He never indicated that they were expected to
respect him above others. When he spoke of elders, he called himself a
fellow-elder, thus putting himself on an equality with those who in a local
church do the work of ciders. That we may see that the people who are followers
of Christ, by whatever term they are designated, are the same people who at
times are called the church let us consider this point. The church is spoken of
as the body of Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23 : “And he put all things in subjection
under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is
his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

Again Colossians 1:18 : “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead: that in all things he might have the
preeminence.” Here we see that the church is the body of Christ and by reverse
order the body of Christ is the church, but Paul says, “Now are ye the body of
Christ and severally members thereof.” 1 Corinthians 12:27. Then Christians
compose the body of Christ, and therefore, compose the church of Christ. In this
twelvth chapter of 1 Corinthians Paul speaks of the church as the body and
illustrates the relationship and function of the various members by referring to
the. members of our physical bodies such as eyes and ears and hands and feet.
Then having shown us that all of us are members he further says that God hath
set some in the church, illustrating the position that dif-ferent men who had
the spiritual gifts occupied. Here we see very clearly that the members in the
body represent the members in the church. If we, therefore, love the church of
God, we must indeed love the members and there must be no schism in the body. To
foster factions and to misrepresent and mistreat our fellow Christians and then
at the same time to sing “I love thy kingdom, Lord, the house of thine abode;
the ehurch our blest Redeemer saved with his own precious blood”, smacks of
hypocrisy. With this much said in reference to the church and with this lesson,
we trust, plainly, we are ready to turn to a study of the text. The points about
which there has long been much discussion are as follows:

(1) What is the rock? (2) What relation does Peter sustain to this new
institution? (3) What do the “gates of Hades” mean? (4) What is the antecedent
of the pronoun it?

Let us take these questions in reverse order and consider first the antecedent
of the pronoun. Some men say that the noun church is the antecedent and that the
Lord promised that the gates of Hades should never prevail against the church.
Another view is that the antecedent of the pronoun is found in the verb will
build. Those who hold this view claim that the Lord meant that the gates of
Hades could not prevent his dohig the thing which he here said he would do;
namely, build the church. The thought is that he could not be prevented from
doing what he purposed to do. He would build his church upon this rock in spite
of all the forces of the Hadean world. This last view cannot be justified on the
basis of grammar. It is impossible to make a verb the antecedent of a pronoun.
Everyone knows this, but those who hold this view contend that the noun is
understood in the verb. They say that the verb build includes the noun building
and that this understood noun is the antecedent of the pronoun, but this doesn’t
help the matter at all. If we make a noun here, building, and say that the gates
of Hades shall not prevail against the building, of course that is equivalent to
saying they will not prevail against the church for the noun building is the
thing built, and therefore, it is the church. What these men are trying to do is
to use the word building as a participle and let it have the meaning of a noun
and thus to stand as the antecedent of it I We do not believe that this is a
correct analysis of the language. We hold that the first view here mentioned is
the correct one. That- is, that the noun church is the thing here referred to
and the church is that which will never be overcome by the powers of evil. To
this view the objection is urged that to say that the forces of evil would never
prevail against the church gets us into a difficulty because it includes the old
doctrine of a continuation of the existence of the church through all the
centuries. Thus they say it lends comfort and strength to the doctrines of
church succession. These objectors say that this doctrine is false, that the
church has not existed through all the years from Christ until now. They claim
that there is a period of time consisting of some thousand or twelve hundred
years when the church could not be found on earth. They claim that the pages of
history are blank for this long period of time. It is true that we cannot find
the church through all of these ages. At least we can’t find a group of people
in any definite location who were worshiping the Lord after the New Testament
order or who were preaching the Gospel in its simplicity and purity. To admit
this, we are told, is equivalent to saying that the forces of evil did prevail
against the church; if we understand prevail to mean that the forces of evil
should never at any time temporarily overcome the people of God and eclipse the
cause of righteousness, then we must admit that this objection is valid. But if
we understand the word prevail to mean that the forces of evil shall not finally
and completely defeat the church, then we may see that this objection has no
force. To see that forces may prevail and yet not ultimately triumph we have
only to think of our own present situation. In this horrible war just now
burdening our hearts and robbing our homes and killing our young men we see an
illustration of the point in hand. When the war began, it is a well-known fact
that the Axis powers prevailed over the Allies. France was defeated. Great
Britain was exhausted and well-nigh defeated before we even entered the war.
Then when the treacherous attack was made upon Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, we
were given an inglorious defeat. Then they continued until they took away from
us Guam, Wake, and finally the Philippines. They defeated our forces, led our
boys captive, and later tortured and murdered thousands of them. They hauled
down our colors, threw our flag into the gutter and trampled it beneath their
feet. Surely the Japanese prevailed against the United States in those early
days of this tragic war, but do we believe that the Axis powers will finally
prevail over the Allies? No, we do not believe that! The tables have already
turned, and our forces are now succeeding on the fields of battle, and we are
hoping and praying for an ultimate defeat of our enemies in arms.

Another illustration of how those who cannot be defeated are prevailed over yet
who at times suffered defeat at the hands of their enemies we have only to study
the history of the ancient Jews. The Jews were at that time God’s people, and
God had promised never to leave them nor forsake them. He had promised that he
would give them victory over their foes and that they should possess the gate of
their enemies. He said that he would bless all those that blessed them and curse
all those that cursed them. He promised that no sword that was formed against
them should prosper (Isaiah 54:17). He said that he would make a full end of all
the nations where they were scattered, but that he would never make a full end
of Israel (Jeremiah 30:10-11). He also declared that as long as the sun shines
and as the moon reflects her borrowed light Israel should not cease from being a
nation before him. (Jeremiah 31:35-38).

These promises are certainly as plain and unmis-takable in their import and as
emphatic in their statement as the language of our Lord when he promised that
the gates of Hades should not prevail against his church. Yet we know that the
enemies of the Jews did defeat them in battle and take them into captivity. Even
before they became an organized nation they were held as slaves in Egypt. The
Egyptians were prevailing against them in a most drastic manner, but Egypt did
not destroy them. Egypt has long ago ceased to be, but the Jews are still here.
Later they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians and they remained in
this foreign land and were the oppressed and abused subjects of this foreign
power for seventy long years. Definitely we may say that Babylon prevailed over
Israel. The Babylonians destroyed their capital, their temple, and devastated
their land and held them in bondage for three score and ten years, but Babylon
did not ultimately prevail over the ancient Jews. Babylon is gone from the earth
and the sight of that ancient city is now the habita-tion of bats and owls and
the place for fishermen to spread their nets, but the Jews are still here. Later
on the Jews were in subjection to the Medo-Persian kingdom. They were scattered
through the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of this silver empire, and we
all know the story of how Haman plotted to have the Jews completely destroyed.
All the sons and daughters of Abraham, at least those who were his sons and
daughters through Isaac and Jacob, were now under the control of the Medes and
the Persians, and a decree that according to the Medo- Persian rule could not be
changed was issued for the complete extermination of this people. However, the
devices of the wicked were brought to naught and the sons and daughters of
Abraham escaped this slaughter. The Medo-Persian empire is gone from the earth
never to return, but the Jews are still here. This proves that although the Jews
were at times defeated and that their enemies did at times prevail over them,
yet they were not ultimately defeated, and their enemies did not completely
triumph. This is the only purpose that we have in referring to the Jews on this
occasion, just as an illustration of the point about the gates of Hades
prevailing against the church, but there will be questions in your mind on this
point, and we will take time to answer at least the one that may trouble you
most. You are going to say that the Jews now have no nation, that their power
was completely destroyed many hundreds of years ago. Then you will want to know
how God’s promise that they shall never cease to be a nation before him is now
being fulfilled. It is true that the Jews do not now have a government of their
own. They have no king, no capital, no flag, no country, and no temple that
belong to them nationally. They are citizens in our government and are scattered
among the other nations of the earth. Nevertheless, it is true that they
continue to exist as a separate people among other peoples. There are about
sixteen million of them still on the earth. In the sense of being a people they
are still a nation, and the word nation has that meaning; it is from the Latin
word natus which means to be born. They are a nation in the sense that they are
a separate people and they always will be to the word of God. But someone may
ask, “Why is God still preserving the Jews unless he has some future purpose for
them?” That he does not have any special purpose for the Jews is made very plain
by the fact that God is no longer a respector of persons and that the church is
a new man composed of both Jews and Greeks and that when people enter the church
they are not considered as either Jews or Greeks. They are Christians. The
answer to the question is that the Jews are a monumental nation and they are
preserved not as a favor to them but as an argument for God and God’s word. No
stronger argument for the inspiration of the Scripture and for the correctness
of its prophecies could be offered than that which is based upon the history of
the Jews as well as upon their presence in the earth today.

If this answers the objection with reference to the gates of Hades prevailing
against the church, we now turn our attention to the next thought.

It is said that since the word gates clearly indicates an opening through a wall
which affords ingress or egress from some enclosure that it would not be correct
to speak of the gates as prevailing against the church for that would indicate
either that the church is on the inside of Hades, trying to get out, or else it
is on the outside, trying to get in, and that in either case it will succeed
since the gates cannot prevail against it. We well know that the church is not
inside of Hades and also we know that the church is not endeavoring to get
inside. Therefore, it is said that this language cannot apply to the church, but
since our Lord Jesus Christ died and went to Hades, passed into the Hadean
world, he would come out. The confines of death could not keep him. The gates
could not contain him. He came forth from the Hadean world and did as he
promised build his church. This they say is the clear meaning of the expression
“gates of Hades cannot prevail against” the Lord’s purpose to build his church.
It must be admitted that this is a plausible explanation, and though we do not
regard it as a correct exegesis of the passage, we know that it states a truth.
Our understanding of the term here is that the Lord by a metonymy refers to the
forces that pour out from the gates, as the gates. He gives us a picture here of
two cities. One is the church, the citadel of truth founded upon a rock. The
other is the fortress of Satan. Through the gates of the city of evil the hordes
of Satan sally forth to assault the church, but the Lord has promised that these
forces shall not prevail.

We come next to consider the question of what is the rock upon which the Lord
founded his church. This imagery is borrowed from the place where the Lord stood
when he uttered this language. On the northeastern extremity of Palestine there
was a little village by the name of Dan. This name is frequently used with the
name Beer-Sheba for Beer-Sheba was in the opposite end of the land of Palestine.
Hence from Dan to Beer-Sheba means the entire length of that ancient land of
promise. About three miles east of the little own of Dan there had once stood an
ancient city by the name of Panium. This city was even at the time of our Lord
veiled in the mist of remote antiquity. The pagan who built the city and the
heathen who inhabited it called the city Pan in honor of the god Pan, an
imaginary deity being half-human and half brute who was supposed to be the god
of shepherds. Pan was built upon a solid ledge of rock, but even before the days
of Christ the city was in ruins and only the rock foundation remained. Herod
Philip had erected another city on this solid rock foundation and called it
Caesarea Philippi. This name was taken from Caesar, the emperor of Rome, and
from Herod himself, who was Herod Philip. Thus we have the name
Caesarea-Philippi. Not only was this city built upon a rock, but it was
surrounded by a rock wall which was regarded by the people of that day as
impregnable. It was near this rock-founded and rock- protected city that our
Lord uttered the language which we are studying today. He purposed to build a
church that would be more impregnable than even that city that stood before him
and his apostles. We are told that the Lord promised to build this church upon
Peter, for we are told that the word petrox means a rock, but we will observe
that while the Greek word petros does mean a stone or a rock the Lord used
another word when he alluded to the foundation of his church. Even the margin of
our revised translation tells us that the Lord says “Thou art Petros (which is a
Greek word in the masculine gender) and upon this petra (which is a Greek word
in the .feminine gender) I will build my church.” The Lord simply followed the
manner of Peter when he said, “Thou art the Christ”, and said, “Thou art Peter”,
and then said, “upon this petra I will build my church.” Since the word petra is
feminine gender it cannot refer to the apostle Peter. Neither can it here refer
to our Lord Jesus Christ, for we could no more speak of him with a feminine term
than we could speak of Peter by such a term. The rock then which our Lord here
referred to was neither Peter nor Christ. But someone is ready to tell us that
other pasages of Scripture definitely state that Christ is a rock and that he is
the foundation. This, of course, is well known to all Bible students, but here
again we come upon the error that was referred to in the beginning of this
speech. We find men using a figure of speech in a double sense or mixing a
metaphor. Because they find the Lord represented in some other figure of speech
they try to make that representation carry through everywhere the Lord is
alluded to. this is a grievous error. We are told that Paul says, ‘That other
foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ.” (1
Corinthians 3:9), So we are told that this settles the matter finally. The Lord
is the foundation and that there is no other foundation. A moment’s reflection,
however, should convince anyone that this is a misapplication of the point hpre
presented. Paul says that he as a wise master- builder had laid the foundation.
Does Paul mean that he laid the foundation of the church of Christ? Surely no
one will take that position. The foundation had been laid. The church had been
built and wras standing firm against the assaults of evil long before Paul was
ever converted or ever entered into the kingdom of Christ. Then, of course, the
foundation which he laid was not the foundation of the church in its universal
sense. He simply means that he had laid a foundation of the congregation at
Gorin, h. He had preached Christ there and any other preaching would not be
acceptable. If people were converted to anything else or by anything else they
would be disappointed in the day of judgment. But we are again told that Isaiah
speaks of Christ as the foundation and as “a precious stone, a tided corner
-stone.” (Isaiah 28:16). This is correct but here again we have a different
figure of speech, and it does not at all interfere with Christ’s being
represented in a different relationship by some other imagery.

Surely we know that figures of speech must always be consistent with themselves
and that we cannot mix figures nor can we take the position that what Christ or
anyone else may be in a certain figure, he will have to be in all other figures.
The figures must be consistent and in our text the Lord is, not- either the
foundation or the building. He is the builder. Peter is the door-keeper and the
rock, whatever that is, is the foundation. We would hardly think of making
Christ the builder and at the same time the building and still by another
stretch of imagination the. foundation on which the building is erected. Christ
may be anyone of these in a figure of speech or he may be all three of them in
three separate figures of speech but he cannot be all three of them in one
single figure of speech.

What then is the rock in this passage? It is the truth which Peter had just
confessed—not necessarily the confession Peter made, but the thing confessed—
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is bound to be the
central fact of the Christian rehgion. It is the one truth upon which the whole
Christian system rests. If infidels could prove that Jesus of Nazareth was not
the Christ, that he was not the Son of God, then they would overthrow completely
the church of our Lord. All our faith would be vain. The apostles would all be
false witnesses and the hope of life through Christ would be nothing more than a
poet’s dream or an impostor’s promise. But as long as disbelievers of every type
and of every degree of bitterness cannot disprove the claim of our Lord or
overthrow the fact that Peter stated, just that long- will the foundation remain
and the church stand un-shaken. Thus we see that the church will either stand or
fall with this statement, this fact which Peter confessed. Could anything be
plainer then than that this is the proposition upon which the Lord launches his
movement, upon which he based his claim for the respect and reverence of men and
upon which he promised to save men from their sins? This is the thing that all
people must believe in order to be saved. Jesus said, “Except ye believe that I
am he”, meaning except ye believe that I am the Messiah promised in the Old
Testament Scriptures, “you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24). John says that
the signs which he had written were written in order that we might believe.
Believe what? Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing we might have life through his name. (John 20:30). When the Ethiopian
nobleman demanded baptism at the hands of Philip, Philip in turn demanded faith
In the heart of the Ethiopian as a qualification and a prerequisite to baptism.
He said, “If- thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest.” “Believe what?”
we may ask. Was Philip anxious to know if this man believed in God? No. It was
well known that he believed in God and had been on a long journey up to
Jerusalem for the purpose of worship-ing God. Did Philip want to know if this
man believed the Old Testament Scriptures? Again the answ7er is no. The man wTas
reading the Old Testament Scriptures and earnestly concerned about the teach-
>ng of that chapter that he was reading. It was not a question of believing it.
It was a question of understanding it. Philip began at the same Scripure and
preached unto him Jesus. Then naturally Philip’s demand is, “Do you believe what
I have preached? Are you ready to accept the man that I have told you about as
the one to whom the prophet alluded?” Thus according to our King James
translation the Ethiopian responded, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of the living God.” This is the basic fact of the whole religion of our Lord
and it is the faith that qualifies one to become a member of the church of the
Lord. John says, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
abideth ifi him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15). Ap;ain, “Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God; and whosoever lovetli him that
begat loveth h.nn also that is begotten of him.” (John 5:1). And still again,
“And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is
the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). This shows that to believe in Christ or to
confess, that he is the Son of God includes our complete acceptance of him as
our Savior and this, of course, would include our submission to his authority,
our obedience to his will. We become children of God by faith, for Paul says,
“For ye are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many pf you
as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:26-27). This
should be plain, but we beg to submit here a quotation from Alexander Campbell:

“Here then is the whole mystery of the Christian institution—the full confession
of the Christian faith. All that is peculiar to Christianity is found in these
words; not merely in embryo, but in clearly expressed outline. A cordial belief
and clear conception of these two facts will make any man a Christian. He may
carry them out in their vast dimensions and glorious developments to all
eternity. He may ponder upon them until his spirit is transformed into the image
of God—until it shines in more than, angelic brightness m all the purity and
beauty of heaven’s love. Man glorified in heaven, gifted with immortality and
wrapt in the ecstasies of eternal blessedness, >s but a mere result of a proper
appreciation of an conformity to this confession.”

Some one may question the statement just made to the effect that Peter is the
doorkeeper of the church. But this objection, like the others we have
considered, arises from a misuse of a figure of speech. Peter was only placed in
that position in this figure. Smce Christ had referred to his church as a
building, founded upon a rock, it would be appropriate, to think of entering
that building by a door, and doors are unlocked and opened by means of keys.
Thus by carrying out the figure Christ announced to Peter that he wmild be given
the privilege of first admitting people into this building which the Lord
purposed to erect— this church or Kingdom.

It is thought by some scholars that Peter spoke for all the apostles when he
made the confession and that the promise made to him also included all the
apostles. If we understand this promise to delegate legislative power to Peter
we would be compelled by the force of other scriptures as well as by the history
of Peter’s work given in^Ac-ts to conclude that this promise of Christ was
addressed to all the apostles. Peter had no power or outhoiity that the others
did not have (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30 : Ephesians 2:19-20; Ephesians 3:5). Put
Peter did have a privilege that the o'hers did not have. He was to be the first
to bear witness of our Lord’s resurrection and glorification and to tell men of
the salvation that is to be enjoyed in the name of Christ, (Luke 24:46-49; Acts
2:14-38; Acts 4:12), and he v’as specially chosen for this work (Acts 15:7). He
named the terms or stated- the conditions upon which men receive the remission
of sins, (Acts 2:38). And upon these terms men were then added to the church
(Acts 2:47) ; upon the same tei ms men will be added to the church now. The
question of becoming a member of the church—-the right church, the Lord’s church
against which the powers of evil can never prevail-—is, therefore, answered once
and forever. Just believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, rely
upon him, trust his grace and mercy, put your case in his hands and give your
life to his service—and let your faith find expression or be actualized and
perfected by obeying the gospel (Horn. 6:17; II Thess. I :7-10; 1 Peter
4:16-17), or by doing just what the people of Penecost did (Acts 2:38)), and you
will then be a member of the only church God ever authorized to exist.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 10: THE CHURCH NO. 2
========================================================================

The Church No. 2 THE CHURCH—No. 2 G. C. Brewer

It has just been announced that the subjects selected for the lectures this year
have to do with the bulwarks of society: the home, the Bible, and the Church. I
have endeavored to discuss the subject of the Church in such a way as to bring
out this phase of the work of the Church. Just ten years ago I delivered three
lectures from this platform on the subject of the Church. They are now found in
the volume of the Abilene Christian College Lectures for 1934. The lessons this
year on the same subject are therefore handled in a very different way. This
morning we considered the Church as founded upon a rock. The sermon was largely
an expository lesson based upon Matthew 16:13-20. The fact that the Church is
founded upon a rock is within itself proof that the Church is to stand through
the storms and tempests of time. The forces of evil will never prevail against
it.

Those who say that the antecedent of the pronoun “it” is found in the verb “will
build,” think that if we make the noun “Church” the antecedent of the pronoun,
we espouse the doctrine of perpetuity, and they think that the forces of evil
did prevail against the Church during the dark ages. Ifn the sermon this
morning, we tried to point out the fallacy of this reasoning, but we wish to say
tonight that those who make this explanation of the passage do not gain anything
by their construction of the sentence, for there are other scriptures which
clearly teach that the Church cannot be destroyed but that it will stand
forever.

We remind you of Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of
heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the sovereignty
shall not be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” We all believe that the kingdom
here forseen by Daniel is the kingdom in which Christ now reigns. It is the
kingdom that was set up on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). This kingdom is to
stand forever. Instead of being destroyed, it was to break in pieces and consume
those other kingdoms represented in the image of Daniel’s vision. It becomes the
aggressor in this conflict and it is to be victor in the end. Again, let us be
reminded of what Paul says in Hebrews 12:28, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably
with reverence and godly fear.” This passage shows that these Hebrew Christians
were then in possession of the kingdom and that this kingdom is never to be
shaken; that it is immovable.

It was because these Hebrew Christians were in the enjoyment of this kingdom
which could never be des-troyed that they were called upon to worship God with
reverence and awe. And we, in this age, can easily see how such a consideration
would be conducive to worship in that spirit, for in the midst of revolutions,
wars and upheavals we are reminded that the kingdoms of this earth must all pass
away. We see them falling around us and we see death, dilapidation and decay
written upon everything that belongs to time and earth. How inspirational, then,
it is to realize that we are citizens of a kingdom that can never be moved! As a
corollary proposition we must see, too, that this point forever refutes the idea
tjiat Christ is yet to set up another kingdom, for if the present kingdom, which
is immovable, must be taken out of the way in order to give place for that
imaginary kingdom that some men think is yet to come, we are forced to the
absurd conclusion that the kingdom which cannot be moved will have to he moved
out of the way and the other kingdom set up, or else this kingdom will remain
and the other kingdom exist with it and therefore we will have two kingdoms of
different natures both existing at the same time. Such a view cannot be accepted
and it is unworthy of a serious Bible student.

Having added this point to the conclusion we reach ed this morning that the
Church has never been destroyed and will never be destroyed, we are now ready to
consider some advanced thoughts for the sermon tonight We may see what the work
of the Church is by considering the figures of speech under which it is
presented It is called:

1. A House—Even the Apostle Peter, who never used the word Church at all, tells
that we as living stones are built up a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5) We
compose the house which is built of living stones. The writer of Hebrews says
that Moses was faithful in his house as a servant but that Christ is Lord over
his house, whose house we are (Hebrews 3:6). Here again, we see that Christians
compose the house of God over which Christ as Son and Lord presides, but we are
told definitely that this house is the. Church (1 Timothy 3:15), “But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of
God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
The Church being the house of God, we should think of what a house is for. A
house is a dwelling place; it is a place of residence. That is just what the
Church is. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the. chief
corner stone; in whom. all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord, in w'hom ye also are builded together for an habitation
of God through the Spirit’’ (Ephesians 2:19-22). Here we are plainly told that
we are. builded together for a habitation of God. God through the Spirit dwells
in his house which is his Church. When he entered the earth, God left it and he
has never lived on this earth since that time except in hallowed places or
sanctified temples. Back in the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there were
certain appointed places where these men worshipped God. When Jacob, the
wanderer, had awakened from his night of dreaming, he said, “Surely this is none
other than the house of God and the very gate of heaven.” He set up a stone and
called it “Bethel.” The Hebrew word “Beth” means house and “El” means God, hence
“Bethel” was the house of God. This was in an open field but it became a
sanctified spot and there men worshipped God.

Later in the history of God’s people, the tabernacle was erected and this was
the place where the people met God. The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the
Covenant and the Mercy Seat. There the High Priest went to atone for their sins
and there God’s presence was manifested by the Glory that filled the sanctuary.
The Holy Shekina abode in that place. Later on, when the Israelites had come
into the Land of Promise and had possessed it, they built a Temple in Jerusalem
and this was the place where God recorded his name and where the people had to
come to offer worship unto Jehovah. From all parts of the then known world, the
Jews journeyed to Jerusalem at least three times each year to worship God. In
this age of the world, God has no specified spot to which men must go for
wrorship, but he nevertheless has a house in which he dwells and through which
worship must be offered to him. This house is built of spiritual stones and is
therefore a spiritual building. The worship is also a spiritual worship. “But
the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a
spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John
4:23-24) And (Philip- pians 3:3) : ‘‘For we are the circumcision, which worship
God :n the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh.” God dw’ells in this spiritual house and those who come into union with
him must enter this house in order to enjoy this union and fellowship. If God
lives on the earth at all in th's age, he lives in his Church. If God is in
Abilene, he is here in his Church. Those who would find him and enjoy him must
enter into this house, this family, or this Church. From this consideration we
must surely see that influence the Church would have in any community or upon
any society. To have God dwelling in our midst should be a certain guarantee
that righteousness reigns and that holiness is apparent in that place. Thus, as
we saw this morning that evil cannot prevail against the Church, we see now that
the church becomes the aggressor and that evil is defeated and driven out by the
very presence of God’s Church in a community. In writing to the seven Churches
of Asia, the. Lord, spoke of some of those places as the location of a
syna-gogue of Satan or as a place where Satan’s throne is. “I know thy works,
and tribulation and poverty (but thou aH rich) and I know the blasphemy of them
which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation
2:9 and Revelation 2:13). “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where
Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith
even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among
you, where Satan dwelleth.” The fact that Satan had a dwelling at these cities
proved that the places were excessively evil and that the opposition to the
people of God was bitter and determined, but these churches, some of them, were
praised for holding fast under such a situation. Christ was there with his
churches which are represented as lamp stands and as long as he was present,
their light could not be extinguished. All of this speaks volumes for the church
as a bulwark of society. In the fact that Satan dwelt in a place proved that it
was wicked, conversely if God lives in a place it must be a holy place.

2. The Pillar and Grovnd of the Truth. In the passage which has already been
cited (1 Timothy 3:16) Paul tells us that the Church is the pillar and ground of
the truth. It should be observed that this word is not pillow—something on which
men may go to sleep—but is pillar, which means the foundation upon which the
truth rests. The Church must stand under and uphold the truth and we have the
language of Jesus to the effect that the truth will make men free (John 8:32).
The Church must, therefore, support that truth that will make men free (John
8:32). The Church must, therefore, support that truth that will enlighten the
heart of men and lead, them out of the bondage of sin. It must stand immovable
in its position on every question of decency or civic righteousness. The forces
of law and order in any city or community must know that they can rely, without
question, upon the Church as supporting their efforts. The pulpit of any Church
that rings with an uncertain sound on any question of morality needs a change of
preachers. The Gospel preacher must cry aloud and spare not; he must condemn sin
in high places and low places. No Gospel preachers should become involved in
politics but when politicians include moral issues in their platforms, they must
count on the support of every preacher or other Christian in these points. If
politicians advocate that which is immoral and destructive of decency, then they
must count on every Gospel preacher in the world as a foe that will fight them
to the death. Gospel preachers must not compromise a principle or evade an issue
because some men who are interested in party politics may condemn the preacher
for his stand. The truth for which he stands was here before any such
politicians were born and it will continue to be here when all “crooked”
politicians have gone to perdition. With a Church supporting and upholding a
plain, positive message of truth divine, it is easy to see what a bulwark for
decent society such a Church is. The work of the Church is presented even
without a figure of speech in the inspired word—it is taught in plain language.
Hear this: “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace
given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to
make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath
been hid in God who created all things; to the intent that now unto the
principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through
the Church the manifold wisdom of God, acording to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:8-11) And again: “Now unto him
that is able to do exceeding abun-dantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church and
in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians
3:20-21). From these quotations we learn that the manifold wisdom of God is to
be made known through the Church even unto the principalities-and powers. The
Church is God’s missionary society and the only one that God recognizes or will
own. He has ordained that through his Church men must see the manifold— many
kinds of wisdom of God. The establishing of the Church in the earth is a
manifestation of the wisdom of God, and then it is the mission of the Church to
proclaim and declare the wisdom of God. “Wisdom” does not mean merely
“commandments.” To preach the Gospel, therefore, is not merely to announce
exactions which God makes upon men: not just to lay down laws and demand
obedience: not to enumerate duties and impose obligations and threaten damnation
if men do not hearken and by dent of will-power and perseverance force
themselves to fit the pattern: There can be no Gospel—as glad tidings—in that
sort of message. God’s wisdom and God’s love must be declared and emphasized:
God’s wisdom in leaving men in darkness and allowing them to try to find him by
searching only to discover that such efforts are futile (Job 11:7; 1 Corinthians
1:21), and then to manifest himself through inspired preaching that men may walk
by faith: God’s wisdom in allowing men to try to save themselves by law that
they might know by experience that all such efforts result in failure (Romans 7;
Galatians 3; Hebrews 8), and then see themselves in need of divine mercy. Then
God in grace and mercy steps into the breach and saves man through the death of
his own Son, that man may never boast or claim any credit for himself or his own
efforts. These are the points in the Divine wisdom in which we are most
concerned, but that wisdom is manifold and the reverent student may be
continually learning things new and marvelous and preaching them to men.

"The Church is a glorious Church” (Ephesians 5:27) and its glory comes from
Christ and it must in turn give glory unto God through Christ. Any religious
activities and works of benevolence that are not done in and through the Church
may bless humanity in some ways but they do not give glory to God through the
Church. Therefore those who do such works must look to men and not to God for
their reward. Such works of altruism and benevolence when done in the name of
Christ, through his Church, both bless humanity and glorify God, and those who
do them receive the gratitude of men and the blessing of God.

3. A Lighthouse—Jesus told his disciples that they were the light of the world
and the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13-16). We know that salt is used for the
purpose of preserving and saving things from decay. As salt, Christians are to
be saving power in the earth. Their presence may preserve a city or a nation
from destruction and their influence may save men from evil and even save them
for eternity. As a light, Christians are to dispel, through their lives and
their teaching, the darkness of error, superstition and sin. They are,
therefore, to let their light shine in order, that men may see their good works.
When we report the work that we hope to do in matters of missions in the post
war world and when we tell of the plans that we are now trying to put through
for such an effort, we are sometimes accused of boasting. But, such an
accusation should not discourage earnest Christians. If, by letting their light
shine in this manner, they are causing men to see their own good works, they are
doing exactly what our Savior teaches us to do. If we call attention to our
works and our plans for the purpose of getting the praise of men for ourselves,
then of course, we have a sinful motive and we deserve to be condemned. But, if
our purpose is to let men see our good works in order that they may glorify God,
then we are scriptural and right in this so-called “boasting” and we should pay
no attention whatever to any criticism that may be made against us.

Paul says that we not only shine as lights, but that we hold forth the ivord of
life. “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world: holding
forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that If have
not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (Philip- pians 2:12-16)). Here the
apostle contemplates Christians as dwelling among such evil people as that the
light is gone and darkness broods over the earth, but in this darkness,
Christians will shine as lights that men may see their way by the light that
radiates from the Christians in their community. He also visualizes Christians
as torch bearers holding aloft a light by which men may see. This light is the
word of life which must be held high by Christians. We may think, too, of these
torches standing on the shore of the ocean of life. Men who are lost in the
great deep, when the darkness is so great that no star appears by which they may
navigate the seas, may eventually sight the light on the shore and be guided to
safety.

In the sweet long ago, when I was a student at Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee,
under Ashley S. Johnson, we used to sing a song that was a great favorite with
Brother Johnson. He called for it at every Prayer Meeting Service. The refrain
of that song, as I recall it, said:

“The lights along the shore That never grow dim, Never, never grow dim, Are the
souls that are aflame With the love of Jesus’ name. And they guide us, yes they
guide us unto him.”

If all the Churches of the land were genuine in their faith and in their lives,
what a power for good they would be in these dark days of sin and war. If all
Christians were aflame with the love of Jesus’ name and were pressing the battle
against sin, we could conquer even in our own generation. If we could cease
fighting each other and free our hearts from jealousy and envy and be filled
with the spirit of God, the cause of righteousness would flow on like a mighty
river across the world to eternity. If we would unite our forces, we should have
an invincible army for truth and for salvation. If we would touch elbows and
form a circuit for the regenerating power of the Gospel, we would all,
ourselves, feel a thrill of joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. There are
enough Churches in Texas and enough wealth in those Churches to envangelize the
world in this generation. If we would purify our hearts and consecrate our
wealth to the honor of God, and to the use of his Churches, we could send he
Gospel like a belt of golden glory ’round the earth. May the Lord help us to
catch the vision and to make the effort, Amen.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 11: 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 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 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 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's Two Books 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:

Subdue the Earth. “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).

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 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.

Sanitation 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.

“Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee.” (Ps.
119:11)


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  CHAPTER 12: THE BIBLE, NO. 2
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The Bible, No. 2 THE BIBLE—No. 2 C. R. Nichol .

If the crowns of all the kingdoms of this earth, past and present, augmented by
the wealth of Croesus and all the wealth or monetary values since his day, were
offered me for my library, on the condition that I never read another book, I
would refuse the offer.

“In the best books great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts,
and pour their souls into ours.”—Channing

“A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and
treasured up on purpose to a life beyond.”—Milton

If all the books written by mere man, with all the ancient manuscripts were
proffered me, to be mine, on the condition that I part with the Bible, and the
knowledge I have derived therefrom, I would reject the offer. The Bible is a
literary treasure of more value than all other books combined; for it contains
the recipe for the moral approach to perfection; in it one finds the key to
heaven, and instructions for obtaining a title to a mansion in glory. Should
there come a time when you would speak disparagingly of the Bible, hold your
tongue till you have spent a few moments contemplating what society would have
been without the Bible! Without the Bible we would be like a ship at sea without
compass on a dark stormy night; like a sightless man walking a narrow, winding,
undulating path between two yawning chasms.

Parents Interested in Children He who is worthy of the name of father does not
leave his children to learn by bitter experience that to thrust the hand into
the fire will not only injure but bring immediate pain also. He warns the child,
time and time again of the dangers to be shunned; he tells him how to meet
problems of life. He tells him of needed training; he points out the way. The
expectancy of the life of the infant stretches out and away through years
untrodden, and seas which have not been sailed; and hence, no human being can
chart them. For the journey of life we surely need a guide, if we would make no
false step, or suffer, “lost time,” or undesirable experience. Were I called to
cross mountains where there were precipitous bluffs, ravines that are deep,
flanking what seemed to be my only path; if snows were piled high, and glaciers
crossed my way, I would need a guide—one who not only knew the way, but was in
every way dependable. From the Bible we learn, not only of those who have
weathered the storm on life’s sea, but have safely cast anchor in the heavenly
port. In this book one finds unerring directions—with all dangers labelled. It
is man’s indestructible way-book.

Some Evidences Having been reared in a country where the Bible is accepted as a
revelation from- God to his creatures, we seldom give a thought to the question:
“On what ground does the claim rest that the Bible is true?” The time which
would be required to give an ex-haustive reply to such a question cannot be
canvassed within a few minutes; hence my discussion must be curtailed. To be as
brief as possible, and yet not to assume too much for my audience, I accept as
conceded :

(1.) God is; that he is the creator of all things. That matter, inert, inorganic
matter is not self-existent; that life must emanate from antecedent life.

(2.) That God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent; not only so; but that in
his very nature he is self-existent, and perfect.

(3.) Too, that every effect is due to an adequate cause. To say you know you
exist by your senses, is not true; for you to not see the living thinking being
called man. You see only an effect; hence you know there was (is) a cause. Is it
insisted that the effects seen are manifestations of inherent powers in the
object—in inert matter? Such a reply is but to remove the course of reasoning by
one step. If there are inherent powers in the things, or object it must follow
that causation is demanded; which I state thus:

(a) Every effect must have an adequate cause. (b) There are effects for which
there are no adequate causes, within themselves, nor in inani-mate matter. (c)
Therefore, there must be an adequate cause for their existence in some being
without; and that cause is God! The Creator.

(4) That man was created a religious being, and hence will worship. Shall 1 say
he has a religious instinct? Within man is the feeling of dependence— he is
conscious of his limitations, and springing spontaneously within his heart is
reverence, and homage for a higher being, and that which is not supplied by
things mundane. Man longs for companionship; and that this lawful desire might
be supplied, society exists; the home was ordained by the Creator. Man by his
very nature longs to see the face of the loved one to look on the world
about—beneath and above—and eyes he has that he may appropriate light. He would
commune with his fellows; hear words of wisdom, encouragement, sympathy and
love; to that end he has the power of speech and ability to appropriate sound.
He would know his benefactor and destiny ; hence the Bible, graciously given by
his creator. He longs for an unending life, for a stage of existence; he shrinks
from death and dreams of an unending life and a state of existence where sorrows
never come, where separations do not remove loved ones from him. Do such
longings rise within his heart only to be mocked by time, and will death end
all? Are there no compensations for these longings, have no provisions been made
that they may be satisfied?

All things for man’s good in this life God has pro-vided; hence it must follow
that he has made provisions for his eternal happiness, and that he may be
prepared in heart and life to that end, the Bible is given to man to teach him,
console him, encourage and guide him through the changing, difficult scenes and
experiences of this life to that for which he has been designed. (Let is be
remembered that man can thwart God’s purposes in many ways. Eyes he has given me
that I may appropriate light, that I may see the beauties of earth; but with a
stroke of my knife I can destroy the power of sight I now have, and in that way
thwart God’s purpose in giving me eyes. God has made provisions for the
happiness of all men; but man has the power to refuse to appropriate the means
to the end God has in view.)

Acceptable Worship (5.) Then in order to acceptable worship, one must not only
know the character of the one worshipped but also the acts of homage pleasing to
him, lest one engage in “vain worship;” (Mark 7:7), or worship “ye know not
what.” It must follow that it was necessary that Jehovah make known to man his
will—hence the Bible.

Obedience can be rendered only where there is knowledge of the will of him whom
we would obey. Obedience to the law of the land is not demanded till the law is
publicized. The foregoing necessitated a revelation from God, making known his
character, attributes, and will, that acceptable acts of worship and obedience
may be rendered. Hence the Bible!

It is answered: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows
forth his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). In nature one does find design; but from
nature one cannot learn the attributes of God. Only to the ones who know God,
can nature declare the glory of God.

The Egyptians were impelled to worship, as are all others. Since the Nile
overflowed each year, bringing the moisture necessary to the growth of
vegetation, and the harvest of their grain, they looked on the river as their
life saver; and came in time to worship it. Could you see man’s religious
manifestation in others? Then read the history of those who sacrificed their
children in an effort to appease the supposed wrath of an imaginary god; and who
leaving the place of sacrifice, returned to their residences with commingled
feelings of joy and sorrow—sorrow because of the death of the child and joy
because of a feeling that they had pleased an imaginary god. Truly; “It is not
in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23). The Bible Is True
God does not spend moments proving his existence. The writers of the Bible did
not spend time proving what they said was true. Some years ago I knew a man who
for forty years had filled a place of importance, in his state, enjoying the
confidence of the people, filling with honor his office. A man became angry
because he could not “use” the man to advance his personal interests in a way
which was not honorable; he made some derogatory statements about him. When
asked what he was going to say in his own defense, he replied: “My life for more
than forty years in this town, and as a servant of the people must be my only
defense.” The Bible is true. Its fruits are good only; its statements are
correct in the absolute. The opening statement of the Bible stands unimpeached,
and truly scientific. Before modern discoveries were known the Bible said:
“Jehovah formed man of the dust of the ground.” That man’s body is from the dust
of the ground is known to science now. Not only so, but Jehovah declared the
body out of the dust to be inanimate—lifeless, till life was breathed into it.
This is a well-known fact that when the spirit leaves the body the life of the
body ceases—and the dead, inert, inanimate, lifeless body remains^—and returns
to dust.

Some Prophecies Through years physicians have made observations, and learned the
progress of certain diseases is destruction of bodily tissues; and the physician
declares his patient will die within certain hours. Such observations are not
what we mean when we speak of prophecies in the Bible. A prophecy is foretelling
a future event which cannot be known by man’s power. To utter a prophecy one
must be inspired by one who sees the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 41:21-23).
Such statements are made in the Bible about men, nations, and places. By history
we can verify predictions made, proving that “no prophecy ever came by the will
of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
Your attention to some of them, solely to advise those who are not in-formed.
Only a moron argues against a demonstration :

Babylon Babylon dates from a period not long after the flood. (Genesis 10:10;
Genesis 11 :l-9). It was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world,
located in the valley of the Euphrates. It was one of the most beautiful and
best fortified cities of ancient times. In addition to its towering walls, there
wTas a moat running parallel with the walls, filled with water from the river.
Atop the walls were towers, and the city was considered impregnable. Isaiah and
Jeremiah declared the city would be destroyed; that it would become a place of
desolation; that it would not again be inhabited. McClintock and Strong
Encyclopedia says:

“With the conquest by Cyrus commenced the decay and ruin of Babylon. The broad
walls were then to some extent broken down and the high gates probably burnt
with fire. The defenses, that is to say, were ruined; though it is not to be
supposed that the laborious and useless task of entirely demolishing the
gigantic fortifications of the place was attempted or even contemplated by the
conqueror. Babylon was weakened, but it continued a royal residence not only
during the lifetime of Darius the Mede, but through the entire period of the
Persian empire. The Persian kings held their court at Babylon during the larger
portion of the year, and at the time of Alexander’s conquests it was still the
second, if not the first city of the empire. It had, however, suffered
considerably on more than one occasion subsequent to the time of Cyrus. Twice in
the reign of Darius and once in that of Xerxes it had risen against the
Persians, and made an effort to regain its independence. After each rebellion
its defenses were weakened, and during the long period of profound peace which
the Persian empire enjoyed from the reign of Xerxes to that of Darius Codomanus
they were allowed to go completely to decay. The public buildings also suffered
grieviously from neglect. Alexander found the great temple of Belus in so ruined
a condition that it would have required the labor of 10,000 men for two months
even to clear away the rubbish with which it was encum-bered. His designs for
the restoration of the temple and the general embellishment of the city were
frustrated by his untimely death, and the removal of the seat of the empire to
Antioch under the Seleucidae gave the finishing blow to the prosperiy of the
place. The great city of Seleucia, which soon after arose in its neighborhood,
not only drew away its population, but was actually constructed of materials
derived from its buildings. Since then Babylon has been a quarry from which all
the tribes in the vicinity have perpetually derived the bricks with which they
have built their cities, and (besides Seleucia) Ctesiphon, Al- Modain, Bagdad,
Jufa, Kerbelah, Hillah, and numerous other towns have arisen from its ruins. The
great city, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, has thus emphatically become
heaps—she is truly an astonishment and a hissing without an inhabitant. Her
walls have altogether disappeared—they have fallen, been thrown down, been
broken utterly. A drought is upon her waters; for the system of irrigation, on
which, in Babylon, fertility altogether depends, has long been laid aside; her
cities are everywhere a desolation, her land a wilderness; wild beasts of the
desert (jackals) lie there, and owls dwell there: the natives regard the whole
site as haunted, and neither will the Arab pitch tent nor the shepherd fold
there.”

He who knows not the prediction touching Babylon, and the present condition of
that city is ignorant of history. The fall anad desolation of Babylon is a
perpetual demonstration of the accuracy of the state-ments of the Bible!

Tyre As far back as the settling of the Israelites in Canaan Tyre was a
fortified city (Joshua 19:29). In the days of David and Solomon, Tyre was
friendly to Israel (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Kings 7:13-45). Tyre was a city of wealth
(Zechariah 9:3), the merchant of the people of many isles (Ezekiel 27:3), a
great shipping center, and her fortifications were so complete that a five- year
siege by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, failed of results. “It was against a city
such as this, so confident, and to all appearance so justifiably confident, of
sitting a queen forever, that several prophets, particularly Isaiah and
Ezekiel,” through inspiration foretold its destruction. “And they shall make a
spoil of thy riches, and make prey of thy merchandise; and they shall break down
thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses; and they shall lay thy stones and
thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the waters . . . and I will make thee a
bare rock; thou shalt be a place for the spreading of nets; thou shalt be built
no more: for I Jehovah have spoken’ (Ezekiel 26:12-14). A part of Tyre was on
the main land and a part on an island near to shore. Ezekiel tells us that Tyre
would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (26: 7-11). History tells us that after a
siege of thirteen years Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city on the main land.
Later Alexander the Great laid siege to the city. He took the ruins of the part
destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and laid them in the water so as to build a pass-way
to the island, thus literally fulfilling Ezekiel’s words. Also so completely
were the ruins of Tyre thrown 'nto the sea that its location has been lost; and
this fulfills another statement of Ezekiel: ‘Though sought for, yet shalt thou
never be found again” (26:21). The student should read Isaiah 23; Ezk., chapters
26, 27, 28; Amos 1:9-10; Zech. 9:24; and then search histories, books of travel,
and Encyclopedias, and see how literally all these prophecies have been, and are
being fulfilled.

Alexander the Great, after a memorable siege captured the city of Tyre and
reduced it to ruins (332 B.C.). She recovered in a measure from this blow, but
never regained the place she had held in the world. The larger part of the site
of the once, great city is now bare as the top of a rock—a place where the
fishermen who still frequent the spot spread their nets to dry. The Jews.
Prophecy of Moses concerning the Jews. (Deuteronomy 28). The student should read
the entire chapter. This re-markable prophecy was uttered by Moses concerning
his own people before they reached the land out of which they were to be taken,
and fifteen hundred years before the events occurred. If the student would read
a vivid account of the fulfillment of this prophecy, he may do so in the Wars of
the Jews, by Josephus, Book 2, chapter 7 to close of Book 6.

Let us notice some of the predictions in this chapter (Deuteronomy 28). Many
ills were to befall the Israelites in case they disobeyed the Lord.

1 .“Jehovah wll bring a nation against thee from afar, as the eagle flieth” (V.
49). Rome conquered her. And there was no cringing fear in the hearts of the
Roman soldiers as they came upon the Jews—like an eagle, the Roman army was
fearless and certain in its movements. 2. “A nation whose tongue thou shalt not
under-stand.” They understood not the language of the Romans. 3. “A nation of
fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor
to the young.” This, as you learn from all histories, was characteristic of the
Roman army. 4. “And they shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and
fortified walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land; and
they shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land.” The Roman
army completely over-ran the land of the Jewrs, destroying not only Jerusalem,
but the walls of every fortified city as well. Josephus records these matters at
length. 5. “And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, and the flesh of thy
sons and thy daughters . . . The tender and delicate woman among you, wTho would
not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and
tenderness, her eyes shall be evil towards the husband of her bosom, and towards
her son, and towards her daughter, and towards her young one that cometh out
from between her feet, and towards her children whom she shall bear; for she
shall eat them for want of all things secretly, in the siege and in the distress
wherein thine enemies shall distress thee m thy gates” (53-57). See how
literally this was fulfilled.

“There was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan; her name was Mary, her
father was Eleazar, of the village of Bethezod, which signifies the house of
Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to
Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, and was with them besieged therein at
this time.” Josephus relates how all her living was consumed, and how, wThen she
got together anything to eat, the rapacious guards robbed her of it till it was
“impossible for her in any way to find any more food, while the famine pierced
through her very bowels and marrow, when also her passion was fired to a degree
beyond the famine itself; nor did she consult with anything but with her passion
and the necessity she was in . . . She slew her son; and then roasted him, and
ate the one-half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed. Upon this
soldiers came in presently and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they
threatened her that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show
them what food she had gotten ready. She replied that she had saved a very fine
portion of it for them; and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon
they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind, and stood astonished at
the sight, when she said to them, ‘This is mine own son, and what has been done
was mine own doing. Come eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself’ .
.After which those men went out trembling, being never so much affrighted at
anything as they were at this.”—Wars of the Jeivs, by Josephus, Book 6, chapter
3, section 4. This horrid incident in fulfillment of the prophecy of Moses needs
no comment.

6. “And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all
the people whither Jehovah shall lead thee away” (Verse 37). See also Jeremiah
29:15-20. Thus Moses spoke of the future of his own people, and this prophecy is
today being fulfilled before the eyes of all nations. Every nation has its Jews
and everywhere the Jew is a wanderer, and a hiss, and a byword among all
peoples. We hold that it is not possible for one to honestly read the history of
the Jews as outlined in the prophecies and written by Josephus, and also observe
their present condition, and not be convinced that these prophecies were given
by inspiration.

7. Scattered but not consumed. In their dispersion the Jews were not to be
utterly destroyed from off the earth. This is indicated in the statement that
they would be a continual hiss and byword. See also Jeremiah 5:18; Jeremiah
30:11; Amos 9:8. They were to be scattered everywhere, never to dwell in their
own land again, but would not be utterly consumed. Persecution has not destroyed
him; neither has he lost his identity by marrying and intermarrying with other
peoples. He is a living and perpetual demonstration that the prophecies were of
Holy men of God spoken as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. A Recent Word In
the National Geograhic, February, 1944, pp. 233, 238, Nelson Glueck says:

“The school children of Palestine use the Bible as a guidebook when they hike
through the land. The close relationship between Holy Book and Holy Land,
fostered by generations of pilgrims, is being confirmed anew by those who delve
for facts in the very earth.

“When General Allenby conquered Palestine in 1917-18, he relied mainly on two
books for information concerning its topography, geography, strategic roads,
important sources of water, and naturally strong sites. These books were the
Bible and George Adam Smith’s Historical Geography of the Holy Land. Upon them
he based his tactics and the conduct of the deliverers.

“It is amazing how much of the Bible story is verified by finds made in
archeological exploration or excavation. The Bible requires no proof for its
validity, because it is primarily concerned with theology and only secondarily
with history. But the spade is sometimes mightier than the pen in throwing light
on facts long buried under the debris of centuries. Archeological finds continue
to substantiate the details and the general background of Biblical accounts.

“It is becoming more and more apparent that the Bible contains much more
historically valid material than was supposed before the spade added its
independent evidence to that of the written word. The Bible writers had access
to records which have long since dissappeared. Written on parchment, papyrus, or
other perishable materials, they were destroyed by fire, dampness, and other
causes. “Because no copper or iron had previously been found in greater
Palestine, which includes the Wadi Araba, the great rift between the Dead Sea
and the Gulf of Araba, some scholars had thought that one very brief Bible
reference to the presence of such minerals could not be true. Recent discoveries
by the American Schools of Oriental Research in Jerusalem in the Wadi Araba
definitely prove that the, famous passage describing the Promised Land is
correct when it says: ‘And you shall inherit a land whose stones are iron, and
out of whose hills you can dig copper’ (Deuteronomy 8:9). It is known now that
along the entire length of the Wadi Araba there are deposits of copper and i^on.
These were, very intensively worked in ancient times, particularly during the
time of King Solomon. At numerous places throughout the Wadi Araba the.
archeological survey of the American School found ancient mining and smelting
sites. They were all located close to some source of water. Many of them were
found by persons visiting every water hole in the Araba and seeking for traces
of ancient settlements. We found ruins of miners’ huts and workers’ encampments,
small furnaces, and great heaps of slag, resulting from the initial roasting
process.

“The copper was mostly mined, crushed, and roasted on the spot. The fuel was
probably charcoal, burned on the neighboring wooded hills of Edom. Numerous
fragments of pottery were found among these ruins, which enabled them to be
dated, particularly to the time of Solomon. “Slag and ore specimens on analysis
have shown up to 58.7 percent iron and 10.8 percent copper. Roadways, water
mains, labor supplies, and refineries would be needed if this ancient source of
iron and copper were to serve modern commercial needs.

“Some of the mining sites were found because of their names. One of them was
called in Arabic ‘Khir- bet en-Nahas,’ which means the copper ruin. On
examination we discovered that the site merited its name. It was the largest
copper-mining and smelting center we had yet found. Although it had been
aban-doned for some 2,500 years, evidences of its original character still clung
to it.

“Excavations have revealed not only that Solomon mined the minerals in the Wadi
Araba, thus becoming one of the world's first copper kings, but also that he
created at the southern end of the Araba an industrial establishment to turn his
raw materials into manufactured articles. This industrial plant, the like of
which had been unknown before his day, was not surpassed before comparatively
recent times.”

One is not truly educated who is not conversant with the Bible; its language,
its poetry, its laws. It is composed of sixty-six books. It is the most
wonderful library to be had; written by kings, farmers, scientists, lawyers,
generals, fishermen, preachers, one doctor, and a tax-collector some of whom
were rich, others poor. The Bible as it is, is adapted to man as he is. “The man
of God” in the Bible is the prophet, or the preacher of today. As God’s preacher
the summum bonum of what he preaches is found in the Bible. “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.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Where
the Bible is believed, property and life are protected. It is the staff of old
age; the guide for the young.

Books today are commonplace. The Bble is a book, but it is not commonplace, for
it is a living book, because it is the most incisively searching book of all
ages. Its appeal is to the sober thinking who know “life is real, life is
earnest,” and fraught with grave responsibilities. The man who does not
recognize that life's success or failure in the end will be measured by his
attainments in righteousness, or degradation in iniquity, finds no interest in
the Bible as the rule of life.

I predict that the men and women who return from the present war, in their
readjustments, when their heads have cleared, and their hearts speak, will turn
to the Biole as they have never before; for they are now facing- grim realities,
and will come home with scars on the soul which will not heal with a dismissing
nod of the head. They will want life with its merits, worthwhile things rather
than the tinsel of the frivolous. They will find the Bible the most profound of
all books; for it deals with eternal issues. On his death bed, Sir Walter Scott
requested his son inlaw, Mr. Lockhard, to read to him, and replying to his
question: “What book?” Scott answered: “There is but one book.” The Bible is the
most loved book by the righteous, and the most hated book by the wicked in all
the world. There is a reason. It towers above all other books as the sun at the
meridian towers above the bog in the dark. It ns disgusting to hear a carping
critic of meager information bark at it as it is amusing to see the fist bay at
the moon. The sun by day dispels the fog; and when allowed to send its rays into
the. dark dens where disease lurks, where germs of destruction linger, it
purifies by killing. God’s word is light- -it banishes sunerstition, it elevates
the soul; it is the sunshine which illuminates, making manifest; it gives
stamina to the spirit, it stimulates activities which give strength to
character. It is, the indestructible foundation of society; the im movable rock
on w’hich civilization rests.


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  CHAPTER 13: SOME QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOSPEL PREACHER
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Some Qualifications of a Gospel Preacher SOME QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOSPEL
PREACHER G. H. P. Showalter

It always gives me a very profound pleasure to address a group of people whose
engagements and influences are of noticeable importance in the church of our
Lord. And such are preachers. I am speaking to a cross section of a group in the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ that I esteem as the greatest of the great
people in the world today. I say this advisedly. There are many great people in
the world, but there are none greater than faithful gospel preachers whose life
work is the salvation of men and women through the gospel. The Savior declared
that among those born of woman, there had not arisen one greater than John the
Baptist, and this is saying a great deal. Moses and Joshua Abraham, Iisaac and
Jacob and all the prophets of the Hebrews before the time of Samuel and during
the life of Samuel the prophet, and all the Hebrew prophets following, had lived
and taught and written and died when the Savior made that interesting statement
in regard to John the immerser. But what strikes us with peculiar force, is the
state-ment our Savior makes that “he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is
greater than John.” I am speaking to a section of a group that is ordained of
heaven and recognized by our Savior as the greatest of the great of all people.

There are numerous statements that could be made properly on an occasion like
this in connection with the ministry of the word by those who have chosen to
make this work the leading purpose of their lives. Then you are to be
felicitated upon this decision to place yourselves under the instruction of
capable, experienced, and faithful teachers of the word in this great
institution of learning. Young men are entitled to the benefit of the experience
of their elders, and this invaluable asset should be appropriated noth in a
school like this and in all their associations in the community and the local
congregation and in fact, wherever such influence is met. The more careful,
prayerful, earnest study you give to the word of God under the tutelage of j our
instructors in this school, the greater will be the possibility for a worthwhile
influence in the church of the living God in the days that lie just ahead of
you.

Several things are appropriate in connection with the preparation for preaching
the gospel and in the carrying on of the work. A preacher should be all that any
other Christian should be so far as character is concerned. Moreover, as a
leader and exemplai, he should be possessed of those traits and qualities of
character in an eminent degree. A Perfect Man “Mark the perfect man and behold
the upright for the end of that man is peace.”—Psalms 37:37. It is said of Noah
that “he was perfect in his generation”. Genesis 6:9. Our Savior in the Sermon
on the Mount addressed to his disciples said: “Be ye therefore perfect even as
your Father who is in heaven is per-fect.”—Matthew 5:48. The gospel preacher
should be perfect. It is probable that not aH are familiar with the application
and use of this word in the Bible and particularly in the New Testament. Those
who are interested in the original language, will recall that the term here
translated perfect signifies completion, going on to the end, the primary
meaning of it is that there should be a completion of the work in which one is
engaged, that no part of it should be left unfinished. The idea of perfection in
moral and. doctrinal life and teaching is that there should be no quitting. The
great creator in the beginning finished his work. When he had created all things
including the creation of man in his own image, it is said that he looked upon
all that he had made and behold, it was very good. He had completed his work and
his work was without imperfections. Our Savior was made perfect through his
suffering on the cross. In his death on the cross, he consummated the work that
the Father had given him to do. In his own intercessory prayer he said to the
Divine Father, “I have finished the work which Thou hast given me to do.” Every
gospel preacher should be persistent in the Lord’s work. He should be always
abounding in the work of the Lord. He should be always teaching the truth and
preaching the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation. It will be found
that being perfect in Christianity implies and signifies that one should not be
a quitter. A preacher cannot afford to be a quitter. If one who put his hand to
the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God, it is true of the
gospel preacher who turns back from the business of his life which is that of
carrying to lost men and women the message of life and of hope. A perfect
Christian and a perfect preacher is not one who is conscious of his own high
measure of goodness so much as the one who is faithful in doctrinal life,
practice and service for the Master. A perfect life, a complete life, involves
primarily the idea of going on to the end of life with a determination that will
not fail and that will carry him forward to grace and glorify.

Qualifications of a Gospel Preacher In all respects the gospel preacher should
be a conspicuous illustration of all that it takes to constitute a faithful
follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. In those qualities and graces that define and
adorn a righteous life, and a genuine spiritual character, he should be an
outstanding example. The attributes of the life of Christ should be prominent in
his life just as they should be outstanding in the lives of all of the members
of the church. However certain special preparations and qualifications that
should be dominant jilt his life and practice may be noted.

1. He should he strong in the faith. If this is desirable and expected in all
Christians, it is emphatically so in all of its leaders. A preacher who does not
believe the Bible—all of it—is thereby disqualified for acceptable service
either as an evangelist or as a local minister. There are difficulties to be
encountered, and problems to be solved in every locality, where a weak faith
will bring about compromise w'th popular denominational dogmas and doctrines and
with their teachers and leaders. Of all persons that servant of the Lord who
occupies a position that, in a very essential and conspicuous manner, makes him
a representative of the church of Christ in any locality should think enough of
the Bible and of the New Testament to contend earnestly for the faith which was
once for all delivered to the saints. This is primary, fundamental, and
essential in those qualifications that make an acceptable, worthy, and
successful preacher of the gospel of Christ.

2. He should speak the things that befit the sound doctrine. The gospel preacher
is a public servant and must be qualified to deliver, in an acceptable and
suc-cessful way, the message of truth publicly. Paul, in writing to Titus,
enjoined upon him the solemn obligation to speak the things1 that befit the
sound doctrine. The sound doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ should be
distinguished from the unsoundness of the doctrines and commandments of men. It
is easy enough to compromise with sin. There are constant dangers and
possibilities of a failure to exalt the simplicity that is in Christ, and those
benevolent and soul refining qualities that are a result of that spiritual
culture which comes from a meditation upon and a constant study of the life and
teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and the simple reqmrpments of the Lord as set
forth in the great commission for the salvation of the alien from sin, and those
traits of character that are magnified in the twenty-one epistles addressed to
those who have accepted the terms of pardon and entered into the service of
Christ under the new covenant. The man who does not persistently, urgently, and
perseveringly set forth the doctrine of Christ in such a manner as to
distinguish its soundness and salutary influence from the religious philosophies
and speculations of men in this our day, is not only unbecoming as a professed
follower of the Lord, but will be ultimately a pronounced failure in the great
and responsible work entrusted to him as a special representative of our Lord in
any locality.

3. He must be an example in all things. In manner of life the preacher is under
peculiar and special obligation to be an example to others. To Titus, Paul
wrote, “In all things showing thyself an example of good works; in thy doctrine
showing uncorruptness, gravity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he
that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of us”
(Titus 2:7-8). “All things” is very comprehensive. A gospel preacher should
practice what he preaches. He should not only be capable of preaching the truth,
but he must conform his life to the requirements of the truth. One great trouble
with the Pharisees, in the days of the Savior, was that they did not live
according to what they taught. The Savior exhorted his hearers to do as they
taught, but not to do as they did. A great part of the influence of any preacher
is lost when his life is not an exhibition of and an illustration of what he
teaches. Paul's language to Timothy is along the same line. “Let no man despise
thy youth; but be thou an example to them that believe, in word, in manner of
life, in love, in faith, in purity.” And he then adds, “Till I come, give heed
to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:12-13). Timothy was
required to be exemplary in his message, in his manner of life, and love, in
faith, in purity, and in the practice of reading, exhortation, and teaching. The
gospel preacher today who adopts this standard will realize a successful outcome
in his efforts to save souls and to strengthen the church. The gospel preacher
who does not stand for, uphold, and defend the sound teaching of the New
Testament and make his life an exhibition of what he teaches, is disqualified
for the work which he proposes to do.

4. A gospel preacher should be sober minded. In the letters of Paul to Titus and
Timothy, he had much to say about the requirement of being sober minded. He
instructed Timothy, himself, to be “sober minded,” and to teach old men, young
women, and young men, in fact all others to be sober minded. Foolish talking and
jesting is perhaps one of the most serious faults of preachers, though not
always so recognized. A preacher can weaken his influence quickly and in a large
measure, by light joking and foolish talking among the people. Not that he
should be of a gloomy and sad spirit, but lightness and levity find no place in
the heart and in the conversation of one who aspires to be a teacher of the
manifold wisdom of God.

5. Every gospel preacher should be a close student of the life and ministry of
the Apostle Paul. There is perhaps nothing that will contribute more to
strengthen any preacher than a careful study of the life and history of this
great man. All men have ideals. The great men in political history become the
ideals for aspirants to distinction in the affairs of government. Great generals
study, with the closest atten- ion, the lives of great military leaders. It is
true in all elements of human endeavor and activity. It is very important in our
religious life and essential for actual success in the ministry of the word of
God. Paul declared of Timothy, “But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct,
purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings.” (2
Timothy 3:10-11 a). How attentive this young man must have been to study the
details of the life and the elements that made up the character of this great
leader and teacher whose life he sought to imitate. Paul exhorted the brethren
to be followers of him, as he also was of Christ. There is nothing better for
any man who would make a success of the great work of rallying souls to the
cross of Christ and defending the Bound doctrine than to follow with particular
detail the life of the apostle Paul.

6. Suffer hardship. “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ . . .
Wherein I suffer hardship unto bonds, as a malefactor: but the word of God is
not bound” (2 Timothy 2:3; 2 Timothy 2:9). In the day in which we live, there is
little persecution, and there is often little necessity for enduring hardships.
Preachers are usually treated quite well, both by people in the church and out
of it. It is possible that a preacher may drift into a spirit of easy living and
unwillingness to endure the “hardships” of life. Also since Paul says that “all
who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” it may be true
that a lack of firmess and faithfulness is sometimes responsible for a
preacher’s not having to endure what he rightly ought to suffer as a soldier of
the cause he represents and the work he has to do. The gospel preacher must not
disregard the necessity of suffering for Christ and for the testimony of the
gospel.

7. Self Denial. Paul said to Timothey, “Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy
2:22 a). There have always been attractions in the world to lure the righteous
man. from a course of righteousness, and there are particular temptations for a
gospel preacher, to turn aside to the professions and avocations of a material
character, and thus become neglectful of his work as a gospel preacher. In the
parable of the sower, the Lord said of certain ones that “the cares of this
world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things choke out the
word” (Mark 4:19). A gospel preacher has before him all that he can possibly do
in the Lord’s work. It is a mistake when a preacher turns aside for money
making. There are men in the world who are studying how to make money. They
spend all of their time in this way. The preacher is at a disadvantage when he
undertakes to compete with them, and we have many sad illustrations of where
otherwise faithful, popular, and successful gospel preachers have been ruined by
plunging into financial matters where they should have little or no merest, or
concern. Even if it were otherwise permissible their lack of experience is
responsible many times for their failure, so far as a successful outcome is
concerned. Thus reproach is brought upon the cause of Christ. A preacher injures
the church seriously when he contracts obligations that he cannot pay, or, by
plunging and speculation, involves himself in indebtedness that he cannot
liquidate.

8. Shun profane babblings. There has always been a temptation for leaders in
church work to ensnare themselves in the entanglements of too much talking. Paul
warned the gospel preacher to shun profane babblings. He did this for the reason
that these things “will proceed further in ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16). In
almost every locality, there are men and sometimes women who make it their
business to talk everything to everybody, and some cultivate the habit of idle
talking to the extent that they become a common nuisance in the locality.
Babbling is careless gossiping. The babbler talks about anything and
everything—anybody and everybody. He talks much and usually knows little. Most
preachers would do well to be slow to speak and swift to hear. By profane
babblings is meant that which is blasphemous, godless, impious, irreligious,
secular, unconsecrated, ungodly, unhallowed, unholy, unsanctified, wicked,
worldly ; these are some of the synonyms of the word “profane.” It is bad enough
for the church to suffer by reason of the profane babblings of any of its
members, but it is disastrous to the cause of Christ when its ministers follow
this vicious course with reference to their conversation. There is perhaps no
one point at which a preacher should guard himself as carefully as in his manner
of speech. He can be dignified without being prudish, and his vocabulary should
be of a high order of sound speech that cannot be condemned. If this s not a
positive guarantee for a successful work in his locality, it is undoubtedly one
of the elements entering into such a guarantee.

9. A gospel preacher must he a fighter. “Fight the good fight of faith,” said
Paul to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:12). This is the Spirit’s address to a gospel
preacher. Too many preachers are timid when it comes to an actual defense of the
truth. The cause of Christ does not suffer by being contrasted boldly and
distinctively with error. That type of preaching and that type of behavior, on
the part of the preacher that will weaken or break down, rather than urge and
emphasize the doctrine of Christ, and contrast it with the doctrines and
commandments of men, has always been a failure. There is nothing sinful and
wrong in speaking the truth boldly and in opposing false doctrine and all manner
of sin and wickedness with severity. You will never save lost people by making
them feel that they are saved already. You will never make people recognize a
need of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you so preach the gospel as to
lead those in error to think there is no difference between truth and error.
There is not one more important element in the character of a preacher today
than that of real, genuine courage—courage of the martial type— a spirit to
assail wickedness in high places and all sorts of false doctrine that is today
being advocated, upheld, and defended by the leaders in error, and the exponents
of the religious philosophies of men, and the theological speculations among us.
Every faithful evangelist must be a fighter. The Lord’s army does not need
soldiers that cannot, or will not, fight—no place for cowards.

10. Not a business man. I want to emphasize that a gospel preacher should not be
a money maker, and he should not undertake to be a money maker. His income at
best, in his adopted calling, w ill not be great, and he should live strictly
within his income, and practice economy in order to this end. The preacher that
starts out to be a money maker, and to acquire wealth, and accumulate material
things of this world will certainly make, a failure of the ministry of the word.
Paul wrote one great gospel preacher: “They that are minded to be rich fall into
temptation, and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in
destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil;
which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced
themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things—
“the desire to be rich and the love of money” and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (1 Timothy 6:9-11). And again the
same preacher was required to “charge them that are rich in this present world,
that they be not high minded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of
riches.” (1 Timothy 6:17). There was as much temptation in Paul’s day for a
gospel preacher to reach out after money and to have a love of money as there is
today. And gospel preachers then were as poorly qualified to be financiers as
they are today. And the love of money was as prevalent and as dangerous as it is
today. Therefore Paul said that some who had been reaching after this wealth
were, on this account, led away from the faith, and Timothy was required to flee
these things—shun, avoid them.

11. Not a meddler in other men’s matters. It is bad enough for anybody to be
guilty of this sin, but it is almost inexcusable and unendurable for one in the
position of a local evangelist to be thus ensnared. Several of the writers of
the epistles have warned against this fault in the churches (1 Peter 4:15). It
seems that it would hardly be necessary to mention such a matter in connection
with the qualifications of the gospel preacher, whether he is general evangelist
or a local minister. It remains however, that there are instances where
preachers have been to such an extent culpable in this matter, that they have
destroyed their opportunities for accomplishing good and have to pass on to
other fields of labor. A preacher should preach the truth in love, with
clearness and boldness and without fear or favor, but he should never permit
himself to become a meddler or busybody in other men's affairs. Many preachers
have crippled their usefulness, by undertaking to handle affairs that God has
placed in the hands of the elders, and it has actuahy transpired that this
meddling sometimes reaches out even beyond tne confines of the local
congregation where the minister labors. No preacher, or even member, of one
congregation is under obligation to enforce or undertake to enforce discipline
among the members of another congregation.

12. Gospel preachers should be sympathetic, ten-derhearted, humble minded and
should be impelled by love. The cultivation of these benevolent graces and
attributes of character will give the preacher an effective approach to the
people and will develop within him the Christ life. This is a good illustration
of the manner of doing things. Failures are made many times, because things,
though done, are not done in the right way. We are not going to accomplish great
things in the church, unless the proper spirit is exercised. No preacher can
restore the wayward without entering sympathetically and earnestly into his
work. (Mark 16:4; 1 Timothy 1:5).

13. Diligence is one of the most essential things re-quired of any gospel
preacher. In fact, it was necessary for the Spirit of inspiration to remind
Christians, as recorded in numerous instances in the epistles. They tell us of
the necessity of diligence in the Lora’s work, and the necessity of diligence is
magnified in the work of gospel preachers. “Be always abounding- in the work of
the Lord,” is the admonition of Paul, and there is no relationship in the church
of the Lord Jesus Christ where there is more to do, than there is in the
business of being an evangelist in a local congregation. No place for a lazy man
—this position of being an “evangelist.”

14. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Human learning may have its
place, but the grace of God must control the heart'of the man of God. The wisdom
of this world, however desirable, on the part of some, cannot take the place of
an acquiring of all the simple elements that adorn the lives of the children of
God. Too much of the wisdom of this world may be a positive injury. It certainly
will be, if acquired at the expense of an elimination of the benevolent
attributes of the Christian character. Paul would tell the gospel preacher today
to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

15. Finally, the gospel preacher is under a very special and peculiar obligation
to avoid partiality in any of its forms. In the first place, he cannot fford,
any better than anyone else, to be partial in observing the requirements of God.
Paul enjoined Timothy to observe what the Lord required. A preacher cannot
afford to have pets and favorites among the membership in the congregation. It
is easy to be clannish. It is easy to neglect some, because of a preferenceTbr
the society of others. A gospel preacher should, of all things have an esteem
and regard that is impartial, for the different members of the congregation.
Paul charged Timothy to do the requirements of God without preferring one above
another—doing nothing by partiality. A gospel preacher will lose the esteem,
love, and confidence of some unless he proceeds with a studied impartiality
toward all.


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/abilene1944-lectures/
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