Torrey, R. A. Practical and perplexing questions answered ~) ~ - ~~ PRACTICAL” PERPLEXING QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY R.A. TORREY BY R. A. TORREY AUTHOR OF : i “How to Pray.” “Difficulties in the Bible.” Eto ‘THE MOODY PRESS 153 Institute Place Be ik Crcaco- 7? ‘ COPYRIGHT 1905, The Moody Bible Institute : ALL RIGHTS RESER pnated in United States of Amertes PRACTICAL AND PERPLEXING QUESTIONS ANSWERED. ————_ — ANGELS. Please explain Matthew 18:10: ‘‘Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.’’ Has every child a guardian angel? This seems to be the plain teaching of the text. Some explain the text in another way, that the angels of the children spoken of here are the departed spirits of the children in the glory, but there is not a hint in the Bible anywhere_ that the departed spirits of human beings are angels. The clearest distinction is kept all through the Bible between angels and men. The old hymn “I Want to Ba an Angel” has no warrant whateverein Scripture. The angels of the children here spoken of are the angels who watch over the children. It is the office of angels to minister in behalf of those who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14), and each child seems, according to the Bible, to have a guardian angel, and these angels occupy a position of special favor and opportunity before God. They stand in His very presence and always behold the face of the Father. ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED. What is meant by the theory of the annihilation of the wicked? Is it Scriptural? It means the annihilation of being of those who die without having accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour. There is no Scripture to support such a theory. The Bible clearly teaches that the future destiny of the wicked is a con- dition of unresting, unending, conscious torment and anguish. See further answer under “Eternal Punishment.” 6 PRACTICAL AND PEF Why i is the theory of the annihilatide © t apparently indicated by Revelation 20:14, 15, a rey hensible doctrine, apart from Scriptural teaching rele ing thereto? PAS The annihilation of the wicked is not indicated in Revelation 5 i 20:14, 15 to any one who reads the whole passage and parallel _ A passages in the Scriptures: “And death and hell were cast — into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whoso- ever was not found written in the book of life was cast into — the lake of fire.’ The lot of those cast into the lake of fire — is not annihilation. As to its being “a reprehensible doctrine, apart from Scrip- ture,” I would say that-I have never known anyone to accept this doctrine who did not lose power for God. I could tell of instances of men whom God greatly used who have-been led to accept this doctrine and who in consequence were im part or altogether set aside as soul-winners. If one really believes the doctrine of the endless, conscious torment of the impenitent he will work as never before for their salvation befoes. it an too late. ° og 4 . me —_- $ ANTICHRIST, Who is the Antichrist, and when will he appear? The Antichrist will be a person in whom Satan’s resistance to Christ and His kingdom will culminates He will be a man, but a man whom Satan will fill to such an extent that he will be Satan incarnate. The Devil always seeks to ape God’s work, and his aping of God’s work will culminate in his aping of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. The Anti- ehrist’s coming will be after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with efl deceit of unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10, R. V., margin). He will appear just previous to the coming of Jesus Christ, and our Lord will consume him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him with the brightness of His coming @ Phos, salonians 2:8, R. V:). ¥ _ you have everlasting life because God here says so'in s0 many -. QUESTIONS ANSWERED 7 ‘There are already many antichrists preparing the way for ~— Oe thee final and consummate Antichrist (1 John 2:18). Indeed, every one that denieth the Father and the Son is an antiehrist, but there seems to be an especial preparation for the Antichrist, in whom all the forces of evil shall head up, in the papacy on the ome hand and in rationalism and anarchy on the other hand. The papacy, the anarchistic socialism and rationalism some day will join and be headed by one man whom the Devil shail especially gift and in whom he shall dwell, and that man will be the Antichrist. ' ASSURANCE OF SALVATION. ~ Is it — for a person to say that he is saved before he dies? _ May I know that I am saved, and if so, on what authority? If you really are saved you may know it on the catia of God’s Word. God says in John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Sen hath everlasting life.” You know whether you believe on the Son or not. If you do believe on the Son you know words, Again, 1 John 5:11, 12: ‘This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.” For one who believes on the Son to doubt he has life is to make God a liar. We are told this in so many words in the preceding verse, where we read: “He that be- lieveth not God hath made Him a liar, because he believeth © not the record that God gave of His Son.” _ Furthermore, anyone who has received Jesus as his Saviour and Lord and King may know that he is a child of God. God Says so in so many words in John 1:12: “But as many as re- ceived Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” If you have received Jesus you have a right to call} _yourself a child of God. You have no right. te doubt that ou are a child of God. that he 48 justified, that his sins are all tee: God counts him righteous in Christ. He has a right : know it on the very best ground, namely, because God says: So” We read in Acts 13:38, 39: “Be it known unto you therefor men and brethren, that through this Man is preached you forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe apes 4 fie@ from all things.” Notice, it says: “All that believe are justified.” You know whether you believe or not. [ft f you do believe on Jesus God says you are justified. Many: people doubt their salvation because they look at their feelings instead of looking at the Word of God. [ft is not a question at all whether you feel that you are a child of God, it is simply a question of what God says, and if you look at your feelings instead of the Word of God you make God a liar for the sake of your own feelings. God caused one book of the Bible to be written for the very purpose that every one that believes on the Son of God might know that he has eternal life (1 John 5:13): “These things (are) written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” If God caused a book to be written that we might know it, then certainly - we may know it, and the verse teaches us that the way to know it is from what is “written.” The first thing to be sure of is that you really do believe on Jesus, that you really have received Him as your Saviour, surrendered to Him as your Lord and Master, confessed Him as such publicly before the world. When sure of that you may be absolutely sure that you are saved, that you have eternal life, that your sins are all forgiven, that you are a child of God. THE ATONEMENT. What theory of the atonement does the Bible teach? — The Bible does not teach a theory of atonement—it teaches - a fact, the glorious fact that every one of our sins was laid — upon Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinth»ans ~ a Rote tho Tia pe thn : ; ’ * * Pee a QUESTIONS ANSWERED 9 6:21; Galatians 3:13), and that through Jesus Christ having borne our sins there is not only pardon for every sin but justi- fication, which is more than pardon. That is, the Bible teaches that as Jesus Christ took our place on the cross, the moment we _ aecept Jesus Christ we step into His place, the place of perfect acceptance before God, we become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:12, R. V.). We no longer have our Own poor, pitiable, unsatisfactory righteousness, but a perfect righteousness, the righteousness of God in Christ (Philippians 3:9, R. V.). How could God punish His innocent Son for the guilt of man? The doctrine of the Bible is not that God, a holy first per- soh, takes the sins of man, a guilty second person, and lays them upon His own holy Son, an innocent third person. That is the way the doctrine is often misrepresented. In fact, it is the representation usually made by those who reject the Bible doctrine of substitution. The real teaching of the Bible is that Jesus Christ is not a third person, that He is indeed the first person, “that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Corinthi- ans 5:19), and that in the atoning death of His Son, instead of laying the punishment of guilty man upon an innocent third person, God took the shame and suffering due te man upon Himself; and so far from that being unjust and Ret it is amazing grace! Furthermore, Jesus Christ was the second person. He was not merely a man, He was “ithe Son of man,” the representa- tive Man, the head of the race. No ordinary man could bear the guilt of other men, but “the Son of man,” the representa- tive Man, could. If we take the teaching of the Bible not in a fragmentary way but as a complete whole it is the most wonderful philos- ophy the world has ever known. We will ponder and admire its inexhaustible depths throughout eternity. But if we take any one doctrine out the other doctrines become absurd. If doctrine of the atonement becomes an abeardtige! nd difficulty suggested by this question naturally arises. — ‘Or we give up the doctrine of the real humanity of Christ, the doctrine of the atonement loses its profound significance. ‘But if we take all the Bible says, namely, that Jesus was really divine, “God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16), and that He was truly man, not merely a man but “the Son of man,” the representative Man, then the doctrine of the atone- ment presents no difficulties but an amazing depth of truth. It is strange how little the average objector to the doctrine of substitution knows about the real doctrine of the Bible on this point. Instead of fighting what the Bible really teaches he is fighting a figment of his own uninstructed imagination. “i BACKSLIDING. ~athon How would you deal with a backslider? Is there hope for him, and how? Everywhere I go I find many persons who tell me that they - were once Christians, but confess that they have gone back into the world. I am persuaded that many of these were neyer truly saved. They have gone forward in revival meetings, or united with the church, or done something of that sort, but they have never really fully accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Having made a failure of their first attempt, they hesitate to make another. Me This hesitation is unreasonable. The fact that one has at- tempted to do a thing and done it in the wrong way is no reason for not doing it in the right way. If people would — begin the Christian life right they-would not be so likely to go back, and if they have begun it wrong they had better begin it over again in the better way. The right way to begin, as shown us by God’s own Word, is: First, to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour, that is, to believe God’s testimony concerning Him, that He bore all your sins in His own body on the cross; and to trust God to forgive Ae > Soy » > QUESTreziS ANSWERED ~ at b you, not because of anything that you have done but because of what Christ did when He made full atonement for your sins in His own body on the cross il Peter 2:24; Galatians 3:13). ‘ Second, to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and King (Acts - 2:36). This involves the utter surrender of your thoughts to Him to teach, and of your life to Him to govern. You must put yourself completely at His disposal. You must not only Sing with your lips but make it a fact in your life—“I sur- render all.” This lack of absolute surrender at the time of starting the Christian life is the cause of a large measure-otf backsliding. Third, to accept Christ as the risen Son of God who has all power in heaven and on earth, and to trust Him to keep you day by day from falling, and from all the power of sin and temptation (Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 7:25; Jude 24). Having begun right most of the battle is won, but you must go right on in obedience to Christ. Continuance in the Chris- tian life is not at all a question of. your strength, but of Christ's. If you have begun the Christian life once and failed, begin it again and succeed. Many of the strongest Christians today are those who were once backsliders. The apostle Peter him- self was once a backslider, but after Pentecost he was one of the mightiest servants of Christ that the world ever saw. Pentecost is possible for you. . No one can be more miserahle than the backslider. Jere miah was certainly right when he said to backsliding Israel: “It is an evil thing and a bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God.” The one who forsakes Christ forsakes the fountain of living waters, and hews himself out cisterns, — broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). Let him leave the broken cisterns of the world and come back to ~ Christ, the Fountain of living water. It depends upon what you mean by “salvation” and by “baptism.” Certainly some have found forgiveness of sins and — have entered into eternal life without water baptism, as (for example) the thief on the cross (Luke 23:48). There isa large body of believers who do not practice water baptism at all, namely the Friends (or Quakers), and many of the Friends — have the consciousness of having their sins forgiven, and God has set His seal upon their acceptance by giving them the gift of the Holy Ghost. i But “salvation” is used in Scripture not merely of forgive ness of sins and eternal life but in a larger sense of all the fulness of blessing that is to be found in Christ. Certainly 12 _ PRACTICAL AND PERPLEXI BAPTISM. : sisal Se, as Is baptism necessary for salvation? te > one cannot enter into all the fulness of blessing that there — is in Christ without absolute obedience to Him (Acts 5:32). If there is any commandment of Christ which we know that we do not obey we certainly cannot enjoy fulness of fellowship with Him. Jesus Christ commanded water baptism (Matthew 28:19, 20). He also commanded it through His disciples (Acts 2:38). But there are earnest followers of Christ who do not see in such passages as these a2 command to baptize or be — baptized with water, and in not being baptized they are not consciously disobeying Jesus Christ. As an act of obedience to Christ, therefore, water baptism certainly is in the larger sense a saving ordinance for those who believe that Jesus Christ commands it. Submitting to baptism has been the turning point in the experience of many aman and many a woman. It has been done as an act of conscious obedience to Jesus Christ, and has been accom- panied by great blessing. It is difficult for me to see how anyone can study the New — Testament with the single-eyed purpose of discovering what it actually teaches and not see the necessity of water baptism, and yet from my contact with those believers known as Friends I cannot but believe that many of them are perfectly QUESTIONS ANSWERED 13 oe conscientious in not being baptized with water, and are true children of God. What is the explanation of 1 Corinthians 15:29: ‘*What shall they do which are baptized for the dead’’? There seems to have been in Paul’s time a custom of those who were alive being baptized in behalf of those who for one re reason or another had died without baptism. This is the ~ only reference in Scripture to this custom. It evidently was not a custom that the Bible commanded ' or sanctioned. Paul ‘does not sanction it here. He simply refers to it as existing and refers to those that practice it as showing that they believed in the resurrection, for otherwise this baptism for the dead would have no _ significance. The Mormon church practices the custom today, and this verse which they use as a warrant for it does not support the custom. Many customs crept into the church very early which were not of God, which the apostles did not endorse, and which Ought not to be followed by us. Certainly if Paul had wished us to follow this custom he would have said something moré about it than he does here. He would at least have endorsed it in this place, and he does not. When we look at the verse carefully we see that Paul not only does not endorse it but by implication rejects it, for he separates himself from the custom by saying: ‘“‘What shall they do which are baptized for the dead?” By this word “they” he not only separates himself from it but separates those to whom he writes from this third party who are baptized for the dead. This usage was afterwards extended, but only among her etics. It was repudiated by the church. THE BIBLE. Do you believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible‘ Ido. That is, I believe that the writers of the various books yn the Bible were guided by the Holy Spirit, not only in the thought to which they gave expression but also in the choice = of the words in which they expressed = ; “spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Ghe t” 1:21, R. V.). It was the Holy Ghost ‘who spoke (He : | 3:2; 10:15, 16; Acts 28:25). The word uttered was word (2 Samuel 23:2, R. V.). The very words used we the words which the Holy Ghost teaches (1 Coriathians 2:13). Nothing could be plainer than Paul’s statement: “In words which the Spirit teacheth.” é ; The Holy Spirit Himself anticipated all these moder. in -genious but unbiblical and false theories regarding His 0 work in the apostles. The more carefully and minutely o studies the wording of the statements made in the Bible, t =e more he will become convinced of the marvelous accura ms - of the words used to produce the thought. To a superf al ay student the doctrine of verbal inspiration may appear ques: tionable or even absurd, but any regenerated and Spirittaught a SN _ mana who ponders the words of Scripture day after day and i year after year will become increasingly convinced that the wisdom of God is in the very words used as well as in raged ‘2 thought which is expressed in the words. ; It is a very suggestive fact that our difficulties with pee ul ‘Bible rapidly disappear when we come to notice the precise oie n 7 ou ASeuepege used. The change of a word or a letter, of a tense. Kuo *, - @ase or number, oftentimes lands a person in contradiction or ae untruth; but by taking the words just as written, difficulties disappear and the truth shines forth. The more microseopic- % ally we study the Bible, the more clearly does its divine = - origin shine forth as we see its perfection of form as aN what they have will get more, and those that let what they have lie idle will lose even that. The working Christian, the one who uses his talents, whether few or many, in Christ’s sServiee, is the one who gets on in the Christian life here, and who will hereafter hear the “Well done, thou good amd faith ful servant, enter theu inte the jey ef thy Lord.” a Re dS iy Se et ee PD a ee ae “a5 | yee f oe QUESTIONS ANSWERED _ 23 Find some work to do for Christ and do it. Seek for work. If it is nothing more than distributing tracts or invitations _ do it. Always be looking for something more to do for Christ, ‘and you will always be receiving something more from Christ. ‘6. -~Give largely. Proverbs 11:25: “The liberal soul shall _ be made fat”; 2 Corinthians 9:6, 8: “He which soweth spar- _ ingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bounti- _ fully shall reap also bountifully. And God is able to make _-all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all ' sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” a ‘Success and growth in Christian life depend on few things | more than upon liberal giving. A stingy Christian cannot be @ growing Christian. It is wonderful how a Christian man begins to grow when he begins to give. 7. Keep pushing on. “Brethren, I count not =e to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those- _things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14). Forget the sins which lie behind. If you fail anywhere, _ if you fall, don’t be discouraged, don’t give up, don’t brood _ over the sin. Confess it instantly. Believe God’s Word: “If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us eur sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Belieye the sin is forgiven, forget it, press on. Satan beguiles many a poor soul here. He keeps us brooding over our failures and sins. Forget the achievements and victories of the past, and press - on to greater. Here, too, Satan cheats many of us out of the larger life. He keeps us thinking so much of what we have already obtained, and makes us so contented with it, and go puffed up over it, that we come to a standstill, or even backslide.- Our only safety is in forgetting those things which _ are behind, and pressing on. There is always something better ahead until we “come... unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:13). aes ae 4 é nf ~ eee PRACTICAL AND _ a et Te le ee 10 ee AO aot sare 3 a¥ CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. How would you prove the error of Oncislop ices Many in our day are being led astray into Christian Science. Most Christian Scientists claim to believe the Bible. Take them, therefore, to 1 John 4:1-3: ~ f “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world of God. Hereby know we the spirit: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the desh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.” ~_ This passage strikes at the very foundation of Christian Science, which denies as one of its fundamental postulates the reality of matter, the reality of the body, and (of necessity) the reality of the incarnation. Show them by this passage that the Bible says that every spirit that confesses not Jesus Christ come in flesh is not of God, but of antichrist, and se not “Christian.” ' Why do you believe the claim of Mrs. Eddy to have received the tenets of Christian Science by divine in- spiration to be false? First of all, because it has been proved that she got her theories from a man by whom she was treated;_that in writing her first book in its original form she did not claim it was original or received from God, but that she was writing down the views frankly confessed of this person by whom she had been treated and under whom she studied. In the second place, I know the claim that she received the tenets of Christian Science from God is false because the tenets themselves are false. Mrs. Eddy denies the reality of the incarnation, and this is one of the primary tests of the truth or falsity of any system or doctrine, the decisive question to ask of any spirit and any system of doctrines, as shown in ’ QUESTIONS ANSWERED 25 the previous question. Mrs. Eddy also denies the atonement, the fundamental truth of the Gospel. Her view of the atone- ment is not the one taught in the Bible, namely, that Jesus Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13). These are only some of the many great errors in the teaching of Mrs. Eddy. There are, it is true, some elements of truth in the teach- ings of Christian Science. Every false system must have some true teachings in it, otherwise it could not be made to go at all. Every dangerous system of error takes some truth and distoris':and perverts it and covers it up with @ mnass of error. That the mind has a tremendous influence over the body and that much disease can be overcome through the mind is unquestionably true. That God answers prayer and in answer to prayer heals the sick is taught in the Bible and taught by experience. That Jesus Christ had a mission for the body as well as for the soul is clearly taught in Scripture, and that a great deal of harm has been done by the use of ' drugs every wise physician admits. Mrs. Hddy has taken these truths, which the church oftentimes has lost sight of, and starting out with these truths has made an open door for the introduction of a vast amount of destructive and damning error. If the church had been truer to its own mis- sion and given to men a real and full and satisfying Gospel, the great majority of those who have fallen a prey to Mrs. Eddy would have escaped the snare. THE CHURCH. What are the conditions of entrance into the church? The word “church” in the New Testament is used, first, of -~the whole body of believers in Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; 2:47; Hphesians 5:24, 25; Colossians 1:18, 24). Second, it is used of the body of believers in any place, as (for example) the church of the Thessalonians (1 Thessaln- ians 1:1). Third, it is used of the loca: congregations meeting regularly for the breaking of bread an. worship and tessking eo as ‘(tor example) the “feed that met in ‘Rome of Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:5). £4 My cake os _ deeper meaning are acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s per- i vA, a sonal Saviour, surrender to Him as Lord and Master, and , pen confession of Him before the world (Acts 2:38, 41, 47). ’ The conditions of entrance into local churches are deter- mined by the churches themselves. Most churches receive members upon satisfactory evidence that they have really forsaken sin, accepted Christ as their personal Saviour, and surrendered their lives to Him. Some churches require sub- scriptions to a creed more or less full. . All the evangelical churches exeept the Friends require water baptism on the | part of the applicant for membership, either as an infant or an adult. ; What should an earnest Christian do in a day when the churches are so full of worldliness and error as they are today? Should he join the church? Yes. I fully recognize the worldliness that there is in many The conditions of entrance into the church in its first and _. churches today, and the error that is taught from many a 1 GQ ar) pulpit; but after all is said the church is the best organization there is in the world. What would the world be today if it ‘were not for the churches which are in it? The churches gationalists and the A ie i rns re Wee ee As A es Po eg 7! y ; Lar < Pat 4, # 98 PRACTICAL AND PERPLEXING Presbyterians arose in England and Scotland to Liall 01 truth of the liberty of the individual believer. Many other truths were associated with this in the development of these _ denominations. The Quakers arose to stand for the truth of 4 the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit for the in- dividual believer today. The Methodists arose to stand for the truth of definite personal experience of regeneration and the necessity of a holy life. Afterwards other truths, such as the freedom of the will, became prominently associated with these in the teaching of the Methodist denomination. By standing strongly for some neglected truths that needed to be emphasized the denominations have doubtless done good. In the present imperfect state of man, where no individual is large enough to take in the whole scope of God’s truth, and where one man sees one line of truth strongly and another man another line of truth, denominations have been necessary. But it is well that denominational lines are now fast sinking out of sight and each denomination is coming to understand ~ and accept the truths for which other denominations have stood. What do you think of the institutional church? Is it not detrimental to the real work of the church as set forth in the New Testament? By an institutional church I understand a church that not / only does the direct work of preaching the Gospel and baild-— ing Christians up by teaching the Bible, but a church that also looks after the physical and mental welfare of its members and congregation by. various institutions. Such work is not necessarily detrimental to the real work of the church as set forth in the New Testament. It may be a valuable auxiliary, provided that the physical and intellectual are — in thorough subordination to the spiritual. The apostolic church was in a measure an institutional ehurch. {t looked out for the physical welfare of its members, — all property was held in common (Acts 2:44, 45; 4:34, 35; 6:1-4), and the Word of God increased and prospered under QUESTIONS ANSWERED 29 these circumstances (Act: 2:47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7). Of course, the institutions were not many, nor very largely developed. In a similar way_today the church can have various institu- tions for looking after the physical and intellectual welfare of its members. If it is located among the poor it can have savings institutions, a society for buying coal at the cheapest rate, libraries, educational classes, and so forth, and accom- plish a- vast amount of good, and make all this subservient to the preaching of the Gospel. All these things can be used as means of getting hold of men, women and children and bringing them to.a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. But there is always a danger in an institutional church. The danger is that the institutions get to be the main thing and the Gospel be put in a secondary place, or altogether lost — sight of. This has been the history of more than one institu- tional church in this country, and it is always a danger. In such a case the institutional church becomes detrimental to the real work of the church as set forth in the New Testa- ment. The first work of the church is seeking and saving the Yost (Luke 19:10; Matthew 5:19), its second work is feeding the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2), and its third work is training the membership for intelligent service (Ephesians 4:11, 12, R. V.). If the institutions connected with the church are allowed to put any one of these three things in the back- ground, they do more harm than good, but if the institutions are carried on in the spirit of prayer and with the intention, never lost sight of for a moment, of winning men for Christ, and everything is made subordinate to the preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of the lost and the edification of the saints, the institutions may be very helpful. But the more experience I have with churches and ministers” the more the feeling grows on me that the chureh that is needed today is not so much the institutional church “as the evangelistic church. Is it ever right to ask unconverted ‘ehnugt seine ple to teach a Sunday school class or do other inite se ete tecistion work in the church? peices Boe “Byer” is a pretty comprehensive word. The ideal way 48 to have only thoroughly regenerated and spiritually minded — - people to teach a Sunday school class or to sing in a choir. _ The church with which I am connected takes the ground that _ the very first condition of admission to membership in our _ choir is that the person applying should give good evidence of being born again. The second condition is that they have a voice for singing. But I can conceive of conditions where zi it would be warranted to set an unconverted person to teach — a Sunday school class. For example, if I should go into a mining town where there was no Sunday school and no re- ligious work of any kind, if I could start a Sunday school there before I left the town and get some moral person te teach the Bible, if there was no regenerated person to get, I believe I would start the school and trust that the Spirit ef - _ . God would use the Scripture as a blessing to both the teacher and the taught. I would take the appointment of this person _ as a teacher as an opportunity to urge upon him the ar of a personal acceptance of Christ. Ym holding our meetings around the world, the committess _ that organized the choirs often received persons that I do - not believe were really converted, and I have used the fact that they were in the choir as an opportunity of getting at them, and hundreds of persons have thus been converted te God. What authority is there for or against women being prominent in church work? There is no authority in the Bible for a woman to have the place of supremacy in the church. When she takes it she steps out of her right place. She goes against the plain teach- ing of the Bible when she takes the place of the authoritative teacher in the church (1 Timothy ~2:12).. QUESTIONS ANSWERED | Sie But there is abundant Bible warrant for her being active — nd (in that sense) prominent in church work. Women were the first divinely commissioned preachers of the risen -. Christ. Jesus Christ Himself sent them to declare His resur- rection to the men disciples (John 20:17; 18; Matthew 28:9, _ 10). Women were endued by God with prophetical gifts (Acts 21:9). In the very chapter in the Bible in which womer are forbidden to do idle talking and asking questions in the ' chureh there are directions as to how a woman should proph- _ esy, that is, how she should speak in the power of the Spirit _ (1 Corinthians 11:5). The apostle Paul speaks of the women who had labored with him in the Gospel (Philippians 4:3). \There is plain indication that Priscilla was more gifted than her husband Aquila. She was associated with her husband in taking the preacher Apollos aside and expounding unto him the way of God more carefully (Acts 18:26), and her name is mentioned first (see R. V.). What is the Scriptural means of raising money for church or other Christian uses? By the free will offerings of saved people, each one laying aside in store on the first day of the week a definite propor- tion of his income (1 Corinthians 16:2). . Certainly it is not the Scriptural way of raising money to raise it by fairs, bazaars or any other method that reduces - the church of Christ to the level of the vaudeville entertain: ment. These methods are unwise even from a business stand - point, and they certainly are dishonoring to Jesus Christ Those are the successful churches that step out in obedienca to the Word of God and depend upon the freewill offerings of — the people, and they soon find they have more money for their own work and more money for foreign missions than those churches have that stoop to dishonor their Lord by ?aising money in such a way as makes the church a reproach ®ven among people of the world. Would you ask an unsaved person to contribute 32 PRACTICAL AND PERPLEXING _ f money or goods for the support or benefit of church work? No, I would not. God is not dependent upon His enemies for the carrying on of His work.- God’s work should be sup- ported by the glad freewill offerings of His own people, as ex _ plained in the previous answer. Furthermore, when unsaved people give to the support or God’s work it frequently acts as a salve to their conscience, and it makes them harder to reach. They say: “I am sup- porting the church,” and many of them hope to get to heaven that way. Of course, if some unsaved person of his own yolition shoula see fit to put money into the contribution box, or something of that kind, I would hesitate to insult him or take the respon- sibility of refusing his money, but I should let it be distinctly understood in taking collections that it was not the money but the souls of the unsaved we were after and that men should give themselves first to the Lord before they gave their money. THE COMING AGAIN OF JESUS CHRIST. Does the Bible teach that Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth personally and visibly? It does. There is nothing more clearly taught in the Bible than that Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth personally, bodily and visibly. In Acts 1:11 the two men in white appare} who stood by the disciples as they gazed steadfastly into heaven after Jesus as He was taken up before their eyes, said: “This same Jesus which was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Now they had seen Him going into heaven person- ally bodily, visibly, and they were told He was to come back just as He had gone. An attempt has been made by those who deny the personal return of our Lord to say that “in like manner’ means “with equal certainty,” but the Greek words translated “so in like QUESTIONS ANSWERED 33 _ nanner” permit of no such construction. They are never so used. Literally translated they mean “thus in the manner _ which,” and are never used as describing anything but the manner, the precise manner, in which the thing is done. Jesus Christ is coming back exactly as the disciples saw Him _ going, personally, bodily, visibly. _ The same truth is taught in John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians r 4:16, 17; and many other passages. In Hebrews 9:28 we are told: “So Christ was offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” The word which in this passage is translated “shall appear” translated literally would be “shall be seen.” It is a word only used of seeing with the eye. In Revelation 1:7 we read: “Behold, He cometh with _ clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which bruised Him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because _ of Him.” : _ These very plain promises cannot by any fair system of in- e- terpretation be made to refer to the coming of Christ in the _ Holy Spirit, as some would say. The coming of the Holy . _ Spirit is in a very real sense the coming of Christ (see John 14:15-18, 21-23). But it is not the coming referred to in these passages, and cannot be made such except by perverting the plain words of God. Nor is the coming described in these passages the coming of Christ to receive the believer at the time of his death. The details given do not fit the death of the believer. : Neither do these passages refer to the coming of Christ at the destruction of Jerusalem. The destruction of Jerusalem Was in a sense a precursor, prophecy and type of the judgment at the end of the age, and therefore in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 the two events so described are in connection with each other. But God’s judgment on Jerusalem is manifestly not the event referred to in the passages above given. After the - coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and after the destruc- - ~ fion of Jerusalem, the coming again of Jesus Christ, which is so — ypeteed mentioned in the New Testament, is the great future. (See, for pit SE John 21:22,23; F 22:20). - How is Jesus Christ coming again? As already said, He is coming personally, visibly and bodily. But further than this, He is coming with great publicity (Matthew 24:26, 27; Revelation 1:7). Every now and then some one appears in sOme corner of the earth who is an- nounced to be Christ in His second coming, but these “inner chamber” Christs and ‘obscure corner” Christs are a humbug long since predicted and exploded. Christ is coming in the © clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). He is coming in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, R. V.). He is coming unannounced, without warning, unexpectedly, sud- denly (Revelation 16:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3; Matthew 24:87-89; Luke 21:34, 35). Do you believe that the second coming of Gurls is hear at hand? If so, why? ‘What should we do to att pare for Him? As far as I know our Lord may return again any day. There is no event predicted in Scripture that must occur before Jesus comes to receive His own to Himself, although it seems as if there are some events that must occur before He comes to the earth with His saints (2 Thessalonians 2:2-4, 8). As far as we know He may come for us believers at any moment, and He Himself has bidden us to be always ready — because in such an hour as we think not He is coming again (Matthew 24:44). = Furthermore, there seem to be indications that His coming ‘draweth nigh. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives a very accurate de scription of our own time. The increase of unbelief in the professing church and in the pulpit, the growing unrest in the social and political world, the apparently rapid develop- ment of the Antichrist—all these thines *sem to point te the - QUESTIONS ANSWERED e 35 _ fear approach of our Lord. But we should bear in mind that © earnest men of God and students of the Bible have often _ thought im times past that the coming of the Lord was very _ near, and it was, and they were not mistaken. Those that thought it was so far away that they allowed it to have no effect upon their pres were the ones who were really mis. taken. Today men’s hearts are “failing them for fear’ and “for expectation of things which are coming on the world” (Luke 21:26, R. V.). But when the true believer and intelligent student of the Word sees these things begin to come to pass he will not be discouraged, but will look up and lift up his head because he knows that his redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). We should all let our loins be girded about and our lights be burning, and we should be like unto men that wait for their lord when he returns from the wedding, that when He does come and knock we may open unto Him immediately (Luke 12:35, 36). What is the logical and adequate explanation of Mat- thew 16:28, where Jesus said: ‘‘Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of ae ae they see the Son of man coming in His king- om’’ The answer to this question is evident if one reads right on, ignoring the chapter division between the 16th and 17th chap- ters of Matthew. This division is not a part of the original Scriptures, but an editor’s addition, and sometimes the divi sion is made in an illogical way—noticeably so in this case. After quoting the words in question Matthew goes on to describe the transfiguration of Christ. In this transfiguration ‘Jesus, the Son of man, was seen “coming in His kin?dom.” He was manifested in the glory that is properly His. If things had taken their natural course He would then and there have been glorified without passing through death, but He turned His back upon that glory and went down from the mountain to meet the awful tragedy of His death, the only way in which He could 36 redeem men. It was of His decease (atoning death) iol Moses and Elijah spoke with Him when they appeared with Him in the glory (Luke 9:31). This transfiguration, beheld by some who were standing with Him when He uttered the words found in Matthew 16:28, was the Son of man seen com- jing in His kingdom. CONFESSION OF SINS. Ought we to confess our sins to man, or only te God? First of all, we should confess them to God. David says in Psalm 32:5: “I acknowledge my sin unto Thee (that is, the Lord), and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said: “I will confess my transgression unto the Lord,’ and Thou fergavest the iniquity of my sin.” In 1 John 1:9 we read: “If we confess our sins (and it evidently means, unto God) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins a to cleanse us from: h all unrighteousness.” 7 But if we have sinned against man we should confess our sins to the man against whom we have sinned. We should a be reconciled to our brother who has aught against us (Mat- € thew 5:23, 24). It is well also to confess our sins ene to another in order that we may pray one for another (James 5:16). There is not the slightest hint, however, that this means that we should confess our sins to a priest any more than to any other brother. It says: “Confess one to another,” and there is no more reason why we should confess our sins to a priest than that the priest should confess his sins to us. If we have sinned publicly we should make public confession of our sins. But there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that one should make a detailed public confession of all his trans- gressions, or even that he should confess to any man every sin that he has committed. Religious impostors often require this of their disciples, and in this way they get a hold over their disciples and rule them by fear of exposure. One of the best known religious impostors of modern times got a old upon his people in this way. He made them confess QUESTIONS ANSWERED | ae Pverything mean and vile that they had done, then he ter- torized them, got their money from them, made slaves of them. There are some things that a man should keep to himself and God. CONSCIENCE AS GUIDE. Is conscience a sufficient guide for man? No. Conscience, using the word in the sense of the moral intuition that every man possesses that right is right and wrong is wrong, and that we each of us ought to take our stand upon the right to follow it wherever it carries us, is sufficient to lead us to an absolute surrender to do the right whatever it may be, but then there comes the question of what is right. Conscience, in the sense of moral judgment as to what is right or wrong, is certainly not a sufficient guide to man. Many men do conscientiously things that are utterly wrong because their moral judgment has been improperly educated. Conscience needs to be enlightened as to what is right by divine revelation and by the personal illumination of the Holy Spirit. If we surrender ourselves to do the right wherever it carries us, amd make an honest search for the right and the true, we shall be led to see. that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and a teacher sent from God (John 7:17), and then we will bring eur moral judgment to Him for education. Having accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God and a teacher sent from God, we will be logically led by the study of His Word — to accept the entire Bible as the Word of God, and will con- sequently take it as our guide in conduct. Furthermore, we will be led to see that it is our privilege to be taught of the Holy Spirit and to be guided into right conduct by Him. CONSECRATION. What is meant by consecration? How often should a person consecrate himself? In modern use (which, by th way, is not the Bible use) Ss wore “consecration” means. the surrendering of ne’s “ and all that one has wholly to God. The word “sancti a used in the Bible has practically the same meaning “when mi applied to sanctifying ourselves. It means to set apart tor God. Every Christian should consecrate himself once for all to God. ‘He should put into God’s hands all that he is and all that he has, for God to use him and his as He will, to send him where He will and do with him what He will. Having thus consecrated himself he should never take himself out ' of God’s hands. But many do consecrate themselves to God and afterward go back on their consecration, as Samson did, and are shorn of their strength, as Samson was. In such a case a man should re-consecrate himself to God, and even -where a man has not taken back his consecration it is a good thing to constantly re-acknowledge it in order that one may keep it distinctly in mind. Furthermore, consecration gets a deeper sieutheatas the longer we live. At one time of our life we may give ourselves up wholly to God as far as we understand it at the time, but as we study the Word and grow in grace consecration will ever gain a deeper meaning. I believe I have been wholly - standing of what it means to be wholly God’s than I have ever had before. - CONVICTION OF SIN. es How is conviction of sin produced? 2 What character of preaching would you advise to bring to the people a realization of the awhelall of sin, and to bring upon them conviction of and for sin? The law was given to bring men to a knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20), and I find that the preaching of the law does bring men to such a knowledge. I preach on the Yen Commandments, looking to the Holy Spirit to show men how they have not kept them. I also preach on Matthew 7.73, the se-called Golden Rule, to show people they have not kept that and therefore cannot be saved by the Golden Rule: “All _ things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do _ you even so to them.” I preach on Matthew 22:37, 38, and by the use of these verses seek to show people that they have not only sinned but they have broken the first and greatest — of God’s commandments: “Jesus said unto him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” But we read in John 16:9 that the sin of which the Holy Spirit convicts men is the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ, and we see in Acts 2:37 (compared with the words of Peter that precede) that the sin of which the Holy Spirit convicted so many thousands on the day of Pentecost was the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. Working along this line I find that holding up before men the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us, then driving home the .- awfulness of the sin of rejecting such a Saviour, brings the deepest conviction of sin. But in all our preaching we must bear in mind that it is the Holy Spirit, not we ourselves, who convicts men of sin. He does it through the truth that we present, but we must Tealize our dependence upon Him and look to Him and count on Him to do the work. Here is where many make a mistake. They try to convict men of sin instead of putting themselves in such an attitude toward the Holy Spirit that He will oe : men through them. DANCING. Se Where does it say in the Bible that dancing is a sin? It does not say anywhere in the Bible that dancing is a sin. Dancing is not a sin. Dancing is perfectly proper in its place. It is an expression of joy, even sometimes of religious joy. Miriam the prophetess and the women who were with her danced in their joy over their deliverance from tha” QUESTIONS ANSWERED 39 : . Re ee 40 PRACTICAL AND PERP Egyptians (Exodus 15:20), and God seems to have been pleased. David danced before the ark. There is a time to dance. There is no wrong whatever in dancing in the proper time and in the proper way. But mixed dancing, the dancing of men with women in the way in which it is carried on today even in the most select dancing parties, permits a familiarity of contact between the sexes that is nowhere else allowed in decent society. It is the cause of untold sin and misery. It is forbidden im 2 Corin- thians 6:17, R. V., where we are told to touch no unclean thing—and the modern mixed dance is unquestionably am un- clean thing. It is immodest, impure, unwholesome. Is it right for a Christian to dance? It is not right for a Christian to do anything that will bring reproach upon the cause of Christ or in any wise lessen his or her own influence for Christ. One can imagine conditions under which a Christian could engage in a square damce with- out bringing reproach on the cause of Christ, but the question is not what are the conditions that we can imagine but what are the conditions that actually exist today. It is impossible : under existing conditions for any Christian to dance without bringing reproach upon the cause of Christ or without lessen- ing his or her own influence for Christ. In the dance as it exists today in America and in England 2 familiarity of contact is permitted between the sexes that is nowhere else permitted in decent society. This is tree in the most select dances that are held. If any lady should permit any gentleman except her Husband, father or brother, to handle her anywhere else as he handles her on the dancing floor she would be regarded as immodest and umwomanly, if nothing worse. Certainly these attitudes do not become any better when taken accompanied by strains of seductive music, and by movements which have beyond a question a morally deleterious effect upon many that engage in them. I have no doubt that many a pure girl engages in the modern dance without evil thoughts, -but I know that many of the QUESTIONS ANSWERED 41 men, probably the overwhelming majority who dance with her, do have evil thoughts. The hardest fight that the young man of today has on hand is the fight for purity in thought and act, and there is scarcely any other institution known to ' modern society that makes the fight for purity in thought and act so hard for the young man as the modern dance. If modest young women could hear the young men who dance with them in the most select parties talk afterwards among themselves I feel confident that no self-respecting young woman would ever engage in the dance again. These are not pleasant facts to contemplate, but they are facts, and we eught to face them. . Furthermore, the Christian young woman who dances loses her influence with many of those whom she desires te win for Christ. While the world constantly seeks to allure be- lievers into compromise with itself, and oftentimes praises them for liberality and breadth of thought if they do indulge with them in their questionable pastimes, nevertheless at heart the world despises a compromising Christian. Further still, the dance interferes with the love of Bible study, the love of secret prayer, the love of service for Christ. It does not help but hinders the spiritual life in all directions. No Christian can dance without suffering for it beyond descrip- tion, and without bringing reproach op the cause of Christ. Every true Christian desires for himself the highest possible spiritual attainment, he will be satisfied with nothing less. The dance beyond a question interferes with such attainment. DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST. How would you prove that Jesus Christ is really the Son of God? First of all, I would prove that He rose from the dead. Of this there is abundant proof. I have given it elsewhere (in The Bible and Its Christ) and will not repeat it here. The fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead proves deyond a question that He is the Son of God. WF, 7 Sw ne Qa PRACTICAL AND PERPLE} "When He was here upon earth He rapeabintyy declared | He was the Son of God, the Son of God in a unique 8 nse, _ the Son of God in a sense in which no other man is the Son of God. In Mark 12:6 He taught that while the prophets, even the greatest of them, were servants, He was a Son, an only Son. In John 5:22, 23 He taught that all men should — honor Him even as they honored the Father. In John 14:9 He went so far as to say: “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” Men hated Him for making this claim to be the Son of God, they put Him to death for making this claim (Matthew 26:63, 66), but before they put Him to death for _ making this claim He told them that God would set His seal to the claim by raising Him from the dead. It was a stupen- dous claim to make, it was an apparently absurd claim, but God did set His seal to it by raising Jesus from the dead. By doing this God Himself has said more clearly than if He should speak from the open heavens today: "This Man is what He claims to be. He is My Son. All men should honor Him even as they honor the Father.” ' Jesus Christ proves Himself to be the Son of God by the claim He made to be the Son of God and by the way in which He substantiated that claim by His resurrection from the dead. , But He also substantiated it by His character, by its beauty _ and strength and nobility. The character of Jesus Christ is well nigh universally admitted. Jews nowadays admit that. The most notorious infidels have admitted it. Even Col. Ingersoll once said: “I wish to say once and for all, tc that great and serene Man I gladly pay the homage of my admiration and my tears.” But here is this Man, whom all admit to be a good Man, a Man of honor and of truth and of nobility, claiming to be the Son of God. Certainly a Man of such character was what He claimed to be. He substantiated His claim furthermore by the méracles which He performed. Herculean efforts have been put forth to discredit the Gospel stories of Christ’s miracles, but these efforts have all resulted in utter and lamentable failure "> ae FY eae * * =- ~ - >a if Rast 4 ; A u, r P Z oe ae eee OP Rn ee er oe i, ke pea? eh 56 PRACTICAL AND PER et proof that the Bible is the Word of God and that Apoorers Christ is the Son of God, proof enough to convince any one ‘ who really wants to know and obey the truth. I have given in my book The Bible and Its Christ conclusive evidence that the Bible is God’s Word and that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, but one does not need to read books like that. There is plenty of proof in the Bible itself. John says in John 20:31: “These are written (that is, the things con- tained in the Gospel of John) that ye might believe that Jesus — is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might ~ have life through His name.” We here see that life comes ~ through believing that Jesus is the Christ. the Son of God, and that believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, comes through studying what is written. If any one will take the Gospel of John and read it the right way he will know and believe before he gets through that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and he will have life through believing it. Now what is the right way to read it? . First of all, surrender your will to God. “If any man wilieth to do God's will, he shall know of the teaching that it is from God” (John 7:17, R. V.). One can read the Gospel of John again and again and not come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, if he reads it with an unsurrendered will, but if a man will first surrender his will to God te obey God whatever it may cost him he cannot read the Gospel of John through once without coming to see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Second, each time you read look up to God and ask Him to. show you how much of truth there is in the verses you are about to read, and promise Him that you will take your stand upon what He shows you to be true. Do not read too many verses at once. Pay careful attention to what you read. Read with a real desire to learn the ‘truth and to obey it. By the time you get through the Gospel you will find that you can believe. In fact, you will find that you do believe. The reason that men do not believe is either because they are not living up to what they do helieve, they have not : a a QUESTIONS ANSWERED a ‘surrendered their wills to God, or else they do not study the ‘evidence that is calculated to produce belief. Men neglect ‘their Bibles and read all kinds of trashy unbelieving books and then keep saying: “T can’t believe! I can’t believe!” A man might just as well feed himself on poison instead of food and then complain that he is not healthy. There is abundant evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and faith is a matter of the will—it is willingness to yield to the sufficient evidence. Unbelief is the refusal to yield to the Sufficient evidence. Unbelief is a matter for which every unbeliever is responsible. God demands that we believe, that we yield our wills to the truth which He has abundantly revealed. Faith is the one thing that God demands of man, because it is the one thing above all else that we owe to God (John 6:29). Without that faith which is due to God it is impossible to please Him _ (Hebrews 11:6). If I had a child that did not believe in me nothing else that he could do would please me. FALLING FROM GRACE. How do you harmonize the Calvinistic view of the perseverance of the saints with the Arminian belief of falling from grace? If I understand the Calvinistic view it does not teach the perseverance of the saints but the perseverance of the Saviour. While it teaches that the saints are utterly unreliable and might fall away any day or any hour it also teaches that the Saviour is ever watchful and ever faithful—for He ever liveth to make intercession for the believer (Hebrews 7:25)—and that He has pledged Himself that those who believe on Him shall never perish (John 10:28), and has given His word for it that He and His Father will keep us to the end, and that no man is able to snatch us out of the hand of Himself and the Father (John 10:28, 29, R. V.). This does not mean that if a man is once born again and then lies down in sin he tet. na _ will not be lost forever. to it that the one who is born again will not lie dor med - Re : It means that Jesus Chri gin. He may fall into sin, he may fall into gross sin, but _ Jesus Christ has undertaken his recovery. He will-go after the lost sheep until He find it (Luke 15:4). There is no warrant here for one to continue in sin saying: “Iam achild — of God and therefore cannot be lost.” There is no comfort — whatever here for such a one. If one lies down in sin and — continues in sin it is a proof that he is not a child ef God, is not saved, never was regenerate (1 John 2:19). ah What the Arminians object to is not the doctrine of the faithfulness of the Saviour, that He will prove true eyen though we prove faithless; what they object to is such a doctrine of “once in grace, always in grace” as enables a man to ge on sinning and seeking to justify himself by saying: “T have been saved, therefore I have been in grace and am in grace still.” We need to be on our guard on the one hand against the i doctrine that gives us comfort in continuance in sin. We need to be on our guard on the other hand against that distrust of Jesus Christ that makes us fear that some time we shall - prove unfaithful and Jesus Christ will desert us. The position - that we ought to hold is that held by the apostle Paul, __-where he asserts on the one hand: “I know whom I have be- lieved, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12), but which leads him on the other hand to keep his body under (to give his body a black eye) lest when he has preached to others he himself should become a castaway (1 Corinthians 9:27). é FASTING. Ought Christians to fast? Yes, Christians ought to do anything in their power that will bring blessing to themselves or others, and beyond a ques. tion fasting brings blessing: in many instances to the one who fasts and in many instances *o others. al i QUESTIONS ANSWERED 59 It is sometimes said that fasting belonged to the Jewish Teligion but not to the Christian, but this contradicts the plain teaching of the Bible. In Acts 13:2 we are told that it was while they “ministered to the Lord and fasted” that the Holy Ghost spoke to the leaders of the church in Antioch. ~ In the 8rd verse we are told that it was after they had “fasted and prayed” that they laid their hands on Saul and Barnabas, and sent them away. In Acts 14:23 we are told that at the ordination of elders they “prayed, with fasting.” There is no virtue in one’s going without his necessary food, but there is power in that sense of our own unworthiness that leads us to humble ourselves before God by fasting, and in that downright earnestness in seeking the face of God that leads one away even from his necessary food that he may give himself up to prayer. If there were more fasting and prayer and less feasting and frolic in the church of Jesus Christ today we would see more Tevivals and more wonderful things wrought for God. A FAULTLESS LIFE. Can a person live a faultless life? No one does live a faultless life and no one can live a _ faultless life unless he is perfect in knowledge. The sincerest 2 5 J men and women may make mistakes in moral judgment. We are constantly growing in our knowledge of God’s will as — we study His Word. If at any point we fall below God’s highest will our life is not faultless. But while we cannot live a faultless life we can live a blame- less life, that is, we can live up to our highest understanding of God’s will as revealed in His Word. We are not to blame for what we do not know except when our lack of knowledge is the result of our own neglect. (See Colossians 1:22; 4 Thessalonians 2:10; 3:13; 5:28; etc.) ‘Every child of God should aim to lead a blameless life, ‘ow those who lead the most blameless lives are the most con- scious of their deficiencies and know how far their lives are from being absolutely faultless. og tc ty ie Tatneft: a Meas eae POR i eye sey aut oe > § vi a ? , ¥ FOOT-WASHING. > ey, Why do not Christians generally wash the feet as commanded in John 13: 4-16? There is no commandment here that every Christian should wash every other Christian's feet. Nor is there today any church in which every Christian washes every other Chris- tian’s feet. There is a command here that when some other Christian needs to have his feet washed (John 13:10) we should be ready to perform even so menial a service as this for him, and thus do as Jesus did to His disciples in their need. There is not the slightest indication that Jesus at this time — appointed a ceremony to be performed in the church. The disciples came in from the road with their feet dusty. They had already bathed earlier in the day (vv. 9, 10, R. V.), ana therefore did not need a total ablution, but with their open sandals their feet had become dusty. Each one of them was too proud to wash the other disciples’ feet. There was no Servant present to do it, so Jesus, though He knew He had come from the Father and was going to the Father, and that the Father had given all things into His hands, arose from the table and performed for them the menial service that was needed. This is as unlike as can be imagined from the mere per- formance of the ceremony of washing feet that do not need to be washed for the sake of doing the same thing that Jesus did. The lesson of the passage is plain enough, namely, that _ we ought to have that love for one another that makes us ready to perform the lowliest service for one another. FOREKNOWLEDGE AND FOREORDINATION. How do you reconcile man’s freedom of choice with God’s foreknowledge and foreordination? Please explain the meaning of the passage: ‘‘Being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowl- edge of God’’ (Acts 2:23). : = a - QUESTIONS ANSWERED 6) This means that the actions of Judas and the rest were taken into God’s plan, and thus made a part of it. But it does not mean that these men were not perfectly free in their choice. They did not do as they did because God knew that they would do so, but the fact that they would do so was the basis upon which God knew it. Foreknowledge no more ie- termines a man’s actions than after-knowledge. Knowledge is determined by the fact, not the fact by knowledge. Practically the same explanation’ applies to Romans 8:29, 31: “Whom He did foreknow He did also predestinate to be cen- formed to the image of His Son.” Kindly explain Acts 13:48—‘‘And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.’’ Are some born to be lost? God knows from all eternity what each man will do, whether he will yield to the Spirit and accept Christ, or whether he will resist the Spirit and refuse Christ. Those who will receive Him are ordained to eternal life. If any are lost it is simply because they will not come to Christ and thus obtain life (John 5:40). Whosoever will may come (Revelation 22:17), and all who do come will be received (John 6:37). God does not ordain any one to be lost against his own will, but in God’s infinite wisdom and holiness it is ordained that whosoever deliberately and persistently rejects His glorious Son shall be banished forever from His presence. FOREIGN MISSIONS. What part ought foreign missions to have in the life of the church and the individual believer? A very prominent part. Our Lord’s last command te His disciples was: “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). It was in connection with this work that He promised His own personal fellowship. He said that when we did this: ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” If then the ividividual believer wishes to have personal fellowship with Jesus Christ he {nto all the world and make disciples of all the pat es may not be able to go in his own person, but in that case he can go by his gifts and by his prayers. Any Christian who is not deeply interested in foreign missions is not in fel- . lowship with Jesus Christ. Since a true church is a company of obedient believers, what. is true of each believer will be true of the church, with the added power and blessing that issues from cooperation. ML: -, a 1 o FORGIVENESS OF SINS. ad s What does John 20:23 mean: ‘‘Whose soéver - remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained’? A Roman Catholic said to me that this passage taught that the priest had power on earth to forgive sins. Does it teach this? “The meaning of the verse is very clear if you notice pS what is said and the exact connection in which Jesus said it. ‘In the preceding verse Jesus had breathed on the disciples and said to them: “Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” Then He said to them: ‘Whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are re- tained” (R. V.). In other words, Jesus taught that a disciple who had received the Holy Spirit would get the power of spiritual discernment whereby he would know whether there had been true repentance or not, and whose soever sims this Spirit-filled disciple pronounced meat they were indeed forgiven. The promise was not made to an official priest but to disci- ples who had been filled with the Holy Spirit. If a priést were filled with the Holy Spirit he doubtless would receive this spiritual discernment, but a man who is not a priest (except in the sense that all believers are priests) and who Teceives the Holy Spirit may have this spiritual discernment. There are times when any Spirit-filled man knows that a pretence of repentance which another man makes is nat ee th ae, tae ier Seep “qe < P = a a, 7 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 83 genuine, and because of this he declares to that man that B his sins are not forgiven, and that men’s sins are not forgiven. On other occasions he will see that repentance and faith are Pecnaine and declare to the man that his sins are forgiven. q Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, exercised this power in _ Acts 8:20-23. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, exercised it in- Acts 13:9-11. And many a humble believer has this Spirit- given discernment today. There is no mention whatever of © ! priests in the passage, and absolutely nothing that the Roman - Catholie can build upon to prove that the priest as such has e on earth to forgive sins. THE FUTURE LIFE. _ What becomes of our spirits when we die? Does the Bible teach an intermediate state of the dead? - Upon death does one’s soul pass straightway to ; heaven or hell, or is there an intermediate state? _ Immediately at death the spirit of the believer departs to _ be with Christ in a state which is very far better than that ‘in which it exists here on earth (Philippians 1:23, R. V.). It 7 is “absent from the body, at home with the Lord” (2 Corin- 4 thians 5:6-8, R. V.). But this is not the final state of blessed- hess of the redeemed. In our final state of blessedness the spirit is not merely unclothed from its present mortal body j but clothed upon with its resurrection body (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). We obtain this resurrection body at the second coming of Christ, when the bodies of those that sleep in Christ are “raised from the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:15) and the bodies of believers then living are transformed in the twinkling of an eye and this corruptible puts on incorruption (1 Corin- ‘thiams 15:51-53). _ On the other hand, immediately at death the spirits of the wicked depart into that portion of Hades reserved for the wicked dead, where they exist in conscious and great torment “ike 16:19-81). But this is not their final condition of , in sin are raised again to stand before the great white tenons: of God and to be judged and assigned to their final condition of torment (Revelation 20:11-15;21:8). It is then that they enter into their final and fullest suffering. Just as the re- deemed spirit is clothed upon at the coming of Christ with its glorious resurrection body, perfect counterpart of the redeemed — spirit that inhabits it and partaker with it in all its jey, so the wicked are to be clothed upon with a body, perfect coun- terpart of the lost spirit that inhabits it and partaker with it in all its misery. GIVING. Do you believe in tithing your income for religious purposes? Yes, as the starting point in Christian giving What is the Bible rule for a Christian in the matter of giving money for religious work? The Christian is not under law in the matter of giving. That is to say, there is no absolute law laid down that a Christian should give just so much and no more. A Christian should consecrate all that he has to God. Bvery penny of his money should belong to Him. The money he spends upon himself and his family should be spent that way because he thinks God would be more honored if he spent it that way than some other way. The Jew was under the law to give one-tenth of his income, and over and above that he was expected to give freewill offerings. This Jewish law ought to be a suggestion to us as the facts of spiritual being in the forms of physical expres- sion. Second, because God is infinite, and we are finite. Our attempts at a philosophical explanation of the tri-unity of God is an attempt to put the facts of infinite being into the forms of finite thought. Such an attempt at the very best can only be partially successful. The doctrine of the Trinity, which - hhas been the accepted doctrine of the church through so many , tar : lo QUESTIONS ANSWERED a “ centuries, is the most successful attempt in that direction, but it may be questioned whether it is a full and final state ment of the truth. This much we know, that God is essentially one, and we also know that there are three persons possessed of the attri- butes of deity—the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, who are called God, and who are to be worshipped as God. There | is but one God, but this one God makes Himself. known te us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But the Son and the Spirit are both subordinate to the Father. God the Father is God in the absolute and final sense, God in the source. The Son is God in the outflow, but there is all the perfection of the - foyntain in the river that flows forth from the fountain, and to the Son the Father has imparted all His own perfections, so Nhat it may be said without qualification that “he that hath — seen the Son hath seen the Father’ (John 14:9). Through all eternity the Son has existed and has possessed of all the perfections of the Father. While He possesses all the per- fections of the Father He is not the Father, but is derived from the Fatner, and is eternally subordinate to the Father. This seems to be as far as we can go now. How much farther we-may go in that glad coming day when we shall no longer see through a glass darkly but face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12), when we shall no longer know in part but shall know God as perfectly and as thoroughly as He now knows us, none of us can tell. If God is a God of mercy and love and the director of the universe, why does He send earthquakes, tidal waves and other phenomena when thousands of lives are lost almost instantly? Because He sees fit to do so. If God saw fit He would have a perfect right to plunge the whole earth beneath a flood and leave us all to perish instantly. All men have sinned. All men deserve the wrath of God, but God loves even a sinful and apostate race, and le has provided a way of pardon for al! who will accept it, and not only a way of pardon but a way whet become sons of God and heirs of God and joint eirs: Jesus Christ (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17). Any one accepts this way of pardon, if he is swept away by an earth- quake, tidal wave or other disaster, loses nothing. He departs to be with Christ, which is far better (Philippians 1:23). If any one does not accept this way of pardon he is grossly wicked and ungrateful, and his being swept away by an earth- quake, tidal wave or other phenomenon is far less than he deserves and far less than he will receive in the judgment that awaits him in the world to come, not merely for his sins but for the black ingratitude of his trampling under foot the mercy of God so marvelously manifested, ; In our day men have largely forgotten that God is God, and they think that He is under obligation to explain His dealings to us. God’s ways are not our ways and God’s theta are not our thoughts, but as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). His judgments are unanswerable and — His ways past finding out (Romans 11:33). But when we se reach the other side and no longer “see through a glass darkly” but face to face, then we shall understand that the providences of God that were most difficult for us to com- prehend in the life that now is were full of mercy and kind- ness to man. What we all need to learn now is that God in His infinite wisdom may have a thousand good reasons for doing a thing when we in our finite ignorance cannot see even one. If God exercises general government and control over the entire universe how do you explain the appar- ant dominance of sin? It is only on this earth that sin is apparently dominant and this earth is a very small portion of the universe. Furthermore, God’s plans are eternal and take ages for their. full working out. The apparent dominance of siz is only a ae 77. 4 ee ~F a a rr. leh Brion on Beate Cems cea ‘ QUESTIONS ANSWERED sat. | eemporary. Through its permission at the present time God is working out His cwn plans of good. When these plans are wrought out we will see how all the time back of man’s failures, rebellions and sin was the controlling power of God, Indeed, we can see it in large measure even at the present time. = GOOD WORKS. May I not merit heaven by my good works? If your works are absolutely perfect, if you should never break the law of God at any point from the hour of birth until death, if you do all that God requires of you and all that pleases Him, you would merit heaven by your good works. But this is something that no man but Jesus Christ ever has done. “There is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22, 23). The moment that any man breaks the law of God at any point he can no longer merit heaven by his good works. The law demands perfect obedience (Galatians 3:10). Nothing but perfect obedience to the law of God will secure life or heaven. There is, therefore, no hope on the ground of our own works. The moment a man has sinned at any point his only hope then is that he be justified freely through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. But justification by free grace is offered to all who will accept Jesus Christ. All who believe are justi- fied freely (that is, as a free gift) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). God set Him forth © to be the propitiation through faith by His blood (Romans $:25, R. V.). Study the whole passage Romans 3:9 to 4:8, and you will see how impossible it is that any man can merit heaven by his good works, and what God’s method of justi- fication is. / “ef aa ee . THE HEATHEN. ~ How is God going to judge the healide: ATMA _Can the heathen be saved by following the best light they have? God will judge the heathen in righteousness, according to the light they have had. Those who have sinned without know- ing the law revealed to Moses will also perish without the law, and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law (Romans 2:12). The heathen are not without light. The fact that they ‘ ‘4 do by nature the things required in the law shows that they have a law, though not the law revealed to Moses (Romans 2:14). If any heathen should live perfectly up to the light 3 he has he would doubtless be saved by doing so, but no heathen has ever done this. Romans 2:12-16 is often taken as teaching that the heathen are to be saved by the light of nature, but any one who will read the passage carefully in its connection will see that Paul’s whole purpose is not — to show how the heathen are saved by keeping the law writ- — ten in their hearts but to show that all are under condem- — nation—the Jew because he has not lived up to the law given A by revelation, and the Gentile because he has not lived up 3 to the law written in his heart. The conclusion of the matter — is given in Romans 3:22, 23, R. V.: “For there is no distinc- — tion; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” — In the verses that follow the only way of salvation is pointed — out, namely, free justification by God’s grace through the “' redemption that is in Christ Jesus on the ground of His — propitiatory death, the value of which each one appropriates — to himself by faith in Him. No one will be saved except — through personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as his personal — Saviour. There is not a line of Scripture that holds out a ray of hope to any one who dies without accepting Jesus q _ Christ. ~ ; There are those who hold that those who die without hear- — ing of Jesus Christ in this world will have an opportunity of : hearing of Him and accepting Him or rejecting Him in some 4 4 > ~ BS, ry a eh oe ee ok ee ee Pad “. * < _, = si iit eas > a ar a QUESTIONS ANSWERED 7 * future state, but the Bible does not say so, and this is pure— - gpeculation without a word of Scripture to support it. ‘There are also those who hold that those heathen who would > have accepted Christ if He had been presented to them will ~ be treated as if He had been presented to them and they — had accepted Him, but this is all pure speculation. All the Bible teaches is that no one can be saved without personal acceptance of Christ, and the part of wisdom on our part is to do everything in our power to see the heathen have the opportunity of accepting Christ in the life that now is, for we have not one word of Scripture to support us in the hope that if we neglect our duty here the heathen will have an opportunity to accept Christ in some future age or state. HEAVEN. Is heaven a place or a state of the soul? Jesus Christ plainly declares that heaven is a place. In John 14:2 He says: ‘‘I go to prepare a place for you,’’ and to make it even more plain He adds~in the next verse that when . the place is prepared He will come again and receive us unto Himself, that where He is there we may be also. Furthermore, we are distinctly told that when Jesus Himself _ left this earth He went into heaven, from whence He had come (John 13:3; Acts 1:9, 10; Ephesians 1:20, 21; and many _ _ other places). i The blessedness of heaven will not all be because of the character of the place. It will be still more because of the state of mind in which those who inhabit heaven will be. Nevertheless, heaven is a place, a place more beautiful than — any of us can conceive. All earthly comparisons necessarily fail. In our present state every sense and faculty of percep- tion is blunted by sin and by the disease that results from sin. In our redeemed bodies every sense and faculty will receive enlargement and exist in perfection. There may be new senses, but what they may be we cannot of course now imagine. The fairest sights that we have ever beheld on Root eee. co ne SAT eS 73 PRACTICAL AND PERPL earth are nothing in beauty “ what will aueak us in t “city that hath foundations.” Heaven will be free from ever thing that curses or mars our lives here. There will be no servile grinding toil, no sickness or pain (Revelation 21:4), no death, no funerals and no separations. Above all, there will be no sin. It will be a place of universal and perfect knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:12), of universal and perfect love (1 John 8:2; 4:8), of perpetual praise (Revelation 7:9-12). It will be a land of melody and song. : What must one do to get to heaven? There is just one thing that any one needs to do to get to heaven, that is, to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, surrender to Him as His Lord and Master, and openly confess Him as such before the world. Jesus Christ says: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). Again He says: “I am the door. By Me if any man enter in he shall be saved” (John 10:9). Any one who receives Jesus becomes at once a child of God, an heir of God, a joint-heir with Jesus Christ (John 1:12; Romans 8:16, 17). Any one can know whether he is already on the way to heaven or not by simply asking himself the questions: _ “Have I received Jesus Christ? Have I taken Him as my _ §$in-bearer, the One who bore my sins in His own body on the cross? (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24; Galatians 3:13.) Am I trusting God to forgive my sins because Jesus Christ bore them for me? Have I taken Jesus Christ as my Lord and Master? Have I surrendered my thought to Him to teach and my life to Him to guide in everything? Am I confessing Him as my Saviour and my Lord before the world as I have oppor- tunity?” ; if any one can answer yes to these simple questions he may know he is on the way to heaven. Of course, if one has really received Jesus as his Lord and Master he will prove it by studying His Word day by day to know His will. and “by doing His will as he-finds it revealed in the Bible. tn aye c" MAY, - = re oa \ eee « QUESTIONS ANSWERED 19 Is the Bible an all-sufficient guide to heaven? It is. It tells each one of us what sort of a place heaven ts and just how to get there. There is not a thing a man needs to know about the road to heaven that is not plainly stated in the Bible. It is the only book in the world that reveals Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is Himself the way to heaven (John 14:6). Shall we recognize our loved ones in heaven? Most assuredly we shall. Paul in writing to the believers of Thessalonica tells them not to sorrow over their loved _ones, from whom they have been separated for a time, as others whc have no hope sorrow over them, for (he goes on to say) Jesus Himself is coming back again, and our loved ones who have fallen asleep in Jesus will be first raised, and then we who are alive will be transformed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. The whole basis of this exhortation is that when we are caught up together with our loved ones we shall have them again. Fur- thermore, Moses and Elijah appeared to the three disciples — who were with Christ in the Mount of Transfiguration, and were recognized by them (Matthew 17:3 and following verses). If we shall recognize those whom we have never known in the flesh, how much more shall we recognize our loved ones! Can a person be happy in heaven if he knows his loved ones are in hell? Yes, most assuredly, if he is a real Christian. A real Chris- tian’s supreme joy is in Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:37). The love that he bears even to the dearest of his earthly loved ones is nothing to that he bears to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is in heaven. He will satisfy every longing of the heart that really knows Him. Furthermore, if any of our loved ones are in hell they will be there simply because they persistently rejected and trampled under foot that One who is the supreme object of our love. They will be with the Devil and his angels because they “the justice of it and the necessity of it. Many will not allow : _ themselves to believe in eternal punishment because they have _ impenitent friends and loved ones, but it is better far to _ recognize the facts, no matter how unwelcome they may be, — - and try to save our loved ones from the doom to which they __ are certainly hurrying on, than it is to quarrel with facts and seek to remove them by shutting our eyes to them. If . we love Jesus Christ supremely, love Him as we would love - Him, and realize His glory and His claims upon men as we | _ Should realize them, we will say, if the dearest friend we have —_— . on earth persists in trampling Christ under foot, he ought to : be tormented forever. If after men have sinned and merited God’s awful wrath God still offers them merey and makes : _ the tremendous sacrifice of His Son to save them—if after v all this they still despise that mercy, trample God’s Son under F foot, and are consigned to everlasting torment, any one who — gees as he ought to see will say: “Amen; true and righteous are Thy- judgments, O Lora!” 7 ‘HELL. = Is hell a place or state of the soul? th eye Hell, meaning by this name the final abode of Satan and be she impenitent, is plainly declared in the Bible to be a place prepared for the Devil and his angels. The arguments and many Scripture passages are to be found in the answers given under “The Devil” and “Eternal Punishment.” See also “Heaven.” Please explain Psalm 139:8: ‘‘If I ascend up into — heaven Thou are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there!’ I cannot conceive of God’s presence in hell. ‘ _ The word rendered “hell” in this passage does not mean hell in the sense of the abode.of the lost. It means the place where all the dead were before our Lord’s ascension. (It is ee ee pt hes Dg ng ey wie ‘ Been tiny Pea so od = QUESTIONS ANSWERED << ae rendered in the Revised Version—“Sheol. ” This is aot a trans: lation; it is the Hebrew word used.) Both the righteous and unrighteous dead went to Sheol, the righteous to that portion of Sheol known as paradise, and the unrighteous to the place of suffering. But if God is everywhere, He must in some sense be present even in hell, but He certainly does not mani- fest His presence there as He does in heaven, or even as He does on earth. THE HOLY SPIRIT. Does the Holy Spirit live in and remain with the believer, or come and go? ‘I know of no place where it is recorded that He comes and goes from the believer. It is true the Spirit of the Lord departed from king Saul, but we have no reason for believing that he was a true believer, a regenerate man. The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer according to the teaching of Jesus Christ (John 14:17). The believer may grieve Him (Eph- esians 4:30), but it does not say that the believer “grieves Him away,” as it is sometimes quoted. Indeed, it distinctly says that even though we grieve Him we are “sealed unto the day of redemption.” The believer through sin or worldliness may lose the consciousness of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God, but losing the consciousness of His presence and power is one thing, actually losing His presence is another. The Holy Spirit may withdraw into the innermost sanctuary — of the believer’s spirit, back of conscious possession, but He — is still there. ats There is, however, a work of the Holy Spirit upon a person — short of regeneration, as in conviction, and in such a case He may come and go. 5, Please tell something about waiting on God for power for service. Our Lord Jesus distinctly teaches in Acts 1:8 that there ts & definite enduement of power from the Holy Spirit for those | yt as the only ground of our acceptance before God. Second, — that we put out of our lives every known sin. Third, that ~ » “ * ? < ? other believers proves the same. This power is r scelt the following conditions: : First, that we rest absolutely on the finished work of Christ we surrender absolutely to God for Him to use us as He will. Fourth, that we openly confess our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord before the world. Fifth, that we really desire this anointing. Sixth, that we definitely ask for it. Seventh, that we take by faith what we ask for (Mark 11:24; 1 John 5:14, 15). There need be no long time of waiting. God is ready te give the Holy Spirit at once (Luke 11:13). Of course, waiting on God is something that every believer should practice, and doubtless God gives His Spirit when persons individually or together spend a long time in prayer before Him, thus recognizing and acknowledging their dependence upon Him, but the teaching that a man may have to wait a month or six months for “his Pentecost” is wholly without warrant in ~ the Bible. IMMORTALITY. How do you prove the immortality of the soul? _ In the Bible immortality as applied to man is used ef the body and not of the soul, but I suppose the question means: How do you prove that there is a future existence after death? We prove it from the Bible. In another book I haye proven that the Bible is the Word of God (The Bible and Its Christ), and that all its teachings are absolutely reliable; and the Bible teaches beyond a question that all men shall be raised from the dead, the righteous unto the resurrection of life and those that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment (John 8:28, 29). It furthermore teaches what the exact state of those who accept Christ and of those who reject Christ will be in the future eternal existence. Furthermore, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the best preven QUESTIONS ANSWERED 83 ra ae ah 9 ot ie Ae eet el ane facts of history, and proves to a demonstration that death does not end all. : There are arguments for immortality of a scientific and philosophical character, but if we leave out those built upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ all that these arguments prove is the probability of life after death, the probability of a future existence; but when we take the Bible in, and above all the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our belief in a future existence is no longer based upon a mere probability, it is removed from the domain of the merely probable into the domain of the absolutely certain and proven. Do the Scriptures teach conditional immortality? ‘By the doctrine of conditional immortality is meant the doctrine that man is naturally mortal and only gains im- mortality in Christ. There is an element of truth in the doctrine, namely, that man is naturally mortal. As man could begin to be, man could of course cease to be. But it is the plain teaching of Scripture that all the sons of Adam get endless existence *n Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:22 we are told that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” If we deal fairly with these words, one “ail” is as comprehensive as ~the Other. Every one that loses existence in Adam, who returns to the dust (Genesis 3:19; 5:5), is raised from the dust in Christ. The whole race gets back in Christ what it lost in Adam. But whether this exist- ence, this resurrection life, that we get in Christ, shall be a resurrection unto life or a resurrection unto judgment and — everlasting shame and contempt (John 5:28, 29; Daniel 12:2) depends entirely upon what we do with the Christ in whom we get it. Every man’s endless existence becomes an exist- ence in unspeakable blessedness if he accepts Christ, but that existence becomes an existence in unspeakable misery lf he rejects Christ. It is the second death (Revelation 21:8), a part with the Devil and his angels in the lake of fire pre pared for them (Matthew 25:41, 46), a portion in the lake af fire where there is no rest dav nor night for ever and ever (Kevelation 20:10). > ./ INFANTS. Are those who die in infancy lost forever? There is not a line of Scripture to indicate that they are. = to come unto Me, for of such is the kingdom or heaven” (Matthew 19:14, R. V.). It is true that infants are born into this world members of a fallen race under condemnation of God, that Adam’s sin is imputed to all his descendants, but the sins of the whole race were atoned for by the death of Jesus says: “Suffer the little children, and forbia chem not ‘> Jesus Christ on the cross (1 Timothy 2:6; John 1:29; 1 John 2:2). This includes the children. When a child reaches the age of accountability and sins himself there must needs be a definite personal acceptance of Christ before he can be saved, but of course this does not — apply to those who die in infancy. To them Christ’s one act of righteousness (His atoning death on the cross) brings the free gift of justification of life (Romans 5:18, R. V.; 1 Corin- thians 15:22). The time will come when these children will — see Christ, and believe in Him, and thus be saved in the fullest — sense. But they will never perish for Adam’s sin. Jesus Christ — bore the penalty of Adam’s sin for them. No one is lost : in Scripture for the doctrine of the damnation of unbaptized infants. Is there any Scripture that goes to show that the children of unbelieving parents will be saved if they die in infancy? If so, what does the latter part of 1 Cor- merely because of Adam’s sin. There is absolutely no ground inthians 7:14 mean: ‘‘The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanc- tified by the husband, else were your children unclean; but now are they holy’’? ; The latter part of this verse undoubtedly teaches that the children of believing parents stand in a different relation to God from the children of unbelieving parents, but there is no teaching in the Bible anywhere that any infant is lost, az explained in the preceding answer- - vata =~" ‘cs gee ee _ Where do those who die in their infancy go in the other world? _ The Bible does not tell specifically. It does, however, say that “of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). There is absolutely no ground in Scripture for the doctrine that while infants do not go to the place of torment they go to a place where there is not that fulness of blessedness which those who live to maturity and accept Jesus Christ enter. We are not wise to go beyond what is written and.make theories of our own regarding their future destiny, but cer- tainly there is not the slightest ground for any anxiety regard- ing them. 7 : INSURANCE. _ ome people hold that Christians should not insure their lives, property, etc., because by so doing they dis- trust God and His providential care. What does the Bible teach as to this? The Bible teaches that there is no conflict between trusting God and an intelligent and wise provision for the necessities of the future, as (for instance) in Proverbs 6:6-8: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise; which, having no guide, overseer or ruler, provideth her meat in the “summer and gathereth her food in the harvest.” When Paul had God’s own assurance that both he and all those who were with him on the ship should be saved, and fully believed ‘God that it should come out even as it had been told him, i nevertheless when the sailors tried to flee out of the ship and thus imperil the vessel Paul saw to it that they were ‘not allowed to escape (Acts 27:23-25, 30-32). This was notan act of unbelief on Paul’s part. It was simply co-operating with God in the fulfilment of God’s promise. Now as to whether it is an intelligent and wise provision for the future to insure one’s life or to insure one’s property, is other question which each one must decide prayerfully for himself. God promises to each one of us wisdom in the ~ ~ 86 PRACTICAL AND F settling of such questions if we look to Him for it a ; the conditions of answered prayer (James 5:1-7). if it should prove to be an unwise expenditure of money ot insure one’s life or property, that would not make it an act of distrust in God. THE JEWS. Do you believe in the literal restoration of the Jews to Palestine? ¥ I do. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the restoration of the Jews which were not fulfilled — in their restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah, and never have been fulfilled yet. But they will be fulfilled to the very letter. Is there any difference today in God’s sight between Jews and Gentiles? Most assuredly there is. In 1 Corinthians 10:32 the apostle Paul divides men into three classes—the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church of God. God has His plans today for the Jew, His plans for the Gentile, and His plans for the church. In the church there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 8:28). When one accepts Jesus Christ as his Saviour, sur- Tenders to Him as his Lord and Master, and openly confesses Him as such before the world, he becomes part of the body of Christ, that is, a part of the church. The relation of the Jewish Christian to Christ is precisely the same as that of the Gentile Christian. The promises that belong to one belong to the other, the Scriptures that belong to one belong te the other. But outside of the church there is Jew and Gentile, and God’s plans are not precisely the same for both. The present dispensation is pre-eminently a Gentile dispensation. The Jew for the time being has been set aside, but his day is coming (Romans 11:25, 26, 30,31; and many other passages). " The method of dividing the Word that some have, applying ag a ovine eee ae ee ee ak Seat . yy baie QUESTIONS ANSWERED 8T Some of the promises to J ewish Christians and others to Gentile Christians, is not warranted by the Word. What belongs to any Christian belongs to all Christians, both Jewish and. Gen- tile. JUDGMENT. Do the Scriptures teach that there will be one general or several judgments? = The Scriptures plainly teach that there will be several judgments. There will be, first of all, the judgment of the believer when he is caught up to meet the Lord in the air, a judgment not regarding his salvation—for that is settled the moment he accepts Christ (John 5:24, R. V.)—but’a judgment regarding his reward (1 Corinthians 3:13-15; 2 Timothy 4:8). Then there will be the judgment of the nations living on this earth at the time that the Lord comes with His saints to it, described in Matthew 25: 31-46. But those who have not a part in the first resurrection will not be raised for their judgment for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4, 5). At the end of the thousand years, the millennium, the rest of the dead will be raised and appear before God at the judgment of the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15). Does God temper the judgment of those who sin ignorantly? Certainly God does not deal with those who sin ignorantly as He does with those who sin of deliberate and wilful choice . (see 1 Timothy 1:13; compare Hebrews 10:26). But there is not a man on this earth who has not sinned knowingly (Romans 3:23), and therefore, there is no hope for any man outside the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24-26). Every one who believes on Jesus Christ receives eternal life, and no one who rejects Him shall see life, but shall perish forever (John 3:36; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Ue: (aa e- z LAW. : ; , i . f __. Ought Christians to keep the law of . Isa Christian under law? xe No. We are taught in Galatians 5:18: “If ye be led by t 3 Spirit ye are mot under the law.” But this does not mean for a moment that a Christian is ton lead a lawless life. While we are not under the law of Moses we are under law to Christ (Romans 7:4), that is, we are under obligation to do in all things the things that-please our new husband, Christ. Those who are led by the Spirit, who are the only ones who are not under law, will not do things that are forbidden by the Spirit in the Word of God. There are many in our day who have gone into the most } foolish extravagances regarding not being under the law. They say that they are led by the Spirit and therefore are not under any obligation to obey the Word, and they. do-things which they say the Spirit leads them to do which are directly contrary to the will of God as revealed in the Bible. Now — the Bible is the Holy Spirit’s book, and the Holy Spirit cer. tainly does not lead one to do things that are contrary to the — _ Bible, and any spirit that leads men to do things that are ~ -- contrary to the teachings of the Bible is certainly not the — _ Holy Spirit. There are some Christians, for instance, who ce scoff at all obligation to keep the Lord’s Day differently from — ‘ other days, and ridicule as being under the law those who do set this day apart. These people are unscriptural, are doing much harm. While they claim to be in subjection to the Holy Spirit they are really in subjection only to their own headstrong self-will and spiritual pride, : THE LORD’S TABLE. Lagi Ought we to invite to the Lord’s table all who thetivens A themselves to be Christians whether or not ye lave previously been received into the membership of the church? ac ~ Jesus Christ commands all believers: “This do in rem VD: bod Bee Sti PNA prance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24); therefore all believers should have the privilege of doing this, whether or not they — have previously been received into the membership of the church. But the importance and necessity of church mem- bership should be urged upon all believers. LOVE FOR SOULS. How may I realize a love for souls? First, by giving your whole self up, all your thoughts, feel- _ ings, ambitions, purposes, to the control of the Holy Spirit. -The Holy Spirit loves souls, and if you give yourself up to His control He will impart a love for souls to you. The very first part of the description of the fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). Second, by dwelling upon the actual condition of men ‘out: side of Christ, as revealed in the Word of God, and studying what the Word of God says about their ultimate destiny. If you reflect upon the hell that awaits lost souls you will soon _ have (if you are a Christian at all) a passion for their sal- vation. Third, by observing Jesus Christ and oe upon His conduct toward the lost. MAN IN GOD’S IMAGE, ‘What does Genesis 1:27 mean when it says: ‘‘God created man in His own image’’? 4 We are told in Colossians 3:10 that the regenerated man is “renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.” In Ephesians 4:23, 24 we are told that it is “in righteousness and true holiness” that he is created in the image of God. It is evident then that the words “image” and “likeness” in Genesis 1:26, 27 do not refer to visible or bodily likeness but to intellectual and moral likeness in “knowledge,” _“righteousness” and “holiness of truth.’ However, we are taught in Philippians 2:6 (see R. V. margin) that Christ QUESTIONS ANSWERED 89. ec \. » is Ph a moe together in the most complete and intimate sense. By “un. a ——-— Jesus existed originally “in the form of Goa,” that fs, _ visible form that was divine, and in our ultimate state blessedness we shall be like Christ in our bodily appearance j as well as intellectually and morally (1 John 3:2; Matthew 17:23. 13:43). MARRIAGE, Should a Christian ever marry an unbeliever? Most assuredly not. To do so is to disobey the plainest directions of God’s Word. God says in 2 Corinthians 6:14: “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” When a woman marries a man, or a man a woman, they are yoked 2 believers” in this passage God evidently does not mean merely infidels, but all who have not definitely received Jesus Christ and surrendered their lives to Him. { More promising lives are shipwrecked by a marriage con- trary to the Word of God than in almost any other way. Some women marry men for the purpose of converting them. Such marriages result in inevitable and unutterable misery. You cannot hope to convert another by disobeying God yourself. Do you believe in mixed marriages? I suppose you mean by “mixed marriages” the marriage of a converted person to an unconverted person. If that is what you mean, the Bible explicitly forbids such marriages in 2 Corinthians 6:14, quoted in answer to the previous question, Any converted man or any converted woman who marries an . - unconverted man or an unconverted woman disobeys the plain — | commandment of God’s Word. Doubtless many do this through | ignorance, but that does not make it right. _ | If you mean the marriage of a white person to a negro, . or the intermarriage of persons of nationalities widely separa- ) ted from one another, as (for example) the marriage of a _ Chinaman to an American or English woman, I certainly do Rot believe in it. It might be difficult to find Scripture that i Pn: > QUESTIONS ANSWERED 91 specifically forbids it, but such a marriage will certainly bring great misery to the resultant offspring, under the present conditions of human society. It brings them into a position almost intolerable, and is therefore a plain violation of our Lord’s words: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to | you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). Where a man _and woman are separated by wide lines of national demarca- tion their marriage involves them in difficulties that will hinder, if not absolutely prevent, the largest usefulness for Christ. If the question refers to marriages between Catholics and Protestants, such a marriage is quite sure to be unfortunate. While Roman Catholics and Protestants may both be real be- lievers in the Lord Jesus Christ the differences between them are so radical that a marriage between the two cannot but result in friction and misunderstanding. Especially will this be true when children are born into the family, and the question of rearing the children comes up. If the two parties in question cannot come to see eye to eye on the fundamental questicns of difference between Catholics and Protestants be fore their marriage, then they had better not marry. Is the marriage of cousins sanctioned in the Bible? There is no explicit commandment in the Bible that cousins should not marry, but it is a well known fact that the mar- Tiage of near relatives is fraught with great physical ¢angers. If there is any hereditary taintin the family it will be accentu- ated in the children of near relatives. For example, in some parts of Nova Scotia, and other countries where there has been constant intermarriage of relatives, many of the children are idiotic and degenerate in other ways. Certainly the Bible does not sanction two persons entering into a marriage, the issue of which is fraught with so great possible peril. THE USE OF MEDICINE. Does James 5:14, 15 (‘‘Is any sick among you? het him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the _ Lord; and the prayer of faith shall heal the the Lord shall raise him up’’) give ground for be that medical aid should have no place in the life of — faith, or does the Lord expect us to use the means at @ hand, invoking His blessing upon such means? ~ ee This passage does not give ground for believing that medical: aid should never have any place in the life of faith. It tells — us what we should do when we are sick, but it says nothing — cs either for or against medicine. . Doubtless it is oftentimes the purpose of God to heal without/any means except those mentioned in this passage, but it is also plainly taught in the Word of God that the use of means may be proper, as” in” 1 Timothy 5:23—“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” <3 THE MILLENNIUM. ee. _ What is the millennium? J a “Millennium” means 1,000 years, and the millennium is the , thousand years’ reign of Christ on earth after His second > ‘s 4 coming (Revelation 20:4). There are many prophecies about Christ as an earthly king which are not yet fulfilled but which will be fulfilled in His millennial reign on earth. He = - occupy the throne of David (Jeremiah 23:5, 6; Psalm 2:6; — Zechariah 14:9). This does not mean that He shall all the time sit on a throne in Jerusalem. The king of nw nn : occupies the throne of England, but he very seldom literally — sits upon that throne. It may be that much of the time Christ will be with His bride in the New Jerusalem, and not a in the old literal Serusalem here on earth, but He will reign — as king on earth for 1,000 years. “a Will the millennium be a period of soul-saving — revival? <4 There seems to be reason to suppose that in connection with the return of our Lord the events that accompany it will 2 nyeibl geen tab Fea m= : ok QUESTIONS ANSWEREP 93 recult in bringing many persons to their senses and to an ae - ceptance of Jesus Christ. Certainly this is true of israel. There is to be a national repentance, a national turn- — ing to Christ. Jesus, coming as a deliverer, shall turn. away ungodliness from Jacob (Romans 11:26). God will pour _ out upon them the Spirit of grace and of supplications. They shall look upon the One whom they have pierced, and shall mourn over their sin, and a fountain shall be opened to them for sin and for uncleanness, and there shall be a national turning to Jesus Christ (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1). In connection with the conversion of Israel] there will also be a great turning of the Gentiles to Christ (Romans 11:12). ' MIRACLES. How are miracles possible if the laws of nature are fixed? : God is the author of the laws of nature. The laws of nature indicate God’s customary ways of working. To what -extent they are fixed, it is impossible to say. But even if they were absolutely fixed, that would not make miracles impossible. One of the most universally recognized laws of nature is the law of gravitation. According to the law of gravi- tation a stone lying on the surface of the earth will be drawn toward the center of the earth, but it is quite possible for 4 man to come along and if he wills to do so to lift that stone away from the earth. The law of gravitation is not violated in the least, but a higher law, the law of the human will, steps. in and produces an effect just the opposite of what the law of gravitation of itself would have produced. If a human being can bring things to pass that the fixed law of nature would — not have brought to pass left to itself, how much mere can - a mighty God who is the creator of all things! " All this argument about miracles being impossible because of the fixed laws of nature appears wise to the shallow thinker, but when we look right at it it is found to-be supremely absurd. The real question is not whether miracles are possible, a but rather if they have occurred and are they) wel ae Miracles are certainly well attested. The supreme mirac _ all is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. A lead ing agnostic has said: “We need not discuss the other miracles. The whole ques: : tion is: Did Jesus Christ rise from the dead? If He did it is easy enough to believe the other miracles. If He did not the miraculous must go.” nth He has well stated the case, If Jesus Christ did rise from } the dead then the miraculous is proven. The argument for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is simply over- __ _ whelming. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead - is one of the best proven facts of history, so it is plain that — miracles are not only possible but historically certain. & * A __ _Has the age of miracles passed away? os Why doesn’t God work miracles today as in Christ’ s a; time? ; . There is no conclusive Bible proof that God does not work miracles today, neither is there any reason. in history or experience. That physical miracles should not be so frequent and abundant as they were when Jesus Christ Himself was upon the earth is only to be expected, for then He was God ios manifest in the flesh, but now He is with us in the spirit, and the miracles that we should expect to see more abundantly __ in the present time are in the spiritual realm. Regeneration is a miracle. The raising of a spirit dead in trespasses and sins to life in Jesus Christ is a more wonderful miracle than the resurrection of the body. This miracle is being constantly . wrought. In fact, those who believe in Jesus Christ today 4 are doing greater things in the spiritual realm than Jesus “i , Christ accomplished while He was here upon earth. This is only the fulfilment of Christ’s own word (John 14:12). We may expect that physical miracles will be mere com- p mon again when Christ_returns the second time, as indicated — in many passages in the Bible. QUESTIONS ANSWERED» 95 ORIGINAL SIN. What is original sin, and how is it just to hold us guilty of it? ' The phrase “original sin” is used nowadays in a great variety of senses, and generally inaccurately. Strictly speak- ing, original sin was the sin in which all other sins originated, that is, the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is just to hold us guilty for this sin—first, because we were all in Adam when he committed the sin; and second, because Adam who was the whole race as it existed at that time sinned as our representative, and we sinned in him (Romans 5:12, R. V.). But when Jesus came as the second Adam He also “was our representative, the representative of the whole race, the Son of man, and when He perfectly kept the law of God He kept it as our representative and by His atoning death cleared us from the guilt of the sin committed in Adam (Romans 5:15, 16, 18). No one is lost because of Adam’s sin, If any one is lost it will simply be because he does not accept the second Adam. God’s plan of holding us guilty because of Adam’s sin is much more merciful than if each of us had had to stand for himself. If each of us had stood for himself we would all have done just what Adam did, we would have sinned, and there would have been no hope; but because the first Adam stood as our representative the second Adam could also stand as our representative, and He did for us what not one of us would have done for ourselves—He perfectly kept the law of God, and having perfectly kept it died for us who had broken it, not only broken it in Adam’s sin but broken it in our own personal transgression. There is a depth of mercy as well as wisdom in God’s plan‘that will fill us with wonderment and praise throughout all eternity! PHYSICAL RESISTANCE. Should a Christian ever make physical resistance when attacked? I find no warrant in Scripture for his doing so, but a Chris- ae 3 te te 7 He Sun ; ’ ~ conclusive proof that the Bible is the inerrant Word of wale _ and whatever it says is true I know to be true. The - united to Him by a living faith and obedient love: “Whatsoever — . : a f by evil men. PRAYER. I could multiply instances of this sort. , tian is warranted in defending others when ‘they | How do you know God answers prayer? a I know it first of all because the Bible says so, and I have abounds in statements that God answers prayer. For ample, Jesus says in Matthew 7:11: “If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much mo re shall your Father which is in heaven give good thingsto them _ that ask Him!” And He says again to His disciples who were ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father a_i be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any ae in My name — I will do it” (John 14:13, 14). - ag ‘ But I also know that God answers prayer because He has answered mine. Time and time again throughout the yearsI have asked God for things which He alone could give, for things that there was no probability whatever of my getting, and I have told no one else of my need, and God has given me the very things I asked. There have been times in my life — _ when I have asked God for certain specific things, and it was 80. evident that if I got them they must be from Him that I have said to Him in asking for them: “If you will give me this thing I will never doubt you again as long as I live,” and God has given me the very thing I asked. On one 3 occasion God gave $6,000 within two hours in answer to prayer. _ On another occasion, when another and I prayed for brand for the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, word was received — by telegram that $5,000 had been given for the work by a man who was remote from the place where the prayer was . made by about 1,000 miles, and of whose very existence F did not know, who had never given a penny to the Moody ~ Bible Institute before and has never given a penny since. : QUESTIONS aNSWERED Of Now it may be said this is merely coincidence, but the “coincidence” has occurred so ofteu and there has been such an evident connection between prayer (the cause) and the answer (the effect), that to say it is coincidence is to be un- scientific. The history of George Miiller’s Orphan Homes at Bristol, England, where about 2,000 children have been housed and clothed and fed in answer to prayer through a long period of years, where no money has ever been solicited, no debt ever incurred, and no meal ever failed though oftentimes it seemed as if it might fail up to the very last moment, is to a fair-minded investigator of facts clear proof that God answers prayer. For any one to study the facts in connection with George Miiller’s Orphan Homes and still doubt that God answers prayer is for that person not only to be wilfully obstinate in his unbelief but thoroughly unscientific in his treatment of demonstrated facts. Is not praying asking God to change a law of nature which He established? It is not. Even an earthly father can answer the prayers ef his children without changing the laws of nature. Cer- tainly then the heavenly Father, who made the laws, can answer prayer. God is not the servant of His own laws; His own laws are His servants. If it were necessary to change — them in order to answer prayer He could do that, but it is not necessary. For a long time I lived by prayer, every- thing I had came in answer to prayer. I know God answered my prayers, but I have no reason for supposing that He changed one single law of nature to do it. The laws of nature — are not something that govern God, they are simply God’s fixed way of acting, fixed by His own free choice. Why should we tell God our needs when He knows them beforehand? _ Because He has told us to do so (Philippians 4:6), and be -ause in this way we are taught what we most need to know— > oo ean Cy at ie 3 feo Pi redhy \ to preach the Gospel, but to herald. There is another word often used in the New Testament which means to preach the Gospel, and it is significant that this word is not used in this_ passage. Nor are we told that any of these “spirits in prison” to whom Christ preached repented, or even could repent. The Passage simply teaches that the kingdom has been heralded” in hell as well as in heaven. ; Is there any word of Scripture that warrants us to believe in a probation after death? There is not. PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED. How is it that a holy and just God allows the wicked to prosper while the good often suffer poverty? What we call prosperity is often in reality a curse. On the other hand, poverty is often a great blessing. God allows thi good to suffer poverty because that is what they most need, all things taken into consideration. One of the things that I often thank God for is that the large amount of money that | I expected to inherit from my father never came to me, and that at one time I was allowed to suffer extreme paren I have known what it means to be in a foreign land with wife and child, in a strange city where they spoke a strange y tongue, and money all gone. I now thank God forit. It may — have seemed hard at the time, but it. brought great blessing. Poverty drives men nearer to God, makes them feel more - deeply their dependence upon Him. It is not something to . be dreaded, but something to thank God for. 4 The psalmist was confronted with this same perplexity. He says in Psalm 73:3: -“I was envious at the foolish, when F Saw the prosperity of the wicked,” and in the 12th and 13th verses he adds: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper {n the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed a = QUESTIONS ANSWERED _ 103 my hewt in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.” But further down in the psalm he tells us that all his perplexity was solved when he went into the sanctuary of God, when he communed with God. The mystery was then explained to him, he understood the end of the wicked, he saw how their prosperity was but for a moment, and how God had set them in slippery places, and how they were brought to desola- tion in a moment. On the other hand, he discovered of hime self and of the righteous in general, that even in their poverty they were continually with God, and that God upheld by His right hand; that down in this world of testing and of trial He guides us with His counsel, and that when we come out of the fire purified He afterwards receives us into His glory (Psalm 73:24). Much of our difficulty comes from the fact that we forget that this world is not all, that this brief world is simply a preparation for a future eternal world, and that happy is the man who has his evil things in this life but in the eternal life to come his good things, and wretched indeed is the man who has his good things in this life and his evil things in that eternal world that is to come (Luke 16:25). PURGATORY. Is the doctrine of purgatory Scriptural? ‘The Scriptures do teach an intermediate state after death, but this is not purgatory. See under “Future Life” and “Pro- bation after Death.” _ RELIGION. _ What difference does it make what religion a man professes provided he does the best he can? It makes all the difference in the world. Christianity is true; other religions are false, though they may have elements of truth in them. It does not make a lie any less a lie to believe it most sincerely. Indeed. the more sincerely and - 104 PRACTICAL AND P ; + ol heartily a man believes a lie the worse he is off. I is Ts om lieve that poison is food, and believe it very stnoeraly,| will kill me if I take it just as quickly even though I it is food as it would had I known it to be poison. If Is on the wrong train, the train going the wrong way, it } not take me to my desired destination no matter hew cerely and earnestly I believe it is going to that desth n. It is the truth that sets men free when they believe it, and no amount of earnestness of faith in an error will set me f Indeed, the more earnestly one believes error the more ii enslave him. x There is no more foolish thought in the world today thar that it does not make any difference what a man belie he is only sincere. What a man really believes dete what a man is, and if he believes error he will be wreng, ne only for the life that is to come but for the life that now 1 no matter how seriously or earnestly he believes it. , 4s ric - A Ms < RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. How is it possible we shall rise again with the bodies we had upon earth? a It is not possible. The Bible does not teach we shall rise again with the same body we had upon earth. It distinctly teaches we shall not rise with the same body. Im 1 Corin thiams 15:37, 38 we are told distinctly: “That which thon sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat or of some other grain; but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body.” In v. 42 we read: “So also is the resurrection of the dead.” That is, as the context clearly shows, just as in our own sowing it is another body that rises, so also im the resurrection of the dead. The body that rises is mot the very body that was buried, though it is the outcome of thai body. The Bible distinctly teaches that there shall be a re rection of the body, but not the same body (that is, not cor posed of exactly the same material elements) that was 4 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 105 in the grave, but nevertheless a body, a real body. The bodies » we now have are sown in corruption, but shall be raised in incorruption. They are sown in dishonor, but shall be raised in glory. They are sOwn in weakness but shall be raised in power. They are sown a natural body, but shall be raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there ig a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). What kind of a body shall we have in the resur rection? Tt will not be flesh and blood (1 Corinthians 15:58, 51). but on the other hand it will not be pure spirit, but have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). It will be incorruptible—not subject to decay, imperishable, glorious, powerful (1 Corinthians 15:42, 43). The days of weariness and weakness will be forever at an end. The body will be able to accomplish all-the spirit’s purpose. It will be luminous, shining, dazzling, bright like the sun (Matthew 13:43; Daniel 12:3; compare Matthew 17:2; Luke 9:29). Resurrection bodies will differ from one another (1 Corinthians 15:41, 42). The resurrection body will be the consummation of our adoption, our placing as sons (Romans 8:23). In the resurrection body it will be eutwardly manifest that we are sons of God. Before His incarsation _ Christ was “in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6), that is, in the visible appearance of God, The word translated “form” in this passage means that with which anything strikes the Outward vision. So shall we, in the resurrection, be im the visible appearance of God (compare Colossians 3:4, R. V.; 1 John 3:2, R. V.). REWARDS. Is # Scriptural for a Christian to work for reward? It certainly is. The Bible constantly holds out rewards, both temporal and eternal, for faithful service. Our Lord Jesus Himself tells us to lay up treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21). The Christian should not serve merely for the reward but out of love to Jesus Christ, hut he has a right te expect Waste oy es lo > 7306 PRACTICAL AND PERPLE} “ee a reward, and the reward is a great incentive to f ith ice, * ROMAN CATHOLICISM. What does Matthew 16:18 mean: ‘Thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church’’? this verse teach that Peter was the rock upon which Christ would build His church, and does it prove that the Roman Catholic church as built upon Peter is the only true church? 5 The passage does not teach that Peter is the rock u +3 whieh Christ would build His church. Peter’s name in & is Petres, meaning a piece of rock. The word t “rock” in the verse is petra, which means a rock. Peter had just made a confession of Jesus as the Chi the Som of the living God (v. 16). Jesus, as the Christ, Son of the living God. is the Rock upon which the n . is built. Other foundation can no man lay than this | (1 Corinthians 3:11). Peter by his faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and by his confession of Him as such, a piece of the Rock. Every believer by believing in Je as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and by confess Him as such, becomes a piece of the Rock, and in that s » a part of the foundation upon which the church is bull, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone (Bphes 2:20-22). oe Furthermore, the Roman Catholic church is not built v nn Peter. There is no real evidence that Peter was the first bishop — of the ehurch of Rome, and even if he were that would not pro re | that those who followed him in the office were his true succes sors. The true successors of Peter are those who build on — the same Christ that Peter built upon, who teach the same doctrine and who exhibit the same life. [aay — What does Matthew 16:19 mean: ‘“‘I will give unto” thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatso- moe QUESTIONS ANSWERED 107 ever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’’? Does this teach that Peter had the power to admit any one to the kingdom of heaven or shut him out, and that therefore the Roman Catholic church built on Peter is the true church? No, it does not teach anything of the kind. When any one studied under a Jewish rabbi it was the custom of the rabbi to give him a key when he had become perfect in the doctrine, signifying that he was now able te unlock the secrets of the kingdom. Christ’s words refer to this custom. Peter by the confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Sen of God, had proven that the Father was revealing the truth unto him (v. 17), and Jesus looked forward to that day when, filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter would be guided into all the truth (John 16:12-14) and thus be compe- tent to unlock the kingdom to men. Every Spirit-filled man, every one taught by the Holy Spirit, has the keys of the king- dom of heaven. He has spiritual discernment, and is com- petent to unlock the kingdom to men. “Binding” and “loosing” were common expressions in Jesus day for forbidding and permitting. What a rabbi forbade he was said to “bind,” what he permitted he was said to “loose.” Peter and the other disciples, as Spirit-filled men, would have discernment to know what God permitted and what God for- bade. And whatsoever Peter as a Spirit-filled man forbade on earth would be forbidden in heaven, and whatsoever he per- mitted would be permitted in heaven. We see Peter on the day of Pentecost using the keys to unlock the kingdom to the Jews, and 3,000 entered in that day. In the 10th chapter of the Acts we see Peter now using the keys to unlock the kingdom to the Gentiles, and a whole household entered into the kingdom that day. Every time any man preaches the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit he is using the keys. Not only did Peter have the keys, but we may have them today, and being taught by the Spirit we may have discernment as to what God permits and as to what God forbids. and then what we forbid here 108 on earth will be the thing that God in heaven forbids and what we permit will be the thing that God in heaven permits. Was Peter the first pope? ~ _ He was not. There was no pope until long after Peter was — dead and buried. The papacy was a later growth, of which there was not even an apparent germ in the days of Peter. So far was Peter from being a pope that the apostle Pau} rebuked him openly before them all (Galatian 2:14). _ There is no proof that Peter was ever bishop of the church ~ in Rome. There is no decisive proof that he was ever in Rome, but even if he was he certainly was not a pope im any such sense as the word now bears. There is nothing im the Bible that warrants such an office as that of pope. Im fact, Jesus Christ expressly forbids any man holding such an office. He says in Matthew 23:8 and following verses: “Be met ye ealled rabbi,.for One is your teacher, even Christ, and all ye are brethren; and call no man your father on the earth, for One is your Father, which is in heaven; neither be ye called masters, for One is your Master, even Christ.” Now the pope claims to be a “father” in the very sense used here, inthe very sense that Jesus forbids that any man be called father. ‘4 THE SABBATH. Why was the Jewish sabbath, or the seventh day of the week which God commanded in the Fourth Com- mandment to be observed as the sabbath day, changed to the first day of the week, or what we call the Lord’s Day, and now observed as the Christian sabbath? In answer, let me say first of all that there is no command- ment in the Ten Commandments which says they were to keep the seventh day of the week. The words “of the week” are added by man to the commandment as given by God. What Ged really commanded through Moses was: “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day - is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.” It does not say “the seventh day of the week”; it says the seventh day after six 5 ae ie e ~ eae Cee Oe 2 ete a le _ = =) es aa QUESTIONS ANSWERED 109 _@ays ef labor. Whether it should be the seventh day of the week or the first day of the week depends upon whether one is a Jew or a Christian. Whether we keep the seventh day of the week or the first day of the week we are keeping the Fourth Commandment to the very letter. If one is a Jew belonging to the old creation let him keep the seventh day of the week, but if he is a Christian and on resurrection ground let him keep the first day of the week, resurrection day. The Jewish sabbath was not changed to the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day and the Jewish sabbath, while both are a lit- eral keeping of the Fourth Commandment, are not the same day, and do not stand for the same thought. One belongs to the old creation, the other to the new. It is sometimes said by Seventh Day Adventists that there is no authority for the change, and that the Roman Catholic church or the pope made the change. This. statement is absolutely untrue. History proves that Christians kept the first day of the week long before there was any Roman Catholic church. We have indications of their keeping it in New Testament times. It was on the first day of the week that the early disciples came together to break bread (Acts 20:7). It was on the first day of the week that believers laid by in store (1 Corinthians 16:2), and in the writings of the early fathers, long before the Roman Catholic church had developed and of course long before there was any pope, we find it stated again and again that the first day of the week was the one that Carine observed. If yeu wish to go into the question at length, consult my little book, Ought Christians to Keep the Sabbath? Paul explicitly teaches that a Christian should not allow > himself to be judged in regard to the Jewish sabbath, that the Jewish sabbath belongs along with other Jewish observances | in regard to meat and drink, holy days, new moons, etc., which were the shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ (Colossians 2:16, 17). - Fe Pays ~ Pg See an ee * a i 110 PRACTICAL AND PERF SANCTIFICATION. %. “ days of Moses. The mediums in those days had, or prof 117 A very prominent place. One of the commonest and most destructive sins of our time is that of intemperance. It is doing more to break hearts and ruin homes than almost any _ other sin, so I constantly attack in my sermons the use of intoxicating liquors, and their sale. I urge upon Christians the duty of total abstinence for their own sake and for the sake Of others. I make it a point that if a man can do without intoxicating liquors as well as not, then he ought to do without them for the sake of his brother, but that if he cannot do without them just as well as not he ought to do without them for his own sake. I do not hold temperance meetings as such. I find it is better to handle the matter as it is handled in the Bible, bringing # in in its proper relation to other things. I never ~ give the pledge to an unsaved man, for I know perfectly wel! he will break it if he signs it. Usually when a man is thor- oughly eonyerted he hardly needs a pledge, though I believe the pledge is helpful in some cases. We do have meetings especially for drunkards. Usually we hold a meeting about midnight and sweep the streets and saloons, sending out workers and bands of music to gather them in. In one such meeting in Birmingham, Pngland, there were about $3,000 drunkards present, most of them drunk at that time. Of these something like 180 professed to accept Christ at that meeting. The noisiest and mose unmanageable one of all came forward and accepted Christ, and returned the next night so changed - that hardly anyone knew him. What shall a wife do whose husband continually drinks? Go to God, and He will show her if there is anything in her ~— that makes her husband drink. If she {is cross and everything disagreeable in the home, while in the prayer meeting she seems everything sweet and angelic, she should first get thoroughly right with God herself, then get filled with the Holy Spirit, that she may show by the beauty of a Spirit-filied life the beauty of holiness. Her husband will be won and at- ¢ _ tunity to speak to her husband, to move heaven and never quit until he is converted. THE THEATRE. Is there any harm in a Christian going ¢ to see a good play? - There is a great difference between the different which are presented in our theatres today. Some plays, an increasingly large number of them, are utterly bad an demoralizing. Other plays are negative in their moral ch: acter, while still other plays ar- wholesome in their m tone. So also there is a great difference between actors. Sc actors and actresses are very corrupt and corrupting, oth actors and actresses are not nearly so bad, while it is te be hoped that there are actors and actresses who hold up before themselves high moral ideals and strive to live up to these fF ideals. “s At first thought, then, it would seem as if there would b no harm in a Christian attending such plays as are moral uplifting in their tone and which are rendered by actors actresses of unimpeachable charactet. But when one thin ks more deeply on this question the problem is not oo ino | as that. . 2 : The theatre as it exists Sudees is an institution, and + consider it as it actually is. It would be very easy to 5 a theatre that would be positively helpful to the morals of a community, but the question is not what kind of a theatre can we imagine but what kind of a theatre exists today. The theatre as it exists today is beyond a question an w lean thing, an altogether demoralizing institution. It is ruinous, — ° first of all and most of all, to those who pottorsi on the stage. A leading dramatic critic of largest experience has said that it is practically impossible for a woman to perform — on the stage today and preserve her womanly modesty. may be putting it too strong. I certainly hone it is, but 1 ers aw QUESTIONS ANSWERED 269 ' know personally from conversation with theatrical people, some of them among the most prominent theatrical people in the world, that it is exceedingly difficult for a woman to attain to any height in the theatrical profession without submitting to things that outrage every highest womanly instinct. Many and many a woman has gone on the stage with the intention of maintaining her womanly ideals, but has been forced to give-up-either-her ideals or the stage. Some of the specific facts I have learned about this from a personal examination probably better remain unwritten. But this I know, that the effect of the stage upon ambitious young men and young women of lofty moral ideals who have been led inte becoming actors and actresses has been ruinous. Has a Christian any right to patronize an institution of this sort? As said above, the theatre as it exists today is an unclean thing, and God distinctly tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:17, R. V.: (“Wherefore come ye out from among ‘them, ane be ye Beet. saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you.” ) I have noticed furthermore that when professing Christians begin to go to the theatre they begin to lose spiritual power, and that on the other hand when those who have frequented the theatre are led to renounce it they get a great spiritual blessing. I have never known a theatre-going Christian of deep spirituality. I have noticed that when Christians become earnest students of the Bible, and men and women of prayer, and active in winning souls for Christ, they invariably give up the theatre. : TROUBLE. Does trouble come from God? Do you believe God ever sends trouble to us pur- posely, or that it comes in the natural order of events? What we call “the natural order of events” is God’s order- ing. God controls all things. Every detail of our history ~ is in His hands, and that which appears to us most natural 120 PRACTICAL AND PERF *. “ a ‘s and inevitable is just as much a part of His will as t which we think we see to be a direct interference on His God doubtless permits trouble to come to us some He permits it to come when He sees that we need it. He prevent its coming if He saw we did not need fit. If w would surrender our wills to God we would not need trouble as a discipline or chastening that we do need when eur will are not thus surrendered, and we would thus escape much misfortune. If we would learn more quickly Go purpose in the troubles that come to us we would more spee¢ ily be relieved from them. For example, doubtless m persons are sick who might be well if they would only le the lesson that God is trying to teach them by the sickness and then look to Him for recovery. I have known people to be in trouble for months or years, and suddenly be delivere: from it when they learned to surrender their wills absot to God and rejoice in His will whatever it might be, and th looked to Him that they might be delivered for His glory. — Satan, as a source of our troubles, is also under the of God. See, for example, the cases of Job (1:12; 2:6) Paul (1 Corinthians 12:7-9). UNPARDONABLE SINS. What is ‘‘the unpardonable sin’? Can a person b saved who has committed it? 7 What is the sin against the Holy Ghost? a The sin against the Holy Ghost, or (as it is wsually — called) “the unpardonable sin,” is mentioned in Matthew 12:31, — $2, and if you will look at these verses carefully in the con- — text you will see that it is blasphemy against the Spirit; th: 2% is to say, it is the deliberate attributing to the Devil what — is known to be the work of the Holy Spirit. The F s knew in their innermost heart that what Jesus was doing He — was doing by the power of the Spirit of God (v. 28), but - they were not willing to accept Jesus and His claims, and in — their opposition to Him they deliberately attributed te Beelze — QUESTIONS ANSWERED 12% bub what in their innermost heart they knew to be the work of the Spirit of God. If one commits this sin he passes. beyond the possibility ef repentance, he becomes so hardened in sin that he will not- come to Jesus. His eternal destiny is sealed. The great majority of people who faney they have committed this “unpardonable sin” really have not. If anyone has a desire to repent and turn to Christ, that of itself is a proof that he has not committed it. We have Jesus’ own word for it that any one who will come to Him He will in me wise east out (John 6:37). Some years ago I was converted and led a happy Christian life for some time. Then I fell into sin. Now I am in despair, for I think that my case is the one described in Hebrews 6: 4-6, and that it is im- possible to renew me again to repentance, Is there =e, hope for me? Yes, there is every hope for you if you will come to Jesus. He says in John 6:37: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” He does not say: “Him that was never con- verted and that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” He says: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise. cast out.” It is evident you havea desire to come. It is plain as day in God’s Word that God desires you to come (Revelation 22:17). Therefore, just come, and you have Jesus’ ewan word for it that He will reccive you! a _ Hebrews 6:4-6 does not describe your case at all. See how it reads: on “Wor it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, — and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made par- takers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they erucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to am open shame.” The difficulty with the one here described is that it is im: possible to renew him again unto repentance, and that is ic. mS i . > et el ae _ shows that you desire to repent. The words in H to renew them again unto repentance. Further down in the to do what is here described (v. 9). The warning - useful Christians. ‘ Rt fully after that we have received the knowledge of a the reason why he cannot be saved. But your v wes were in consequent danger of apostatizing and reno 4 Christ and going back to-Judaism, and the Holy Spirit pa 2 them that if they do, after all the light they have had, there . will be no longer hope for them because it will be impossible / chapter the writer says that he does not expect any of would heJp to keep them from doing it. . Hebrews 6:4-6 therefore does not describe merely a back- slider. It describes an apostate, one who not merely falls inte we sin but who after having been enlightened and having tas the heavenly gift and having been made an actual x! of the Holy Ghost falls away, that is, apostatizes. The Greek | word translated “fall away” in this passage is used in the ; Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe one vps has apostatized from God and gone astray after idols. ies 2 Bzektel 14:13; 15:8). * prover from many Scriptures. (See Jeremiak 3: 12-14; Hester z 14:1-4.) Peter himself, after having started to follow Christ, sinned most grievously, denying his Lord with oaths and — curses, but his Lord received him back and gave him a greater | % fulness of blessing than he had ever known before. Amy one who has the desire to repent of sin and return to the Lord ~ Jesus may know clearly from that fact that he is not the person described in Hebrews 6:4-6. I have met many people whe were in hopeless despair because they thought their case was here described, but after being shown the truth of the — Lord Jesus’ willingness to receive them if they would come > ¢ back to Him they have come back, and are now happy and What is meant by Hebrews 10:26—“‘If we sin wile : QUESTIONS ANSWERED 123 truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins’’? Does it mean that if any one who sins knowingly after he has received the knowledge of the truth there is no longer any hope of pardon or salvation for him? - No, it means nothing of the kind. The words translated “sin wilfully” mean to sin willingly, voluntarily, of one’s own accord. Such sin is in contrast with the sins committed inconsiderately, or from ignorance, or from weakness. One may sin knowingly without sinning wilfully. He may know that what he is doing is wrong, and yet he does it not voluntarily (not willingly, not of his own accord) but under the compulsion of temptation that is too ‘strong for him. The word translated “wilfully” is the same word used in i Peter 5:2, where the contrast is drawn between the one who does his work by constraint and the one who does it of his own glad choice. ‘There are many who sin Knowingly but who do not sin wilfully in this sense. If one, after receiving a knowledge of the truth, deliberately and of his own choice chooses to sin rather than to obey God, there remains no more sacrifice for sins for him, only a fearful looking for of judgment, a fierceness of fire. Such an one will have no desire to repent. The fact that one has a desire to repent proves of itself that he has not sinned in this way. No one described in Hebrews 10:26 will be seeking light and desiring to come back to God. . The very fact that a person asks such a question as this shows that he is not the person described in Hebrews 10:26, VICTORY OVER SIN. I was converted several years ago, but am constantly giving way to temptation. I know that my sins are forgiven, but is there any way in which I can have daily victory over sin? There is. The salvation which is offered to us in Jesus Christ is a three-fold salvation: First, salvation from the guilt of sin. This we get througr the atoning death of Christ on the cross. When Jesus Christ 124 PRACTICAL AND PERPLEXING died on the cross of Calvary He made a perfect atonement for eur sins and put them away forever (Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:12-14), and the moment we accept Him that moment we are saved from the guilt of sin. Every sin is blotted out. It is just as if we had never sinned. Our standing before God is perfect. We are justified in His sight (Act 10:43; 13:38, 39; 2 Corintians 5:21). Second, salvation from the power of sin. This we get, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, having risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, ever lives to make intercession for us, and is able to saye not merely from the uttermost but “to the uttermost” those who come to God by Him (Hebrews 7:25). By His resurrec- tion power in our lives He gives us day by day victory over the power of temptation and sin. Having been reconciled to God by His death, now being reconciled we are saved day by day from the power of sin by His life, that is, by His resur- rection life (Romans 5:10). Furthermore, the risen Christ imparts to us His Holy Spirit, and what we cannot do in our own strength (namely, overcome sin) the Spirit of God whom the risen Christ gives to dwell in us accomplishes for us (Romans 8:1-4). So then the way to get victory day by day over sin is to stop trying te fight sin in your own strength, and to look up to the risen Christ, believing that He has all power in heaven and on earth, and that He therefore has power to set you free from the power of sin, and just to trust Him to do it. Furthermore, surrender your whole life to the control of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to come in and take possession of all your desires, all your purposes, all your plans, all your thoughts. He will do it. He will bear His own fruit in your life—“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22, 23). If we “walk in the Spirit,” that is, submit our whole life to His con- trel, we shall not “fulfill the lust of the fiesh” (Galatians: 5:16). Third, salvation from the very presence of sin. This we obtain through Christ’s coming again. This. we shall enjoy panes 2 ge See ys oe QUESTIONS. ANSWERED 125 when He does come again and when we are made perfectly like Him, because we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? Should ‘‘What would Jesus do?’’ be the standard for Christian conduct and practice today? It certainly should, and it is the only standard. We read in 1 John 2:6: “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself so to walk even as He walked.” The standard of ’ Christian living is not the Ten Commandments, it is net even the Golden Rule—it is Jesus Himself. Our Lord Jesus gave to His disciples a new law including the old but going far beyond it. That new law was this: “That ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). If we would study the life of Jesus and see what He did under the circumstances in which He lived when here on earth, under the Spirit’s teaching we can decide what He would do if He were in our circumstances today. The question for the Christian never is: “What do other Christians de?” or “What do other Christians tell me to do?” but “What would Jesus have me do, and what would Jesus Himself do?” THE WORLD’S CONDITION. Is the world growing better or worse? If you use the word “world” in the Biblical sense, that is, the great body of mankind who reject Jesus Christ, then un- deubtedly it is growing worse. “The whole world” (that — is, the whole mass of men excluding those who accept Jesus ~ Christ, who are not of the world) “lieth in the evil one” (1 John 5:19, R. V.), and of course cannot but grow worse all the time it goes on rejecting Christ. But if by “the world” you mean the whole human race there are two developments going on in it—a good develop- ment ef those who have come out of the world and acoepted Jesus Christ (these are constantly growing better), and an evil development of those who reject Christ (who are con- stantly growing worse). In outward things, of course. the ore "g Pe Wl te a ee nu 4 AS Te ? {> pe, > > eS Whaat c . 126 _ ‘PRACTICAL AND PERPLE Dp Ms ; BS world is affected more or less by the believers who ¢ re and this leads to many reforms, such as temperance reforms, _ abolition of slavery, etc.; but “evil men and impostors con- _ stantly wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” ; _ (2 Timothy 3:13, R. V.), and “in the latter times some shall _ depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and - doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). “In the last days grievous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, R. V.). It will be difficult to find genuine faith in the earth when the Son ~ of man cometh (Luke 18:8). Men ee! : ¢ Furthermore, the time is coming when the church shall be Fa _ taken out of the world, and then an awful state of things — will go on on this earth, as described in the Book of Revela- tion. . wit 7 Again, there can be no question in the mind of amy ons _— who goes around in this country today that there has been ; an awful moral decline in the past few years. This is seen in commercial affairs. Many of the leading busi- — ness men, whom every’ one has trusted, have been found guilty of such a misapplication of funds as should haye ’ landed them in the penitentiary. It is seen also in the awful Ma ; increase of impurity, not only among the abandoned classes —y but among what is supposed to be good society. Shameless — bon adultery is on the increase, divorces are multiplying, men r are divorcing their wives and marrying actresses and other women with apparently no sense of shame, and are received eo back into what was once supposed to be decent society. The increase of immorality among young men and young women belonging to the better classes of society is something appall- _ ing. Suicide is becoming frightfully common. All this is doubtless due to the spread of skeptical and unbelieving views. — Belief in an awful future hell has declined enormously in the past few years. Even»smany ministers of the Gospel “oi neither preach nor believe in an awful hell. Men are ques: tioning on every hand, in universities and theological semin- aries and supposedly orthodox pulpits, the authority and ins 2 errancy of the Bible, and this appalling harvest of iniquity is simply the result of this seed sowing. rg - SUBJECT INDEX American Standard Bible. Angels Annikitation of wicked...... 5 Answered prayer........... 96 7 ES eee as 6 Arminian view of falling PAE MEARE on vas kts)