Question Corner

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 1, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 34.

[To Our Inquirers.— (1) The name and address of all who ask questions must accompany questions, not necessarily for publication, in token of good faith, and that we may reply by letter if thought best. All communications will be considered confidential if so desired, and no name will be published unless requested. But we have no time to give to anonymous or unsigned epistles or articles. (2) Let the questions be to the point. Do not say, “Explain Josh. 7:1-8,” but state the thing upon which help is desired. (3) Questions can not be answered immediately in this department. Sometimes it will mean a month or more of waiting. We can not reply to the same question frequently. Read answers to other questions; you may find reply to yours. (4) Members of the Bible Band will kindly enclose stamp if answer is desired by letter. Others will please enclose ten cents. This does not begin to meet expenses oftentimes. (5) “Foolish . . . questions avoid.”]

2922.—The Covenant and the Law.

Kindly explain Rom. 5:13, 14 and Gal. 3:16, 17. It has been claimed that as Abraham was saved by faith, the law, coming 430 years after, could not change the covenant of faith. E. C. R.

All of which is absolutely true, for all who are saved are saved by faith; “for without faith it is impossible to please Him.” What is meant by the law coming 430 years after, is that it was given in written form 430 years after. Of this we are expressly told that it does not make the covenant of none effect. The covenant is God’s everlasting promise in Christ Jesus. The object of the giving of Christ and that covenant is to save from sin, and sin is the transgression of the law.

There were brethren in Galatia, as also elsewhere, who seemed to think that men were saved by the law. The apostle’s argument in both Romans and Galatians is to prove that man is saved, not by his righteousness, but by faith in Christ’s righteousness. If this point is kept in mind, there will be no difficulty whatever with any of these scriptures, for we are saved by faith. Faith lays hold upon the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That was true of Abraham. It is true of every child of Abraham since that. Consequently anything that comes in through God’s providence, or anything that man may do, can not make of none effect the eternal promises of God; and this scripture shows that the law was not given to annul the promises, was not revealed in written form to Israel to change in any way God’s plan of salvation. The apostle in both Galatians and Romans tells us why the law came in in written form. It was added, or spoken, because of transgression. Gal. 3:19. “Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound.” Rom. 5:20. In order “that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” Rom. 7:13. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

2923.—“Without Law.”

Please explain Rom. 2:14, 15. This seems to imply that the Gentiles were without the law. E. C. R.

The context clearly shows what the apostle means. Not that they were without any law whatever, but they did not have the written law. Man had the law of God written in his heart in the beginning. Sin has well-nigh obliterated that, and left the conscience without a perfect standard. God gave His law in order that the conscience and mind might be instructed. He committed it to His people to teach to the world. The Gentiles did not have this written law; it was Israel’s business to make it known to them. But even tho the Gentiles did not have that written law, they did have a higher standard than they followed; and the fact that they did not live up to the light they had would condemn them; or if they lived according to all the light they had, so honoring God, they showed by that very thing that they would have followed all the light if it had been revealed to them; consequently they were either accused or excused by their conscience. Therefore, whoever does the law, even tho he may not have all the light, will be accepted of God. Whosoever may have all the light in the world and yet transgress God’s law will be condemned. The expression “without law” in Romans simply means without the written law.

2924.—Question of Marriage.

Please explain Matt. 19:10. F. A. A.

Matt. 19:10 is simply the answer of the disciples to our Lord’s instruction concerning marriage. Jesus had pointed out that the loose laws regarding divorce among the Jews were not in harmony with God’s law, who instituted the marriage relation; that they could not put away or divorce women for every cause or any cause; that there was but one true ground for such action, and that fornication. This seemed to strike the disciples as a very hard saying, and so they declared that it was not expedient for any to marry if that were the case. The words which follow intimate that some men were so blinded to spiritual truth that they could not receive His instruction.

2925.—Shall Not Taste Death.

I wish you would explain for me Matt. 16:28. J. B. H.

The text means a great deal. We wish that our inquirers would tell us the particular things upon which explanation is desired. The 27th verse of the chapter is the teaching of our Saviour that the Son of Man will come again in glory, and every soul will be rewarded. He commanded His disciples to remember that, consequently He tells them that there were some standing there who should not taste of death till they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. This was fulfilled in His transfiguration, the account of which immediately follows. If you will note, in the Transfiguration there were three parties: our Lord Jesus Christ glorified; Moses, representing those who had died in faith, and Elijah, representing those who would be translated without seeing death. It was a miniature representation of Christ’s everlasting kingdom. And so Peter states in the first chapter of his second epistle in referring to this transfiguration: “We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His majesty.” When Jesus comes there will be the three classes: Himself glorified, the good of all ages who will be raised from the dead, and the good who are then living who will be translated. See 1 Cor. 15:51-54.

2926.—Holiness and Healing.

Is there such a thing as certain “Holiness” people really healing? They have many errors theologically. C. D.

True Biblical healing is a matter of faith, and faith is the simple acceptance of God’s word. The matter of understanding the word of God has nothing to do with it. One may have a very limited idea of the meaning of God’s word; he may know nothing of the theology or science of the plan of salvation; but if he has yielded himself to Christ and accepted Christ in his behalf, he has the great essential. In other words, if he has accepted all the light that has come to him, and that light dominates life and soul, he has come into true relationship with God as verily as the one who thus accepts Christ and understands much of the revelation.

It is conceivable that such a one, grasping by faith God’s healing power, would be cured of his infirmities. But a little light leads to more light; and more light, to still more. God is bringing His children in these days to greater and clearer tests of faith; and ever and always the test of faith, even as the basis of faith, is His word. To “Holiness” people, as to all others, will come more and more light from God’s word until the whole world stands either to accept or to reject the last closing message of the Gospel, either to obey or to refuse to obey the law of the Most High.

2927.—Spirit and Soul.

Please inform me if spirit and soul are the same. J. J. B.

Primarily speaking, the entire man is the soul, man made up of body and spirit; as we read that God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his body the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Gen. 2:7. And the word in that sense is used in various parts of the Scripture referring to the whole man. In Rev. 16:3, we read that “every living soul died in the sea.” We read again in 1 Peter 3:20 that eight souls were saved through water; that is, eight persons, individuals. Sometimes soul refers to life. That is, this life which is common to man and beast—the earthly life. Spirit sometimes means a spiritual being. So “God is a spirit.” John 4:24. Sometimes it refers to angels. Heb. 1:14. Sometimes to evil spirits—angels of Satan. As regards man, it refers to the life which God gives and which connects him with the Deity. In its common use, however, soul may refer to the animal or body life, while spirit refers to the life which all of God’s children have, the life that is in harmony with His law, which feeds upon His word. If both soul and spirit were the same, why use the two in such passages as 1 Thess. 5:23 and Heb. 4:14?