This Inquirers' Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the word. Such questions only will be answered which, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.
2550.—Laboring for Sinners.
Is it wrong to speak to sinners? For example, would it be wrong to go to a sinful woman, one who is accused of committing adultery, and not falsely, whose husband keeps a saloon? Would it be wrong to go to see her, show her good books, such as the Bible, and good papers?
Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. Men with their false or imperfect standards discriminate between sins. They set some sins down as far worse than others, they make many times social standards their moral standards. Of course, wisdom should be used in visiting at proper times in proper ways, places where the one who visits would be likely to be reproached or lose reputation because of it. But there is nothing in this world that should prevent a Christian woman from visiting a sinful woman and endeavoring to help her; nothing in this world to hinder a Christian man and woman visiting a sinful woman, and trying to help her. That is the business of Christians here, to help those who need help, to point to a better life those who are living a low life, to point to the One who is able to save to the utmost those who have found the sin that leads to destruction. In all this, wisdom should guide, and the Spirit of God and His heavenly messengers should go with the one who undertakes such mission for the Master.
2551.—A Matter of Probation.
In your answer to question No. 2489, it is not clear to me how the prolonged life of the resurrected wicked will demonstrate anything, unless they are on probation, that is, are actually having a chance with promises, Holy Spirit, and an encouragement to seek a change of life.
The term "probation" is not found in the Bible at all. The word really means "on trial."
There are some great truths which will help us to understand this question:
1. The mercy of God endureth forever. "I am the Lord, I change not." "With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." God is just as merciful in one age of the world as He is in another, just as willing to extend mercy to His fallen creatures. Settle that one great truth forever.
2. He has also revealed to us that the only way in which we can be saved is thru Jesus Christ. "For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. Jesus has also told us that "no one cometh unto the Father but by Me." John 14:6. "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him." John 6:44. Yet the world-old contention is, and Satan taught it in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, that man is divine, and can not die, but shall be as God. And that has been taught clear down to the present time, till religious evolutionists are teaching the "divine immanence," and Christian Science teaches "Christ in you the hope of glory," entirely apart from faith and from man's voluntary relationship to Jesus Christ. The whole New Thought cult is built upon the same idea, that man has the power within himself to lift himself above himself and develop character worthy of eternal life. Of course, God knows that this can not be, but the world does not know it nor do its people know it. We see very many of what are called good, moral people rejecting Christ all their life and dying without Him. There are those who teach that if many had a new probation they would do differently. If they had opportunity again to seek God, they would seek Him; that there is that within man, apart from any outward influence, that would lead him to do that which is right, if he had light enough. God is going to demonstrate to the universe that all His plans are right, and have been right. Men have rejected His Spirit and have died without it; have rejected Christ and died without Him. Now God is going to give every one of these the privilege in and of themselves alone, according to their own plan and view, in the fullest of light to demonstrate just what they will do. And they will do just what the Bible itself declares; show that there is nothing, absolutely nothing within humanity which, apart from God, will lead men to do that which is right. Those who are raised in the second resurrection will reveal their character by attempting to take the city of God, and if possible dethrone God Himself. Of course, at the end of that season they die the second death. And the lesson is for the universe and for all eternity.
Will you please explain Gal. 4:23-30? Does "Agar" represent the Ten Commandments? Verse 24 says, "These are the two covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage."
See the SIGNS OF THE TIMES of June 17 on Galatians 4. "Agar" represented man's way of doing God's will, doing it by his own works, on his own plan; that gendered to bondage, knew nothing but bondage, and could bring nothing but bondage. But the birth of Isaac, "the child of promise," represents God's way. The one covenant is man seeking to do of himself; in the other, the Lord does the work by writing His own law upon the hearts of His children. It is the same law in both cases. With one it is endeavoring to keep it without; with the other it is the outworking of the law written within the heart. In one it becomes a source of bondage and labor, and in the other a source of strength and power.
What is meant by being baptized with fire in Luke 3:16?
The context is very clear in the matter. The verse in question reads: "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh He that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: whose fan is in His hand, thoroly to cleanse His thrashing-floor, and to gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire." We quote from the American Revised Version. By referring to the first part of the chapter, it will be seen that John had two classes to whom he was talking. There were those who came to hear him, who were sincere, devoted; there were others whom he denominated "offspring of vipers." He told them that it was necessary for them to repent and bring forth fruits worthy of repentance; for the time was coming when the very tree that brought not forth good fruit would be hewn down and cast into the fire. It is said in Isa. 61:1, 2, prophetic of Christ, that He would come to "preach good tidings unto the meek," bind up the broken-hearted, "proclaim liberty to the captives," "the opening of the prison to them that are bound," "the year of Jehovah's favor," "the day of vengeance of our God." He was amply a Saviour of His people, but His rejection became destruction to those who would have nothing to do with Him. We must, therefore, conclude from the illustrations which are given that the fruitless trees cast into the fire, the chaff burned up with unquenchable fire, represented the baptism by fire into which the incorrigibly wicked will be cast and devoured in opposition to being baptized with the Spirit, fitted for the garner of God.
2554.—Keeping the Whole Law.
James 2:10 says, "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." How could we offend if we kept the whole law?
James is speaking after the manner of men. When Jesus referred to the commandments in instructing the young man what to do, the young man remarked: "All these have I kept from my youth up." So we find people in general parlance speaking of keeping the whole law, observing all the commandments of God; they think that one little thing makes no particular difference if the whole in a general way is observed. The Lord thru the apostle is teaching us that the observance of God's commandments means everything that the commandments call for. A man may have kept the whole law so far as he sees, yet if he relaxes in any way, or transgresses any one of the commandments, how small soever it may seem, he becomes guilty of breaking the whole law.
Another point which the apostle teaches is the law's unity. It is all one law. It is not something which man has a right to divide or dissect, and say, I will choose this, and reject that. It is the one law given by the one Lawgiver, and he who rejects or transgresses any one commandment becomes guilty of sin against God as truly as tho he transgressed them all. Of course men may do this in ignorance, with motives to do right, and God regards this, but he who openly, knowingly, does it in the face of the light of the word of the Lord becomes a transgressor.
2555.—Lucifer.
If Satan, or Lucifer, was one of the cherubim, who was the other, and also, who has taken Lucifer's place?
This we do not know. Such questions might satisfy our curiosity, but the Lord has not revealed this. It is expressly stated in Ezekiel 28 that "thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so," but it does not tell us who was with him, according to the pattern of the ark given to Moses.
Could there not have been a long space of time between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2? It seems as tho this planet earth was in existence when God breathed upon it, according to verse 2. When was "in the beginning"?
Yes, it seems very reasonable to conclude that there was a space of time between verse one and verse two. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." How far back that carries us, we do not know. "In the beginning," we read in the first of John's Gospel, "was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." Of course there are those who believe that the first verse refers simply to the atmospheric heavens connected with this earth. It seems to us more reasonable to believe that it is one great comprehensive statement covering all God's creation, showing that in the beginning of everything was God, then in a part of that creation was the earth, waste and void, and swathed in darkness, and the Spirit of God brooded upon it, and out of that chaos of darkness and waste came the cosmos, as the result of the six days' work or making.
Yes, "create" and "make" come from two different words. "Create" seems to have reference to bringing into existence those things which never existed before; "making," the formation of things from other existing things. Altho the latter term may cover what is meant by the former, there can be no question as to the six literal days of Genesis 1 if language means anything.