Bible Course, Part One

by Rev. James McRobbie ©Pillar of Fire, International

"Wherever and however the truth goes forth, it will be most effective when it is well balanced and based on a knowledge of the fundamental teachings of the Word of God."

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Chapter One Contents: [The Self-Existent One] [Sacred Appellations] [Creator] [Trinity and Unity] [Attributes and Nature]

THE LIVING WORD

(A note from the publisher)

"The Bible is the one book unique in that it is exhaustless in wisdom, guidance, and spiritual power."

The Bible is composed of 66 books--39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. It contains 31,173 verses; 773,692 words; and 3,567,180 letters. It also contains 8,810 promises--1,104 in the New Testament, and 7,706 in the Old. The middle verse of the whole Bible is Psalm 118:8. The longest verse is Esther 8:9; the shortest, John 11:35. In the year 1250 the Bible was divided into chapters by Cardinal Hugo, and into verses by Sir Robert Stephens in 1551.

The Bible is the one book unique in that it is exhaustless in wisdom, guidance, and spiritual power. It teaches, it exhorts, it is the Divine Voice speaking to the human heart; it is indeed the Spirit of God revealing His perfect will to the children of men.

The Bible is the one book of which we never tire. We read other good books--interesting, delightful books--but it is only rarely we desire to read any of these more than once; whereas it has been so truly expressed of the living truths of God's Word: "Those who know it best, seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest."

St. Paul, in his training of Timothy, laid much stress upon doctrine, and it is only the one who does the will of God who is qualified to teach Christian doctrine to others.

In presenting What the Bible Teaches, the author makes doctrine clear and easy to teach. This is a book for teachers of the Word and students who are searching for divine truth. May this volume accomplish that which God pleaseth, and prosper in the things whereto He sends it.

PREFACE

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There has always been the battle of the creeds. Christ faced the skeptical Sadducees in His day. During the early centuries it was theories such as Pelagianism, Arianism, and Socinianism that brought schism in the church. Strong voices then naturally arose in protest, such as those of Origin, Chrysostum, and Augustine. Later, when light began to penetrate the gloom of the Dark Ages, theologians and reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and John Wesley came to the fore to champion the scriptural truth against decay and error. Today, conditions are little changed. The voice of error stalks forth and even flourishes exceedingly, of whom, as with the Galatians, St. Paul would say: "Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?" Among what we term the orthodox churches there if far too often an ominous silence regarding the fundamental doctrines of the Bible lest there should be offense. In the interim, in the face of startling apostasy which is so prevalent today, a voice declaring the unadulterated truth is the direct need. The imperative word is: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression."

The theological, spiritual education of the writer was under one who literally cried aloud and spared not, namely, Alma White, and God signally blest that voice. As a Bible teacher in the Church of the Pillar of Fire, it has been a pleasure to me when giving lectures on theological subjects to systematically outline and classify the same in order that they might be found instructive and easy of acquisition.

Our Lord's word is: "Search the scriptures." If God speaks, and He has indeed spoken, what has He said? What is His revealed will? How can one know the truth? St. Peter put forward this relevant yet startling assertion: "Ye are a royal priesthood." Every "born again" and Spirit-filled believer is a vital part of this sacred priesthood. All who walk with God in prayer, dedication and holiness may hear the voice of God and enter upon a witnessing ministry according to God-given ability. Amidst much vagueness and soft sentimentality that abounds today, even within the circles of so-called orthodoxy, God's soul-winning ministry is not confined solely to the erudition of the pulpit. Wherever and however the truth goes forth, it will be most effective when it is well balanced and based on a knowledge of the fundamental teachings of the Word of God.

All that is found in the following pages circles around the great doctrines of the Christian church in a brief, simple and concise manner. Far from being opinions formulated on man's biased, weak and sectarian judgment, that which is penned in this humble treatise is simply and purely--

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES.

[What the Bible Teaches refers to numerous passages from the Bible. Your study will be greatly enhanced by looking up the verses as you go along. If you want to look up Bible verses online as you study, clicking here will open up "The Bible Gateway" in a new window. You may then use the title buttons on your browser screen to move back and forth between the Bible and this study. All quotations in What the Bible Teaches are from the King James Version [KJV] unless otherwise specified.]

Chapter 1: What the Bible Teaches ABOUT GOD

[The Self-Existent One] [Sacred Appellations] [Creator] [Trinity and Unity] [Attributes and Nature][Top]

That there is a supreme Being who is the creator, designer, and sustainer of all things needs hardly to be mentioned, for scarcely has any nation or tribe of people been found who did not reverence, in some manner, a supreme Deity. It is downright imbecility to deny God. Only the fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" [Psalm 14:1]

The Self-Existent One

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The Bible makes no pretense to explain the existence of God. The sublime opening clause of His revelation to man, "In the beginning God" [Genesis 1:1], is all that is necessary to know of the eternity of His existence. In Isaiah 57:15, He is said to inhabit what? Do we remember that sublime and significant expression of Exodus 3:14? God is the great "I AM." The past and the future are all present to Him. The thought of God's unending existence in the midst of changing time is put forward by Moses as the hope of His people: "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" [Deuteronomy 33:27]. There is also that simple but beautiful expression in Hebrews: "He that cometh to God must believe that he is" [Heb. 11:6].

With the Father, so with the Son. "In the beginning was the Word" [John 1:1]. Christi could say, "The glory which I had with thee before the world was" [John 17:5]. We see Jesus as one with the Father in creation [John 10:30, 38; 12:45; 14:1-10]; as sustainer of all things [John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Heb. 1:2-3]; and as being eternally co-existent with the Father [Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; John 1:1; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:8; Revelation 1:8].

The Scriptures place the Holy Spirit as co-existent and one with the Father and the Son. This is exemplified in the baptismal formulas [Matthew 28:19], and in the Pauline benediction [2 Corinthians 13:14]. In Hebrews 9:14 the Holy Spirit is called what?

Sacred Appellations

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The Hebrew word that is used for God in the opening chapter of Genesis and frequently elsewhere in the sacred Word, is Elohim, a plural noun, which at the very outset of the Divine Revelation, asserts the Trinity. This word signifies, "The One who is to be adored and worshipped."

An abbreviated form of Elohim that is quite often used in the Scriptures for God, is El, signifying "The strong one." It is incorporated in many Old Testament names such as Bethel-- house of God, Elijah--Jehovah is God, Elisha--God is salvation, etc. Other common Hebrew words for God are El-Elyon--the "Most High God" [Gen. 14:18], and El-Shaddai--"God Almighty" [17:1]. The name that embodied the ethical teaching of the prophets, reminding the people of God's hatred for sin, was "The Holy One of Israel" [Isa. 30:11; 31:1].

Another name often used for God is Father. This is used in the Old Testament in relation to Israel because He instituted, guided, protected, and sustained that nation [Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 32:6; Hosea 11:1]. The Psalmist, speaking of those who put their trust in Him, reminds us of this likewise in the beautiful words of the 103rd Psalm: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" [v. 13]. This is endeared to us also in the Lord's prayer.

The commonest phrase in the Old Testament for God is the word, Lord, printed [in the King James Version] in small capitals, which is Jehovah. It is printed as such in the Revised Version. It is expressed in four Hebrew characters: Y-H-V-H. This name appears in four references in the Authorized Version [KJV] as Jehovah, and 6,800 times as LORD, while in 800 instances it is translated God. Jehovah means the self-existing One in relation to His people, and designates Him as the covenant God of Israel. Turn to the opening verses of the 6th chapter of Exodus: "God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of god Almighty [EL-Shaddai], but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them." Here God is seen to enter into covenant relationship with His people--the Hebrew nation--they on one side and He on the other. Subsequently we find the expression: "I am Jehovah your God."

Not only did God enter into covenant relationship with the Israelites when He delivered them from Egypt, but there are five distinct covenants which we might bear in mind:

The Noah covenant [Genesis 9:1-17]
The Abrahamic covenant [Gen. 17:2-14]
The Mosaic [old] covenant [Exodus 6:4; ch. 20]
The new covenant [Matthew 26:28; Heb. 8:6; 12:24]
The future covenant [Heb. 8:10; 10:16; Jeremiah 31:33]

All that God was in His covenant relationship to His people of old He will be to all who love and obey Him now. He is therefore seen in the Scriptures as:

Jehovah-jirah [Gen. 22:14], The Lord will provide.
Jehovah-rapha [Ex. 15:26], The Lord will heal.
Jehovah-nissi [Ex. 17:15], The Lord my banner.
Jehovah-shalom [Judges 6:24], The Lord send peace.
Jehovah-raah [Psalm 23:1], The Lord my Shepherd.
Jehovah-tsidkenu [Jeremiah 23:6], The Lord our righteousness.
Jehovah-shammah [[Ezekiel 48:35], The Lord is there.

Creator

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The Scriptures represent God as the creator and sustainer of the Universe [Gen. 1:1; 2 Kings 19:15; Nehemiah 9:6; etc.]. It is clear that the immediate agent in creation was the Son [John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2, 10]. Creation was by a command: "He spake and it was done" [Psalm 33:9; 148:5]; it was by a word: "By the word of the Lord was the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" [Ps. 33:6; Heb. 11:3]. The creative days were not periods consisting of ages, but ordinary days of twenty-four hours each, otherwise the argument of the fourth commandment [Exodus 20:8-11] and the scriptures referred to above would be meaningless.

God not only is the Creator, but He upholds all things: "By him all things consist" [Colossians 1:17]. Behind all things is an all-wise providence. "A divinity that shapes our ends." Why did this infinite Being create worlds and mortals and in His wisdom and His goodness appoint means for their sustenance and wants, and who by His omnipotence and omnipresence governs and controls all in a blessed unity that shows design and care? The Eternal One might have dwelt alone in sublimity, holiness and majesty as He did before the worlds were created. Why then did He create mortals? Because of the very essence of His nature--goodness and love--He presumably desired such fellowship to His own delight and glory. "Of his own will begat he us" [James 1:18]. He works "all things after the counsel of his own will" [Ephesians 1:11]. The end of man and all created things then is the glory of God.

Creation may be divided into three parts:

(1) The material creation; the conservation of which He upholds by the power of His omnipresence [Nehemiah 9:6; Ps. 36:6; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3].
(2) The animal creation, the wants of which are the object of His untiring providential care [Ps. 145:16; Matt. 6:26].
(3) The human creation, which consists of intelligent and probationary creatures, who are the objects of His providential government, love, and care [Gen. 48:15; Ps. 37:23; Isa. 33:22; Daniel 4:17; Romans 8:28].

There are two ideas about the Creator, neither of which should exclude the other. One is that God is transcendent, that is, that He is in heaven, apart form and above this universe. "The Lord looketh from heaven," and, "From the place of His habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth" [Ps. 33:13-14].

"God's in His heaven,

All's right with the world,"

wrote the poet [Robert Browning]. This is rather an exclusive idea and might lead to the doctrine of Deism. It is scriptural therefore to think of God as being immanent, that is, as in, with, and under all matter--we in Him and He in us. "In him we live, and move, and have our being." [Acts 17:28]. Tennyson, in his "Higher Pantheism," says:

"Speak to Him then, for He hears,

And Spirit with Spirit can meet,

Closer is He than breathing,

And nearer than hands and feet."

God is a Spirit; He fills heaven and earth [Jeremiah 23:24]. While He is the source of all life working in and through nature, the designer and upholder of all things, He is yet a distinct personality. To overlook the idea of divine personality is to fall into the error of pantheism. God may be seen in nature--His goodness, omnipotence and perfection--yet nature is not God but the work of His hands. This was Paul's argument to the Athenians: "God that made the world and all things therein, . . . giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" [Acts 17:24-25]. He is therefore in all, through all, and at the same time, above all.

Trinity and Unity

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Three in one and one in three, is the common belief in Protestantism. In the light of the teaching of the gospel of John it would be absurd to consider Unitarianism as scriptural. The trinity does not hinder the unity of the Godhead. God, the divine Father, is supreme, and is a distinct person. Christ is the divine Son, a distinct person, to whom is committed creation, judgment, and redemption. The Holy Spirit is likewise a distinct person, and acts in the capacity of executive of the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are classed together, yet separate and distinct, pre-existent, pre-eminent, and above all things.

The Jews held tenaciously to the teaching of monotheism. Their classic scripture for this was Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." But even here the word God is in the plural -- Elohenu -- "Our Gods," and the word for "one" is echad, signifying a compound unity, meaning several in one. The Jews believed, according to the Old Testament, that a Messiah would appear in due time and be to them a Deliverer and a divine King, and that the "government" would be upon His shoulders, and that His presence would signify God with them -- "Immanuel" [Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7]. While the Jews held strictly to the unity of the Godhead, the prevailing belief of the contemporary nations was polytheism. It was the constant sin of the Israelites in the pre-exile period to drift into the idolatrous polytheistic habits of the nations about them. The first two commandments of the decalogue [The Ten Commandments] were to preserve Judaism from the fatal error of the heathen.

Attributes and Nature

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The inherent quality of the nature and character of God is revealed all through the Scriptures. Two of these qualities reveal more than attributes: they reveal the very nature of the Deity -- He is Spirit and He is love. Spirit does not exclude reality, but rather makes possible the blessed fact of the divine omnipresence.

That the very essence and nature of God is love [1 John 4:8, 16] explains why He should ever have conceived the plan of creation; it explains the secret of redemption, why He should so love the world, why "in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" [Romans 5:8], and provides an answer to the enigma of the "glory that shall be revealed for them that love him" [1 Cor. 2:9]

Holiness. Unless we understand the absolute holiness of God, the Bible must remain a closed book to us, for this is the key to the Sacred Volume. All His dealings with man, in goodness or severity, are based on this. God can neither sin nor tolerate sin. He is "perfect in power, in love, and purity." [Reginald Heber, "Holy, Holy, Holy!"] Because of the perfection of His moral purity heaven must be holy. "There shall in no wise enter into it" anything that would defile. The angels that do His will, that adore Him in ceaseless praise, must be holy [Matt. 25:31]; and this explains why His people are called "unto holiness" [1 Thessalonians 4:7]. To ancient Israel, as to us, His imperative word is, "Ye shall be holy, for I am holy" [Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Matt. 5:48; Rev. 4:8; 15:4].
Eternity. God is without beginning and without end, the Alpha and Omega, "which is, and which was, and which is to come" [Rev. 1:8]. He is "from everlasting to everlasting" [Ps. 90:2; 106:48]. See also these two verses in the prophets [Isa. 9:6; Micah 5:2], and observe the marginal note [Revised Version] -- "Father of eternity." The eternity of God explains the fact of causation. Everything about us had a beginning, and the originating cause of all things was in Him; therefore, He must of necessity be self-existent and eternal "before all things" [Rom. 1:20]. The eternal God does not faint or grow weary. With Him a thousand years are as what? See 2 Peter 3:8; Heb. 1:10-12.
Immutability. In the realm of time, "change and decay in all around I see" [Rev. H.F. Lyte, "Abide With Me"], but God is unchangeable in nature and purpose. What He was He will be. "I am the Lord, I change not" [Malachi 3:6]. His goodness to man knows no variableness, neither shadow of turning [James 1:17]. If He pardoned the sinner, if He judged sin, if He welcomed the return of the wanderer, if He required holiness in the past, so He will do now and forever. [See Numbers 23:19; Ps. 33:11; Isa. 14:24; Rom 11:29.]
Omnipresence. God is everywhere at once beholding the good and the evil [Proverbs 15:3]. The portion of scripture that teaches this more than any other is Psalm 139:7-10, "Whither shall I flee from thy presence?" Go where we may, God will be there. Could Jonah flee from God? Does suicide end all? If I make my bed in hell, is God there? [Jeremiah 23:23-24; Amos 9:2; Acts 7:48-49].
Omniscience. God is all-knowing; He is cognizant of all things. One outstanding scripture on this subject is Hebrews 4:13, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." When Hagar stood an outcast in the desert she uttered a great truth: "Thou God seest me" [Genesis 16:13]. God searches and knows the heart [Ps. 139:1-4; Luke 16:15]. It is said that God lives in the eternal now. The past, present, and future are all alike and equally known to Him. While God "foreknows" [Rom. 8:29], this does not have any influence upon the nature of things or change the free agency of probationary creatures.
Wisdom. It is said that God "realizes the best designs by the best possible means." Because He is good, all His acts and purposes are wisely ordained with man's ultimate good in view. The unfolding of His dealings with Jew and Gentile made Paul to exclaim: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" [Rom. 11:33]. The wisdom of God is seen in the order of the seasons and in the provision of man's physical wants. "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" [Ps. 104:24; Col. 2:3]. It is God's wisdom that ordains the respective ministries in the church for its ultimate edification [Ephesians 3:10]. God alone is wise [1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 25]; therefore, as we look to Him for guidance and light and holiness, we can look to Him for wisdom [James 1:5]. The changing of the times, the various dispensations, the bounds of the nations, the appointment of rulers are all the manifestation of His wisdom and might [Daniel 2:20-21].
Omnipotence. "With God all things are possible" [Matt. 19:26], even the saving of rich people, for that is what the words originally implied. Jesus continually showed forth the power of the Father in His miracles in order to reveal His Sonship and divinity. The whole Bible is full of the unique and the supernatural. It opens with the story of the miraculous -- creation --so that worlds were framed by the word of God [Heb. 11:3]. Not only was creation by a word, but worlds were called into material existence out of nothing. How the infinite power of God, delegated to Jesus, comforts the church: "All power is given unto me . . . go ye therefore, . . . and lo, I am with you alway" [Matt. 28:18-20].
Goodness. "The Lord our God is good." That is why, according to the "old hundred," we should "enter into his gates with thanksgiving" [Ps. 100]. God is not only good in the sense of moral rectitude, but in the sense of benevolence; in His kindness, longsuffering, mercy, and forbearance to all. He is superlatively good: "None is good, save one, that is, God" [Luke 18:19]. David so enjoyed the blessing and presence of God's salvation that he said: "O taste and see that the Lord is good" [Ps. 34:8]. Because of His infinite goodness He desires only the happiness and well-being of His creatures [Matt. 5:45], that they might through it be constrained to turn to Him [Rom. 2:4]. Goodness is the very essence of Deity, the source of the Anglo-Saxon word, God, and is nowhere better expressed than in the Shepherd Psalm: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." [Top of page]
Faithfulness. God is absolutely trustworthy; neither His word nor His promise will fail. He knows our weaknesses, but He knows the strength of the powers of evil, and so, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able" [1 Cor. 10:13]. He will be faithful to His covenants with Israel. Paul prayed that the church might "be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," and added, "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" [1 Thessalonians 5:24].
Justice. Whether it be to reward the well-doer or to punish the offender, in the light of God's absolute perfection, we can be assured that "the judge of all the earth" will do right. St. Paul did not doubt the justice of God when he said, "There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day" 92 Timothy 4:8]. "Mercy seasons justice." God has revealed His mercy to mortals in the Gospel. The maintenance of the divine government requires that the principles of justice be enforced because He must preserve the order of the universe. He has therefore "appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness" [Acts 17:31]. Since God is no respected of persons, all will receive a fair and just trial -- even the "cup of cold water" given in the name of the Lord will not go unrecompensed, while on the other hand, He will "bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" [Ecclesiastes 12:14]. In His judicial acts against the antediluvians [see Genesis 6:11-13] and the Sodomites [see Genesis 18:16-19:29], God revealed that "judgment and justice are the habitation" of His throne. These things happened "for ensamples," says the Word, in order that men may take heed to the just ways of a holy God and repent while His mercy and forebearance tarry, for God "is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" [2 Peter 3:9].

In view of all that God our heavenly Father is and does, with humble and grateful hearts, how can we better extol the excellencies of His wisdom and might than by exclaiming with the poet: "HOW GREAT THOU ART!"

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