SUNDAY, READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16282, 15 July 1916, Page 8 (Supplement)

SUNDAY, READING.

THE LIYINfi BIBLE. BY REV. H. J. CHANCELLOR. The Word of God. which livoih ana abide! for over. — Peter i.. 23. Br the Word of God in this passage is Tind«n;-toud the Scriptures of the Old Testament, bore* spoken of as the Word that liveth. The same phrase is in 1 John, i., 1, applied to the Incarnato Soil of God, whci'o He i? called the Word of Life. And so wo may combine the two expressions, and aftirm that the Scriptures, by testifying "f Jesus Christ, become the instrument (if imparting a Divine life to all believers— life which is hid with ! Christ, in God. ' Now we may extend the. expression the ' Word of God to the Scriptures of the Old j ami New Testament; and we may affirm j of this Win! of God that it is the living ' word, containing the words of Christ, j which are the words of eternal life, having j their sour.-o in the- living God, the in- j exhaustible fountain of spiritual life. And j this is confirmed by the testimony of the) Apo.-tio Paul, who writes thus: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," , and, thfi-efui'e, "able to make us wise ; unto salvation through faith which is in I'hri.-t .Jesus," anil so " profitable for doctrill'-, proof, . correction, and instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished 'unto all coed work.-." (2 Tim. iii. 16.) , The • Bible Never Obsolete. ■ Tii« Apostle Peter, quoting from La. ' 40, b-8. contrasts the living word of God, as the incorruptible seed of the new birth, with " the. grass that withereth and the ; flower that, jadeth" in the natural world, ! where life issues from " corruptible seed ' for "except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone."' but "the word of God liveth and .abideth for ever." Non- of i>.» other book can this be af- ■ firmed, whether it is on science, philosophy. or literature. Books on science we know l-:come worthless after a time be- . cause •'! the progress in human knowledge; j but, th. - Bible, whieh treats of the most . serious subjects, is always fresh and lip- ! to-datc. It, is our latest and only au- ; thority on such subjects as God, Christ, i Life, Death, Siti, Righteousness, Redemp- > lion, Judgment, and Eternity. With re- j gard to science, tho latest conclusions on ! this subject show no conflict with the i teaching of the Bible concerning thr> earth as the central object of the Creator's 1 special care, and as the only habitable i planet in the solar system, which meets ' tho essential conditions for the maint-en- ' ance of animal lite. Nowhere in the Bible , is taught the old mediaeval theory of the. 1 earth, as being th« centre of the. solar j system, ■while undoubtedly the. modern j theory of astronomythe Copernican—is j more in harmony with the Scriptures,'be- j cause it. is mure in harmony with the ! living truth. i

Now the Bible ran never become obso- j lete. Every possible plan has been em- j ployed to destroy its authority, and oven ' its veracity, but without success. A foolish : Jewish King cut up with his penknife a portion of the Scripture, and threw the ; pieces into the fire : but that portion still i lives, while he himself has long since j turned to ashes. Scholarship has tried to j undermine it. but it has proved to be an " impregnable" fortress. Tbo Bible the Divine Critic. The -jvord of God we read " is a discerner—a critic—of the thoughts and in-Jtc-lays- bare the • deepest secrets of the human heart. It holds before us a mirror in which we can see ourselves as we really aj-e, which is perhaps one reason why men of the world neglect it. It is itself the highest critic, since it. proceeds from the highest wis- 1 dom. .tleb. iv., 12. The Bible the Divine ' Seed. In one of our Lord's most instructive parables the word of God is described as •' seed," cast abroad by a Sower, who is Christ Himself: and in whatever heart it is gladly received, it becomes fruitful in various degrees. And in the early history of the Church we find that, though this Divine and incorruptible seed met with : much opposition from certain quarters, vet i •where it was once implanted it took root and brought forth fruit after its kind Thus, under the Apostle Paul's labours at Ephesus we read that " mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." Now, as it is an axiom in science that life can only be produced by life: so this incorruptible seed of God's word, possessing the highest endowment of a living being, that of imparting life, when received by faith I inevitably brings about thai great spiritual j change in the human heart, which is called j "the new birth." And this change cannot be effected in any other way, " not I of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," the source of all life through His own living word, in which word we have this " incorruptible seed. ' "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And, so, we find that wherever this truth has been heard and received, it has imparted spiritual life; and it is still " the -power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," and can never wither as the grass, uor fall away as the flower of the field, but " liveth and abideth for ever." The Bible the Divine Nourisher. The one thing needful for all is spiritual life, for all have sinned, and the wages of sin is death. Now Christ became incarnate that He might give life unto the world. -dud He is the true, incorruptible seed, the Bread of Life, and His word is the true source of spiritual nourishment. Hence the apostle here exhorts all young believers, who have experienced the new birth, to " desire the sincere mk'k of the word, that, they may grow thereby; if so be they have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ' tor man doth not live by bread alone, i.e., corruptible, bread, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God ; for such words are spirit and they are life. And our responsibility consists in receiving tne spiritual fond provided in the -word of the living tiod ; and so, as Christ has said, " Tic, that eateth Mo, he shall live by Me," and shall enjoy a fruitful, vigorous, and abundant life. And this will be the result of " searching the Scriptures" daily with d.-vout meditation and prayer, for in them we shall find eternal life, and thev ;;hiie testify of Christthe word of life. The spiritual nourishment given to us in Christ, the. living wo I'd, nut only sustains our spiritual life, hut it transforms our characters and our lives bv the renewing of our minds, so that our "old habits and passions pass away, and we become new creatures in Christ Jesus. And this change takes place gradually Until we re fleet the image of Christ more and more : and this image will hecome more manifest as we draw nearer to. the time when that which is perfect is come, and that whi-h is in part shall he done awav. fie who has begun a good work in us will complete it in the day of Christ, for the new birth, with the sanctified life following it. is the work of the spirit, life in Christ .Jesus, ope.ra.ting instnim»ntallv through "the word that liveth and abideth fur ever." " -.