Each year as it comes and goes brings with it some more of men's vain attempts to discredit the holy Word of God—the Bible. It might be supposed that they would weary themselves in the ceaseless pursuit of evidences against the Book that reveals the Creator and shows men their responsibility to Him. But, No; the search is pressed. Old arguments finally die while the Bible remains impregnable as always, but within a generation or two others take up the same threadbare arguments as though they had discovered something new. On they press in their determined zeal until like the lemmings they are at last destroyed with their mission unaccomplished. One writer referred to the Word of God as an anvil which had worn out many a hammer.
The New York Times, Nov. 7, 1963, told of a noted cleric who has at length "proved" that the Apostle Paul did not write the following epistles which are ascribed to him: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, and Hebrews. He is willing to concede that Paul wrote the epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Philemon, although he considers the last named to be too short to really test on his scales.
This Scotch minister, the Reverend Andrew Q. Morton, who has received this dubious distinction of "proving" the point only arrived at the same conclusion (as he himself admits) as "F. C. Baur and other biblical critics at Tubingen University in Germany 100 years ago." The only novel thing about Mr. Morton's test is that it was accomplished by the aid of a modern computer. This is supposed to add an air of modernity to it, and to make it seem irrefutable and beyond the realm of human tampering, although we know that no computer can select its own material (that must be fed into it by human hands and brains); nor can it make the final evaluation of the answers. The human element and human predilection cannot be entirely discounted. In this case the animus of the individual cannot be ruled out.
The general method used in such a case is to arrive at certain patterns of the Greek language which Mr. Morton says was done by comparing writings from Socrates to Aristotle. Then he began with Galatians, which all critics "admit" was written by Paul because of his "stinging or offensive retorts." This is an untrue aspersion cast not only upon Paul, but upon Paul's Lord. He then fed into the machine the various sentence lengths, and frequent or infrequent use of words like "and" or its equivalent, ignoring the fact that great men vary their style according to the subject in hand, its urgency, its reflection on other things, etc., and this without any thought of inspiration. But the whole scheme we are considering casts doubt upon the invaluable element of divine inspiration. It reduces all to mathematical equations, and the Holy Spirit of God is shut out of His own holy domain.
Through the years, scarcely any part of the inspired volume has not been disrespectfully handled by unholy hands. Starting with Genesis, nearly every book in the Bible has come in for the irrational attacks of so-called rationalists. And every time they lay hands on one part of the sacred volume, they do violence to another part, or to it as a whole. These self-appointed critics conjecture that Moses did not write the Pentateuch, and claim that whoever did merely compiled a lot of scattered legends. But will they explain how that many "scattered legends" belong together, and together form one indissoluble entity? They claim certain writers knew only of Elohim, and others only of Jehovah; but the precise exactitude with which each name is used is beyond question the sign of divine revelation. Each name has its own special meaning, and neither is ever used for "God" out of its context.
When Solomon, the writer of three books, wrote the book of Proverbs, which is full of instruction for a people in relationship with God, he used the only suitable name — Jehovah; when he wrote Ecclesiastes, the book of man's experimental research under the sun apart from revelation, he uses the name suitable to that condition — Elohim; when he wrote the beautiful "Song of Songs," where prophetically we have Israel being wooed back to Jehovah in a future day, he used neither Jehovah nor Elohim, but says rather, "Let HIM kiss me with the kisses of His mouth." How incongruous it would be to say, "Let Jehovah God's claim and God's truth in it; and they will not allow that the true God, that Christ is the source of it; for then they must bend, and admit what man is.
“And this shows itself in the most curious way. Though they pretend to think nothing of Christ, or that He was an imposter, they will not allow that the authorized books of His religion give a true account of the doctrines of the religion. If I read the Koran, I am satisfied to take it as the account of Mohammedanism, absurd as it may be; and I say Mohammedanism is absurd. So of the Vedas and Puranas.
“But when the Christian books are in question, they are no doubt charged with error, contradiction, etc.; but the free critics will not even allow them to teach real Christianity after all! They are not a true, not an authentic account of Christianity! Why (if it be a mere fable, an imposture) be so difficult about the exactitude of the account of it? Surely the main propagators can give a sufficient account of the imposture and its doctrines, for anything that concerns us. But no. There is the consciousness that God is in Christianity. The conscience, in spite of the will, knows it has to do with God here; and it wants a true revelation, a real and authentic account of what God is. It is right. But though curiosity and a favorite subject may absorb many for a time, or an individual all his life, men are not so continuously, so perseveringly anxious to get at the truth of a fable. They do not reject the sacred books of any other religion as not being a true account of that religion. They take them as they are, because they know they are a fable. Or even if it be known to be the work of men's minds, it is the same.”
We have quoted from writings from 1864 to 1964 to demonstrate that the same spirit of men against God and His revelation is still at work. We will now quote from a writer whom we know only by initials — "R. B." — which was printed about midway between the others. It was dated September, 1906, and was written to counteract the same spirit of criticism regarding the Word of God — the exquisite and sublime truth of that treatise of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrew believers in Jerusalem a book of the Bible that has come under much criticism from men of darkened understanding, who operate only by the light of nature within them, which is darkness. "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matt. 6:2323But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:23).
“It is no doubt the calm, measured, stately, almost rhetorical, style of the epistle to the Hebrews, that has led many to conceive that it cannot be the work of the great Apostle of the Gentiles. They compare the balanced sentences of this epistle with the rugged and impetuous language so characteristic of the Pauline writings. But even on this ground the argument is by no means convincing. For what can be more measured and stately than the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians, or the 11th chapter of the same epistle? The fact is that a great writer adapts his style to his subject matter, quite apart from the question of whether he is inspired or not. As one, J.N.D., has beautifully said, the same divine water is in every vessel, be it a Paul, a Peter, or a John; but it takes the shape of the vessel through which it flows. And, we may add; the shape may vary in the same writer with the occasion. There is the tumultuous fervor of the indignant upbraiding; there is the calm and ordered flow of eloquent exposition. Hence they are evidently right who judge that Paul, and no other (in spite of those who ascribe it to the eloquent Apollos), is the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. And this opinion is powerfully buttressed by the words of Peter in his second epistle (3:15, 16).
“Now there is no more majestic statement even in this epistle, or indeed in the whole of the Bible, than is contained in the wonderfully balanced sentence with which this treatise (for such it strictly is, rather than a letter) opens. For you will see that it really is one sentence only from verses 1 to 4 inclusive. And the part of it most emphasized is the main part. 'God... hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.' Other truths of equal, possibly of greater, moment (one most certainly is so, where the Son is spoken of as being the brightness of God's glory), are grouped around it, adding strikingly to the grandeur of the whole, but yet subservient to the point that the Apostle is pressing; namely, that 'God... hath... spoken... in His Son.' He reminds his readers how God spoke of old by the prophets (here no doubt a general term and taking in all the Old Testament writers), but that now it was no longer a question of hearing prophets, however venerable, lawgivers, how-nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" Isa. 2:2222Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? (Isaiah 2:22). "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. 2:1414But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14). "Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity." Psa. 39:55Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. (Psalm 39:5).
We especially speak to our young readers and urge that they weigh everything in the "balances of the sanctuary," and that they be not led away after men, be they high or low; for if they speak not according to God's Word there is "no light in them." Be not impressed with their pretensions to superior intelligence, or special education, Ph.D. or even D.D. They simply are not wiser than Scripture; and any pretension to it will but manifest their folly in the end. God is true, and He is not mocked. "Every word of God is pure.... Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Prov. 30:5, 65Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5‑6)
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