Throughout all ages Satan has sought to destroy the souls of men. In the garden of Eden he tried to make Eve believe that God did not mean what He said (See Gen. 3:1-51Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:1‑5).) Satan succeeded in his foul plot and the fall of the race was the result. Since that day Satan has been using the same subtle scheme in trying to make men believe that God does not mean what He says, and during these last days he is making a great success of this awful delusion.
“Higher Criticism” is the name commonly given to this last method of attack upon the Word of God. The higher critics treat the Bible as a human book. Carried to its, logical conclusion, their position is summed up in these words, “What we cannot understand or explain by our reason, we reject.” They place their reason on the judge’s bench, and everything must be according to their opinion or it must be denied. In other words, whatever human reason cannot fathom, they reject with disdain. Not all of them go to this logical extreme, but they are all headed in the same direction, namely, the denial of the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, Such men forget that human wisdom always leads away from God (Rom. 1:2222Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:22); 1 Cor. 1:18-2418For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18‑24)).
The acceptance of this method of dealing with God’s Word has led to widely spread unbelief in the Bible, and as a result an awful apostasy from the faith. Many dear Christian souls have been perplexed and have been thrown into doubt and bewilderment in regard to the matter, by the rank utterances and denials of those who profess to be the preachers and teachers of God’s. Word, But the child of God has no need to be troubled or in doubt, for the Spirit of God knew and told us of all this nineteen centuries ago. (See 2 Tim. 3:1-51This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1‑5); 1 Tim. 4:1-21Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (1 Timothy 4:1‑2); 2 Tim. 4:2-42Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:2‑4).)
The Colleges, Universities, and Theological Seminaries are almost without exception in the hands of these higher critics. As a result terrible havoc is being wrought in the lives of the young men and women who have gone under their teaching. We have seen some who, when they entered college, believed the Word of God and professed to be followers of Christ, but when they finished their course under some who are ordained preachers in one of the so called orthodox denominational schools, they were rank infidels, denying the Word and the Lord. Here is a sample of their teaching. One professor, an ordained orthodox (?) preacher in one of the largest Protestant denominations said that the story of Adam and Eve was an old grandmother’s tale, handed down by our ancestors to explain the origin of the human race and that somehow it was put into the Bible. He also stated that the Hebrews got the ten commandments from the code of an old heathen king, “Hammurabi.”
How lame such explanations are when put alongside of the precious inspired Word of the Living God. Paul says, “Sin entered into the world by one man” and “Death reigned from Adam to Moses.” (See Rom. 5:12-1912Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:12‑19)). If the story of Adam and Eve is an old grandmother’s tale, then Paul was untrue in his statement, and thus the Word of God is made of none effect. But, “Let God be true and every man a liar.” The falsehoods of men must give way before God’s truth. “The Word of the Lord endureth forever.”
The terrible thing about these deceptions is that they are being sugar-coated and fed to the children in the Sunday Schools through the use of the S. S. Quarterlies, most of which are tainted with errors from beginning to end. One of the most awful errors is the widespread denial of the necessity for Christ’s death on the cross. The blood is denied as the means of salvation, and salvation by character building and works is the accepted way among these deniers of the faith. (See 1 Peter 1:18-1918Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18‑19); Heb. 9:2222And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22).)
Our high school and public school teachers are also gradually joining, the ranks of these deniers of inspiration. In securing their own professional preparation, the teachers are all thrown more or less in contact with these unsound teachings in the colleges. The text books, too, are being poisoned in a covert way with the same unbelief. It is the rare thing, then, to have a young person get through even a high school education without being more or less tainted with this doctrine of doubts. If he goes on to finish the regular college course, the chances are that he or she will come out at the end thoroughly saturated with unbelief. When once the Word of, God is given up by a soul, that person is in a terrible condition, for he has thrown over the only thing that God can use to bring conviction of sin, and saving faith in Christ.
Parents cannot be too careful in guarding their children from these Satanic delusions.
Would not any Godly parent rather see his child go through life with an eighth grade education, and happy in his soul, than to see him rise, in the world through a university education, fatally blinded in his, soul by the poison of higher criticism?
Thank God that in these last days of departure from the faith, the true child of God has a refuge. In view of just this condition of things the apostle Paul said, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (See Acts 20:29-3229For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 32And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. (Acts 20:29‑32).)