Now, in pondering the path of our Lord, in considering His marvelous life, there is one point which demands our profound and reverent attention, and that is the way in which He ever used the Word of God — the place which He ever gave to the Holy Scriptures. This we consider to be a subject of great importance at the present moment. The Word of God gets its own paramount place as the only rule, the only standard, the only authority for man. It meets him in every position, in every relationship, in every sphere of action, and in every stage of his moral and spiritual history. It tells him what he ought to do and what he ought not. It furnishes him with ample guidance in every difficulty. It descends, as we shall see, to the most minute details — such details, indeed, as fill us with amazement to think that the high and mighty One that inhabits eternity could occupy Himself with them — to think that the omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the vast universe could stoop to legislate about a bird’s nest (Deut. 22:66If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: (Deuteronomy 22:6)).
Such is the Word of God, that peerless revelation, that perfect and inimitable volume which stands alone in the history of literature. And we may say that one special charm of the book of Deuteronomy is the way in which it exalts the Word of God and enforces upon us the holy and happy duty of unqualified and unhesitating obedience.
Obedience
Yes, we repeat, and would fervently emphasize the words — unqualified and unhesitating obedience. We would have these words sounded in the ears of Christian professors throughout the length and breadth of the earth. We live in a day specially marked by the setting up of man’s reason, man’s judgment, man’s will. In short, we live in what the inspired Apostle calls “man’s day” (1 Cor. 4:3 JnD). On all hands we are encountered by lofty and boastful words about human reason and the right of every man to judge and reason and think for himself. The thought of being absolutely and completely governed by the authority of Holy Scripture is treated with sovereign contempt by many who are the religious guides and teachers of the professing church. For anyone to assert his reverent belief in the plenary inspiration, the all-sufficiency and the absolute authority of Scripture is quite sufficient to stamp him as an ignorant, narrow-minded man, in the judgment of some who occupy the very highest position in the professing church. In our universities, our colleges, and our schools, the moral glory of the divine volume is fast fading away, and instead our young people are led and taught to walk in the light of science and the light of human reason. The Word of God itself is impiously placed at the bar of man’s judgment and reduced to the level of the human understanding. Everything is rejected which soars beyond man’s feeble vision.
Human Judgment
Thus the Word of God is virtually set aside, for clearly, if Scripture is to be submitted to human judgment, it ceases to be the Word of God. It is the very height of folly to think of submitting a divine and therefore perfect revelation to any tribunal whatsoever. Either God has given us a revelation or He has not. If He has, that revelation must be paramount, supreme, above and beyond all question, absolutely unquestionable, unerring, divine. To its authority all must bow down without a single question. To suppose for a moment that man is competent to judge the Word of God, able to pronounce upon what is or what is not worthy of God to say or to write, is simply to put man in God’s place. And this is precisely what the devil is aiming at, although many of his instruments are not aware that they are helping on his designs.
But we feel persuaded that the most dignified and effective answer to infidelity, in its every phase, will be found in the calm repose of the heart that rests in the blessed assurance that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:1616All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)). And again, “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:44For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)). The former of these precious quotations proves that Scripture has come from God; the latter, that it has come to us. Both together go to prove that we must neither add to nor take from the Word of God. There is nothing lacking and nothing superfluous. The Lord be praised for this solid foundation truth and for all the comfort and consolation that flows from it to every true believer.
C. H. Mackintosh