<BrethrenVoice>
<GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY>
<14 September 2002>
In this issue:
--------------
(1) <Devotional> "Come out from them and be separate" - C.H. Spurgeon
(2) <Devotional> "Thales, unity and diversity" - Ravi Zacharias
(3) <Doctrinal> "In the beginning it was not so!" (Pt-17) - C.E.Wigg
(4) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-26)- A.W.Pink
(5) <Apologetics) "Christian Apologetics" (Pt-15) -M. Copland
(1) <DEVOTIONAL>
"COME OUT FROM THEM AND BE SEPARATE" 2 COR 6:17
C.H. Spurgeon
The Christian, while in the world, is not to be of the world. He should be
distinguished from it in the great object of his life. To him, "to live,"
should be "Christ." Whether he eats, or drinks, or whatever he does, he
should do all to God's glory. You may lay up treasure; but lay it up in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break not
through nor steal. You may strive to be rich; but be it your ambition to be
"rich in faith," and good works. You may have pleasure; but when you are
merry, sing psalms and make melody in your hearts to the Lord. In your
spirit, as well as in your aim, you should differ from the world. Waiting
humbly before God, always conscious of His presence, delighting in communion
with Him, and seeking to know His will, you will prove that you are of
heavenly race. And you should be separate from the world in your actions. If
a thing be right, though you lose by it, it must be done; if it be wrong,
though you would gain by it, you must scorn the sin for your Master's sake.
You must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them. Walk worthy of your high calling and dignity. Remember,
O Christian, that thou art a son of the King of kings. Therefore, keep
thyself unspotted from the world. Soil not the fingers which are soon to
sweep celestial strings; let not these eyes become the windows of lust which
are soon to see the King in His beauty--let not those feet be defiled in
miry places, which are soon to walk the golden streets--let not those hearts
be filled with pride and bitterness which are ere long to be filled with
heaven, and to overflow with ecstatic joy.
Then rise my soul! and soar away,
Above the thoughtless crowd;
Above the pleasures of the gay,
And splendours of the proud;
Up where eternal beauties bloom,
And pleasures all divine;
Where wealth, that never can consume,
And endless glories shine.
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(2) <DEVOTIONAL> <SLICE-OF-INFINITY>
THALES, UNITY AND DIVERSITY
Ravi Zacharias
In philosophy class, students are often asked: What was it that existed
after 585 B.C., but not before, and began at the ridiculous hour of 6:13
P.M.? Part of the answer is that a solar eclipse occurred. The unique
phenomenon in this case is that a man named Thales had predicted it. It was
Thales' love for ordered knowledge that gave birth to philosophy.
But Thales fervently sought the answer to another question. He knew the
world was made of an infinite variety of things-plants, animals, clouds.
What, he wondered, was the one basic element that pulled it all together?
Thales thought that element must be water, but his students went on to
expand the underlying reality to four elements-earth, air, water, and fire.
Since then the quest for the philosopher has been to find unity in
diversity.
This very search has made inroads into our cultures. For example, the word
quintessence literally means "the fifth essence." Every American coin reads
E Pluribus Unum-out of the many, one. Out of our diversity, unity. And the
very word university means to find unity in diversity.
From language to education, the search for unity in diversity has left its
mark. Today this search for unity is even more important because as
specializations increase, there will be a fragmentation. The question is:
How did diversity come about, and how do we locate or identify the unity?
When you think about it, diversity is on every side. We speak to others.
We love others. There is an I-You relationship with which we live. May I
suggest that only in the Christian faith can these diversities be explained.
There is unity and diversity in life because there is unity and diversity in
the first cause of our being-the Triune God. Before the creation of man,
personhood, love, and communication existed in the one Triune God-what we
call the Holy Trinity.
The Trinity gives us a key to understanding unity in diversity, for there is
an implicit difference in the persons within the Godhead that does not
negate equality of essence.
We too have a unity of essential humanity, originally made in the image of
the Triune God. Jesus spoke of how we recover that which was lost. I hope
you'll listen as we continue this discussion of how He addresses this
longing to find what binds all of life together.
---
Copyright (p)(c) 2001 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).
Reprinted with permission. A Slice of Infinity is a radio ministry of Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries.
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(3) <DOCTRINAL>
IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO! (PART-17)
WITNESSING
Charles E. Wigg
....
When a new believer if you have a desire to witness for the Lord, and become
excited and enthusiastic about it, Satan will give you every encouragement,
and try to push you into it. He does this because he knows that you cannot
do it in your own strength or ability. Then when you fail, he will come as
the accuser to condemn you for the mistake you have made. He will magnify
your mistake, make it appear awful and unforgivable and tell you that no
true believer would ever make such a mess of witness. If you listen to him
he will even try to get you to doubt that you are truly saved. If you are
not saved, his accusations will not trouble you. But if you are truly saved
and you think that you have lost your salvation, because of the mistake that
you have made, then you will be most miserable.
You must realise that the Lord Jesus saw the whole of your life before He
saved you, and He saved you in spite of what He knew you would do. He knew
that your intentions were good, even though you have made this mistake. He
is seeking to teach you that now you are His, you can do nothing that will
please God, or be a blessing to others, without Him. Remember His words,
"Without Me You can do NOTHING", (John 15;5). This is a lesson that we all
must learn constantly. Then the thing to do is to confess your mistake to
Him, and ask Him to take control of your mind and lips, and even to give you
the words to say, and the wisdom with which to say them in the right
way.(Matt.10;19-20).
If you could bear a witness successfully in your own wisdom and strength,
you would soon become proud and even more self-confident. You must realise
that God has said that "no flesh shall glory in His presence".
(1Cor.1;29-31). In His service, He must have all the GLORY, but He does not
deny to us the sheer thrill and joy of knowing that we are being used by
Him.
[To be concluded]
---
[Reproduced with permission of Charles E. Wigg]
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(4) <PROPHETICAL>
"THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-27)
THE FACT OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN
Arthur W. Pink
....
4. THE FACT OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN WAS TYPIFIED
IN THE LIVES OF JOSEPH AND SOLOMON (1/2)
In the Old Testament there are numerous references to the Second Coming of
Christ, references both direct and typical, but in every instance it was His
return to the earth which was in view. The secret coming of Christ into the
air, to catch up the saints to Himself, was an event quite unknown to the
Old Testament prophets, an event kept secret until revealed by God to the
apostle Paul who, when writing to the Corinthians upon this particular
aspect of our subject, said, "Behold, I show you a mystery 1 (footnote); We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51,
52).
Many of the Old Testament characters were remarkable types of Christ: In
Adam we see Christ's headship; in Abel, Christ put to death by His own
brethren according to the flesh; in Enoch, Christ's ascension to heaven; in
Noah, Christ providing a "refuse" for His own; in Melchizedek, Christ's
Kingship; in Abraham, Christ's Nazariteship; in Isaac, Christ the willing
Sacrifice; in Jacob, Christ toiling for a "bride;" in Moses, Christ the
faithful Servant; in Aaron, Christ the great High Priest; in Joshua, Christ
conducting His people into their inheritance. And so we might continue right
through the Old Testament.
Foremost among the typical personages of the Old Testament is Joseph. In
almost every detail of his life we see Christ typified. The son of his
father's love, yet the object of his brethren's bitter hatred. His very name
meaning "adding" as Christ is adding to the inhabitants of Heaven by the
seed which issues from His travail. Sent by his father to inquire after his
brethren's welfare, he is despised and rejected by them. They plot against
his life and sell him into the hands of strangers. While yet in his youth he
was carried down into Egypt. In Egypt he entered into the degradation of
slavery and rendered faithful service to his master. He was sorely tempted
yet sinned not, but though innocent he was falsely accused and cast into
prison. While in prison--the place of shame--he was associated with two
others, one of whom--the butler--heard from his lips a message of cheer
telling of his restoration to the king's favour, the other--the
baker--receiving the sentence of death. So, when the Lord Jesus hung upon
the Cross--the place of shame--two malefactors were crucified with Him one
of whom heard from His lips a message of cheer telling of his restoration to
God's favour, while the other died in his sins. Surely such perfect
typification of Christ, such numerous points of analogy are not so many
co-incidences, but are a Divine delineation of the person and work of the
Redeemer--a picture drawn by the hand of the Holy Spirit Himself! If then
the type is perfect, if the picture be complete, ought we not to look for
something in it which foreshadowed our Lord's exaltation and coming glory?
Assuredly. Nor do we look in vain--The sequel to Joseph's humiliation
clearly pointed forward to the Return of our Lord to this earth in power and
majesty.
Above, we followed the typical history of Joseph to the point where he,
through no fault of his own, was sentenced to suffer the shame of being cast
into an Egyptian prison. But at this point of Joseph's life there was a
dramatic change. Joseph's history did not terminate in shame and suffering
but in power and glory. From the dungeon he was exalted to Egypt's throne!
And, mark, his sovereignty was foretold years before he entered into the
enjoyment of it. As a boy he dreamed of seeing the other sheaves all bowing
down before his, which signified that his brethren would yet pay homage to
him. So the prophetic Scriptures bear witness to the coming sovereignty of
our Lord over this earth many centuries before He actually takes the scepter
in His hands. After his exaltation to the Throne of Egypt Joseph's
sovereignty was publicly recognized and acknowledged, for all men were
compelled to "bow the knee" before him (Gen. 41:42), and thus will it be
with our Saviour when He takes unto Himself His power and sits upon the
Throne of His Glory. To complete the picture, we find that after Joseph's
exaltation his brethren were reconciled to him, and then in wondrous grace
they are given a land in which to dwell--the land of Goshen, the best in all
Egypt; so when Christ returns to earth His brethren according to the
flesh--Israel--shall be reconciled to Him and receive from Him the land of
Palestine in which to dwell throughout His beneficent reign. Thus, as Joseph
was exalted to power and glory after the period of his humiliation was
ended, so shall our blessed Redeemer yet return to earth to reign as King of
Kings and Lord of lords.
In the glorious reign of Solomon which followed the checkered career of
David we have another striking type of the position which the Redeemer shall
occupy during the Millennium. This is one of the composite types of
Scripture. There are a number such where two or more objects or persons were
necessary in order to give a complete picture. For example: in the great
Levitical offerings (Lev. 1-6) we find five--the Burnt, the Meal, the Peace,
the Sin, and the Trespass offerings--were required to give a complete
foreshadowing of the person and work of the Redeemer. In the Tabernacle, no
less than seven pieces of furniture in addition to its structure and
materials, were needed to set forth fully the varied glories of Christ. So
it was with reference to living persons. Enoch and Noah, Moses and Aaron,
Elijah and Elisha supplemented each other in their typical characteristics.
Thus it was with David and Solomon- the latter was the complement of the
former and the two must be studied together in order to secure a complete
picture. David was a type of Christ in His humiliation, Solomon foreshadowed
Christ in His glorification, David pointed to Christ at His First Advent,
Solomon looked forward to Christ at His Second Advent.
[To be concluded]
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(5) <APOLOGETICS>
"CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS, AN INTRODUCTION - (PART-15)"
M. Copland
....
II. THE "BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST" FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT
A. HOW MANY COPIES OF NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS ARE AVAILABLE?
1. Over 4,000 Greek manuscripts; 13,000 copies of portions of the
New Testament in Greek!
2. Compare this with other ancient historical writings:
a. Caesar's "Gallic Wars" - only 10 Greek manuscripts
b. "Annals" of Tacitus - 2
c. Livy - 20; Plato - 7; Sophocles - 100
B. WHERE WERE THESE COPIES FOUND?
1. Various places: Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Italy
2. Such varied locations would make COLLUSION very difficult
C. WHAT LENGTH OF TIME PASSED BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL AND THE EARLIEST
COPIES?
1. We saw in the previous lesson that several PAPYRI FRAGMENTS
have been dated to within 50-100 years
2. We have several nearly complete New Testament GREEK MANUSCRIPTS
which were copied within 300-400 years, for example:
a. Codex Sinaiticus, found near Mt. Sinai
b. Codex Alexandrinus, found near Alexandria in Egypt
c. Codex Vaticanus, located at the Vatican in Rome
3. But COMPARE THIS WITH MANUSCRIPTS OF VARIOUS CLASSICAL
HISTORIES:
a. "Histories of Thucydides" - earliest copy is 1300 years
removed from the original
b. "Histories of Herodotus" - earliest copy is 1350 years
removed from the original
c. Caesar's "Gallic War" - 950 years
d. Roman History of Livy - 350 years (and the earliest copy is
only a fragment)
e. "Histories" of Tacitus - 750 years
f. "Annals" of Tacitus - 950 years (and there are only two
manuscripts)
D. WHAT VARIANCES EXIST BETWEEN THE COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT?
1. It is true that there are SOME VARIATIONS between the many
thousands of manuscripts available
a. But the vast majority are very minor (spelling, differences
in phraseology, etc.; modern translations often note the
differences in footnotes)
b. Only 1/2 of one percent is in question (compared to 5
percent for the Illiad)
2. Even then, it can be stated: "No fundamental doctrine of the
Christian faith rests on a disputed reading...It cannot be too
strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is
certain: especially is this the case with the New Testament."
-- SIR FREDERICK KENYON (authority in the field of New
Testament textual criticism)
CONCLUSION
1. In regards to the "BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST" in attesting the manuscript
evidence for the New Testament:
a. The New Testament not only passes with flying colors...
b. It does better than ANY other historical document come down to
us from antiquity!
2. "The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater
than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the
authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if the New
Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity
would generally be as beyond all doubt." -- F. F. Bruce
3. JOSH MCDOWELL makes some interesting comments:
"After trying to shatter the historicity and validity of the
Scripture, I came to the conclusion that they are historically
trustworthy. If one discards the Bible as being unreliable, then he
must discard almost all literature of antiquity."
"One problem I constantly face is the desire on the part of many to
apply one standard or test to secular literature and other to the
Bible. One needs to apply the same test, whether the literature
under investigation is secular or religious."
"Having done this, I believe one can hold the Scriptures in his
hand and say, 'The Bible is trustworthy, and historically reliable.'"
4. Why then would anyone question the New Testament record concerning
Jesus?
a. It is because reference is made to miracles, such as the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead
b. In our next study, we shall consider whether it is reasonable to
believe that the New Testament is a LIE when it speaks of such
things...
[To be concluded]
---
© M. Copland 2002
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