"SEVEN PRINCIPLES IN TRAINING GODLY CHILDREN"

Last sunday morning, in our men's sunday school class in church, a brother asked a question that has been asked time and again. In fact, this was the same brother who asked this question in the same class last year. The question: why does children turn out rebellious and disobedient in their teen years and early adulthood though they have christian parents? What about pastors' children who have become wayward?

This seems to be the dilemma of many christian parents, even those in the pastoral ministry. There must be a reason or reasons why this keeps on happening even in our own time.

Today, as I checked my email, I got the very answer to the dilemma that many christian parents are facing. Thus, I feel compelled to post here in my blog the article written by Pastor David Sorenson based on his book "Training Your Children To Turn Out Right". The article is: "SEVEN PRINCIPLES IN TRAINING GODLY CHILDREN".

I must admit that this is one of the best readings I have had about the subject matter thus far. I could not imagine myself to have written a much better presentation than what the writer has done with the subject at hand. Praise the LORD for such a gifted christian father who have sought to exemplify the principles he writes about. Here is the article.

Suggestion especially to parents and would-be parents: READ PRAYERFULLY MANY TIMES THIS GODLY TREATISE. SAVE IT. GO BACK TO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. IT WILL DO YOU WELL FOR THEN GOD WILL USE YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE TO RAISE IN THIS GENERATION NOT GOOD BUT GODLY CHILDREN FOR HIS HONOR AND GLORY!

BE BLESSED AND ENCOURAGED AS YOU READ FOR THERE IS HOPE FOR OUR CHILDREN TODAY!

Brother Manny


SEVEN PRINCIPLES IN TRAINING GODLY CHILDREN

January 26, 2010 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org;

The following article by Pastor David Sorenson is based on his book TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN TO TURN OUT RIGHT. Churches should order carton loads of copies of this excellent book. It can be ordered from Northstar Ministries, 1820 W. Morgan St., Duluth, MN 55811, 218-726-0209, www.northstarministries.com, dhs.northstar@charter.net.

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD

If there is a basic truth that is universal in training children to be godly, it is the necessity of building a foundation of the Word of God in their lives. This is true for any born-again Christian and that includes the children of God’s people. I fear that Christian parents come to rely on Christian media, Sunday School teachers, church youth programs, and Christian schools to see their youth turn out right. All of these are potentially good and can be a great help; however, the foundation for godly living is often missing in the lives of the children and youth of God’s people. That foundation is a daily absorption of the Word of God.

A young person from a Christian home can go to a Christian school or be home-schooled with a godly curriculum, be faithful to Sunday School and church programs, go to church camp, and be carnal, rebellious, and worldly. Or more frequently, they are just lukewarm and go with the flow, but there are not true spiritual convictions in their hearts. The reason is as simple as it is singular. They are not in the Word of God on a daily basis.

It makes little difference if one is a young person or a seasoned adult. Apart from daily consumption of the Word of God, any believer will be carnal and more worldly than godly. God said to Joshua, millennia ago,

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

That premise and promise has never been abrogated. When a young person, or anyone for that matter, saturates his mind with the Word of God so that it soaks down into his heart, it will modify his behavior.

That is why the Psalmist wrote long ago, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). The idea here is not so much rote memorization of Scripture as it is filling one’s mind with God’s Word to such a degree that it soaks down into the heart. When that has happened, we will not sin against God. The will has been changed.

As a pastor, I watch children from Christian homes who are in Christian schools or are home schooled. Their parents make sure they are at every service and youth function of the church. And yet, these same kids are rebellious, carnal, and have a worldly attitude. Why? Because they are not in the Word in a meaningful way. It’s as simple as that.

Here are five practical tips by which Christian parents can direct their children into meaningful Bible reading.

1. Start early. When our children were small, we had them read from the Bible as soon as they could barely read. It was short, but they started late in their kindergarten year.

2. Plan their reading. The Bible is a complex book, even for adults. When our children were small, we had them read in 1 John because of its simple vocabulary and syntax. We had them read at first just a verse or two a day. As they progressed through grade school, the daily reading assignment grew to a chapter a day and by the time they were in junior high school, we had our girls reading four chapters a day. That is the basic amount to read the Bible through in a year. But the greater point is that we planned their reading for them.

3. Provide positive incentives. When our girls were small, we prepared a chart which was on the refrigerator and as they did their requisite daily Bible reading, they received a star on their chart each day. When they had faithfully filled their chart for several weeks or a month, we planned a special reward for them.

4. Enforce the policy. We made sure that our girls did their daily Bible reading as assigned. A refrain oft heard at the breakfast table was “Did you do your Bible reading this morning?” Though they eventually grew out of the charts and stars on the refrigerator, we still checked up on them throughout their adolescent years.

5. Just do it because it is right. As the girls grew out of the stage where they needed little incentives, we shifted to the philosophy of doing your Bible reading just because it was right. As we developed the principle of righteousness in the meantime, it was easy to mesh the practice of daily Bible reading with the principle of righteousness. Indeed, it is right to be in God’s Word each day.

II. THE PRINCIPLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

A second profound principle in the Christian life, and certainly so for training Christian youth, is that of righteousness. The Bible fairly overflows with the concept of and references to righteousness. There are approximately 1,300 references to righteousness in the Bible in its various forms and implications. That is approximately one per chapter. Our Lord is referred to as “Jesus Christ the Righteous” in 1 John 2:1. In Psalm 11:7, we read, “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” Notice that the Lord Himself is righteous. He loves righteousness and He watches over the upright.

Very much more could be stated on this point, but if one would be Christ-like, he or she must develop the principle and practice of righteousness in daily living. Simply put, that is doing what is right as a matter of principle, as a matter of practice, and as a conviction of life. Developing the principle of righteousness has profound implications. Any deed, statement, or attitude can be reduced to the simple question, “Is it right?” If a given matter is not right, that settles it. I will not do so. If it is right, I will do so. Simple isn’t it?

For example, notice the classic admonition in Ephesians 6:1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” The precept is for children to obey their parents. But there is a more basic reason--it is right. The self discipline to do what is right is the essence of Christian character. Youth trained to do right regardless will find obedience to authority to come easily. It parallels walking in the Spirit. And, it is the essence of being Christ-like.

Consider four ways to instill the concept and practice of righteousness into the warp and woof of the character of our children.

1. Teach righteousness as a precept. Over the years as our children were growing up, we often and regularly taught them “We always do what is right.” Did they (or we) always do what was right? No. But they began to be predisposed to that conviction. In our daily devotions at the breakfast table, we would frequently go to one of the many references to righteousness in the Bible and make it the topic of our devotions for that day. Children by their very nature tend to do what they want to do and not what they ought to do. When the refrain of “I don’t want to” or its corollary “but I want to.....” cropped up, it became a time to teach doing as we ought to do (i.e., doing what was right) rather than doing what we wanted. The philosophy of the world, the flesh, and the devil is to do what we want. Being Christ-like is doing what is right or its corollary, doing as I ought. Teach children to do as they ought rather than what they want.

2. Apply the principle of righteousness. There are endless applications to the principle of righteousness. Obedience to parents is paramount--for this is right. Smoking is not right. Rock music is not right. Telling the truth is right. Reading one’s Bible daily is right. A bad attitude is not right. Stealing is not right. Virtually any child can understand the basic principle of right and wrong. Relating basic standards of conduct to the simple matter of doing what is right greatly simplifies a child’s understanding of what is expected. More than that, the entire matter of conduct and attitude is tied directly to the basic biblical precept of doing what is right.

3. Teach righteousness by example. It is axiomatic that as much is caught as is taught. Our talk talks, and our walk talks; but our walk talks louder than our talk talks. Truly, what we do speaks louder than what we say. Inconsistency on the part of a parent will do more to breed rebellion than virtually any other one matter. Conversely, a consistent example will do more to re-enforce what we say than just about anything else. If we teach our kids it is not right to watch coarse TV program but do so ourselves, we unravel much of what we have tried to teach otherwise. If we teach our kids it is right to be faithful to the things of God, but then we skip church when an ideal weekend for camping or golfing presents itself, we neutralize our own counsel. A consistent example of right living is a powerful instrument in training our children to do the same.

4. Teach righteousness early and long. As soon as children are old enough to understand speech, begin to instill the principle of right. Continue it on through their adolescent years. Though neither we as parents or our children will ever be altogether righteous in this present world, nevertheless, teaching it as a principle and a practice is a powerful truth. Decades ago, Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. penned these words,

“Do right till the stars fall, Do right till the last call, Do right though no one stands with you. Do right when you’re all alone. Do right though it’s never known. Do right since you love the Lord, Do right, do right!”

That philosophy is both scriptural and powerful. It is essential to developing godly Christian young people.

III. THE PRINCIPLE OF DISCIPLINE

Hudson Taylor one said, “An undisciplined person will never amount to anything in God’s work.” In fact, an undisciplined person will likely never amount to much in any area of life. There is a great need for self-discipline. Self-discipline is compelling myself to do what I ought to do. It is closely related to the broader principle of righteousness. The former follows from the latter. Righteousness is doing as I ought to do. Self-discipline is compelling myself to do as I ought. In fact, a simple definition of Christian character is the self-discipline to do what is right.

The problem every child has is that he or she is born with a sinful human nature. That sinful nature operates on the basis of the lusts of the flesh. The flesh is a reference to our old sinful nature and its basic modus operandi is “lust.” In its garden variety sense, that simply means desires or wants. Our children are born with a sinful nature that is characterized by self-interest, self-desire, and self-gratification. As a result all children are by nature selfish, lazy, and self-directed. The old nature lives for entertainment of self.

In 1 Corinthians 9:25, the Bible says, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.” Part of the fruit of the Spirit is “temperance” (Galatians 5:23). The English word temperance essentially means to be self-disciplined. In the greater scope of building character, it is impelling ourselves to do as we ought to do rather than what we want to do. If a child will develop strength of Christian character, his or her life will be built around doing as he ought to do rather than doing as he wants to do.

There are a number of spiritual virtues which are closely related to be disciplined in life. Let us consider several of them.

Diligence. The word diligence is found in both the Old and New Testaments. The thought is to be careful to do what ought to be done. In fact, the literal sense is “to hasten the matter.” It is the antithesis of procrastination. It is closely related to being punctual. All of this goes back to the more basic concept of compelling ourselves to do as we ought to do which is self-discipline.

Faithfulness. Whether it is being faithful to church services, faithful to daily Bible reading and prayer, or faithful in Christian service, self-discipline is just beneath the surface. I may not “feel” like getting up early to read the Bible in the morning, but self-discipline will impel me to do so. I may not “want” to go to a meeting of the church, but self-discipline compels me to do as I ought. I may be tempted to slack off in a given area of Christian service, but the self-discipline to do what is right will prod me to be faithful in that service. Shallow Christians do what they want to do. Mature Christians do what they ought to do.

Education. Discipline is also a major factor in the process of education. Little Johnny may not feel like doing his school work. But if he has been taught to be self-disciplined in life, he will do it anyway. It is more fun to stare out the window and watch what is going on out there than paying attention. It is more fun to tease and make faces than concentrate on the lesson at hand. A child who has been taught to be self-disciplined will not find it difficult to focus on what he ought to be doing rather than on what he wants or feels like doing.

Organization. Self-discipline is the key to organization. Essentially, being organized is thinking ahead. The reason people are unorganized is that they live in the present and do not think about what is coming next until it happens. It is easier to enjoy the moment than to exercise our minds in trying to think. This consigns many to a state of perpetual disorganization.

All of these come back to the basic principle of self-discipline. But self-discipline is rooted in the even more basic principle of righteousness which is doing as we ought. Our new nature has been created in righteousness and true holiness. Hence, a life disciplined to do what is right is synchronous with the new nature. Parents, you will do yourself and your children a great favor by instilling in them self-discipline of life. It is a great positive.

IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF OBEDIENCE

One of the most basic commands in the Bible for children is found in Ephesians 6:4. “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Few things are more basic than that. But whether a child obeys his or her parents is largely up to the parents. A disobedient child reflects parents who have not trained their child to obey. One of the axiomatic rules in our home was “We always obey.” If my dog is unruly, disobedient and undisciplined, who is at fault, the dog or me? Training a dog takes a great deal of time and patience. Training a child takes even more. We positively demanded that our children obey us. If they did not obey, there were immediate and consistent consequences. Every time. Every single time.

There are several principles to be remembered when enforcing rules.

First, rules must be immediately enforced.

As a pastor, I have visited in thousands of home. I have witnessed the following scenario played out numerous times. The details may vary, but the basic incident was always similar. Mom would say to Junior, “It’s time to go to bed.” (Or some other parental directive) Junior ignored his mother and continued to watch the TV. She continued her conversation with me. After a few moments, she would say. “Junior I told you to go and get ready for bed.” He replied, “Awe, I don’t want to.” Mom let that go by. A few moments later, Mom became a little hot about the matter. She raised the volume of her voice and said, “I TOLD YOU TO GET READY FOR BED.” Junior, replied, “But Mom, I WANT to watch my program.” Mom tolerated that counter for a few more moments. She then announced, “THIS IS THE LAST TIME I AM GOING TO TELL YOU. GO AND GET READY FOR BED!” Junior, by now himself getting exasperated at being shouted at, shouts back, “I TOLD YOU, I DON’T WANT TO!” Finally, Mom shouts, “I AM WARNING YOU. MARCH RIGHT NOW, OR I AM GOING TO WHIP YOU!”

The real culprit was not Junior. He knew from considerable experience that Mom could be ignored. Mom was too lazy to get up and deal with the situation. She, in fact, was in her own way contributing to the delinquency of Junior.

Secondly, the basic rules of the home must be consistently enforced.

If it is wrong to do something on Monday, you had better deal with it on Tuesday and Wednesday the same way. Consistency is a valuable jewel in the crown of parental leadership. Incidentally, inconsistency is a major factor in provoking adolescent rebellion later in life.

Finally, family rules need to be fairly and wisely enforced.

Parents need the wisdom of Solomon. We need to be just and fair in dealing with our children. Though this section may seem authoritarian and unbending, there are times when children forget, or in their childish immaturity make mistakes.

There are several broad principles for developing obedience. One is positive re-enforcement. Perhaps the greatest positive re-enforcement is the matter of love. We need to let our children know that we love them. Then, a form of positive re-enforcement is to always teach the rules or policies ahead of time. Another helpful means of positive re-enforcement is the use of incentives to achieve desired behavior. Finally, it absolutely critical that we provided positive re-enforcement by our example.

The other side of the coin in developing obedience is negative re-enforcement. A simple principle in punishing children is that the punishment must always exceed the pleasure or enjoyment of the wrong doing. Perhaps, the most basic form of punishment, particularly for smaller children, is the matter of spanking. Much could be said, but let us consider several simple basics thereof.

1. Establish ahead of time the basis for spanking your children. At our house, it was made clear ahead of time that if our girls violated rules in three particular areas, there would be an automatic spanking. (Those three areas were direct disobedience, lying, and disrespect to a parent.)

2. Establish standard implements for administering spankings. There have been numerous implements used over the centuries ranging from switches to belts. We often used paint-stirring paddles.

3. Establish a standard place to administer spankings. We never spanked our children publicly for a variety of reasons. However, at home, we chose a neutral room--that was the bathroom. There on the toilet was the waiting paint-stirring stick.

4. Establish standard spanking polices. Depending on the age of the children and the nature of the offense, we had guidelines for how many swats they might receive. [The important thing is to spank effectively so that the pain of the punishment exceeds the gain of disobedience.]

5. Always stay under control. Never spank in anger or in a fit of lost temper. We always endeavored to be cool, calm, and collected.

6. Spank soon after the offense. Though we refrained from spanking in public, we would try to deal with a matter as soon as was practically possible thereafter.

7. Do not reject your children. Love them. In the aftermath of a spanking, we would always hug our children and tell them we loved them. It also was a time for retrospection as to why they had been spanked. But we always sought to conclude such unhappy times with a hug and kiss.

V. THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATION

We touch upon what for some is a controversial point, which is separation from the world. I learned long ago that the biblical principle of separation is exceedingly practical. But that truth did not come into clear focus until I was a father and rearing children. The Bible is clear. We read in 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” God said “And be not conformed to this world” in Romans 12:2. He further commanded, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

Separation from the world and the things which are in the world is not legalism as is often alleged. It is obedience to God and, as mentioned, exceedingly practical. The further we can keep our children from the influences of the world, the better it will be for them.

The truth is, the devil has a target painted on the back of our children and he will do everything in his power to trying and snare them. He has two powerful allies: (1) the old nature and (2) the world. The farther we can keep out children from the deceitful enticements of the world, the less of an opportunity the devil has to reach them. God cried out, “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Obedience to the biblical command of separating from the world is exceedingly practical. It will help keep them from being enticed by the excitements, entertainments, and allures of the world.

Think of a little girl. Her open countenance and innocence are seemingly pure and wholesome. However, allow the bacteria of the world and its philosophy to begin to work in that sweet child, and before long that little girl may become a spiritually sour, rebellious young woman. We have all seen it. In their preschool and elementary years, they were so cute, so innocent, so wholesome. However, when they reached their adolescent years, they became rebellious, sour, and sometimes incorrigible. That innocent, open countenance became hard and defiant. Their clothing and hair styles became the uniform of whatever the latest fad of rebellion was. Plus, they may actually be doing the stuff that they look like. What happened? The devil, along with his allies in the world and the carnal old nature within, snagged another young person. And the children in Christian homes certainly are not immune.

There are numerous enticements of the world. But let us touch briefly upon several means by which the devil snares the kids in Christian homes.

1. Perhaps more than anything else, the devil uses the power of music to get his hooks into young people. We do not have the space to elaborate at length about the perils of music. But suffice it to say that the world’s music is a primary device of the devil in getting hold of young people, and that certainly includes children in Christian homes. In the years our children were growing up, they simply were not allowed to listen to rock music or any other form of the world’s music. We did not allow them to have a radio, stereo or other type of playback device in their rooms. Technology has changed over the years, but the principle is the same. We currently have a foster daughter in our home, and she is not allowed to play any music on her iPod which is not approved. More Christian young people have been drawn into the world by way of the world’s music than probably any other one means. It is powerful. One of the best things you as a parent can do is control the music to which your children listen. You will never regret that decision.

2. Another powerful device of the devil is television and the proliferation of videos (regardless of the media or technical format). Television and the Hollywood are the quintessence of the world’s system. Be extremely careful at what you allow your children to watch. The glamour and entertainment values of the world can quickly draw a child in a Christian home away from the Word of God and the things of God. The devil knows that and he works relentlessly to attract young eyes to the display screen.

3. The Internet is a modern phenomena unknown when my girls were growing up, but it is a reality in virtually every American home today. The Internet can range from extremely useful and helpful as an educational and even spiritual resource to extremely wicked and vile. One can find wonderful spiritual help on the Internet. And, one can find the vilest of pornography and filth there. The up and coming generation is adept at exploiting the latest technologies and websites. We presently have a teen foster child living in our home. We have set down several rules for her use of the Internet. First, she can only go online with the family laptop in the living or dining room where it is open for all to see what she is doing. Second, we require her to give us all her passwords so that if necessary we can monitor what she is up to online. Third, she has been instructed that she cannot visit chat rooms of any variety, nor can she have a MySpace page. From time to time, we add other popular websites to the off-limits list. I occasionally check the browser history of that computer to monitor what sites are being visited. Our system may not be fool proof, but we are reasonably confident that we have the situation under control. Some parents use filters and they can be very helpful, especially for boys using the Internet. Pornography is just a click away and most kids know how to find it.

You will never regret keeping a very short leash on the usage of the internet by your children. Separation from the world is scriptural and it is exceedingly practical in keeping our kids away from the snare of the devil. It is not legalism! It is obedience to God. You will never regret keeping a substantial distance between your children and the things in the world.

VI. PARENTAL PRACTICES

Over the years, I have come to the firm conviction that the issues of life are fundamentally spiritual. That is, crucial issues of life such as family, marriage, children, and basic happiness are spiritual in nature. It follows, therefore, that core spiritual principles must be established in parents if their children are going to turn out right.

Let us consider several basic spiritual practices on the part of Christian parents which are important to the training of our children. It is axiomatic that we cannot train someone else in something we do not understand ourselves. If we would train our children to be spiritual, godly young adults, these practices must first be developed in the parents.

1. The practice of godliness. As much is caught as is taught. Do our kids see godly parents? The Apostle Paul wrote, “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). We live in an age where athletics are exalted from middle school on through professional sports. A significant section of the daily newspaper is reserved for sports news. The same is true for the evening news. Athletics and sports are almost a religion in the modern culture. God says that such exercise is limited in its benefits, but godliness is profitable unto all things. Godliness produces benefits for not only this life, but also rewards which will last for eternity. I would submit that we as parents need to set an example of godliness and then seek to train our children in the same. Over the years, I have heard Christian parents plead, “But Junior is a good kid.” Ironically, most parents will say the same thing, even those in the world whose kids are in criminal trouble. The question rather is, “Are they godly?” It seems we have raised a generation of young people who are good kids, but not godly. Godliness will not only preclude the problems of sin and the world, it will develop into our children the qualities that God has intended for His people. Yet, the training of godliness begins with Mom and Dad. We must lead from example and practice.

2. The practice of faithfulness. One of the simplest practices of the Christian life is that of faithfulness in day-to-day Christian living that translates into being faithful to the things of God. Or put another way, it means being in church every time the door is open. Jesus said, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). The Apostle wrote, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). The policy in my home, in my parent’s home, and in my grandparent’s home was simple. Any time the church door was open, we were there. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

Inconsistency on the part of Christian parents, particularly regarding faithfulness to the things of God, is a major factor in Christian young people rebelling or drifting off into the world. I have watched this pattern for forty years. Christian parents who are inconsistent in faithfulness have a far higher dropout rate amongst their kids than those parents who saw to it their family never missed. I have watched Christian men who otherwise are good men and basically living for the Lord suddenly set aside faithfulness when deer hunting or fishing season opened. They usually reaped a bitter harvest later as their kids kicked over the traces when they got out of high school. I have watched men in the ministry who were unfaithful to services when on vacation. Their kids took note thereof. Sadly, more often than not, they reaped a bitter harvest later because of their inconsistency and unfaithfulness. A variant of the foregoing matter is that of allowing kids to stay home from church to do school work. Over the years I have known more parents than I care to admit who let their kids stay home on Wednesday or Sunday nights to do school work. “They had too much homework to do.” Priorities do not conflict. School work is important, but the things of God are more important. Christian parent, you will never regret being completely consistent in the matter of faithfulness. However, those who compromise on this issue will later wonder what went wrong when their kids head off into the world.

3. The practice of devotions. Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” The clear instruction here is that we as parents are to teach our children the things of God. One of the most effective ways to do so is to establish a time each day when we sit down and directly teach our children. This is what I refer to as family devotions. Every family’s schedule will be different, but we found doing so at the breakfast table to work well.

Let us consider several pointers for establishing simple, but ongoing family devotions.

Have a purpose. Over the years we focused primarily on two areas in our family devotions. One was to explain the matter of salvation to our children. They needed to understand the need for it, what Christ did for us on the cross, and the way to be saved. When our children were young and before they were saved, we often focused our daily devotions on this crucial topic. The other major matter we focused on was Christian and godly character. Because righteousness of practice is at the heart of Christian character, all throughout their formative years, we repeatedly discussed the principle of righteousness, the practice thereof, and verses which illustrated these.

Have a plan. One route to success for a family devotion time is to have a simple operational plan which does not require a great deal of preparation. One method we have used over the years, particularly in teaching godliness and righteousness, is to take one chapter of Proverbs a day according to the days of the month. For example, if the day of the month is the 29th, I would go to Proverbs 29, and accordingly. There I would seek out a verse or two which stood out and go over them briefly. Once we had gone through Proverbs, we might then go to Psalms and look for an appropriate verse in a three chapter sequence. For example, if the day of the month was the 15th, I might peruse Psalm 45-47 for a verse to dwell upon. (There are 150 Psalms and seeking a good verse over three chapters was simple and always worked.) Of course, we might go elsewhere to deal with specific problems. Having a well-marked Bible wherein verses which have blessed us or otherwise stood out were underlined made it very easy to conduct family devotions this way. That underlining came during personal Bible reading times. We then had a season of prayer where various members of the family took turns praying.

Keep it simple. One of the great hindrances to family devotions is that most people do not have a long-term method of sustaining a day-after-day and year-after-year devotional plan. The plan mentioned above is simple and eminently Scriptural. It is virtually inexhaustible. Most parents are very busy with the affairs of life and don’t have time to prepare extensive family devotions. Pre-planned devotional guides cost money and usually run out after a month or two. However you do it, have a simple plan of teaching your children the things of God. God has given that charge to the parents in general and to the father in particular.

4. The Practice of Love. Throughout this material there has been an emphasis upon righteousness, separation from the world, faithfulness, and consistency. However, the home ought to be an aquarium of love. We need to tell our children we love them and express it to them in discreet physical affection and by buying gifts for them. Without a question, love will cover a multitude of sins. Love your kids!

VII. TRAIN THEM TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT

Our children were born with a sinful human nature. In the Bible, it is called the “flesh” and it is corrupt. Our old nature is the seat of all sin, corruption, and evil. And our children certainly possess such a sinful nature. When they are born again, God creates within them a new nature, called the new man and also in some cases called the “spirit.” The latter, of course, is born of the Spirit of God. At any given day or hour, we will either live (i.e., walk) in the flesh or in the spirit.

When Christian young people walk in the flesh, they are no different in principle than their unsaved counterparts in the world. And, it is when they walk in the flesh that sin appears whether a temper tantrum when they are young, to overt rebellion when they are older, to gross sin in their adolescent years.

The solution to sin and rebellion in the lives of our children is to train them to walk in the spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). As we train our children to live their lives in the new nature rather than the old nature, a powerful defense against the wiles of the devil, the lust of the flesh, and the temptations of the world will form.

Here are seven tips toward walking in the new nature (walking in the spirit).

1. Insure that your children have a new nature. A child cannot walk in the new man if he does not possess it. This means assuring they have been truly born again.

2. Strengthening the new nature within comes in large measure from the Word of God. If our children are in the Word every single day, they will very likely walk in the Spirit and not in the lusts of the flesh. As noted in an earlier section, one of the most important practices we will ever teach our children is that of being in the Word, daily, yea, day and night.

3. Carefully lay the foundation of righteousness in the lives of your children. The new nature has been created in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). As we inculcate the principle and habit of doing what is right as a practice of life, it is synchronous with and parallel to walking in the spirit. The one will strengthen the other.

4. Insist on a disciplined life. The essence of Christian character is the self-discipline to do what is right. The new nature operates on the principle of doing as I ought to do whereas the old nature operates on the basis of doing as I want to do. A life attuned to doing as I ought to do will find it easy to walk in the Spirit. One accustomed to living life based on doing what I want, will struggle with the new nature. A self-discipline to do as I ought (i.e., do what is right) is a fertile seed bed for walking in the Spirit.

5. Train your children to put off the old nature and put on the new each day. The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:22-24, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The analogy is of putting off dirty clothing and putting on clean clothing in its place. We must deal with our old nature on a daily basis. Each day, we need to make a conscious decision to put off the old nature and put on the new. We need to train our children to do the same.

6. A corollary truth is of crucifying our old nature. We need to train our children to pause and pray each day and ask the Holy Spirit to help them to crucify their old nature. We need to do so and so do they.

7. Keep the temptations of the world as far from your children as possible. The principle of separation will be of an immense help for your children as they learn to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The world constantly appeals to the old nature. But the new nature operates on a different channel. The farther away we can keep the world from our children, the greater potential they will have to overcome the old nature and walk in the new.

And so, dear Christian parent, seek to develop these seven principles in training your children. You will not regret having done so.

WHICH BIBLE CAN WE TRUST?

Which Bible Can We Trust?
by Roy Lister

The TEXTUS RECEPTUS, original Greek text from which the Authorized King James Bible was translated, has been the target of textual critics since 1611. Yet copies of it substantially exist today without error. This is the Bible you can trust. All this talk about older and more dependable manuscripts, like the theory of evolution, hangs upon an UNPROVEN HYPOTHESIS.

HERE'S THE ACID TEST
Any version of the Bible which omits Acts 8:37, or "Through His blood," in Col. 1:14, evidently has for its foundation a corrupted manuscript. This corruption can be traced to 200 A.D., when there lived one of the world's foremost theologians whose name was Origen. Being a TEXTUAL CRITIC, he is supposed to have corrected numerous portions of the sacred manuscripts. Evidence to the contrary shows that he changed them to agree with his own human philosophy of mystical and allegorical ideas. Thus certain original MSS. became corrupt and it is evidently from this source the revised Bibles of this generation have come. Read pages 900-902, Vol. 16, 1936 edition Encyclopedia Britannica and you will see that Origen taught the "LOGOS" is "KTISMA," meaning the Lord Jesus Christ is a created being. Thus, he could easily omit Acts 8:37 and other texts which testify to Christ's deity.

THE BIBLE IS AN INSPIRED BOOK
The Bible is a supernatural gift from God and has been both inspired and preserved by the Holy Spirit. By inspired I mean that the Holy Spirit so moved upon the hearts of men that they recorded the very words that God wanted written in the Holy Bible. The Bible would be no more accurate or authoritative had God written the Scriptures with His own hand. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21).

THE BIBLE 1S A PRESERVED BOOK
God has safeguarded the Bible in the past from the wicked poison of human reasoning and He will continue to do so in the future. God is not the author of confusion and therefore He has only inspired and preserved one Bible. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).

ONLY ONE BIBLE CAN BE THE WORD OF GOD
It has been estimated that there are nearly one hundred versions of the Bible available in the English language today. However, this multiplicity of Bibles does not alter the fact that God has inspired and safeguarded one Bible. This one Bible is written in the Greek language in the New Testament and is called the Textus Receptus or Received Text. The Old Testament has been preserved in the Masoretic Text and is written in Hebrew. The Textus Receptus of the New Testament and the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament combine to give us the complete Word of God. The King James Version of the Bible stands alone as the one Bible in use today which has been faithfully translated from these God- given manuscripts. All of the modern versions are based wholly or in part on corrupt texts.

MODERN TRANSLATIONS ARE DIFFERENT BIBLES
Modern translations are not just simply different versions of the King James Bible written in contemporary language. These perversions are different Bibles entirely. Their foundation is not the God-preserved Textus Receptus of the New Testament. Instead, they are based on contaminated, Christ-denying manuscripts which had been rejected by the early church fathers.

This turning away from the true Bible to a wicked counterfeit is largely the work of humanistic scholarship. Men who call themselves textual critics have placed their thoughts and ideas above those of God and have presumed to improve upon that one Bible which has been given by God. One can only conclude that they have been so blinded by their compromise and delusions of self-importance that they forget God has already given us His Word. The duty of every believer today is to take the one Bible which God has given and proclaim its glorious message of salvation to a sin-sick world.

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel . . . As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6, 9). Almost 2000 years ago men were preaching another gospel no doubt from another Bible. However, never since the Bible was given has it been under such Satanic attack as it is in our generation. Humanistic scholarship has deviated from the Textus Receptus in about 6000 places. This has the same effect as questioning the inerrancy of the Holy Bible in 6000 places. Charles H. Spurgeon stated it very well when he said, "The craving to alter the Word of God is accursed. This is the crime of the present day. The Lord preserve us from it."

THE PURE FOUNDATION OF THE KING JAMES VERSION
The Old Testament of the King James Bible was translated from the Masoretic Text. This text was in use during the time of Christ and He quoted from them many times. If the Masoretic Text was acceptable to Christ then it certainly should be accepted by every child of God. This text was kept pure by the Hebrew priests who were given the responsibility of caring for it.

The New Testament of the King James Version was translated in 1611 A.D. from the Greek manuscripts known today as the Textus Receptus. The scholars who did this work were giants in their field. They were far superior to the self-proclaimed scholars in Biblical criticism who are responsible for the rash of modern perversions.
The Textus Receptus from which the King James Bible was translated is a faithful reproduction of the original manuscripts, which were penned by the writers of the Scriptures. The T.R. or Traditional Text as it is also called has been traced back to the early church.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE KING JAMES VERSION
1. From the birth of Christ to 100 A.D. the original manuscripts were written in the Greek language.
2. The New Testament was compiled by 400 A.D.
a. by 170 A.D. -- 20 N.T. books had been accepted by the early Christians.

b. by 400 A.D. -- all 27 books of the N.T. had been accepted by the early Christians as they were guided by the Holy Spirit.

1. The Holy Spirit guided so that only the genuine books were included.

2. The Holy Spirit also guided in the selection of the pure manuscripts.

3. The Holy Spirit so guided that false gospels and manuscripts were set aside.
c. the original manuscripts were lost but the Received Text that was produced during this time was a faithful reproduction of the original autographs.

3. 452-1453 A.D. -- The Textus Receptus was used by the Greek Church during this time under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

4. 1516 A.D. -- Erasmus edited the first printing of the Greek N.T.

a. This was in agreement with the Textus Receptus.

5. 1526 A.D. -- Tyndale's New Testament in English was printed. He was burned at the stake in 1536 because he had the Bible printed in English.

6. 1550 A.D. -- Stephens Greek N.T. (Textus Receptus).

7. 1611 A.D. -- The King James or Authorised Version of the Bible was translated from the Greek Textus Receptus in the N.T. and Hebrew Masoretic Text in the O.T.

8. 1611 A.D. -- To the present. Infidels and assorted enemies of the Bible have attacked our Bible in every way known to man, but God's Word shall abide forever.

THE CORRUPT FOUNDATION OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
The "other Bibles" which are so prevalent today are as dependable as quicksand. They will vary even from printing to printing as the constantly changing whims of man directs. However, each new Bible will continue down the same path of confusion and error. You cannot produce good fruit from a rotten tree.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE "OTHER BIBLES"
1. From the birth of Christ to 400 A.D. False prophets wrote polluted gospels and other books of the Bible at the same time that the true books of the New Testament were being written. Paul makes mention of this in 2 Cor. 2:17, "For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God .... "Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit these tainted manuscripts were cast aside and were not included in the Textus Receptus.

a. 331 A.D. Constantine ordered that an "ecumenical Bible" be written that would be accepable to every stripe of Christian that was under his jurisdiction. A man by the name of Eusebius was assigned to direct this undertaking. Eusebius was a follower of Origen who rejected the deity of Christ. He claimed that Christ was a created being. The Jehovah's Witnesses of today believe the same thing. This error is called the Arian heresy.

2. 1481 A.D. The Vatican manuscript was discovered in the Vatican Library. This is a corrupted manuscript which repeatedly casts aside the deity of Christ. It reflects the Arianism of Origen and is thought by some to be one of the surviving manuscripts done be Eusebius at the command of Constantine. The date of its writing coincides with the "ecumenical Bible" of Constantine.

3. 1844 A.D. The Sinaitic manuscript was discovered at Mt. Sinai in the monastery of Saint Catherine. It agrees closely with the Vatican manuscript and minimizes the deity of Christ and is Arian in nature. It is safe to suggest that these two manuscripts were two of the fifty that were written for Constantine.

4. 1881 A.D. The Westcott and Hort Greek Text was introduced. This text departed from the Textus Receptus and follows the Vatican and Sinaitic corruptions. Most scholars from every spectrum of Christianity have knowingly or otherwise promoted the Westcott and Hort text from that time to the present.
The Jehovah's Witness Bible entitled the "New World Translation of the Scriptures" was translated from the text of Westcott and Hort. Their friendship with Westcott and Hort is not surprising. They reject the deity of Christ and gain strength from this corrupt text.

Most, if not all, of the modern translations of the Bible follow the path of the two worst manuscripts which are in existence. They almost seem to loathe the Textus Receptus. This is evidenced by the fact that most Bible colleges, seminaries and schools use some Greek text other than the Textus Receptus. Nevertheless, the new versions are founded on faulty texts and are not acceptable for any purpose.

GOD'S BIBLE COMPARED WITH "ANOTHER BIBLE"
1 PETER 2:2
The King James Version:
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."

In our God-inspired and preserved Bible the meaning of this passage is very clear. Those who have been born again (by receiving Christ) should feed on the Word of God that they might grow in the Christian life. Christian growth has nothing at all to do with initial salvation. Salvation takes place first and then the newborn child of God is to grow. Please note that all of the following new versions leave the door open for a gradual salvation, i.e., one of works.

Good News for Modern Man:
"Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved."

New World Translation: (Jehovah's Witnesses)
"And as newborn infants, form a longing for the unadultered milk belonging to the word, that through it you may grow to salvation."

New American Standard Bible:
"Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation."

The wording may be slightly different in each of these new Bibles, but it should be obvious that they all have the same corrupt source. No amount of polish can correct an untrustworthy text.

MATTHEW 18:11
The King James Version:
"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."

New World Translation: Verse omitted.

The Amplified New Testament:
The entire verse is in italics. Their explanation for this omission is as follows: "Italics indicate certain familiar words or passages found in the King James Version, but generally omitted now because they are not adequately supported by more recent scholarship." Would any care to hazard a guess as to who the more recent scholars are?

The New American Standard:
The verse is included with the following footnote. "Most ancient manuscripts omit this verse." Since when is 5% of the manuscripts considered a majority?

The Living New Testament:
The verse is included (in a manner of speaking) with the following footnote. "This verse is omitted in many manuscripts, some ancient."

THE PERSON OF CHRIST AND SIX NEW BIBLES
1. New American Standard Bible
2. Revised Standard Version
3. Living New Testament
4. Good News for Modern Man
5. New English Bible
6. Amplified New Testament

John 6:69 -- Christ is omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Acts 9:20 -- Christ is changed to Jesus in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Acts 15:11 -- Christ is omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Acts 16:31 -- Christ is omitted in 1, 2, 31 4, 5, (italicised in 6).
Romans 1:16 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, (italicised in 6).
Romans 16:24 -- entire verse about Christ emitted in 1, 2, 5, (verse italicised in 6).
1 Cor. 5:4 -- Christ omitted twice in 1, 2, (omitted once in 3), 4, 5, (omitted once and italicised once in 6).
1 Cor. 9:1 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
2 Cot. 11:31 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, (italicised in 6).
Eph. 3:14 -- Lord Jesus Christ omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (italicised in 6).
Col. 1:14 -- blood omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, (italics in 6).
1 Thess. 2:19 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.
1 Thess. 3:11 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (italics in 6).
1 Timothy 1:1 -- Lord omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.
1 Timothy 5:21 -- Lord omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.
2 Timothy 4:1 -- Lord omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Titus 1:4 -- Lord omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, (italics in 6).
Hebrews 3:1 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
1 John 1:7 -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 4, 5, (italics in 6).
2 John 3 -- Lord omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Rev. l:9b -- Christ omitted in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (italics in 6).
Verses quoted and emissions listed are by no means exhaustive. They are merely given to show the common bond which exists between all of the new Bibles. They stand or fall together. One cannot accept one and reject another.
It should be plain for all to see that Satan's strategy is to lure even God's own people away from the true Bible. Without the inerrant Word of God there would be no salvation. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

I thank God for my salvation and I thank Him for preserving His Written Word for my use and for all who will rest in Him. I am convinced that the King James Bible I hold in my hand is a completely faithful reproduction of the Word of God. I can hold my Bible in my hand and say without fear that I am in possession of the Word of God that has been passed down from generation to generation by the providential protection of my Heavenly Father.

IMPORTANT CONCLUDING SUMMARY
The King James Version is the only English Bible in use today which is taken from the Textus Receptus. Therefore, this must be the only Bible used by pastors, Bible students, churches, missionary groups, educational institutions or Christian laymen.
In that it is the only authoritative and trustworthy Bible, it should be studied consistently and systematically. Every born-again believer in Jesus Christ should start the day by meditating in the only Word of God and by talking to God in prayer.
Every born-again, Bible-believing Christian should endeavor to enlighten others about the dangers of the modern counterfeit Bibles. This must be done if we are to heed the admonition to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3b). God wants you to join with us in sounding the alarm against those who would rob this generation of the only Bible. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

ITS INSPIRATION
There can be no Christianity without an inspired and authoritative Bible. C. H. Spurgeon once said, "The turning point of the battle between those who hold 'the faith once delivered to the saints' and their opponents, lies in the true and real inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. This is the thermopylae of Christendom. If we have in the Word of God no infallible standard of truth, we are at sea without a compass, and no danger from rough weather without can be equal to the loss within. 'If the foundation be removed, what can the righteous do?' And this is the foundation loss of the worst kind."

The Bible is a supernatural Book. It is God's voice speaking, not only in the sense that the Word springs from Him, but from the standpoint also that it is expressed by Him in His own vocabulary.

The fundamental claim of the Bible in relation to its inspiration is found in five passages: Luke 1:70, "As He spake by the mouth of His Holy prophets which have been since the world began," 1 Cor. 2:13, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." 2 Tim. 3:16, "ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God." Heb. 1:1-2, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son." 2 Pet. 1:21, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

It is important in these days of open attack upon the Bible and increased versions of the Bible to make clear what we mean by divine inspiration of the Scriptures. We do not mean what the modernists mean who claim a kind of "human genius" residing in all great writers; nor do we moan as Barth and Brunner and modern neo-orthodox and neo-evangelicals who hold that the Bible is the Word of God because some passages reveal a word from the Lord. This teaching tells us that the Bible contains the Word of God but is not essentially and verbally and wholly the inspired Word of God.
While there is open opposition from outside the true Church in lands like Russia against the Word of God and against those who read it, there is also opposition from within religious circles through the modern day versions of the Bible, RSV, Good News for Modern Man, Living Letters, New English Bible, Amplified Version and a host of others.

I need not remind you that most of these versions have been prepared by committees whose members reject the infallible inspiration of the Scriptures, the deity of Christ, the blood atonement of Christ, and other essential doctrines. I need not emphasise that many of these versions are ecumenical efforts to unite Protestantism and Romanism into the great whore church of Revelation 13 to 17, the ecumenical church of Antichrist.

What is not generally realized, however, is the fact that these revisers are true successors of Jehoiakim, the King of Jerusalem, whose mutilation of Scripture is given in Jeremiah 36:22, 23. A message from the Lord was dictated by Jeremiah to Baruch, son of Nerah, who carefully wrote it in a roll. Jehoiakim came to know of this divine oracle and sent Jehudi to get it and read it to him. As Jehudi read, whatever did not please the king he would cut out with his penknife and cast into the fire, burning on the hearth. Jehoiakim continued with his mutilation of the written Word of God until nothing was left but a heap of smoldering ashes.
Let us notice, however, how God dealt with the penknife king. He had the burial of an ass (Jer. 22:18,19). The king was denied the glamorous burial belonging to a good sovereign. He was drawn outside the gates of Jerusalem, as the body of a dead ass is dragged and left to corruption and the beaks of the vultures.

Surely such a record constitutes a warning not to tamper with the Word of God. Yet many modern versions have used the penknife of liberalism and the penknife of the ecumenical movement to tamper with the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. Yes, but the end is not yet in sight. As modern versions and perversions continue to cut out, rearrange, and change Scripture to suit themselves God's eye is upon it all and His Word shall never pass away.

ITS AUTHORITY
The increasing efforts of men to do away with the Authorised King James Version of the Bible are directed against the authority of the Bible. Under the guise of "better translations," "clearer readings," "church authority," "Christian tradition," "later manuscripts," and "helps for the reader" the corrupters of the Bible with their many perversions have sought to undermine the deity of Christ, the blood atonement, and other doctrines that offend the natural man.
You will notice that the modern versions have as their goal the "return to the original Greek texts." The New American Standard Bible, for example, is based on Nestle's Greek New Testament. Nestle's text, as the Westcott and Hort text, is the classical Greek of Alexandrian scholarship, written in Italy. It is not the koine Greek of New Testament scholarship, written in Asia Minor. Nestle's "original Greek" is built on the theory of Vaticanus (the Catholic manuscript which contains the seven corrupt books of the Apocrypha, never recognised by Jesus or Paul, and shows its source of corruption as Rome itself) as the most perfect text.

Therefore "going to the Greek" to correct the Authorised King James Version involves running to Romanism to correct a Bible-believing Protestant translation.
Even since Adam fell there has been a bias in his descendants to listen to the Devil who repeats today what he said in the Garden of Eden, "Hath God said?"

The textual critics of our day, profoundly trained, called higher critics, are also saying, "Hath God said?" The more lofty textual scholars have so falsely put together the knowledge they have gained that our generation now doubts if there is a Bible it can completely trust and say with assurance, "God hath said."

The Bible teaches "In the beginning God." This is true of the Bible itself, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). As the Spirit of God "moved upon the face of the waters" in the day of creation (Gen. 1:2), so "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). God is the Creator of the universe, the creator of man, and the Author of the Word of God, the Bible.
It is possible to know that behind all the marvellous creation of the universe there is a God, a Creator, but let us never forget that the God of creation is also the God of revelation.

Paul makes clear in 1 Cor. 2:9-14 that we can only receive and understand this Word as a supernatural revelation (vs. 10), given by supernatural illumination (vs. 11,12,14).
God has given us the inspired scriptures for a definite purpose as recorded in 2 Tim. 3:16, 17 so that man could have a sure authority and standard for his reproof and correction and for "furnishing" him for right and good living by a perfect rule. Paul made clear in speaking of the total unity of the Bible which would shortly be completed that "when that which is perfect is come" (1 Cor. 13) that is, the full and completed New Testament, then other temporary aids allowed to the earthly church would "be done away."

The early church believers not only "received the word with all readiness of mind," but they gave it the place of final authority, and searched "the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). In their search for truth they did not turn to the evaluations of human reason, nor to the traditions and declarations of the church, but to the written Word of God.

THE WONDER OF THE BOOK
The wonder of the Book grows upon us as our experience is enlarged, for the more deeply we search it, the more we feel that the Bible is not merely a book, but The Book. It alone is the universal Book, the eternal Book, the Book for all time. It is the voice of the Lord. It stands alone, unapproachable in its grandeur, as high above all other books as heaven is above earth, or as the Son of God is above the sons of men.

THE WONDER OF ITS FORMATION
One of the first things about this Book that evokes our wonder is the very fact of its existence, for there was never any order given to any man to plan the Bible, nor was there ever any concerted plan on the part of the men who wrote to write the Bible. The way in which the Bible grew is one of the mysteries of our time. Little by little, century after century, it came out in fragments, written by various men, without any concerted arrangement. One wrote a part in Arabia, another in Syria, a third in Palestine, another in Greece and Italy, and the first part was written hundreds of years before the man who wrote the last part was born.
Here is a Book that took at least fifteen hundred years to write, spanning sixty generations of this world's history. It enlarges our conceptions of God and gives us new ideas of His infinite patience as He watched the strain, the haste and restlessness of man across the feverish years, while slowly the great Book grew. Here a little, there a little, history, prophecy, poetry and biography, it came forth before a needy world in its finished completeness.
There was no pre-arrangement by men. It is not as if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John met in committee and after solemn conference and seeking for the leading of the Spirit, Matthew undertook to write of Christ as the King, and Mark agreed to write of Him as the Servant, Luke undertaking to delineate Him as the Man, and John determining to crown it all by writing of Him as the Son of God. It was not as if Paul and James met and after talking and praying about it agreed that Paul should write of the doctrinal and James of the practical aspects of the Christian faith. There is no trace of such a thing. They simply wrote as they were moved by the Spirit to meet a present need, to teach some glorious truth, to express some earnest longing, and from the aggregation of their writings came this miraculous unit that we call the New Testament.

THE WONDER OF ITS UNIFICATION
The Bible, though regarded as a Book, is in fact a library of sixty-six volumes written by between thirty and forty different authors, in three languages, on totally different topics and in extraordinarily different circumstances. One wrote history, another biography, one wrote on theology, another poetry, another prophecy, others on philosophy, jurisprudence, genealogy, ethnology, and narratives of wonderful journeys. Here in the Bible we have them all, in a little Book that a child can carry in its little hand. The strangest thing of all is that, although their subjects are so diverse and difficult, and although it was impossible for the man who wrote the first pages to have the slightest knowledge what others would write 1500 years later, yet this collection of writings is not only unified by men in one Book, but so unified by God, the Author, that we can never think of it today as anything else but one Book! And one Book it is indeed -- the miracle of all literary unity.

THE WONDER OF ITS INTEREST
Another marvellous thing about this Book is that it is the only book in the world read by all classes and all sorts of people. Literary people rarely read a child's book, and children do not read books of philosophy and science. There is but one Book that is read by the wisest of men, read to the little child, and read by the old man as he trembles on the brink of another world. Professor Dyson Hague asked the nurse what she was reading to his daughter, and she replied, "I am reading the story of Joseph in the Bible," and the child added, "And please do not stop her, father." She was listening with delighted interest to a story that had been written in Hebrew three thousand five hundred years before. Not far away from the same room where the child was listening, there sat one of the greatest of modern scientists, Sir William Dawson (a humble believer in the Lord Jesus Christ), reading with profound devotion and higher delight the pages of the same marvellous Book. Here is a phenomenon -- one of the ablest of modern scientists delights in reading a Book which is the joy of a little child in the nursery!

THE WONDER OF ITS LANGUAGE
The Book was not written in the seats of learning, either at Athens in Greece or at Alexandria in Egypt, but in Palestine. Some of the writers were not distinguished for their scholarship. Some did not speak even their own language perfectly. Peter was betrayed by his Galilean dialect, and he and John were described in Acts 4:13 as "ignorant and unlearned men". Many of the men who wrote the Bible were of that character. One was a farm-hand, another a shepherd, others were fishermen. They were men of no literary reputation, and yet by the mysterious power of God the Book has become the standard of language of the most literary nations of the world.

THE WONDER OF ITS PRESERVATION
The Bible has withstood ages of ferocious and incessant persecution. Century after century men have tried to burn it and to bury it and to extirpate it. Kings of the earth set themselves and rulers of the church have taken counsel together to destroy it. Diocletian the Roman Emperor inaugurated in AD 303 a terrific onslaught upon the Book. Bibles were destroyed, Christians were slain, and the Emperor boasted that the very name of the Christians was blotted out, and yet after a few years, the Bible came forth as Noah from the ark to repeople the earth, and in AD 325 Constantine enthroned the Bible as the Infallible Judge of Truth in the great council of the Church held in that year.

Later the Church of Rome denied the Scriptures to the people and for ages the Bible was practically an unknown book. Martin Luther was a grown man when he said that he had never seen a Bible in his life. No jailor ever kept a prisoner closer than the Church of Rome kept the Bible from the people.

The worst opposition of all has been during the last two hundred years, with rationalism and modernism seeking to undermine the authority, inspiration and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures. It was Voltaire's boast that within one hundred years of his death not a Bible would be found save as an antiquarian curiosity. Many more than one hundred years have passed, and other pens and other voices have joined in the attack, but the Bible remains and is being more widely distributed and used than ever before.

THE BIBLE IS SELF-AUTHENTICATING
You need no historical critic for God's own Word. The Holy Spirit, who is the Author of the Book, makes it speak to our souls in such power as to give divine conviction. Men may arise to unsettle and destroy, but the Spirit of Christ comes to validate and confirm, with a certainty that is incommunicable by mere reason, and is impervious to the assaults of doubt. Spurgeon spoke of a poor woman who was challenged by an agnostic to prove that the Bible in her hand was God's Word. She pointed to the sun and said, "Can you prove that there is a sun in the sky?" The unbeliever answered, "Of course, the proof is that it warms me and I see its light." "That is it," she replied, "and the best proof that this Book is the Word of God is that it warms and lights my soul."

IT CANNOT BE IMPROVED
We do not gild gold. We do not paint rubies. We cannot brighten diamonds. Neither can any artist add any final touch to this finished Word of God. It stands as the sun in the sky and this proud age can add nothing to it. It has the glory of God and any attempt to improve it can but disfigure it. It speaks with authority and breaks upon you as the Voice from heaven. Five hundred times in the Pentateuch, three hundred times in the following books and twelve hundred times in the prophets, the declarations are prefaced or concluded with such expressions as "Hear the Word of the Lord", or "Thus saith the Lord". No other book dares thus to address itself to the universal conscience. No other speaks with such a binding claim or presumes to command the obedience of all mankind. The Book speaks to the inner conscience with the authority of God Himself.

IT IS LIVING AND POWERFUL
Men think of the Bible as a Book that was inspired, and this is true, but it is also true that it still comes sweeping into the hearts of men today, and the same breath of God that gave it life makes it living and spiritually energising today. This is a most remarkable and unique feature of the Bible -- I feel that it is mine. Its promises are mine. The 103rd Psalm is not ancient Hebrew, it is a present day message to my soul. The other day I took up an old Bible that my mother gave me, in which years ago I had marked Genesis 28:15 when I was in great trouble and had to leave my wife and children and travel in quest of health in distant lands. One day as I opened the Bible at random these words came before my eye. Shall I ever forget the flood of comfort that swept over my soul as I read that verse? "Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again to this land." All the critics in the world could never persuade my soul that those words were a mere echo of some far-off relic of a Babylonian legend or oriental myth. No, no! That was a message to me, and it swept into my soul as a voice from heaven and lifted me up. No man will ever shake me out of the conviction that that message was God's own Word to me -- inspiring because inspired.

IT REVEALS CHRIST
It changes mens' lives and alters their destinies. It inaugurates world-wide movements. A single text transformed Luther and launched the greatest of modern epochs. It comes today into communities of unrighteousness as a regenerating force.
The supreme wonder of the Book is Christ, Who is its fulness, its centre, its great subject. Of the whole Book it may be said, "The glory of God does lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof". As long as men live upon the face of the globe, the Book that tells of Christ the Revealer, Redeemer, the Risen, Reigning, Returning Lord will draw men's hearts like a magnet, and men will stand by it, and live for it, and die for it.

Do not think that we ought to read this Book as we read any other book, or study and analyse it just as we do any text book in literature or science. No! When you come to this Book, come to it with reverence. Read it with a plea for the Spirit's help. "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Other books are of the earth. This is from heaven, it is the living Word of the Living God, Supernatural in origin, divine in authorship, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, personal in application, inspired in its every part.
(Summarised and selected from "The Wonder of the Book"
by Prof. Dyson Hague, M.A.)

CONCLUSION
Let us make ourselves very clear where we stand in relation to the Authorised Bible, God's Word. We believe the A.V. Bible was translated by 47 scholars, men of God appointed to carry out this vital work. These men under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit translated from the Greek into English words, placing commas, etc., where necessary, thereby giving us the true meaning in our language. There is no room for alteration to words or commas, etc., as they stand in the A.V. Bible. So vital is this that God has distinctly warned against tampering with His Word. He has placed in our A.V. Bible these warnings. In Deut. 4:2a, "Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it .... "; In Prov. 30:6a, "add thou not unto His Words" and in Rev. 22:18, 19, "(18) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Let us here give one example of tampering with God's Word, and how vital commas are in our English translation. In Heb. 10:12, the A.V. reads, "But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;" Some translations have placed the comma after sins making it read "After He had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God" thus making the return of Our Lord impossible. This of course makes Roman Catholic doctrine, leaving the priests free to celebrate "mass" as often as they please, in spite of Our Lord Jesus Christ having offered one sacrifice for sins forever. Heb. 10:12.

We can be sure the A.V. is God's infallible, inerrant, and no less inspired word than was the original Greek and Hebrew from which it was translated. Would God have neglected the preservation of His Pure Word?, if so, He certainly could not hold us responsible. He would have left us without a Bible in which we could place our trust, further more as few of us read and understand Greek, what an impossible position we would find ourselves in, in relation to our salvation.

All Things Must be Examined by the Scriptures
When we are confronted by some new doctrine, etc., we must do as the Bereans did, Acts 17:11. "Search the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so." In addition, we must, under the guidance of The Holy Spirit learn to "rightly divide the Word". 2 Timothy 2:15.

We would further draw the attention of those who would seek to alter or improve (as they imagine) the A.V. by using some Greek text which does not agree with the A.V. if so there is only one place for the text, the waste paper basket, as you are probably using one of the many corrupt Greek texts, possibly Westcott and Hort's. This has been altered and differs in something like five or six thousand places from the Received text from which the New Testament of The A.V. Bible was translated into English. We stand or fall on this Bible, God's Word given to us in English.
Remember! God wrote only one Bible.

Paul said he did not adulterate the Word of God but presented it in all its purity. However, man today has corrupted it by adding to it through the rapid production of new translations, paraphrases, versions, perversions and amplifications of the Scriptures. The best that can be said for them all is that they are helping to increase sales in most Bible Book Stores and helping the publishers to make large profits. The Christians are left without their money and end up in greater confusion than ever.
Compiled by-
BIBLE TRUTH SOCIETY R.D. Oratia
Auckland
New Zealand


With grateful acknowledgement to our many friends in The Lord Jesus Christ, who, by their prayers and support have enabled us to carry on the fight against the Apostasy in the Churches, and the Masterpiece of Satan, the perversion of The Word of God.