"Thus Sayeth the Lord"

Lindsay A. Semmens, one of my beloved college professors, devel­oped a rather unusual descriptive sentence when talking about re­ligious philosophies of men. He would hold one hand high in the air and then abruptly drop it nearly to the floor exclaiming, "Why dive through fifty feet of sewage to get one scintilla of truth?" This question has stuck with me during my one score years of preaching the gospel.

Where do you stand today in your atti­tude toward the Word of God? When I refer to the Word of God I refer directly, unequivocally, to the Bible. The gobbledy­gook of mystic unintelligible theological terms that in any way undermines the Sacred Scriptures has absolutely no place in the Advent Movement. The surety and certainty of the testimony found in the Scriptures themselves is never to be miti­gated or diluted with words like maybe, per­haps, or possibly. Our power as a movement and as individuals depends upon our utter faith and dependence on a "Thus saith the Lord." Some pseudo-intellectualists fog the issue, confuse the minds of listeners by circumventing the Scriptures, only to fall miserably into the slime pits of doubt and faithlessness.

Imagination is not hard to come by. To dream up far-fetched ideas as to what God meant in certain passages or how the proph­ets felt during certain experiences is either a strong sign of unusual self-esteem or a greedy desire for audience applause. Spec­ulation and fallacious reasoning is no sign of brilliance or intelligence. Striving for unique concepts can lead one into an ab­normal state of thinking. Vast amounts of knowledge crammed into the mind make no man an authority over and above the Bible. In no sense do I downgrade thorough study and sound scholarship in an attempt to discern the will of God, but man's reli­gious supreme court is the Scrip­tures, not experience or personal knowledge. The use of quotations from uninspired religious think­ers to bolster a belief is weak and insipid at best. The other day I listened to a famous religious leader, whose coast-to-coast radio program is heard by millions, speak on the subject of immortal­ity. His quotations from B.C. phi­losophers and A.D. theologians, plus a smattering of self-generated emotion, produced a nauseating, vapid smoke screen of error. Not once did he quote from the Scriptures. His appeal was solely based on the production of man's fallible mind. What a contrast this is to the true minister of God who fearlessly as­serts, "Thus saith the Lord . . ."

With prophetic eye Paul got a glimpse of our day when he said, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2 Cor. 10:4). Foolish speculations, self-centered philoso­phies, and godless psychology surely form a part of the arsenal of carnal weapons. Satan's twentieth century offensive against the church has witnessed more souls led into the prison house of sin than in any other period of earth's history. The Christian casualty list is extremely high because Satan's methods are so subtle, refined, and appealing to the natural mind of man. There is only one sure, safe path. There is only one set of effective weapons against sin. "The weapons we wield are not merely human, but divinely potent to demolish strongholds; we demolish sophistries and all that rears its proud head against the knowledge of God; we compel every human thought to surrender in obedience to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4, 5, N.E.B.).*

If you are ever tempted to think that the simple, convicting truth of the Bible needs to be dressed in the intriguing clothes of modern religious philosophy, may I suggest that you spend several years of time bringing the gospel to the souls of those living in the jungles of Borneo or of West New Guinea. Nothing can bring a man so quickly to his knees and set him down solidly at the table of pure unadulterated faith as he seeks to know the plain will of God through His Written Word. Belief in miracles and in God's direct leading is ever so strong under these circumstances.