The Bible Our Guide

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The Bible Our Guide

 

Questions for Christians on Bible Teaching

 

 

“THY WORD IS TRUTH” John 17:17

 

“THE HOLY SCRIPTURES,

 

which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”—2 Tim. 3:15.

 

 

FOREWORD

 

Christadelphians (or Brethren of Christ) adopted the name about the middle of the last century, but their belief is identical with the simple teaching of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, being based upon a wholly-inspired Bible.

 

Their rule of life is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples, and their hopes are centred upon his return, when he will bring everlasting life to his people, and set up on the earth the long-promised Kingdom of God.

 

The statements in this booklet are, purposely, challenging; for, although the Bible is so widely circulated, the majority of people are content to accept ready-made religious opinions, instead of going to the Scriptures to search for themselves whether such views are in harmony with the Word of God.

 

You are invited to consider carefully these statements, and to note particularly the Bible passages quoted in support. You will probably come to some very interesting and startling conclusions by the time you have reached the end.

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THE BIBLE

 

IF we believe that

the Bible is not an infallible guide, and that much of its contents is only folk-lore,

 

HOW can we believe Jesus and His Apostles, who stated that—

 

“Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me” John 5:46

 

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” 2 Tim. 3:16

 

“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 Spirit” 2 Pet, 1:21

 

Christadelphians believe in a wholly-inspired Bible. Its teaching therefore constitutes their faith.

 

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THE NATURE OF MAN

 

IF we believe that

we have a never dying soul,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“The soul that sinneth,

it shall die”

Ezek. 18:4

 

“For the living know that they shall die; but the

dead know not anything

—also their love, and their hatred and their envy is now perished” Eccles. 9:5-6

 

“Put not your trust in princes nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day

his thoughts perish”

Psa. 146:3, 4

 

“For dust thou art, and

unto dust shalt thou return”

Gen. 3:19

 

The Bible teaches that man is mortal.

 

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THE FUTURE OF THE RIGHTEOUS

 

IF we believe that

the righteous go to Heaven at death,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“The righteous shall be recompensed

in the earth”

Prov. 11:31

 

“Blessed are the meek; for

they shall inherit the earth”

Matt. 5:5

 

“Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign

on the earth”

Rev. 5:10

 

“And the kingdom and dominion, and the great­ness of the kingdom

under the whole heaven,

shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High” Dan. 7:27

 

The

Bible teaches that the Earth, and not Heaven, is to be the future abode of the righteous—those who love and serve God.

 

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THE FUTURE OF OTHERS

 

IF we believe that

the wicked go to a Hell of torment at death,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“The wages of sin is

death”

Rom. 6:23

 

“The Lord preserveth all them that love Him; but all the wicked will He

destroy”

Psa. 145:20

 

“They are dead, they

shall not live;

they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast Thou visited

and destroyed them,

and made all their memory to

perish”

Isa. 26:14

 

The Bible teaches that Hell is the Grave.

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CHRIST’S RETURN THE CHRISTIAN’S ONLY HOPE

 

IF we believe that

we go to Heaven to be with Jesus,

 

HOW can we believe that—

 

“God

shall send Jesus Christ,

which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive

until

the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” Acts 3:20-21

 

“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again,

and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also” John 14:2-3

 

“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,

shall so come in like manner

as ye have seen him go into heaven” Acts 1:11

 

“For the Lord himself

shall descend

from heaven with a shout ... and the dead in Christ shall rise first” 1 Thess. 4:16

 

“For the Son

of man shall come

in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then shall he reward every man according to his works” Matt. 16:27

 

The Bible teaches the return of Christ to the Earth.

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JESUS THE KING

 

IF we believe that

Jesus has gone to Heaven for ever,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that he will be the future King over all the Earth—

 

“And, behold, thou shalt ... bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he

shall reign

over the house of Jacob for ever; and of

his kingdom there shall be no end”

Luke 1:31-33

 

“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a King then? Jesus answered

... To this end was I born,

and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” John 18:37

 

“And the Lord shall be

king over all the earth;

in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one” Zech. 14:9

 

Yea!

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun,

Doth his successive journeys run;

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,

Till sin shall curse the earth no more.

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THE KINGDOM

 

IF we believe that

the Kingdom of God is the Church, or in the heart,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which shows that it will be a divine political Kingdom established upon the earth—

 

“In the days of these kings shall the God

of heaven

set up

a kingdom,

which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and

it shall stand for ever”

Dan. 2:44

 

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord,

and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever” Rev. 11:15

 

that the Kingdom of Israel was the Kingdom of God—

 

“And of all my sons (saith David), God hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon

the throne of the kingdom of the Lord

over Israel” 1 Chron. 28:5

 

“Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on

his throne,

to be

king for the Lord thy God”

2 Chron. 9:8

 

that the Kingdom was overthrown on account of sin

—

 

“And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, take off the crown; this shall not be the same ... I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him” Ezek. 21:25

 

that Jesus preached its re-establishment

—

 

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God” Mark 1:14

 

“And he said unto them, I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also; for therefore am I sent” Luke 4:43

 

“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out” Luke 13:28

 

The Bible teaches that the Kingdom of God will be the Kingdom of Israel restored, and of world-wide extent.

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RESPONSIBILITY FOR PRESENT EVIL

 

IF we believe that

there is a personal immortal Devil,

 

HOW can we believe that Jesus was manifested to destroy the devil—

 

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” Heb. 2:14.

 

The “devil” of the Bible is the personification of sin in the flesh

—

 

“Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you (i.e. Judas) is a devil?” John 6:70

 

“Resist the devil (i.e. sin) and he will flee from you” James 4:7

 

The word “Satan” means “adversary”, as when Jesus spoke to Peter

 

“Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not thing things that be of God, but those that be of men” Matt. 16:23

 

(NOTE: The word “Devil” does not occur in the Old Testament.)

 

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THE REAL SOURCE OF EVIL

 

IF we believe that

man is by nature good,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jer. 17:9

 

“Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” James 1:14

 

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Rom. 3:23

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GOD, JESUS CHRIST, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

IF we believe in a

Triune God,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” 1 Tim. 2:5

 

“Hear, O Israel; the Lord

our God is one Lord”

Deut. 6:4

 

“I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is

no God beside me”

Isa. 45:5

 

“The blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality” 1 Tim. 6:15-16

 

“There is but

one God, the Father,

of whom are all things, and we in him” 1 Cor. 8:6

 

The Bible teaches that there is only one God.

 

IF we believe that—

 

 

Jesus was “God the Son”,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“He shall be called the Son

of God”

Luke 1:35

 

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is

my beloved Son,

in whom I am well pleased” Matt. 3:16-17

 

“I can of mine own self do nothing; ... I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” John 5:30

 

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16

 

“I go unto the Father, for

my Father is greater than I”

John 14:28

 

The Bible teaches that Jesus was the Son of God, not God the Son.

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IF we believe that

the Holy Spirit is a Personal God

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that it is the Power of the Father—

 

“The angel answered and said unto her (Mary), The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shalt overshadow thee” Luke 1:35

 

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting ... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:2, 4

 

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” Acts 10:38

 

The Spirit is the Power of God.

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THE PRINCIPLES OF SALVATION

 

IF we think

as do so many, that it does not matter what we believe,

 

HOW can we believe Paul’s words to the Galatians—

 

“There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” Gal. 1:7-8

 

and the Bible teaching that a belief of the gospel is essential for salvation

—

 

“The gospel ... is the power of God unto salva­tion,

to everyone that believeth”

Rom. 1:16

 

“Without faith (belief) it is impossible to please God” Heb. 11:6

 

and that essential belief must be in harmony with the Scriptures. It is evident that the great majority of people believe false doc­trines. Christendom is astray from the Bible, as the apostle Paul said would come to pass

—

 

“The time will come when ... they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” 2 Tim. 4:3-4

 

and how can we believe the words of Jesus that—

 

“Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” Matt. 7:14

“For many are called, but few are chosen” Matt. 22:14

 

IF we believe that

Baptism is not essential for Salvation,

 

HOW can we believe the words of Jesus and the Apostles—

 

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel (of the Kingdom) to

every

creature. He that

believeth and is baptized

shall be saved” Mark 16:15-16

 

“Paul (after his conversion) ... arose, and

was baptized”

Acts 9:18

 

“For as many of you

as have been baptized

into Christ have put on Christ... And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” Gal. 3:27,29

 

(Jesus himself was baptized. Matt. 3:13-17)

 

Baptism, then, is necessary for salvation. Its mode is by a complete immersion after belief of the Gospel. (See also Rom. 6:3-5).

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SOUND DOCTRINE IMPLIES A CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

IF we believe that

Faith alone will secure our Salvation,

 

HOW can we believe the Bible which states that—

 

“Faith if it hath not works,

is dead,

being alone” James 2:17

 

“Ye are my friends (said Jesus)

if ye do

what­soever I command you” John 15:14

 

The Scriptures plainly teach that whilst faith turns a sinner into a saint, obedience is necessary to secure acceptance at the Judgment seat of Christ.

 

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CHRIST THE ONLY PRIEST

 

IF we recognize any earthly Priesthood,

 

HOW can we believe that—

 

“There is one God, and

one mediator between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus” 1 Tim. 2:5

 

“Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” Heb. 2:17

“We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” Heb. 8:1

 

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CONCLUSION

 

You have been given in this booklet a brief outline of the faith of the Christadelphians, in contrast to current error. From it you will have seen that their hope is a glorious one.

The

booklet is circulated with a view to helping you to share in the same faith and hope and to prepare for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the nearness of which event is plainly discernible in the many signs to be seen in the political heavens, as well as in the social and religious world.

 

“The Lord Jesus Christ... shall judge the quick (or living) and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.”

2 Tim. 4:1.

 

“Unto them that look for him shall he (Christ) appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Heb. 9:28.

 

H.W. Goldsbrough (1904)

 

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