Churches of Christ Salute You with a Herald of Truth

Abilene Christian University
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Herald of Truth Records
11-15-1953
Churches of Christ Salute You with a Herald of
Truth: Why Not a Supplement to the Bible?
James Willeford
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Recommended Citation
Willeford, James, "Churches of Christ Salute You with a Herald of Truth: Why Not a Supplement to the Bible?" (1953). Herald of
Truth Audio. Paper 224.
http://digitalcommons.acu.edu/hot_audio/224
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Why Not 11 Supplement
To The Bible?
Wily Not 11 Supplement
To Tile Billie'!
By James D. Willeford
November 15, 1953
A f?w weeks ago a friend of mine said, "I used to work
!or a r a llr?a d. Among other duties I hAlpe d prepar e bills cover ·
m g th e shipm ent of freight. Every tariff book would have from
?ne t o ha lf a dozen supple ments. One was a lwa ys wondering
If he ha d a ll the supplem ents to a particular tariff. There we r e
a lso supplements to the table of express rates a nd to t he t ele·
gra ph company's ~ariff book. Nearly every set of instructions
by a n y compa ny IS soon_ obsolet e a nd r eplaced by a n ew set,
or supplem ents must be Issued to the original instructions As
I _cont;mplated this situation one da y, the question ca~e t o
mmd, Why not a supplement for the Bible?' "
The question a sked by this railroa d man is a lso asked by
~ number of people throughout the la nd today. The ques tion
IS understandable because a ll m a n-made things change
Last
year's telephone directory is out of da te. Our s chool t.e xts of
ten years ~go ~ave to be replaced or supplemented a s new
k!lowledge IS gamed. Scientific theories are being revised or
dis carded ~nd n~w theories take their place. We are in a
~?t~stant Whirl trymg t? keep pace with the ever-changing conI Ions about us. In VIew of this situation we can understand
~hy men who are not acqua inted with God's word may ask
Why not a supplement for the Bible?"
'
Thou_g h we a?mit that m a n-made things cha nge because
of their ImperfectiOns , w e deny that the Bible needs a ny supplement.. It wa s not m a n-ma d e a nd it does not have huma nity's
1mperfe~t10ns stamped u pon it. It is perfect · hen ce complet e
It contams the complete will of God to man.
that God want~
us to know about righteousness, He has revealed in the Bible.
All
. Christ selected the apostles through whom to reveal His
Will a nd .~o ha ve it written in the New Testament. He said
to them, I have yet many thin gs to say unto you, but ye can·
!lot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth
xs. come, he will _guide you Into all truth" (John 16: 12, 13) ~
Dx? the Holy Sp1ri.t guide the a postles into all truth? J esus
S~Id He would. Did he? If J e sus spoke the truth, verily he
did. That bein.g the case, the will of God was completely re·
vealed to men m the days of the apostles, the inspired ambas·
sadors of th~ Lord .Jesus Christ. James recognized that the
Lord kept His pronuse to reveal all truth to the a postles and
he calls the gospel they preached "the perfect law of lib~rty ,
The word translated "perfect" means " brought to its
d
finished; want~ng nothing necessary to ?ompletene ss." Th: ; e;
gives James 1.25 as a reference followmg these definitions.
Page 2
WHY NOT A SUPPLEMENT TO THE BIBLE ?
Page 3
Since Christ said the H oly Spi r it would guide the apostles
into a ll truth, we can say confidently that all spiritual truth
was r evealed in t he first cent ur y for there ha ve been n o true
apostles sin ce that time. To be a n apostle of Chr ist one ha d
to be a w itness of the resurrected L ord (Acts 1 :22) . When
J esu s selected Saul to become a n apostle, He s aid to him,
" I ha ve appear ed unto thee . .. to mak e thee a m inister a nd
a w itn ess" (Act s 26 :16) .
An apostle h a d t o be a witnes s , a nd witnesses do not have
su cces sors. T o illustrate : Suppose you see an acciden t a nd
you are called into court to testify as a wit n es s , but before you
are called you die? Do you suppose a ny judge in the la n d
would permit a fr iend of you r s to give your testimony on t he
g roun ds t ha t he wa s your successor? No, beca u se witn esses
cannot have successor s. The apostles of Christ wer e witnesse s
of the Lord, a n dit was to these m en tha t the Holy Spirit gave
"all t r uth." T his is why P a ul could say, " I decla red u nto you
a ll the cou nsel of God" (Acts 20: 27) .
T hat all t he t r u th was d elivered to the apostles is further
verified by J ude who said , "Beloved, while I wa s giving a ll
d iligen ce to write unto you of our common s alvation , I was
con strained t o write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for a ll d eliver ed unto t he s a ints"
(Jude 3) . T h is ins pire d writer was pleading for t hat which
had a lready been revealed a nd which was then in common
possession of a ll s a ints. He declared t hat t he fait h ha d been
d elivered on ce for a ll. It wa s delivered on e tim e for a ll time.
This is an indictment of those who com e t o us with new r evelation s or vision s or dreams. T h e Lord d id not intend that H is
will should be m a de in inst a llmen t s, or supplemen t s as the
cen turies r oll by. He deliver ed t he fa ith once for a ll and it
was complete when He gave it.
In reading the New Testament we learn tha t the fa ith and
t he gospe l are the sam e thin g. In the fir st chapter of Gala tia n s
Paul said, "I preached the gospel," a nd in spea king of t his
work he said , " I preached the fa it h" (Gal. 1:11, 23) . The gos·
pel was d elivered in the fir st cen t ury once a n d for a ll, a nd at
t hat t ime it was the power of God unto salvation (Rom . 1 : 16).
In r eferring to this gospel Paul said: "F or therein is t he r ighteousn ess of God revealed." Since the first centur y t he perfect
will of God ha s been revealed through His perfect la w of liberty.
W e have further proof t ha t the Bible is a ll-sufficien t in an
in spired statement of the Apostle P a ul. He sa id, "Ever y script ur e inspired of God is a lso profit a ble for t ea ching, for r eproof,
for correction , for in struction which is in r ighteousness ; that
the ma n of God may be complete, fur nished completely unto
e very good wor k " (II T im. 3 : 16, 17). P aul said the s cript ure
is profita ble for four things. Not e how comprehensive they
are : ( 1 ) for doctrin e a nd teaching; (2) for r e proof ; (3) for
cor rection ; ( 4) for in struction in righ t eou snes s. You ca nnot
im agine a n y cond ition or n eed of m ankind but tha t one or the
other of these stat em ents will meet it. The Bible w ill com-
~·~~~~~~~----------------------------------------~--~--------~--~~~--~--~z~
r - - - - - - - - - - - - Y O U MAY HEAR THE HERALD OF TRUTH OVER THES£ STATIONS'--- - - - - - - - - .
ALABAMAAlbertville • • • • . W A VU
Anniston . • • • • . WHMA
Aubur.n .... .•. WAUD
Birmingham . • . WSGN
Florence . . . . . . . . W J 0'1
Ft. Payne . . . • . WFP A
Gadsden . . . • . WGAD
Greenville . . . . . WGYV
Hamilton . . . • . WERH
H11ntsvllle . . • . WHBS
:&Iarlcm . . .. . ... WJAM
lUoblle . . . . . • . • W ALA
ltlontgomery .. . WAPX
Scottsboro . . . . . . W Cltl
Selma . .. .....• WGWC
Talladega . . . . . WHTB
Troy . . . . . . .. .. . WTBT
Tuscal-oosa . • . • • WJRD
ARIZONABisbee . . . . . . • . • KSUN
Clifton . . . . . • . . . KCLF
Flagstaff . • . . . . . KCLS
Klngmall . . . . . . KGAN
Phoenix . . . . . . . . . KOY
Tuc~on . .... • ... KCNA
ARKANSASEldorado . . . . . . KDMS
Forrest City . . . KXJK
Ft. Smith . . . . . . . KFSA
Hot Springs . . . KWFC
Uttle Rock • . • . KGHI
McGehee . . . • . . . KVSA
Springdale . . . . • . KBRS
CALIFORNIABakersfield • • . . KPMC
Blythe .......... KYOR
Brawley . . . . . . • . KROP
Eureka • .. .. .. • KIEM
Fresno . . . • • . . • KARM
Indio . . . . . . . • . • KREO
Los Angeles • . • • KECA
Portersville .. . . KTIP
San Francisco . . . KGO
San Luis Obispo KATY
COLORADOCraig . • . . . . . . . • KRIA
Denver . . . . . . . . KVOD
CONNECTICUTBridgeport .. .. WNAB
Hartford .. .. .. WTHT
DELAWAREWilmington .. • • WILM
FLORIDAGainesville . . . . WGGG
Jacksonville . . . WPDQ
Leesburg . . . . . . WlLBE
Miami . . . . . . . . WQAM
Panama City . . . WPCF
Pensaoola
WEAR
Sanford . . • .. . WTRR
Tallahassee . . . WTNT
Tampa-St. Pete WSUN
GEORGIAAtlanta . . . . . . . . WGST
Augusta . . . . . . . WGAC
Brunswick . . . . . . WGIG
Cairo . ...... ... WGRA
Cartersville . • . • WBHF
Columbus . . . . . . WGBA
n •1.ws•on . . . . . wn~vn
Macon . . . . . . • . WNEX
Rome . . . . . . . . . . WLAQ
Savannah . . . • . W ·D AR
Valdost a . . . . . • WGAF
IDAHOBoise . . . . . . . . . . Kfl.F.l\T
Poc atello . . . . . . KWIK
ISO
14&8
12SO
SIO
1340
1400
1S50
1400
978
1490
1310
1410
1600
1050
1340
1:!40
1490
1160
4:80p.m.
1:00 p.m.
1:00 •• m.
8:00 a.m.
1280
1400
1840
920
550
580
1:00 p.m.
S: OO p.m.
7:80a.m.
1 : 00 p.m.
7:00a.m.
S: OO
1290
960
950
1340
lll50
12!0
1840
1 : 00 p.m.
t:OO a.m.
1:00 p.m.
8:30p.m.
1:00 p.m.
9:00a.m.
8:00p.m.
1560
1450
1800
1480
1430
1410
790
1460
810
1140
8:1111 Jl. lll.
8:00 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
4:00p. m.
1 : 00 p.m.
7:80 a.m.
t:SO a.m.
t:SO a.m.
1:00 p.m.
4:30 p. m.
1:30 p.m.
1:80
1:00 p.m.
11:011 p.m.
P·•·
P·•·
10:00
3:80
1!:30
8:00
!1:30
8 : 80
8:80
8:30
S:SO
1:80
a.m.
p.m.
p.m.
a.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
1!30
CliO
5:10p.m.
a:eo p.m.
1450
1130
II:SO p.m.
1:00 p.m.
1460
1:00 p.m.
t!SO
100
790
680
1400
t!SO
HOO
1468
6!0
1:00 p.m.
6:!10 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
S:OO p.m.
S:SO p.m.
6:00p.m.
1:00 p.m.
t!O
1:00 p.m.
680
!:00 p.m.
1440
1:00 p.m.
1300
S:OO p.m.
1460 10:00 a.m.
1460
7:10 a.m.
2: Afl n.m .
990
1:00 p.m.
HOO
1:80 p.m.
878
1:00 p.m.
HOO
1:08 p.m.
118
ll&o
1446
n .m.
1:80 a .m.
~ .o o
ILLINOISChicago . . WENR-WLS
M•llne . . . . . . . . WQUA
Quincy
WGEM
IND IANAAnderson . . . . . . 1VHBU
Bloomi ngton . . . W 'l"l'S
Evansv ille ...... WJPS
Ft. Wllyne . . . . . . WGL
IOWACe dar Rapids . • . WM'l'
Des .l\loiues . . . . . . I\ S O
Sioux City . . . . . . KSCJ
Waterloo . . . . . . KXEL
KANSASCoffeyville . .... . KGGF
D o dge City . .. . !<i(; '1 0
Great Bend ... . KGVB
Topeka .. . . ... . WltEN
Wichita
KWBB
KENTUCKYBowling Green
KWCT
LouiHllle . .... . WKLO
Mayfield . . . . . . WKTll
Paducah
WKYB
LOUISIANABaton Rouge . . . " ' LCS
l\fonroe
K.l\IJ,B
N ew Ibe ria .... KA NE
New Orleans ... " ' DSU
ShreYeport . . . . J{RMD
MAINEB a n gor . . . . . . . . . W ABI
Portland
WPOR
MARYLANDB a lti m or e . . . . . ~•· v~~
Cumberland . . . WDYK
MASSACHUSETTSBoston . . . . . . . . WV AB
Hardr<er . . . . . . WHOB
Lawrence . . . . WLA \V
Springfield . . . . WSPR
\Vorcester
WAAB
MICHIGANBattle Creek . . . WELL
Bay City . . . . . . WBCM
D e troit . . . . . . . . WXYZ
Fli nt . .. . ...... WTAC
J,anslng . . . . . . . . WILS
Ludington
WKLA
lilt. Ple~~;sant .•. WCEN
Muskegon
WKBZ
M I NNESOTAl\Iankato
KTOE
Mlr"•··"t. Panl . WTCN
MISSISSIPPIBooneville . . . . . WPIP
Centerville . . • • WGLC
C olumbus . . . . . . WCBI
Gree nwood .•.• WABG
Jackson
WSJ,J
Kosciusko • . . • . WKOZ
Laurel . . . . • . . . WLA U
McComb
WSKB
Meridian . . .... WTOK
N atchez
WNAT
MISSOURICape Girardeau
KFVS
Kansas City . . KCMO
POJJiar Bluff .. . KWOC
Rolla . . . . . . . . . . KTTlt
St. Louis . . . . . . KXOK
Springfield
KWTO
MONTANABozeman
KXLQ
Great Falls . . . . KXLK
Helena . . . . . . . . . KXLJ
1\Jissonla
KXT,J,
810
1230
tHO
I:SO p.m.
7:00 a.m.
8:10 a.m.
1240
1878
1:10
1:00
1:30
1:00
1830
12lil
600
14~0
1860
1640
p.m.
p.a.
p.m.
p.m.
7: 10 a.m.
«:1111 p.m.
10: so p.m.
8:10 p.m.
1590
1260
1410
!:00 p.m.
I: :10 11 . rn.
1:00 p ..m
1:00 p.m.
S:30 P·•·
830
1080
1050
570
1:00
1:00
4:11>
1:11
690
1~ ' 11
no
p.lll.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
1 :OO p .m.
1440
1!40
1280
1140
l!:Oe
1:00
1:00
1:00
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.lll.
910
1450
1•IO P m
9; 80 S:m:
NEBRASKAL i ncoln . . . . . . . . KFOR
N. Platt ....... KNBR
Owa ha . . . . . . . . . KOIL
Sidney . .. . . ..... KSID
NEV A DALas Vegas
KENO
NEW HAMPSHIREClar emont . . . . WTSV
Le ltanon . . . . . . . W 'l'SL
ltianchester
WM UR
NEW MEXICOAlbuquer(Jue ... KOAT
Carlsbad . . . . . . KPBM
Cln vi•s ......... KI ' LV
Los Alamos . . . KRSN
Santa Fe
KTRC
NEW YORKI Albany . . . . . . . WROW
New York . . . . . W ABC
Olea n
. . . . . . . . WHDJ,
Pough keeps ie . . W .KIP
Roches t er . . . . . W ARC
S a r aua .. 'L ake . . WEA V
,.\ Syr a cuse
WAGE
t o)NORTH CAROLINAA • hHille
WLOS
Ch a r lotte
WAYS
D urham
WTIK
Fayettevllle (Sat)
WFLB
' Snlis hury . . . . . . WSAT
Wflmln g t on .. .. WGNI
Wln s t on · SoJem . WAIR
~
J
..
~.no , .. , &~~r=:~
~~~?T:FGO
Ora n d Forks . • KILO
e:OI a.m.
1!60
1490
688
U70
1440
1486
1440
1270
600
1820
1460
1168
860
H20
1280
1400
1680
1840
968
930
1140
1490
1!60
1460
1240
1160
810
9RO
1490
630
660
1450
1400
1241
1450
1240
97t
1290
1240
1460
1230
1400
610
p.m.
p •••
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
~
a.m.
a.m.
P·•·
a.m.
8:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
3 : 00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
t:SO p.m.
1•"n
r•
S:OO p.m.
3:00 P·•·
8a8
770
141'>0
u ;,o
9i>0
960
828
U RO
610
ts10
1490
1!80
1340
1340
790
1061
OHIOCleveland . . . . . . . WJW
858
Columbus
WHKC
810
East Liverpool
WOHI 1490
J, Ima .. . .... . .. WIMA 1150
T oledo
WTOL l!SO
lYoungstown .. WBB1V 1240
.OKLAHOMA1:00 p.m.
A da .. .... ...... KADA 12!10
1:00 p.m.
nld . . . . . . . . . . KCRC 1890
1:00 p.m.
fcA lest er .. ... . KTllf C 1400
10:30 p.m.
Iuskogee . . . . . . KBIX 1490
1:00 p.m.
Oklalloma City
KTOK 1008
1:80 P•••
'fulsa
KRMG
740
!:00 p.m.
OREGON!:00 p.m.
Eugene . . . . . . . . KASH 1800
l\Iedford . . . . . . . K11T"F.TI qJ q
2:00 p.m.
KEX 1190
7:no a.m. RPortit.and
edm on d . . . . . . K.TFN l ~&q
T he Dalles ... . . KODL l!SO
1:00 p.m. ! PENNSYLVANIA8:08 a.m.
John s town . . . . . WCRO 1210
8:80p.m.
J, emoyne . . . . . . WCMB 1460
1:00 p.m.
Phila delphia . . . WFIL
660
2:00 !).Ill.
P l ttsb11 rg ...... WCAE 1258
1:08 p.m.
State College . . WMAJ 1450
8:80 p.m.
Wllkes-Bal're
WIJ, K
980
1:00 p.m.
RHODE ISLAND1:80 p.m.
Providen
ce
..
.
..
WPJB
1420
1:00 p.m.
SO U TH CAROLINAColumh.fa . . . . . . "' f' O~ l <no
8:110 p.m.
Florence
' VTMX
970
U:38 p.m.
··
· · · ·· ·
' '
Orangeburg ... WDIX 1460
check sta.
Sumter . .. .. .. . WSSC 1!48
S:4!\ R m .
SO U TH DAKOTAt:t5 p.m.
Ahenleen . . . . . .. KSDN
930
1:08 p.m.
Huron . . . . . . . . . . KJJV 1340
TENN
ESS
EE8:00a.m.
Chattanooga
WAPA 11M
8:fl0 a.m.
8:00 a.m.
Jar l<snn
WT.TS 1390
8 :00 a.m.
All 1'lmes
1 :oe
1:00
1:00
2:80
1:00
10:10
9:00
6:88
t:SO
2:00 p.m.
WETH
John son City
l( nox ville .... . . WBIII
~lt'mphis
... .
M onl•town
Na'h r ille
TE X ASA lJile ue . . ... . . .
,.\ IIIHrillu
Willi(/
WCHI<i
W S IX
1\ HHC
h F ilA
A tH;ll ll
1\:\0 W
Reau nw nt
li.FH'l
791
1~40
660
141>0
9~0
14 70
1110
14 !10
6 lo p. m.
I ~o p.m..
9 SO p.m.
9 00 p.m.
4 00 p.m.
I :00 p.m.
I :00 p.m.
2:00 p. m..
a(;o
1 :ne p. m.
1·190
B r o w u r' iPid
llruwnwoo d
·n ··p n"' ( ' 1• l"i!i0-1"1
K TFY
K BWD
1nno
1 3~ 0
I :00 p. m.
4 :30 p.m.
6:SO p.m.
h' 1:- , . '-'
J-l l ' l
1' • ~~ o :1 . 'll
E l l'a ' o
KE 1'0
\\'HAP
Ki'IWA
6 !10
S:OO p.m.
5711
1: 08
4:80
8:00
1:00
Big Spri ug . . . . . K BST
f
Ft
Wurth
(; r aham
ll ou•tou
.......
. ....
.......
l. on ~rY ie w
' ' 1hllO<' k
. . •.. . .
KXYZ
KFRO
l ( FYO
tnnn
1R20
1870
790
560
1230
1490
·1 : ~ 0
p . m.
p.m.
a.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.lll.
p.m.
p.m.
1:~8
Midland
. . . . . . KCRS
1:00
Nacogdoches . . . KOSF
1:00 p.m.
4:00
P a ris . . . . . . . . . . KPLT
1:00 p.m.
Quanah . . . . . . . . KOLJ ur.o 12:45
9:~0 a . m.
1:00
960
San Angelo .... KGJ{I,
2:00 p.m .
1:00
T exarka na
KCltJC 1280
1!!:00 p.m.
2 :01
H!lO
Wichita l~an s . . KFDX
1:00 p.m.
UTAH1:00 p.m.
3:80p.m.
Provo . . ...... . KCSU 1490
1:00 p.m.
7:30 a.lll.
KUTA
670
Salt Lake City
VER M ONT1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
Brattle
boro
WTSA
1450
1:61 p •••
1:00 p.m.
Burling t on . . . . . WJOY 12RO
8:80 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
Montpelie r-Barre WSKI 1240
1:08 p.m.
VIRGINAFredericksburg WFVA 12no 12:~0 p .m .
1 :tO p.m.
p.m.
t:et p.m. Marlow . . . . . . . WWMGEHV 11 ~11 00 2:"0
6:~n p.m .
Norfork . . . . . . . .
o
t:~n p.m.
Richmond
WRNL
910
5:00p. m .
1:08 p.m.
S011th Ro•ton
WHLF 1400
1:00 p.m.
WASHINGTON1:00 p.m.
Aberdeen .. . . .. KBKW 1450
9:no p.m.
o . • -:; "' ll1
9:00 a.m.
1u nrw
""q
0 •.,~,,
1!:18 p.m.
Pasco
KPKW 1148
S:~l p.m.
8:H a.m.
i'ie•t•t!e
KVI
;'o !' • ~Hl n m
S : ~O p . m
I'IJ>ok •t>•P.
Kfl.A 1!;10
1:00 p.m.
WASHINGTON, D.C.1:00 P·•·
W1\f A L
GR'O 1 : 00 p.m.
l:n~ p.m.
WEST VIRGINIA!:00
1:30 p.m.
t:30 a.m.
Beckley
WW N U
6!!0
8:00 a.m.
!:60 p.m.
Huntington
WHTN
800
Parke r sburg ( Sa t l
6:!10 p.m.
1:10 p.m.
WCOltl ~:~g
1:00 p.m.
7 :~o ,1 •·•.
Wheeling
WKWK
S:SO p.m.
WISCONSIN5:80 p.m.
!I: ~o n ""
Green Bay ... . WDUZ 1400
680 10:00 p.m.
1:!11 p.-.
LaCroase . . ... . WKTY
8:00 a.m.
WIBA 1880
Madison
2· 0n p.m.
t:OO p.m.
Jlfilwa11kee . .. . Wf'A'IT 1~'·0
8:00 a.m.
7:80 a.m.
Neenah .... . . . WNAM 1280
9:80 8.111.
WSAU HOO
!:00
Wasau
8:00p.m.
WYO MIN G9:08 a.m.
Casper . . . . . . . . . KSPR 1470
9:16
6:08 p.m.
Cheyenne
KFBC
710 12:00 p.m.
Cody . .. .. .. .. . KODJ 1400 12:00 p.m.
t:OO p.m.
J,aramle . . . . . . KOWB 1340 12:00 p.m.
Rawlins .... .... KRAL 1240 1!:00 p.m.
p.m.
•·M ., .., Riverton . . . . . . KWRJ, 1450 12:00
to·•t a.m.
T orrington . . . . . KGOS 1490 12:00 p. m.
.o
'
Worland
KWOR 1490 12:00 p.m.
7:60
ALAS K A1:00 ••m.
KABI
9:00 a.m.
680
Ketchikan
10:38 a.m.
CANADA9:1 5 a .m.
fi:OO a...
Toronto, Ont..
CKEY
580
6:00 p.m.
Winn ipeg, JTan.
CKY
580
1:00 p.m.
BERM U DA1 : ~0 p.m .
1:00 Jl.m.
' '""' ' '" '" "
"'"'" '
Are Sunday TTnl es. Oth erwise Tn nt~at Ptl.
12 :SO p.m.
P·•·
P·•·
P·•·
a.•.
WHY NOT A SUPPLEMENT TO THE BIBLE?
Page 6
d work Abraham Lincoln
il~~Yel~~rn.\~~1 at:ea!o~~t~r~:?h;o~avior of the world isldcomt
r
'
h th' B k· but for this Book we cou no
munica~ed throug
lS o_Xll· the things desirable to man are
know nght from wrong.
. .
s · e by
contained in it" (3000 Illustrations for Chnst1an erv1c •
Walter B. Knight, p. 57).
Bible scholar has said, "The more the Scriptures . are
the more one is convinc.ed that they are self~~:~a~~~~
and absolutely complete-r~vealmg 1a :.~rf(l~i l~o~t t the ~ible,
and having neither superflmty nor ac
by Sidney Collett, p. 51).
stud~d,
I think that we will all agree the best way to show w~eth~~
the Bible is sufficient or not is to ptuttit .~o ·sva;~~~~i!:~. s.if it
it meets the r equirements of these es s 1 l
•
does not, it is insufficient.
begin with is the Bible a sufficient guide as to how to
Christi~n-to be saved from past sins? B~fore we
~i~c~~~e aanswer, let us put forth a few simple que:twn~. t~!
ou wanted to know what to do to become a mem e; o
.
Lon's Club where would you go to find th~ answe~ · Or 1f
· h d to know the procedure to follow m applymg for a
~~~e~1 ~ 0~ some new invention, w~ere would ~~u go? ~:!u~~~i~
u would go to the rules regulatmg these t mgs.
fso the only b.oo~ that tells t~e o~~ i;~~-:PJ~l~v~doo~aih~: ~e~;;
.,
T
°
~~: g~~~a;~;~~~~n,~a;ef~r ~~k~~g
Christi.ans for ll;ll time. ;vhat
d' d the first who became Christians do m bec?mmg sucfh · In
1
h t
of Acts we have the fulfillm ent o many
the s.econdmacd:Pb eyr God All of these might be summed up in
prom1ses
the 0 ening of the· Kingdom of Go d amon g men · On hear~::the woids that Peter spoke as the Spirit gave him ~~era~c~
the Israelites were convincedd tdhaLtotrhde oJf eGsulos rywho~siri~g t~e
T d
now the ascen e
·
I.
~~~i~vyn~~~:~~e~=~~:~~r:thj:?~~si~~~~~\tJ:~~~J~:~ii~ ~~~
breth;,e~~s;~~~d
~rui~e
~d Y~
~~all
thedHo11Ydfyhr~:::iv~ct~h!: 3!~rd .;::e
"Repent and be ba ptized every one of you
name of J esus Ch;ist for the remission of sins,
receive the gift of
company of three thousan g a
• th
b t' d and were added by the Lord to the church when ey
ap Ize • d
41-47 We know these people were saved
fo~.r~h~av~o;dv~:~e: they 'were. People can beco~e Christi!l'ns
today by doing the same things that these Je.;s did. c~h~ ~1~1:
is sufficient in t elling us what to do to. ecome
ns 1a :
We become Christians by doing just wh:~t 1t says. An~. sub:~l­
tute for or change of the Lords plan 1s but to ques wn
e
sufficiency of His word.
Having bec.ome a Christian according. t.~ the .Lord's pl~n ,
'll want to know that we are worsh1ppmg h1m correct y.
~=t :~ se A if the Bible can sufficiently inform us as to t~e worship that God will acce pt. We are to look for the worsh1p that
WHY NOT A SUPPLEMENT TO THE BIBLE?
Page 7
will please God. God is the one we want to a dore and we want
our worship to be what he has commanded, knowing that it will
'please Him. Jesus Eaid to thostJ of u s who want to be true worshipers of God that we "must worship him in Spirit and in
truth." (John 4: 24.) Worship "in spirit"--in sincerity, and "in
truth" -- as the truth or word of God directs. F'ollowing this
-principle, let \ls notice what the apostles and the early Christians did as worship. Their worship was pleasing to God and
Will be an all-sufficient guide for us to follow for Christ said
the Spirit would guide them into "all truth."
All who are genuinely converted to the Lord know the need
'f or constant communion with Him by prayer. Therefore we are
told to "pray without ceasing;" the Jerusalem Christians "continu ed stedfastly in . . . prayer." Then we can be sure that
:prayer to God in the name of Christ will be acceptable.
The early Christians were thankful that they were liberated from the bondage of sin, and they wanted to help in
carrying the gospel to others. When the Lord gave them
instructions about giving of their means to his work, they were
ready to obey. Through the apostles, the Lord said, ''Upon the
first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as
God hath prospered him." (I Cor. 16: 2.) F'rom the divine instructions given in the New Testament we learn that Christians
should give as they are prospered, and this should be done upon the Lord's day when they assemble to worship. When we
follow the Lord's word the church will have sufficient funds
to carry on its work, and our giving will be an acceptable act
of worship to God.
In reading the will of Christ we learn that early Christians
'praised God through singing. This they did because the Lord
said. "Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord" (Eph. 5:19). When we come into the Lord's house to
praise Him we should "offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
(Heb. 13:15.) We are prompted by faith when we offer to God
vocal music for this is the kind he directs us to offer Him.
The Bible is sufficient then, to direct us in this part of our
worship.
But let us see if the Bible is sufficient to direct us in partaking of the Lord's supper. Paul said, "the Lord Jesus the same
night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had
given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
Which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me. After the
same manner also he took the cup, when he supped, saying, This
cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ye, as oft as ye
drink it, in remembrance of me." (I Cor. 11!:23-25 .) The Son of
God instructs us to partake of the Lord's supper in his memory,
and Luke tells us when this was done. He said, "And upon the
first day of the week, when the disciples came together to
break bread, Paul preached unto them." (Acts 20:7.) The Bible
is sufficient to guide us in partaking of the Lord's supper.
In studying the question of acceptable worship we learn
that the early Christians "continued stedfastly in the apostles
doctrine." (Acts 2: 42.) Thls statement is significant for it dem-
c,vuLEGli
Page 8
nh~~NT TO THE BIBLE?
onstrate s that they knew the apostles were guided into "all
truth." When they came to worship upon the first day of the
week they listen ed to, and studied the apostles ' teaching. That
was sufficient th en, and it is sufficient today. L et us remember
that we have t he apostles' do ctrine in the Bible .
But let us put the Bible to another test. Is it sufficent to
guide u s in Christian living? The a postle Peter said that God
"hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowl edge of him that hath called us to
glory an d virtue." (2 Pet. 1: 3.) Since .the Lord has given us
everything that pertains to life and godliness in the Bible, it
needs no supplement! It is as up-to-date a s the morning newspaper, because it establishes broad principles of conduct. For
example, it does not in so many words condemn shooting dice,
but it establishes the prin ciple against gamblin g, whether the
gambling is done by delinquent boys in the alley or in the finest
house in t own with dice or cards, or at a race track controlled
by a movie star . The Bible does not specifically command obs er van ce of traffic laws, but. it. do es teach, "LAt. every person
be subject to the governing a uthorities." (Rom. 13: 1.)
The changing patterns of life fa ll into place with the principles taught in the Bible. Jesus said, "whatever ye wish that
m en would unto you, do so to them; for this is the law and the
prophets." (iVIatt. 7: 12.) Again, "For the w hole law is fulfilled
in one word, 'you shall love your ne ighbor as yourself.'" (Gal.
5: 14.) These principles fit into a ny social order in any century
and any country.
·
But let us test the all-sufficiency of the Bible in another
respect. Is it sufficient in time of tribulation and calamity?
Once a Sulton of Turkey ba d e his Grand Vizier to compile the
briefest possible history of the human r ace. The Vizier's history
history rea d, "They w ere bor n; they suffered; they died." In,
the Old T e stament Job said, "Man that is born of woman is of
few days, and full of trouble." (Job 14:1.) But in the midst of
our troubles, David reassures the righteous man when he says,
"God is our refuge and strenth, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea."
(Psa. 46:1-2.) In the New T estament Paul said, "But I would not
have you to be ignora nt, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if ye believe that J esus died and rose again, even so them
also which slee p in Jesus shall God bring with him ... Wherefore
comfort one another with these words." (I Thess. 4: 13,14,,18.)
The Bible is sufficient to meet every problem of life, and
we might well say with Sir Walter Scott of this Book,
"Within this awful volume lies
The mystery of mysteries:
Happiest he of human race
To whom God has given grace.
To read, to fear, to hope, to pray,
To lift the latch, and learn the way;
And better had he ne'er been born
Who reads to doubt, or reads to scorn."
:•