One day, in a very brief conversation, my grandson asked me a question.
I did not get to talk with him much, so later I felt really inspired to
write some things which were upon my heart, that his question had
prompted. Of course I have gone into more detail than he would have had
to know, but felt it was good to stir up thoughts of what he did know.
After I gave it to him to read, I remarked that I might print it some
day and hoped that it would be a help to someone else. He returned it to
me and I am sending it forth with a prayer that these Bible truths will
be a help to some soul.
At this writing, I am 64 years of age and I feel I am living on borrowed
time. In 1973, it seemed that the Lord was going to take me, but He
healed me and I am doing all I can for the Lord. I recommend the Lord to
every soul. He has been precious to me down through my life, with many
blessings in the times of trouble and heartache.
--Sis. A. Marie Miles May, 1978
*The Key to Peace*
_God's Word is the key to satisfy
The heart's inner longings_.
Dear Grandson:
You asked a valid question when you asked, "How do we know what is right
and what is wrong?" I told you that we find the answer in the Bible as
to what is right and what is wrong.
You then said, "But the Bible is a big book. Where can you find where it
says a certain thing is right or wrong?" Again, that is a very valid
question. I know that the Bible is a big book. I trust that the
following will help you.
First, I want to say that I deeply appreciate the fact that you are
interested in knowing what is wrong and right, and knowing upon what
basis to place your own personal understanding. This will help you find
the key to peace in your soul. Each of us is individually responsible to
God. The Bible says, "For there is no respect of persons with God." Rom.
2:11. "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ according to my gospel." Rom. 2:16. "Who [or God] will render to
every man according to his deeds." Rom. 2:6. You can see we must know
how to live in this world, according to the plan of God, to be cleared
before the great Judge in that last day, when all men shall stand before
Him.
When I first opened my Bible to type the above Scriptures I saw this
Scripture that I had underlined in my Bible, which at one time impressed
me greatly. I feel that it must be for you too, as the Psalmist had a
desire like yours, so in his prayer he said, "Teach me, O Lord, the way
of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me
understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my
whole heart." Psalms 119:33,34. Then I always liked the verse above
these verses, which I also have marked, and have quoted many times to
others. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee." (verse 11). So we do need to desire to know what is right and
what is wrong, seek after understanding, and it will be given to us.
After we know and understand, we want to remember to obey God's Word.
There is no book like the Bible. When I speak of the Bible I definitely
refer to the King James Version. Today, there are many versions of the
Bible, and the devil is using this to confuse people, and cause them to
lose faith in God's Word. I personally can say, that I have searched out
the King James Version of the Bible, have obeyed it, and I have found a
deep, sweet peace in my soul. By obeying it, I found contact with God
which makes me know it is true. Your great-grandfather (Fred Pruitt)
preached from it, lived by it, and saw many others saved from their
sins, who lived and died by it, with victory over sin and the devil. Oh,
yes, it does bring joy to a person and fulfills that deep longing in
every person for peace and satisfaction in this life!
In studying the Bible, we find a Unity of Thought which makes us know
that One Mind inspired the writing and arrangement of all the books.
Truly it is THE WORD OF GOD! It is different from any other book in the
world. It is a divine book and not just a human book. We reject, with
abhorrence, that it is like other books. The Bible is an account of
God's efforts to reveal Himself to mankind. It is a record of His
dealings with man and His revealed will concerning him. The Bible is for
instruction and guidance in all the ways of life. From all the facts
that the Apostle Paul gathered he said, "All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Tim. 3:16. Thus we
find it to be true.
The special messengers of God, by whom the Bible has been written, were
given the power of performing miracles, by which their inspiration was
attested and their messages made authoritative; but the "more sure word
of PROPHECY" (2nd Peter 1:19) furnished the greatest external proof of
its inspiration. To this, more than to anything else, Christ and the
apostles made their constant appeal. Matthew, narrating the deeds of the
Saviour, gives us the standing phrase, "that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophets" while Peter affirms, in words unmistakable,
that the "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
II Peter 1:21.
Christ is the center and heart of the whole Bible. The Old Bible or
Testament is an account of a Nation. The New Testament is an account of
a Man, who is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament foretold Christ's coming
and founded and nurtured a nation by God to bring Christ into the world.
There is no book like the Bible.
The poet has said,
"O precious Bible! burning words from heaven,
We'll ever cherish thee in our heart,
Sweet is the counsel by thy pages given'
On life's dark ocean, our only chart.
O precious volume! only in thy pages
We read the duty of all our race;
Only thy sunbeams, shining through the ages,
Reveal the wonders of saving grace."
Oh, my grandson, it is a glorious thing to understand what God requires
of us and to live by it! To accept Christ as our Saviour, Lord, and
Master, to strive sincerely and devotedly to follow in the path that He
has mapped out for us in this life, is the most wonderful, the most
reasonable, and the most satisfactory way to live. It means peace in our
hearts, peace of mind, contentment, happiness, hope, and an assurance of
a life beyond the grave that shall never end. What a glorious plan God
has made for all who will love and serve Him with all of their hearts!
Oh, how sad to see so many go through life and face death without a hope
of living in heaven with God forever in the end of time! How can anyone
be so ignorant or be filled with such a lack of wisdom! It is beyond me.
We all have to die, which is a proven fact. What then! Why try to get
around it? It seems that every person should open his heart and mind to
the Word of God and accept Christ with an open mind and consider it the
greatest privilege in this world to live for Christ, the Creator of all
mankind. We should be like Job of old who said, "I have esteemed the
words of his mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12.
Many times we read in the New Testament that "it came to pass." The
prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled. Read the 53rd chapter of
Isaiah and he describes Christ's crucifixion and atonement work with
such accuracy of detail that the inspiration of the prophet is assured.
He wrote this 712 years before Christ was born. He only had from the
prophets before him the fact that God had told them that God was going
to send a Messiah. So only God could inspire Him to write in such detail
about his sufferings and death. Oh, there are so many proofs that the
Bible is true! Jesus spoke about the Old Testament, "For had ye
believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye
*believe not* his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" John 5:46,
47. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. He wrote things that
were told to him from the beginning. It all harmonizes with the rest of
the Bible. The early people were careful to keep accounts and told them
to their children. They were written when writing was available (or
began).
What Is Sin?
When I was a child and teen-ager, I was taught by my parents what the
Bible said was right and what was wrong. Many other doctrines in the
Bible were taught to me. I read them in the Bible, believed them, lived
by them, and was blessed in my soul and life. There came a time in my
life that I began to desire for God to teach me personally what was
right and what was wrong. I never doubted that the Bible was true but I
wanted to say that I believe this or that because God's Word says so. I
began to search things out in the Bible. I believe God wants each of us
to have this firm foundation to stand upon. So my dear grandson, you are
not different from your grandmother. When I finished my search I was
glad that I could say I believed this or that because it says in the
Bible thus and so. I didn't believe it because someone else said it, but
because God had said it. This is the way I want you to know it.
There is one thing that I had when I began my search, that was the Holy
Spirit as my teacher. The Bible tells us definitely that "the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." I Cor. 2:14. Since the Bible was written by
"holy men of God" who "spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" and
it is not "of any private interpretation," then we need to have the Holy
Spirit to reveal, or help us to understand all of the Word of God. (II
Peter 1:20,21). Yet there are a lot of the basics that we can know. I do
hope that you will understand what I write to you by the help of the
Holy Spirit.
First, let us know what sin is. In other words that would be what is
wrong. When we find out what is wrong then we can know what is right.
Sin means "Willfully breaking religious or moral law." (Web. Dic.) The
Bible also gives us the definition of sin. In I John 3:4 it says,
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth [or breaks] the law [of God];
for sin is the transgression [or disobedience] of the [God's] law." Then
in James 4:17 we read, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and
doeth it not, to him it is sin." We see that sin is either a direct
disobedience of God's Word or a willful failure to live by its
requirements. It is a serious thing to disobey God's law because it
involves the destiny or end of our soul. It means living in either
eternal torment or eternal bliss. To commit sin is a terrible thing and
a very serious thing. That is the reason we need to search the
Scriptures to find out how to live pleasing to the Lord in this world.
We can't do this within ourselves. God had a plan for us by sending
Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our salvation, so through Christ we
can live right.
If sin is disobeying God's Word then we must find out what it says in
the Word of God so we can live up to it. First we want to find out why
we sin, and then get rid of the cause.
You, of course, know what the Bible tells us about Adam and Eve in the
beginning and how they obeyed the devil who talked to them through the
serpent. He got Eve to disobey the only commandment that God had given
them. She ate of the fruit, which was forbidden, and gave to Adam and he
did eat. (Gen. 3rd chapter). They no longer could talk to God as before,
but hid themselves. Sin separates us from God. God called to them and
said, "Where art thou?" They said, "We hid ourselves because we were
naked." God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the
tree whereof I commanded you not to eat?" Of course, we realize that
because of sin, they knew they were naked. Before they had sinned, they
didn't think anything about their nakedness. But after they sinned they
made themselves clothes of fig leaves. No doubt they thought quickly of
something or they would have chosen something more substantial than
leaves. The leaves would soon dry and crack, but they were so ashamed of
their nakedness because of their sin. Not only did they need a covering
for their bodies but they also needed a covering for their souls. God
can't look upon sin with any pleasure. Sin will cause us to be cast out
of His presence. But oh, the Lord is so very merciful and He told Adam
and Eve that He had a plan for them, so their sins could be covered as
well as their bodies.
In Genesis 3:15 we read that God promised a Saviour. God spoke to the
devil, who had spoken through the serpent, and said, "I will put enmity
[or warfare] between thee [the devil] and the woman, and between thy
seed [Satan and his servants] and her seed [Christ and His followers];
it [Christ] shall bruise thy head [Jesus broke or crushed Satan's
power], and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his heel." In other words we find
a promise in this Scripture of Jesus being born. Jesus was the seed of
the woman. In Luke 1:31-35 we read how the angel told Mary that she
would have a child even though she was a virgin. God would be the father
of this child. The angel said, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
... that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God." Through Christ, sin could be conquered because He was the Son
of God, and not from the seed of man, yet He was called the Son of man
because He took upon Him flesh or the nature of man.
The seed of Satan are those who have yielded themselves to him and are
his servants. Jesus said to some who opposed Him, "Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." John 8:44. So we
note that the warfare would be between the seed of Satan and his
servants and the seed of the woman, or Jesus Christ and His followers.
Now who will conquer? God said that "her seed, it shall bruise thy
head." Jesus Christ would crush or break the power of Satan over mankind
and men would be able to become sons of God. Isa. 53:5 tells us that
Jesus "was bruised for our iniquities [or sins]." Praise God for Jesus
who conquered the enemy of our soul!
We have established the fact that sin displeases God. He punished Adam
and Eve and put them out of the garden, yet He gave them a promise of a
Saviour to come. It was over 4000 years before Jesus came. During this
time they offered a Lamb, which was a type of Jesus, as a sacrifice for
their sins. Today Jesus is our Saviour.
Let us note that in the 21st verse in Gen. 3, God killed an animal and
made Adam and Eve "coats of skin" to wear. It says that God "clothed
them." _Clothed_ means "to cover." Here we find that it is a command for
us to wear clothing. Paul in the New Testament tells us to dress in
modest apparel. (I Tim. 2:9). In other words we are to be clothed. It is
still a sin to go without decent clothing today as it was in the Garden
of Eden.
Now one thing that God showed me in my search, was that because Adam and
Eve sinned, that sin passed down upon all the human race. Adam was
created holy and pure but when he sinned, he lost that purity. When he
had a son, the Bible tells us that his son was "after his [Adam's]
image" or had the principle of sin within him. (Gen. 5:3). The Apostle
Paul tells us "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death [spiritual death] by sin; and so death [or spiritual separation
from God] passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.
We see that every child who is born has that sin principle within him.
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive
me." Psa. 51:5. Then we read in the Bible in another place where it
says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as
they be born, speaking lies." Psa. 58:3. Thus the Bible explains that
children are born with a bent, or inclination, toward sin, but if they
die without first coming to a knowledge of sin, they are saved through
Jesus' blood. There comes a time in a child's life when he knows he has
sinned. He understands it and then he is responsible. The Apostle Paul
says, "sin is not imputed [or charged or ascribed] when there is no law
[or understanding]." Romans 5:13.
Now you have come to the time in life when you are responsible. You know
what sin is. I remember when I realized that I had sinned. I had a big
imagination but the time came when I knew the difference between
imagining things and telling lies. The Bible says that "all liars shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Rev.
21:8. So telling lies is wrong and is a sin, as well as many other
things that we will mention later.