The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 3

I have some additional thoughts that I wish to impart respecting the inspiration of the Scriptures. Today, I would like to drive home the fact that the Holy Scriptures are not limited to the original languages in which they were first written. Note this fascinating passage:

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is made manifest and made known “by the scriptures of the prophets.” If we had no scriptures of the prophets, we would have no gospel.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

The gospel was promised by God’s prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Without these Holy Scriptures, how we know we had the gospel? It is by these scriptures of the prophets that the gospel is preached. The very gospel or glad tidings is that the promise God made to the fathers has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Paul pointed this out in his sermon in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia.

Acts 13:32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Notice that Paul cites the promise made unto the fathers by quoting the “scriptures of the prophets.” Here is an example of the gospel being made known “by the scriptures of the prophets.” It is by comparing the scriptures of the prophets to the life and work of the Lord Jesus Christ that the gospel is preached. One sees this again and again in the gospel sermons recorded in the book of Acts.

Now the fascinating thing that I want to point out to you from Romans 16:25-26, is that this gospel that is made known by the scriptures of the prophets is “made known to all nations.” Now the only way this can happen is if those scriptures of the prophets are translated into the languages of those nations. This argues that other nations of other languages can, and indeed do, have the scriptures of the prophets. Otherwise, how could the gospel, which is preached by the scriptures of the prophets. be made known to them? The scriptures of the prophets are not limited to the language in which they were originally written. They can be translated and still be the scriptures of the prophets. If they are not the scriptures of the prophets, then the gospel can not be made known by them. And observe that this has happened according to the commandment of the everlasting God. It is the express commandment of God that His word be translated into other languages rather than being kept confined to the original languages in which it was first recorded.

That the same word of God can be communicated in different languages was proved on the day of Pentecost by the gift of tongues (Acts 2:4-11). Every man present that day heard the same message proclaimed “in his own language.” Now we no longer have this special gift of tongues as they did then. But this incident proves that the pure words of God can be communicated in different languages. God the Holy Spirit is not limited to any language in giving forth the word of God. He was involved in the original giving of the words of God by the prophets in the language in which they wrote. And He is involved in the translation of those words of God. So when you read the Old Testament in the A.V. 1611, you are reading the very scriptures of the prophets by which the gospel is made known. You do not need to resort to the original languages to have the scriptures of the prophets. You can know what David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets wrote just by reading your English Bible. And seeing those prophecies fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, you behold the glad tidings, the very gospel of God. Blessed be His holy name! God willing, we shall have more to say about this next time.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 2

This week I continue to present edited excerpts of my response to the pastor who had questions regarding the inspiration of the A.V. 1611. Having called the A.V. “God’s purified, inspired word for an English-speaking world,” I wrote:

And that brings me to this point: God Himself tells us that His words go through a purification process.

Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Observe that this passage connects the purification process with the preservation of God’s words. There is a reason for this process. You see, even when the New Testament was in the process of being delivered, the word of God was already being corrupted.

2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

According to this verse there was a lot of corrupting going on since many were doing it. Since corruptions manage to get into the text of God’s word, a purification process is necessary to get them out. And Psalm 12:6-7 clearly teaches God uses more than one purification in the process. This could explain the several English translations leading up to the A.V. To be sure, God could do the purifying all at once. But that is not how He has chosen to do it. You will have to ask Him why this is the case. I just accept what He said about it. And for the reasons I have already cited, I accept the A.V. 1611 as the seven-times purified words of God.

Now the question arises as to what English-speaking Christians had before they had the A.V.? This question is really akin to the question: What do Christians, who do not speak English, do for a Bible? For example, I have a copy of Luther’s translation of the Bible in German, which I have read with the exception of the Apocrypha inserted between the testaments. It is written in the old German Buchstabe. I can attest that it does not measure up to the A.V. is all respects. In fact, I once had a correspondence with a German preacher regarding the subject of divine sovereignty. One of my main proof texts in the English, Psalm 76:10, is so off in Luther’s German Bible that I could not use it to prove my point. To make my point, I simply translated the verse from the A.V. into German and left it to God to do with it what He would believing that I was giving this man the word of God in German. I have looked at other German translations and they do not even measure up to Luther. So what are Germans to do? The same could be said for many other languages. My take on it is that when the German Bible says the same thing in German as the A.V., then that much of it is God’s pure word and God can use it. I find it interesting that God did not use Germany as He used England in spreading the gospel throughout this earth. Could that have something to do with the respective Bibles of those countries?

While addressing this question of the English-speaking Christians before the advent of the A.V., let me pose another question. Both questions will be answered in my reply. The afore-mentioned preacher, who was contending for the Geneva, asked me this: If the Geneva Version was the word of God in English, then what about the prohibition to add to the word or to take away from the word (REV 22:18-19)? Did the A.V. add to or take away? Good question! First, one need not have the entire Bible in order to have the word of God. A single word from the mouth of God is as much His word as all the words He has spoken put together. For example, the patriarch Abraham most certainly had the word of God, even though he did not have the entire revelation of God as it stood complete after the ministry of the apostles of Jesus Christ. If all I had access to was the gospel of John, I would have the word of God and would be responsible for the knowledge I gain from that much of the divine revelation. Therefore, if I were to simply print one book of the Bible or a few verses of the Bible on a tract, I would still be giving out the word of God. I am giving out the word of God when I cite various passages in a sermon, but I am by no means quoting every single word God ever said. See my point? In other words, if only a portion of the word of God is given out, this does not mean that the word of God itself has necessarily been taken from or added to. Adding to or taking from refers to tampering with the pure text itself so as to make it say what one wants it to say. An example of the crime described in REV 22:18-19 would be the modern versions deleting the word firstborn from Matthew 1:25 or leaving 1John 5:7 out of the text. Secondly, the A.V. is the book that God has most abundantly used to produce the effect that He says His word produces, as I showed above. It is for this reason that I judge all versions against this one. I cannot base my judgments on a Bible I have never read. I do not know either Hebrew or Greek. To be able to read the Bible with clear understanding in those languages would require mammoth effort. Being a student of foreign languages, I know whereof I speak. Furthermore, I have never read where God requires me to know those languages in order to know His word. Believing the A.V. to be the pure words of God in English, I conclude that any version that says the same things that the A.V. says, has that much of the word of God in it. Insofar as the Geneva says what the A.V. says, it is God’s pure, inspired word. And God blesses His word and it accomplishes His purposes (Isaiah 55:11). It may well be that because the English-speaking believers were faithful to the stock of the divine revelation that they had, God gave them His complete revelation in a thoroughly purified form. Any portions that they did not have, God, who preserved them, could bring them forward to the translators just as the word of God was brought forward in Josiah’s day after it had been tucked away in the temple (2 Kings 22:8). The Scriptures teach that God gives increased knowledge to those who are faithful with the knowledge that they have (Matthew 13:12; Proverbs 1:5; 2:1-7).

For me the question is: What Bible has God given to me? I am not responsible to answer for what God has done or does with other people in other times and climes. That is His business. He can give them whatever He wants, as much as He wants, for as long as He wants, to accomplish what He wants. My calling is to follow Him and to do that I need His direction. For my part, I am satisfied that I have that direction in the A.V. 1611. I seek no more.

Finally, the entire issue revolves around whether there is an absolute, final authority to which appeal can be made and against which all others can be weighed. The A.V. unmistakably bears God’s seal as being that authority by virtue of the use God has made of it and its fruits. It bears the insignia that God Himself described in the Book that proves it to be the Book God wants us to have in our language. A faithful adherence to the A.V. will confirm this fact abundantly.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 1

I recently had some questions posed to me by a pastor who had some problems with ministers such as I myself, who say that the Authorized or King James Version of 1611 is an inspired translation of the word of God. I will not list what his issues were. Suffice it to say that some of them were addressed in my response. For today’s meditation, I am going to give you edited excerpts of my response to him in the hope that they may confirm your faith in the inspiration of the Bible you read and believe, the A.V. 1611. Following are the excerpts from my letter.

First of all, any position any man takes regarding the inspiration of the Scriptures, he takes based on a Bible he has in his hand. For example, men quote 2 Timothy 3:16 as proof that only the original autographs of Scripture were inspired. But notice. They take this position regarding a book they never saw and they never read based on a statement in a book they did see and read. But when I read the A.V. 1611 I note that its words on the page I am reading call themselves the Scriptures or the words of God. Therefore, I read them as just that, the Scriptures and the words of God. And when those Scriptures say of themselves that they are given by inspiration of God, I take them at face value. I read those very words on the page in English as given to me by inspiration of God. I receive the words on the pages of an A.V. 1611 as the very word of God, and not as the word of men about the word of God. These are not merely the words of the A.V. translators. They are the words of God. And receiving these words as they are in truth, the word of God, they work effectually in me and in those to whom I preach them when they also receive them that way (1Thessalonians 2:13). It all boils down to this: Do I have the inspired words of God in the A.V. 1611? If not, then what do I have? Is it only a translation of the inspired words? Does translation destroy inspiration? Because words are translated, do they cease to be the words of the speaker who spoke them? When Pilate’s writing was placed on the cross in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (John 19:20-22), were they not all equally his words?

As for the A.V. 1611 that I hold in my hand and read, I have found no provable error or contradiction in it. Wherever it can be verified historically and scientifically, I find that it is always telling me the truth. When I look at the history of its usage, I find that it bears the fruits of the word of God in glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14), in evangelism (Colossians 1:5-6), and in Christian growth (1 Peter 2:2). I find its verses effective in resisting Satan (Ephesians 6:17). The effects of the words of wisdom are clearly outlined in Proverbs 8:1-21. I see these effects flowing from the A.V. 1611. The Bible I read has, to my knowledge, never deceived me or let me down. I have absolutely no reason to doubt that it is the very words of God to me.

As for the so-called revisions of the A.V. 1611, I would refer you to an article written by David Reagan entitled KJV 1611 “The Myth of Early Revisions.” You can google that title and it will appear. I think Mr. Reagan fairly deals with this issue. An update in spelling or a correction of a typographical error is not the same as a revision or a new translation. Updating the spelling of the A.V. and correcting its typographical errors are quite a different process than the translators were engaged in when they originally put out the A.V. Updating spelling and correcting typos of an existing work are not translating that work.

You raise the issue of the Geneva Bible. I had this issue raised with me many years ago by a pastor in Louisiana who wanted to argue for the superiority of the Geneva Version. One of his objections to the A.V. 1611 was the usage of the word Easter in Acts 12:4. Apparently the Geneva Version he had used the word Passover. I have in my possession a valuable work entitled English Hexapla. It contains the following versions of the New Testament side by side: Wycliffe - 1380, Tyndale - 1534, Cranmer - 1539, Geneva – 1557, Rheims - 1582, Authorized – 1611. I am very blessed to have this gem in my library. I pointed out to him that the Geneva Version that I had also used the word Easter in Acts 12:4. That pretty well shot his argument.

Now let’s address the issue of the inspiration of the Scriptures. Here is the proof text:

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

First off, notice that Timothy had known the holy scriptures from a child, which argues that he had been exposed to them. Now it is obvious that whatever Timothy was exposed to, it had to have been copies. After all, he could not have read the original autograph of Moses’ law as that was put in the ark of the covenant and no one was allowed to even look into the ark (1 Samuel 6:19). Besides, Timothy’s father was a Greek (Acts 16:1). There is no way the Jews would have allowed any original autographs of their sacred writings to be in the home of a Greek. So Timothy obviously came to know the holy scriptures from copies. And, yet, notice! This is critical. Whatever Timothy had been exposed to and had come to know, was called in verse 15 the holy scriptures. Then in the very next verse Paul clearly states that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Would not all scripture include the holy scriptures that Timothy had? Obviously it would. Therefore, it follows that the holy scriptures that Timothy had access to were given by inspiration of God since all scripture is so given. From this we may conclude that the process of inspiration of the scriptures not only includes the writing of the original autographs by their authors, but also the transmission of those writings in copies. And considering the promise of Christ that His gospel would be published among all nations (Mark 13:10), this process includes translating as well. That word publish is interesting considering its modern usage. Might the Holy Spirit have been anticipating something?

In 1588 England defeated the Spanish armada and went on to become the major sea-power of the world. England set up colonies around the globe so that it was said: “The sun never sets on the British flag.” Then God gave His purified text in 1611. And where Britain went, the A.V. 1611 went. And following from these two events English has become the international language of this earth. The A.V. is God’s purified, inspired word for an English speaking world.

I will let this suffice for today. God willing, I will continue this in our next meditation.

Power in Unity, Part 2

In our last meditation we wrote about the power of unity as it pertains to persons working together such as families, churches, companies, athletic teams, armies, etc. Today I wish to apply this principle to individuals.

In order for us to perform effectively, we need to be united within ourselves. The following passage makes this point quite clear:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

True to form, let’s define a couple of key terms in this passage.

Waver – Of persons, their sentiments, etc.: To exhibit doubt or indecision; to change or vary; to fluctuate or vacillate (between); to falter in resolution or allegiance; to show signs of giving way.

Double-minded - Having two minds; undecided or wavering in mind.

The thoughts of a double-minded man bounce around from thing to thing. He lacks focus. He has trouble making up his mind and settling on a course of action. He is not united within himself. Instead of controlling his thoughts, he allows circumstances and impulses to toss his mind to and fro like the wind tosses a wave of the sea. His mind is always moving in first one direction and then in another. And having such a wavering mind, he is unstable in all his ways. Unstable things and people lack strength. They cannot be relied on. You see, there is power in unity. When one is not united within himself, he lacks personal power; he is unstable. And this instability effects all his ways, as James said.

In order to be effective in accomplishing a task, we need to be focused on that task. Distractions interfere with accomplishment. This brings us back to what I preached about last Sunday with respect to growing in knowledge. In order to acquire knowledge, we need to concentrate on what we are trying to learn. Note the definition of concentrate.

Concentrate – To bring to or towards a common centre; to collect or gather as at a centre; to cause to converge or meet at one point or place.

When we concentrate with our minds we cause our thoughts to focus on one thing. We are uniting our thoughts around one task. If we are concentrating when we pray to God, read the Bible, or listen to a sermon, we are focusing our mind on that activity alone and we are not allowing our thoughts to wander from it. We are not concentrating if we are distracted by noise, emotions, or impulses. Such distractions must be eliminated or at least ignored if we are to concentrate. The uniting of our thoughts gives us the power to accomplish the task before us. It is the power of unity in action.

Let me again give you a quote I cited once before in a meditation I did on listening. This quote comes from an article entitled Improving Your Memory: Tips and Techniques for Memory Enhancement. This article can be found by going to www.helpguide.org and typing in the title. Here’s the quote:

New information enters your brain along pathways between neurons in the appropriate area of the brain. The key to encoding information into your memory is concentration; unless you focus on information intently, it goes “in one ear and out the other.” This is why teachers are always nagging students to pay attention! If you’ve concentrated well enough to encode new information in your brain, the hippocampus sends a signal to store the information as long-term memory.

While a double-minded man is unstable, the man who is not double-minded is effective. An excellent example of such a man is found in the following passage:

1 Chronicles 12:33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.

These warriors from the tribe of Zebulun were expert at what they did. An army of expert soldiers is a powerful force to be reckoned with. And critical to their expertise was the fact that they were “not of double heart.” Their thoughts and intents were focused on the task at hand. Each warrior was united within himself and focused upon his task. And together they were all focused on the same objective. This is the power of unity.

So unity of heart is essential to being effective in performing any task. It gives us personal power for performance. But nowhere is this more essential than in the task of serving God. You cannot serve God effectively without being united within yourself. Your thoughts and intents must all be focused on one end and that is to become what God wants you to be and so to glorify Him in all things. This being so, we can better appreciate the following prayer found in the Psalms:

Psalms 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Was the apostle Paul a powerful man? Consider how powerfully his life and ministry impact us even to this day. But Paul was also a man unified within himself as his own testimony bears out:

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus..

“This one thing I do.” How is that for being focused? That is why Paul was so effective.

Once you make the decision to become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to remain focused on that alone. You need a united heart centered on that goal. Let everything else in your life be arranged around that single purpose. Let there be no looking back or being distracted from that aim. I close with the following passages:

Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Power in Unity, Part 1

I have just emerged from a six-week marathon, as I called it, of busyness. I am hoping that things will slow down now and I can return to my more normal activities, one of which is sending you these meditations.

I have been rereading the excellent work by Gail Riplinger entitled In Awe of Thy Word. I was impressed by the following comments she made regarding the power of unity. This quotation is found on pages 488-489 of her book:

The multiplying of languages by God at Babel was the result of sin. There is power in unity. God said, “they have all one language…and now nothing will be restrained from them” (Gen. 11:6). There is unity and power for good when we have one Bible and one final authority. The devil tries to dispel that power by creating numerous conflicting editions. The wicked speak with multiplied “mouths” (i.e. Jer. 44:25, Lam. 3:46. Dan. 6:22, Titus 1:11). The men (plural) of God speak with “one mouth” (singular) (Rom. 15:6). In I Kings 22:13 “the prophets declare…with one mouth.” Luke 1:70 says, “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets.” Acts 3:18 repeats, “the mouth of all his prophets.”

To this I will add Paul’s admonition, which Gail Riplinger also cited:

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

There is power in unity both for good and for evil. Matthew Henry made the following comment respecting the power in unity:

As in a bundle of rods, they may be of different lengths and different strength; but, when they are tied together by one bond, they are stronger than any, even than the thickest and strongest was of itself.

As I am sure all of you can attest, unity is essential to the effective operation of anything, whether it be a marriage, a family, a company, an athletic team, a kingdom, or an army. Have you ever tried to coach or manage a group of people that did not work together as a team? If you have, then you know what I am talking about. Our Lord Himself taught this principle.

Matthew 12:25 …Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

Even Satan’s kingdom understands and acts on the principle of power in unity. That is why Satan works overtime to bring division in a church. He knows that by this means he can weaken the church and thus more easily destroy it. Satan’s kingdom also manifests unity in its opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and His people.

Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Psalms 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

Under other circumstances, these various nations might have been warring against each other. But when it came to opposing God’s Israel, they displayed amazing unity. They united together so as to mount a more powerful campaign against God’s people. Thanks be to God, as in the case of the enterprise at Babel, God intervenes and blocks Satan’s efforts. Otherwise, this world would long since have become the unchallenged domain of Satan in which the cause of God could not survive.

This principle of power in unity explains why church members are constantly called to unity in the New Testament. I could cite numerous such exhortations. A church that is united in the truth of Christ with every member yielding to the single authority of the same Bible is a formidable force for good in this earth. A unified church is effective in prayer, has a bold witness with great power, and great grace is upon it, as the following example demonstrates:

Acts 4:23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Observe in this passage that Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were united together against the Lord’s Christ. Their attempt to destroy the Lord’s Christ failed miserably as God by the death of His Christ redeemed His elect and then God raised Him from the dead. And now the forces of evil were uniting against the followers of Christ. Peter and John had just been released from the Jewish court having been threatened and commanded not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus. Undaunted by the threat, Peter and John returned to the disciples, who joined together in one accord to call upon God to bless their witness. God so empowered this body of believers that the effect of their bold witness is felt to this good day. Yes, believers, there is power in unity. I shall have more to say about this in another meditation, God willing. I close today with the words of Paul to the Philippians. Observe that a unified church is powerful. It is “in nothing terrified.”

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.