Foundations of Faith
WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

Introduction

In this issue we begin a new series of articles on the nature and attributes of God. This will be followed in later issues by a discussion of the Trinity and some of the specific characteristics of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

What Color Is God?

I was having lunch in a restaurant with two other persons one day. One of these persons, noticing a number of African-Americans in the restaurant, asked, “Where did the black people come from? The Bible says that God made man in His image, and God isn’t black.” I replied, “You are absolutely right. God isn’t black. But God isn’t white either. `God is a Spirit’ according to John 4:24.”

What Sex (or Gender) is God?

Despite attempts by feminists to delete gender-specific references to God in the Bible (revising, for example, to “Our Mother and Father who art in heaven…”), the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts are clear in their designation of God as “He” and “Him” rather than “She” and “Her,” and as “Father” rather than “Mother.” God as a spirit being cannot physically be either male or female, but when “the Word [that is, the Son of God] was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), He came physically as a man, not a woman.

God clearly manifests male characteristics, such as “The Lord is a man [or male] of war” (Exod. l5:3). But He also reveals characteristics that are traditionally identified more with females than males, such as the qualities of meekness (Matt. 11:28), gentleness (Matt. 11:30; literally, “My yoke is gentle”), and compassion (Lam. 3:22; Mark 1:41; John 11:35). (See Assignment 20)

God created both men and women in His image (Gen. 1:27), and He is well able to identify with the problems of–and provide wonderful assistance to–both men and women equally.

Is God a Person?

Yes, God is a Person; He is a rational being with personality, intellect, emotion, and will. (Note that the word “person” does not necessarily imply having a human body.)

God thinks, chooses. “He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

God has a purpose and will. “Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself” (Eph. 1:5,9,11).

God loves, shows mercy. “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us…” (Eph. 2:4).

God has creative power. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16).

God speaks. “God … has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1,2).

God hears. “God heard their groaning” (Exod. 2:24). “They that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it” (Mal. 3:16).

Some Misconceptions of God

Impersonal Force. We read recently that a majority of people interviewed for an opinion survey expressed the belief that God is an impersonal force. If such people were really thinking, they might well wonder how this earth could be filled with personal beings while the ultimate Force behind all things is impersonal. Nevertheless, this is a very convenient way to view God if one is determined to “do his own thing.” An impersonal force is not liable to frown on our bad behavior. Far from being an impersonal force, the God of the Bible is personally interested in each one of us:”I have engraved you on the palms of My hands” (Isa. 49:16). “The very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:30).

Absent Creator. Our next door neighbor is a “deist.” He believes that God created the earth and set everything in motion according to natural laws, and then left it to run by itself without His intervention. The deist does not believe in miracles. I have an interesting book in my library entitled, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, compiled by the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, who was a deist. This book consists totally of texts from the four Gospels organized in chronological order, but systematically excluding all references to miracles. It is sad to read the final verse in the Jefferson Bible:”There laid they Jesus … and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed” (John 19:42; Matt. 27:60).

Failure. Some people’s image of God is that of One whom they once trusted, but who let them down. It may have been a tragedy in the family, a disappointment, an unrealized ambition, or an unanswered prayer; and now the person is unwilling to put his/her confidence in God any longer. (See Assignment 21)

Next month we shall discuss some of the divine attributes of God.

Running the Race
HE WOULD RATHER PLAY CHESS

Scene: A high school in Boston, Massachusetts.

Teacher: John, I just learned that your father is a university president.

John: Yes he is.

Teacher: I have read and heard a lot of good things about your father. Not only is he a brilliant scholar, but he is level-headed and full of wisdom and good ideas.

John: Yeah, I guess so.

Teacher: And not only that, I hear that your father has a beautiful personality; he is humble, friendly, and particularly kind and helpful to children and young people. You surely are fortunate to have such a wonderful father. I guess you must love to spend as much time with him as you can.

John: Well, actually, my thing is chess. My father doesn’t play chess. So I spend all of my spare time with the Chess Club here at school. I don’t see my father very much.

How tragic! John had daily access to one of the most intelligent, wise, and loving persons in the entire country, and he didn’t take advantage of the privilege that was his.

We who are Christians have even greater access to the most knowledgeable, most wise, most gracious, most loving, most powerful Person in the universe. This Person knows everything there is to know about you and me. He cares for us personally. He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, and He listens to us when we pray to Him. How much do you take advantage of such a privilege?

Assignment 20: Find and write out a verse near the end of Luke 13 that describes a female characteristic of the Lord Jesus.

Assignment 21: What verse or verses would you give to a person who feels that God has failed him or her? (Hint: try Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 4, and Hebrews 12 for some ideas.)

Foundations of Faith
HOW WAS THE BIBLE WRITTEN? or What Is the Meaning of “Divine Inspiration”?

Suppose you see a Christian friend of yours getting involved in some sinful and destructive activities. You are upset; you are concerned for your friend. What should you do? Your mind and emotions are whirling around with conflicting thoughts. One moment you are angrily telling him off (in your mind), and the next moment you are tempted to ignore the whole thing. But then you begin praying about it; and the more you pray, the more thoughts and words and scripture verses seem to pour into your mind. Then you put these thoughts and words and verses down on paper in a letter to your friend. In the letter you plainly but gently confront him and express your concern for him and promise to pray for him.

Scripture Was “God-Breathed”

The picture just painted is a crude and very incomplete illustration of how we believe the Bible was written. The verse, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” literally means, “Every Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). God did not write the Bible with His own hand; nor does it appear that He simply dictated the different parts of the Bible to scribes such as Moses, David, Isaiah, John, and Paul (except for those times when God spoke directly to His prophets and His exact words were written down, such as Jer. 1:4,5 and elsewhere). Rather, God carefully selected men who were devoted servants of His and prepared each one so that he had all of the education, knowledge, experience, holiness, and self-denial necessary to be used by God in “breathing out” His Word through their minds.

The apostle Matthew, no doubt, was capable of writing an account of his experiences during three years of living, learning, and walking as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the Lord used him, worked through him, to produce a gospel with a particular emphasis, addressed to a particular group of people, and that included just those events, incidents, speeches of Christ, and discussions between Christ and His disciples that met God’s purposes for the Gospel of Matthew.

In the genealogy of Christ given in Matthew 1, the apostle could easily have obtained the part from Abraham to Zorobabel from the Old Testament. But the Lord either had to show Matthew where he could find the genealogy from Zorobabel to Joseph, Mary’s husband, or else revealed this to Matthew as a special revelation. But there is a very special mark of “God-breathing” in the genealogy of Christ, namely the mention of four women, and only four, and indeed a very peculiar, unusual selection from all of the wives and mothers of the men in the genealogical succession. (See Assignment 16)

Distinctive Writing Styles

No doubt through seasons of prayer and communion with the Lord, God’s thoughts filled the minds of His servants so that the words they wrote were God’s words, but at the same time expressed in each one’s own unique writing style. There was a submission of the writer’s will to God’s will such that the words written were God’s own words and the writer’s own words at the same time.

We can usually distinguish between a letter or essay written by a fifth-grader and one written by a college graduate by means of the vocabulary used by each and the grammatical structure of their writings. Just so, Hebrew and Greek scholars can see distinct differences in the vocabulary, style, and polish of writing among the different authors of the books of the Bible.

The Divine Author

Let us see what the human writers of the Bible have to say as to the authorship of the Bible:

Moses said, “God spoke all these words” (Exod. 20:1).

David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was in my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2).

Jeremiah said that God told him, “Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth” (Jer. 1:9).

The apostle Peter said, “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus” (Acts 1:16; see also Acts 4:24,25; Heb. 3:7; 10:15,16 where the Holy Spirit is credited with authorship of Old Testament passages).

The apostle Paul said, “Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teach, but which the Holy Ghost teaches” (1 Cor. 2:13).

Verbal Inspiration

The following examples from Scripture show that it was not just the thoughts, ideas, and the truths that were divinely inspired, but the words themselves–and even the particular forms of the words–that were God-breathed:

1. In Matt. 22:41-46, the Lord based a crucial argument concerning His own deity on the word “Lord” as quoted from Psa. 110:1.

2. In Luke 20:37,38, the Lord Jesus gave an argument for the resurrection from the Old Testament. The argument was based on the fact that in Exod. 3:6, God said to Moses, “I am … the God of Abraham…” rather than “I was …”

3. In John 10:34, the Lord vindicated Himself from the charge of blasphemy by focusing on a single word in Psa. 82:6.

4. In Heb. 12:26,27 we find an important argument concerning future judgment based on the simple words quoted from Hag. 2:6, “Yet once more.” (See Assignment 17)

Taking Scripture Literally

Does all of this mean that we are to take all of Scripture totally, absolutely literally? The answer is basically, “YES,” but with some simple qualifications. Just as a factual story in the daily newspaper, or a scientific text book, or a biography may often contain metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and other figures of speech, so does the Bible. The Book of Psalms was written in poetry and is particularly rich in non-literal figures of speech used to express better the depth of feelings and emotions of the authors.

Let us look at a few examples of non-literal expressions in the Bible:

1. “The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I bear up the pillars of it” (Psa. 75:3).

2. “Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19).

3. “The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isa. 55:12; also Psa. 114:4,6).

4. “I am the Bread of life … the Door … the true Vine” (John 6:35; 10:9; 15:1). (See Assignment 18)

In addition to figures of speech, there is quite a bit of symbolism used in the Bible. The books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation are particularly noted for the use of symbols, such as creatures with four faces and four wings (Ezekiel 1), beasts with ten horns (Daniel 7), and locusts shaped like horses and with human faces (Revelation 9).

But in straightforward historical narratives, such as Genesis through Esther, the four Gospels, and the book of Acts, for the most part there is no reason to accept these narratives in any way but absolutely literally. If such a historical narrative speaks of the creation and fall of man, the parting of the Red Sea, the swallowing of Jonah by a great fish prepared by the Lord, the transformation of water into wine, or the resurrection of Christ, we accept these as literal declarations of the infinite power of the Creator-Author of the Bible.

Even when a non-literal figure of speech or symbol is employed, the teaching given in the passage is not to be discounted. Scripture tells us that those “not found written in the book of life” will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). Nobody knows whether this will be a literal fire with literal flames and intense heat, or if it is symbolic of the intensity of mental, emotional, and spiritual agony that will be experienced by unrepentant sinners. But either way, the message is powerful and clear, isn’t it!

Is the Bible Full of Inconsistencies?

What about the inconsistencies in the Bible? First of all, the Bible is not “full of inconsistencies” as so many unbelieving scoffers proclaim. Many apparent inconsistencies can be resolved by a more careful study of the text and context. Occasionally, inconsistencies have been traced to transcription errors when the ancient manuscripts were copied by hand (no Xerox machines or printing presses back then!). However, this kind of error is very uncommon, in spite of the many times the manuscripts were copied.

There remain a few problems for which there seems to be no obvious solution. In such cases we need to live with the problem until a satisfactory solution appears, as has frequently occurred in the past. Meanwhile, it is of paramount importance that we rest with utmost confidence and assurance upon the multitude of evidences (as presented in the previous four issues of Growing) that confirm the Bible as truly the Word of God, and not be shaken by the very small number of fine details in the Bible that are in apparent conflict.

In Conclusion

Finally, what should be the practical effect upon our lives of the things we have learned concerning the divine inspiration of the Scriptures? Clearly, our hearts and consciences should be stirred to read and understand as much as we possibly can of the Scriptures, for therein we have God’s revelation of Himself, His way of salvation, and His path for His children to follow. And as we grow in knowledge of the Word of God, let us allow the Word to change us and conform us to the image of God’s Son.

Running the Race
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE (V)

We conclude this series of articles with a list of suggestions for properly interpreting the Bible.

11. Try to determine whether the language of the text is literal or figurative. Sometimes the answer is found in the text itself (John 2:19-22; Rev. 1:12-20).

12. Determine the meanings of the words you are reading. An ordinary English dictionary is helpful, but even better are books that give the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words found in the original manuscripts. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament and Old Testament Words, and Strong’s and Young’s Concordances are particularly helpful. For those who are willing to learn the Hebrew and Greek alphabets, the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament with interlinear (that is, between the lines) English translation are valuable. All of our readers who are interested in serious Bible study are strongly encouraged to take courses in biblical Greek and Hebrew while in college or through college correspondence courses.

13. Always study a particular verse in the context of the entire chapter, and study a particular chapter in the context of the entire book. (See Assignment 19)

14. Compare Scripture with Scripture in order to arrive at its true meaning. There is a divine unity that runs throughout the Bible, so if one part of the Bible is difficult to understand, often another part of the Bible that is more easily understood will shed light on the first. When studying a particular biblical subject, it is most profitable to gather together, with the aid of a concordance, all of the passages bearing upon the subject and comparing them one with the other; by this one can arrive at the teaching of the whole of Scripture on the subject, or what is sometimes referred to as “the whole tenor of Scripture.”

15. It is often helpful to learn about the manners and customs of the people to whom the Bible was originally written. The Land and the Book by William Thompson and Manners and Customs of Bible Lands by Fred Wight are helpful books in this regard.

16. The use of reliable Bible commentaries can be very helpful in reaching an understanding of passages of scripture. However, it is profitable for the student of the Bible first of all to seek, through prayer and dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and with the aid only of concordances, Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible, and the like, to interpret the passage on his/her own. After that it is helpful to check out one’s own interpretation with that of a respected Bible commentary. If we become too dependent on the commentaries to teach us, we will miss many “gems” that the Holy Spirit has to give those who diligently apply themselves to the study of the Scriptures.

Assignment 16: (a) Name the four women mentioned in the genealogy in Matthew 1; (b) why do you think God wanted these particular women, and not others like Sarah and Rebekah, included in this presentation of the genealogy of Christ?

Assignment 17: Find a verse in Galatians 3 where an argument based on an Old Testament passage hinges on whether a particular word was singular or plural.

Assignment 18: Psalm 22, “a Psalm of David,” is often referred to as “a Messianic Psalm” because it clearly is prophetic of the Messiah–the Lord Jesus Christ. (a) Write down at least three non-literal figures of speech found in this psalm that serve to describe the intensity of Christ’s very real and literal sufferings on the cross. (b) “Hyperbole” is a figure of speech which exaggerates the truth in order to express one’s depth of feeling; can you find an expression in Psalm 22 that may have been an exaggeration as far as the personal experience of the author, David, was concerned, but was literally fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Assignment 19: In 1 Sam. 21:8 we find the expression, “The king’s business required haste.” This statement from Scripture is often taken out of context and used in urging individual believers or assemblies of believers to take some course of action. From the context, what seems to be David’s actual purpose and intent in making such a statement?

Foundations of Faith
THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES (IV)

8. The Bible is consistent with scientific findings. If the Bible were just another collection of ancient history and literature, we would expect to find in it many of the ancient world’s myths and superstitions concerning nature. But we don’t find this in the Bible. There is no mention of the ancient art of alchemy (the attempt to change ordinary metals into gold); no mention of the longstanding idea that all matter consisted of different proportions of four elements–earth, air, fire and water; no mention of the notion of spontaneous generation (for example, that maggots were produced from decaying meat, and mice from pieces of old bread and cheese). Rather, we find that many scientific discoveries and conclusions made within the past few centuries were already anticipated in the Scriptures thousands of years previously. This only confirms what the Bible states about itself, namely, that the greatest Scientist of all time–the Creator of the universe–is the author of the Bible.

Let us consider a few examples of the harmony of the Bible and modern science.

a. The sphericity of the earth. “It is He [God] who sits upon the circle of the earth” (Isa. 40:22; see also Prov. 8:27). Enemies of the Bible take verses that refer to “the four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:12; Ezek. 7:2) and claim, “The Bible teaches that the earth is flat.” However, in Rev. 7:1 the “four corners of the earth” are associated with “the four winds of the earth” (that is, N, S, E, and W), and obviously is a metaphor for the extremities or farthest reaches of the earth. The expression is used today in everyday speech, such as, “His reputation extends to the four corners of the earth.”

b. The number of the stars. “The host [that is, stars] of heaven cannot be numbered” (Jer. 33:22). As late as the 17th century, the great astronomer Johannes Kepler gave the number of stars in the sky to be 1,005, while a contemporary astronomer, Tycho Brahe, counted only 777. Today, it is estimated that there are 100 billion stars just in our own galaxy (the Milky Way), and that there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe.

c. The importance of blood. “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11).

d. The importance of a low cholesterol, low animal fat diet. “You shall eat no manner of fat of ox, or of sheep, or of goat…. And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar” (Lev. 7:22-34). Note:Only within the past 40 years or so has this become appreciated by health scientists.

e. Good public health measures:(1) washing after handling the carcass of an animal (Lev. 11:27,28); (2) quarantine of people with contagious diseases (Lev. 13:45,46); (3) washing and bathing if contaminated by an issue of blood, etc., from the human body (Lev. 15); (4) burying human waste (Deut. 23:13).

f. The importance of “safest sex”–that is, total sexual abstinence except within the marriage relationship (Exod. 20:14; 1 Cor. 6:18; etc.).

g. Description of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, namely, that the amount of available and useful energy is decreasing. Another way of expressing this law is that everything, left to itself, tends to run down and decay and deteriorate. “Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment” (Psa. 102:25,26).

h. Forces that scientists cannot explain but only describe (for example, the force of gravity and the so-called “strong force” that keeps positively-charged protons in the nucleus of an atom from repelling one another) can be explained by the truth of Scripture that our Creator also sustains or holds together the universe (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3).

(Note:Space does not permit us at this time to take up the very complex issues of the conflict between the theory of evolution and the biblical truth of creation of the universe. Perhaps we can take this up in later issues of Growing. Meanwhile, an outline on this topic is available from the editor upon request.)

This concludes this series in which we have presented eight different lines of evidence to support the claim that the Bible is the Word of God. In summary, these lines of evidence are:(a) the Bible’s own claim to be inspired of God; (b) the realistic view of man given by the Bible; (c) the consistency of the Bible’s teachings from Genesis to Revelation; (d) the acknowledgment by the Lord Jesus of the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures; (e) the fulfillment in New Testament times of a large number of Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ and concerning the nation of Israel and other nations; (f) the uniqueness of the Bible compared with other religious writings; (g) the consistency of the Bible with archaeological findings; and (h) the consistency of the Bible with scientific findings. To these we might add one more line of evidence–subjective but nevertheless real:millions of lives have been wonderfully changed by the power of the Scriptures (see Assignment 14). Taken together, these lines of evidence provide a strong foundation upon which the reader of the Bible can rest assured that this, indeed, is the Word of God.

Running the Race
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE (IV)

8. Memorize the names and order of the 66 books of the Bible; this will make it easier to follow along in Bible studies and to look up cross references to related passages.

9. Don’t just read, but take time to think about and to meditate on what you have read. Ask your yourself: (a) what does the passage say to me? (b) what stands out in my mind as I read it? (c) what does it teach me about God? (d) what does it teach me about myself? (e) how can I apply this to my life? (f) in what ways does this passage merit the response of praise and worship and thanksgiving to God on my part?

10. As a follow-up to meditation, make sure that you act upon what you have read. According to John 7:17, “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine,” the Lord will not give us new light and understanding of the Scriptures if we are not living out what we have already learned. (See Assignment 15)

(To be continued.)

Assignment 14: Find and write out verses in 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2 and Hebrews 4 that speak of the power of the Word of God on people’s lives.

Assignment 15: What does chapter 1 of James say about this?

Foundations of Faith
THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES (III)

7. The Bible is consistent with archaeological findings. (“Archaeology” is the study of the life and culture of ancient peoples by the excavation of the remains of their cities, etc.)

During the past two or three centuries, so-called “higher critics” of the Bible have called into question many of the historical references given in the Bible because they did not find confirmation of them in other written histories of the ancient world. However, since the advent of modern archaeology in 1798, a large body of external evidence has been literally “dug up” that agrees with biblical history.

This evidence is of two kinds- general and specific. Let us first consider examples of evidence that gives general insights into the culture and practices of biblical times. Recent excavations of the ancient city of Ebla in northwestern Syria have provided a rich source-nearly 17,000 clay tablets-of information and insights into life in the Middle East around the year 2,300 B.C., prior to the time of Abraham. On these tablets are found personal names such as Adam, Noah, Israel, Esau, Michael, and David that previously had been found only in the Bible. (This is not to say that these references are to the specific personages of the Bible.) There is also mention of familiar Palestinian place names such as Jerusalem, Lachish, Megiddo, and Gaza that authenticate the antiquity of these places.

Many slanderous statements have been made against God for His alleged cruelty in decreeing the utter destruction of the Canaanite nation (Deut. 20:17). But God had righteous reason for this-the extreme idolatry and abominations practiced by these people (Gen. 9:25; 15:16; Deut. 20:18; 2 Ki. 21:11). The late Dr. William F. Albright, foremost archaeologist of Palestine, has reported that nowhere has there been found such a concentration of figures of fertility goddesses-many distinctly obscene-than in ancient Canaan. Worse yet, both in Canaan and in Carthage, Africa which was founded by Canaanites, thousands of urns containing the burned remains of small children have been found, evidence of the horrible practice of infant sacrifice (Lev. 18:21; 2 Ki. 23:10). On the other hand, while images of gods and goddesses can be found in practically every archaeological excavation in the Middle East, no one has yet reported finding an image with the name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” inscribed on it. (See Assignment 11)

Let us now consider a few of the specific correlations between archaeology and the Bible. In 1868 the famous Moabite stone was discovered at Dibon, east of the Dead Sea. It was erected by King Mesha of Moab around 840 B.C., and confirms the biblical account of Moab’s subservience to Israel under King Ahab’s rule, and their subsequent rebellion against Israel (2 Ki. 3:4-9). As a bonus, this stone also contains the statement, “The men of Gad dwelt in the land of Ataroth from of old,” in direct agreement with Num. 32:34.

A clay prism has been found which gives a lengthy narrative by Assyrian King Sennacherib of his campaign against Jerusalem. This agrees closely with the biblical account (2 Ki. l8:13-19:36). It is interesting to see how Sennacherib made as good a story as possible out of the siege by writing, “Hezekiah … like a caged bird, I shut up in Jerusalem.” However, he carefully avoided any mention of the final outcome. (See Assignment 12)

In 1960, the Israeli scholar Yigael Yadin discovered that the Gate of Megiddo and the Gate of Hazor were both built during the time of Solomon (judging from pottery fragments) and were both built following a single master plan. (See Assignment 13)

We have space for just one New Testament illustration. During the excavations of Corinth in 1929, a pavement dating back to the first century A.D. was found inscribed, “Erastus, curator of public buildings, laid this pavement at his own expense.” It is quite likely that this is the same person the apostle Paul speaks of in his Epistle to the Romans, written from Corinth:”Erastus the chamberlain [or manager] of the city salutes you” (16:23).

In summary, it must be stated that we cannot prove by archaeology that the Bible is the Word of God. Rather, it is the Holy Spirit who confirms in our hearts the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God. However, the archaeological discoveries of the past 200 years have served to blunt the attacks of the Bible’s critics, and “discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details [of the Bible], and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history” (William F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, 1960).

(Further details on this subject of archaeology and the Bible can be found in the March-April 1993 issue of the periodical Words of Truth.)

Running the Race
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE (III)

6. It is always well to read and study with pen in hand. Sir Francis Bacon said, “Reading maketh a full man … writing, an exact man.” It is useful to keep a small book in which to jot down notes whenever you are reading the Bible. These may be disconnected thoughts, outlines of verses or chapters, or questions that occur to you–hundreds of matters that would escape your memory if they were not thus recorded.

7. As you engage in your daily Bible reading, keep an eye out for key verses that would be good ones to memorize. Write or type out such verses on 3″ x 5″ index cards or slips of paper. Then try to set aside a few minutes each day for memorizing these verses. In this way, in the course of a few years you will have committed to memory several hundred verses that will help you to show others the way of salvation, to defeat Satan when he tempts you, and to have a ready resource of guidance and encouragement in times of perplexity and trial.

If you have already memorized many verses, take time regularly to review them and make sure your mind has retained each verse. (If you memorize a verse on a particular day and then never go over it after that, it is as good as gone!) And don’t ever stop memorizing new verses!

If you have never done much Bible memorization before, it is not too late to start. It may be well to ask a Christian friend to help you, remind you, listen to you recite, and light a fire under you.

(To be continued.)

Assignment 11: Why do you think no images of Jehovah have been discovered? (See Exod. 20:4.)

Assignment 12: What does 2 Ki. 19:35,36 say about the outcome of Sennacherib’s campaign against Jerusalem?

Assignment 13: What verse in 1 Kings 9 relates to this find?

Foundations of Faith
THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES (II)

Have you ever wondered about those long lists of names found so many times in the Bible–names of people and names of places? They seem awfully boring, don’t they? But yet they are extremely important in helping to establish the authenticity of the Bible. We shall come back to this in a moment.

Last month we presented several lines of evidence to support the claim that the Bible is the Word of God. These included:(1) the Bible’s own claim to be inspired by God; (2) the realistic view of man given by the Bible; (3) the consistency of the Bible’s teachings from Genesis to Revelation; (4) the acknowledgment by the Lord Jesus of the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures; and (5) the fulfillment in New Testament times of a large number of Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. To this last, had there been space, we might have added many additional Old Testament prophecies concerning cities and nations such as Tyre, Sidon, Nineveh, Babylon, and others that have been fulfilled precisely. And we certainly would have mentioned the prophecies concerning the dispersion of the Jewish people among the nations (Deut. 28:25; Hos. 9:17), their persecution (Jer. 24:9) and their restoration to their own land (Isa. 11; Jer. 31; Zech. 8; etc.), the latter having begun with the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948. That brings us to the sixth point which will occupy most of this issue.

6. It is common to hear in college classrooms, “The Bible is just one of many religious writings. Every culture has its deities and its creation and flood myths.” Not so! In many, many ways the Bible is unique, different from all other religious writings.

One thing that particularly sets the Bible apart from most other “holy books” is the fact that the Bible is a book of history–a book of real people with real names who lived in real geographical places at specific points of time in the history of mankind. In the Bible we can follow the history of man from our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve, on down to Noah (Gen. 5), to Abraham (Gen. 11), to Judah (Gen. 12-38), to David (Ruth 4), to Jehoiachin (2 Chronicles), to Christ (Matt. 1)–a span of about 4,000 years. (See Assignment 7)

The Bible likewise contains many geographical details, thus permitting verification through archaeological excavations (more about this in the next issue). Thus, for example, we find a complete itinerary of the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness (Num. 33), and detailed information concerning the boundaries of the portions of land divided among the 12 tribes in the land of Canaan (Num. 34; Josh. 13-21). (See Assignment 8)

In addition to details of persons’ names and place names in the Bible, we often find details of time. The timing of different events in the children of Israel’s wilderness journey is given in Exod. 12:3; 19:1; 40:17; Num. 9:3; 10:11; Deut. 1:3; and elsewhere. And a very instructive time line may be constructed from the numbers of years given in Gen. 5; 9:28,29; and 11:10-26. (See Assignment 9)

The Bible is different from the literature of the various polytheistic (“worshiping many gods”) religions which flourished in Old Testament times in places like Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia. The gods of these nations were the forces of nature (for example, the sun god, the moon god, etc.), personalized, and given names. The religious literature of these nations was not primarily concerned with history or with the life of man on the earth, but with the life of the gods, which was the life of nature. When polytheists thought about history, they often considered it a series of cycles, dependent upon nature’s rhythms (for example, seasons, years, and periods between floods and other calamities). In contrast, the Bible is definitely historical literature and the God of the Bible reveals Himself through historical events such as the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, restoration after the Babylonian captivity, and the most important events in all history–the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gods of the polytheistic religions are a part or personification of nature. But the God of the Bible is the Creator of nature and all that exists and is totally distinct from all that He has created. Equally important, the God of the Bible is holy and righteous, and requires holiness and righteousness of His people. These attributes and requirements did not characterize the pagan gods, whose alleged behavior was sometimes worse than that of their followers.

There is a definite uniqueness about Israelite prophecy that is recognized even by secular (or non-religious) scholars, for the Old Testament prophets often spoke out against the religous and political establishments of Israel, whereas in other countries in Old Testament times the prophet was an employee of the king or religious cult. (Balaam and King Ahab’s prophets are examples of this kind of prophet–Num. 22-24; 1 Ki. 18.) The true prophets of Jehovah told the king and people of Israel that Jehovah was going to judge them for their sin, as well as the surrounding nations. Personal suffering resulting from their delivery of God’s message adds authenticity to the prophets’ “Thus saith the Lord.” Being a prophet brought suffering, but God’s hand was upon them and they had to speak. As Jeremiah said, “I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me…. But if I say, `I will not remember Him or speak any more in His name,’ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it” (Jer. 20:7-9 NASB).

No doubt the most important contrast between the Bible and other religious writings is that the Bible contains the good news of a salvation already accomplished by God through the sacrificial death of His Son. Salvation in all other such writings is accomplished through man’s self-effort.

To illustrate further the sharp contrasts with the Bible, brief descriptions of three of the most common of other religious writings or “holy books” are given in the following article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF OTHER “HOLY BOOKS”

The Hindu Veda

Hinduism is a confusing mixture of pantheism (that is, everything that exists is part of “God”), polytheism, and various philosophies. But the Veda, the most ancient body of religious literature, is recognized by almost all Hindus as an absolute authority revealing fundamental and undeniable truth.

The Veda was composed between 1500 and 500 B.C. It is considered by Hindus to be eternal itself, not even revealed by a god or gods. The gods promoted the inspiration of gifted men who were able to “see” this eternal truth directly without use of normal sense perception and to express it in a human language, Sanskrit. The earlier books of the Veda are similar to the polytheistic literature mentioned in the previous article; the later ones devote less attention to stories of the gods and more to philosophical speculation on the nature of reality. The Veda does not claim to be the revelation of a supreme, personal God (for, according to the Hindu religion, the Ultimate and Supreme is in itself impersonal). Neither is the Veda considered by Hindus to be an absolute necessity for one’s spiritual well-being as the Bible is by true Christians.

The Buddhist Writings

The Buddha Gautama (563-483 B.C.) (“Buddha” is a title) did not write out his teachings but taught them orally to his disciples. His disciples also transmitted them orally, but in the centuries following his death, these teachings were written down so that now there are Buddhist scriptures which contain the teachings of the Buddha. Gautama did not claim that his teachings had been given to him by a god or gods (in Buddhism the existence of various gods is acknowledged, but they have little importance in the basic Buddhist teaching), but he gained the knowledge of them through disciplined, determined meditation combined with personal virtue.

In contrast to the sacred Hindu and Buddhist writings, the Bible makes the claim for itself to have been inspired and given by the one true, living, and personal God.

The Muslim Koran

According to Muslim tradition, the Koran (Arabic for “reading” or “recitation”) was revealed to Muhammad (570-632 A.D.) over a period of 20 years. The Koran states that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the Koran to Muhammad. While he was receiving these revelations, Muhammad appeared to be in some kind of trance. When he returned to normal consciousness, he recited the words to those present and on some occasions had them written down. Many people memorized the words of the Koran. After Muhammad’s death, Muslim authorities gathered all the written sources of the Koran available, and in consultation with those who had memorized Muhammad’s recitations, prepared an authoritative text.

The Koran generally appears as the speech of God, who speaks in the first person singular or plural. Many passages emphasize that the Koran is a direct revelation from God. In numerous passages the Koran states that God previously revealed the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) and the New Testament Gospels, and that the Koran confirms these previous Scriptures. However this raises a big problem, namely, the obvious differences and even contradictions between the Koran and the Bible (for example, the teaching of the Koran that Jesus did not die but was carried alive to heaven by God while someone else with the appearance of Jesus was crucified at Calvary). The Muslim view is that the Bible has become corrupted in the process of being handed down over the centuries and that the Koran is the true word of God.

Is there any way of refuting this charge made against the Bible? Indeed, yes! First, there are thousands of manuscripts of both the Old and New Testament dating from the first century B.C. (Old Testament) and 2nd century A.D. (New Testament) to the days of Muhammad in the 7th century. No substantial differences have been found among the manuscripts–thus no evidence of corruption of the Scriptures–over this span of time. In fact, by means of manuscript analyses and historical study, Biblical scholars have affirmed that for at least 98 percent of the text of the New Testament, we have today exactly the words which the original authors wrote. Thus, the Muslim position is obviously untenable.

All three of the examples of “holy books” just presented contain much in the way of moral teachings. However, none of them manifest the many and varied marks of divine inspiration that are found in the Bible.

Running the Race
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE (II)

Last month we introduced this topic by indicating that in order effectively to study the Bible and enter into the truth that it contains, the reader must be “born again,” trusting Christ as his/her personal Saviour and Lord. (See Assignment 10) We shall now proceed under the assumption that the reader is truly saved.

2. The most complete and logical methods of Bible study, pursued in the most diligent manner, are all worthless apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

3. Our study of the Bible must be accompanied with much prayer and not depending upon our own wisdom. We must beware of the tendency to have our own thoughts, and rather seek to have a mind open to the thoughts of God. We must try not to use the Scriptures to confirm our preconceived notions, but rather to learn the mind and will of God.

4. Set as a top priority of life the daily, regular reading of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, repeatedly and throughout life. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of having the mind and heart thoroughly saturated with the knowledge of Scripture from beginning to end. If you have never done this before, we recommend that you begin with the New Testament and then go back to the Old. If only one chapter a day can be read, the entire Scriptures will have been covered in the course of three years.

5. On days in which a little more time is available, it is useful occasionally to try rapid survey reading. This is the practice of reading an entire book through at a sitting. For instance, the Gospel of Mark can be read as we would an article in a magazine, and in as short a time. In this way we get a good general idea of the contents of the book which might be missed through reading one chapter at a time.

(To be continued.)

Assignment 7: Matthew 1 and Luke 3 both give genealogies of Christ, the first through His foster father Joseph, and the second through His mother Mary. In what ways are these genealogies alike? In what ways are they different?

Assignment 8: Read Josh. 19:1,9 and 21:1-42. How does the information given in these verses tie in with the curse which Jacob put upon his sons Simeon and Levi in Gen. 49:5-7?

Assignment 9: Have you ever wondered about Noah’s father and grandfather–whether they perished in the flood? Let’s test your mathematical skills. Using the numbers of years given in Gen. 5:25-31 and 7:6, see if you can figure out whether Noah’s father, Lamech, and grandfather, Methuselah, were still alive when the flood covered the earth? The name Methuselah essentially means “when he is dead it shall be sent.” How does this meaning tie in with your calculations?

Assignment 10: Suppose you were to die tonight and be taken to the gate of heaven, and suppose the Lord Jesus standing at the entrance were to ask you, “Why should I let you in here?” What answer would you give?

Foundations of Faith
THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES (I)

Last month we talked about the authority of the Bible. Since God has spoken to man through the Holy Scriptures, it is most vital that we listen to Him by diligently reading the Bible and obeying His Word. But we left off with the question, “How can we be sure that it is the Bible, and not some other `holy book,’ that is God’s revelation to man?” In this and the next issue or two we shall very briefly explore different lines of evidence to support the claim that the Bible is the Word of God.

1. The Bible itself claims to be inspired of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20,21), and frequently gives direct quotations of God. (See Assignment 3)

2. The Bible is unique in giving a realistic view of man; it neither idolizes man nor drags him through the gutter. In its mini-biographies of men and women, the Bible gives as much time to describing people’s fears, deceit, anger, adultery, and even acts of murder, as to their acts of faith, obedience, and courage. (For example, read about some high points and low points in Abraham’s life in Gen. 12:10-20; 15:6; 16:1-12; 22:1-18. Also, some highlights and lowlights of David’s life may be found in 1 Sam. 17:32-51; 24:1-22; 25:2-35; 2 Sam. 11:2-27.) In fact, many of the authors of the Bible are frank and honest enough to write of their own failures (see Num. 20:12; Isa. 6:5; Rom. 7:7-24; 1 Tim. 1:13,15).

3. The Bible includes hundreds of controversial subjects discussed with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. For example, even though there are great differences in times, places, nations, societies, cultures, and political structures represented in the various books of the Bible, we still find the same description of God, the same description of man (“desperately wicked” in Jer. 17:9; “dead in trespasses and sins” in Eph. 2:1), the same means of salvation, and the same high standards of morality and holiness given throughout. (See Assignment 4)

4. The Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, manifested His acceptance of the Old Testament scriptures as God’s Word by His frequent reference to historical events of the Old Testament and frequent quoting of Old Testament passages, along with His failure to refer to any other ancient literary work. (See Assignment 5)

5. The Old Testament contains a couple hundred prophecies concerning the birth, life, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ which were fulfilled in the New Testament. (See the following article for specific examples.) Some people try to explain the fulfilled prophecies of Scripture by saying that the prophetic books of the Old Testament were not written until the first or second century A.D.–after they were fulfilled. This contention can be refuted in at least two ways. First, it is well attested that a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament–known as the Septuagint–was prepared during the period 280 to 150 B.C. Second, among the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 and afterwards were an entire scroll of the Book of Isaiah and portions of several other prophetic books of the Old Testament. These scrolls have been authoritatively dated at 100-200 B.C., that is, long before the fulfillment of their prophecies in Jesus Christ. (See Assignment 6)

Next month, Lord willing, we shall discuss the uniqueness of the Bible as compared to other religious writings.

SOME OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST, AND THEIR NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENT

1. Descended from David (Psa. 132:11,12; Jer. 23:5; Matt. 1:1,6; Rom. 1:3; etc.)

2. Born of the seed of a woman, of a virgin (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; Gal. 4:4).

3. Born at Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:1-8; Luke 2:4-7).

4. Ministered in Galilee (Isa. 9:1,2; Matt. 4:12-16).

5. Fed the hungry (Psa. 132:15; Matt. 15:32-39, etc.).

6. Healed the sick (Isa. 32:1-4; Matt. 9:35, etc.).

7. Entered Jerusalem on a donkey and received worship (Zech. 9:9; Psa. 118:25, 26; Matt. 21:5-11; Luke 19:35-38).

8. Betrayed (Psa. 41:9; Zech. 11:12,13; Matt. 10:4; 26:14-16,47-50; 27:3-10).

9. Crucified (Psa. 22:14-16; Zech. 13:6; Luke 23:33; 24:39).

10. Suffered in body and soul from man (Psa. 22:7,8; 69:7,9,12,19,20; Isa. 50:6; 52:14; 53:5,7; Matt. 26:57-27:44).

11. Forsaken by God (Psa. 22:1; 69:20; Matt. 27:46).

12. Buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:60).

13. Resurrected (Psa. 16:10; 30:3; Luke 24:46; Acts 2:30-32; 13:33; etc.).

14. Ascended to heaven (Psa. 68:18; Acts 1:9; Eph. 4:8).

Running the Race
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE (I)

How do you study the Bible? Do you have a particular “plan of attack” or do you just open your Bible at random and read a chapter here, a page there? In this series of articles we shall provide a variety of tips and suggestions to help you to get to know your Bible better.

1. It is the Holy Spirit who “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). But you have to be saved, born again, trusting Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord, before you become indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If you do not have the assurance of eternal salvation, prayerfully read and study Matthew 26-28 (that is, chapters 26 to 28); Luke 15-18,23,24; John 1-6; Romans 3,4; 1 Cor. 15:1-8; and Eph. 2:1-10. Also, ask a Christian friend to help you to understand the way of salvation. And if you still need help, please write the editor of this paper.

(To be continued.)

Assignment 3: Find and write out at least one verse in each of Genesis 2, Jonah 4, and John 12 which give the actual words spoken by the God of heaven.

Assignment 4: What attributes of God described in Exodus 34 are also found in Romans 11 and Ephesians 1? What moral qualities given in Exodus 20 are described in the last part of Romans 1 as being violated by mankind?

Assignment 5: Find in Matthew 12 three Old Testament events referred to by the Lord Jesus, and find and write out at least two Old Testament passages quoted by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4 and 5.

Assignment 6: Read about the Dead Sea Scrolls in an encyclopedia and write a one paragraph composition on the subject.

WELCOME TO GROWING

This is the first issue of a new monthly periodical prepared especially for Christian young people. It is anticipated that each issue will include an article on a fundamental doctrine of Scripture under the heading of “FOUNDATIONS.” Articles on practical Christian living will also appear from time to time under the heading of “THE RACE.” Our readers are encouraged to complete the ASSIGNMENTS and send them to the editor every two months. The editor welcomes any comments and suggestions you may have concerning this new publication.

Foundations of Faith
THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

“I don’t care what the Bible says. When I was ‘slain in the spirit,’ it was the most exciting feeling I have ever had.”

“Everyone is doing it, so there must not be anything wrong with it.”

“I felt this burning in my bosom while reading the Book of Mormon. That proves to me that it is true.”

“There is no such thing as absolute right or wrong. It all depends on the situation.”

What do these four statements have in common? Yes, as suggested by the title of this article, all of them do away with, or downplay, the authority of the Holy Scriptures. There is a tendency today for people to ask, “Is it exciting?” or “Does it feel good?” rather than, “Is it scriptural?” Or we hear people asking, “Is it useful?” or “Does it help me to achieve my personal goals?” rather than, “Does God give me permission to do it?”

We also find people today basing their way of thinking and living on the opinions of man, or on inner impressions, or on dreams and visions. For example, a few years ago a man called me because I was the local contact for a Christian radio program. He told me that he had received a vision from God that Jesus Christ was not the only way to the Father. I pointed out that his vision was in direct contradiction to the scripture that says, “I [Jesus] am the way … no man comes unto the Father but by Me” (John l4:6). But that did not seem to matter to him. His vision took precedence over God’s Word. In a similar vein, someone else told me that a prominent Christian teacher had a vision that the rapture–that is, Christ’s return for those who believe in Him–was going to occur prior to the great tribulation. In this case I happen to agree with this teacher’s beliefs, but for a different reason. He bases his teaching on a vision, while I base mine on God’s Word. Bear with me for one more example. Many years ago another believer and I were having a disagreement over a particular doctrine of Scripture. After looking at many passages of the Bible in an attempt to reach agreement on the point, the sister finally told me that some years ago she and her husband had asked the Lord to make them sick if they did not understand this particular doctrine correctly. Since they remained in good health, they proceeded to close their minds to any further scriptural insights on the question. The reason Christians are urged to read their Bibles and to study the Bible with other believers is that the Bible is the revelation of God, the Word of God. It is our final authority for all matters of life.

It is true that all of the Bible was written between 1900 and 3500 years ago. But while customs have changed and great advances have been made in science and technology since then, God has not changed, and God’s basic guiding principles of life have not changed. Does the availability of the birth control “pill” do away with God’s command to “flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18)? Does the fact that Mr. Jones is a multimillionaire mean that it doesn’t matter much if his cleaning woman and gardener steal from Him? Or perhaps to bring it closer to home, does the fact that my boss doesn’t pay me what I’m worth mean that I am free to spend part of my working hours reading a book when he’s not around, of course)? (See Assignment 1)

Does it really matter whether we accept God’s Word as the principal authority for our lives? Does it matter whether we obey God’s commandments? It sure does, but maybe for a different reason from what you might think! It is not that God is standing behind a curtain with a big club ready to smash us whenever we disregard His authority or disobey His Word. It is much more positive than that. God is a good God, God is wise, and all of His commandments are for man’s greatest good and blessing. Contrary to popular opinion, God is not a “party pooper.” God is not out to keep us from enjoying the pleasures of life. Rather, God’s commandments are designed to help man to achieve the greatest possible joy and true happiness both in this present life and for all eternity. We will discuss this in more detail in future issues. (See Assignment 2)

But some may ask, “How do we know for sure that the Bible is God’s Word? There are many other ‘holy books’ in the world, such as the Muslim Koran, the Hindu Vedas, the writings of Buddha, the Book of Mormon, and others. How do we know that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God?” Good question! We will have to wait for the next issue to begin exploring the answer to this question.

Running the Race
REPROOF AND CORRECTION

Robert was a long-distance runner. One of the best in the area. One afternoon while running in a cross-country meet he was leading the pack (as usual). As Robert came over the crest of a hill he saw the path ahead divide in a Y; confidently he took the branch to the left. Suddenly he heard a whistle blowing and an official screaming at the top of his lungs, “Wrong way! wrong way!” Turning around, he dashed back to the right path, and was still able to finish third in spite of his error. How grateful he was that the official spotted him going the wrong way and sounded the alarm, perhaps keeping him from coming in last.

Robert was reproved by the official, and as a result, corrected his course. Likewise, the Scriptures have been given to us, not only to teach us doctrine, but to reprove and correct us (2 Tim. 3:16).

Do you allow the Bible to speak to you, to reprove and correct you as Robert was corrected by the official? Let us learn to pray like the psalmist, “Search me, O God … and see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psa. l39:23,24). The Book of Proverbs talks about those who do and do not receive reproof: “He who refuses reproof errs…is brutish,…shall die” (Prov. 10:17; 12:1; 15:10). “He who regards reproof shall be honored…is prudent…abides among the wise…gets understanding” (Prov. 13:18; 15:5,31,32).

May the Lord help each of us to have hearts that are sensitive to His reproofs, and the spiritual energy to turn those reproofs into positive changes in our behavior and course of life.

Assignment 1: What scripture verse in the Book of Colossians would you use to answer that last question?

Assignment 2: Using a Concordance, find three verses in the Bible that tell us of the goodness of God. Also, write down at least one experience in your own life that has demonstrated the goodness of God.