Your Bible and You
by Arthur S. Maxwell
(Review and Herald, Washington, D.C., 1959)
Beyond question we all need help from some source outside ourselves.
Page 21.
Throughout your Bible runs a veritable river of life, flowing from heaven itself. Open it, read it, and this spiritually radioactive flood will begin to flow through the channels of your mind, healing, cleansing, restoring, invigorating, with a mysterious energy no other source can supply.
Page 25.
Approximately four hundred years elapsed between the writing of the last book of the Old Testament - Malachi - and the writing of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament. Then, too, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (with a few passages in Aramaic) and the New Testament in Greek.
Page 28.
The sixty-six books, pamphlets, letters, messages - whatever you with to call them - were the work of some thirty-five authors, the two most prolific being Moses in the Old Testament and Paul in the New.
Pages 28-29.
The many authors represent a wide variety of experience and background.
Page 29.
About the year A.D. 700 a group of Jewish scholars called Masorestes took upon themselves the task of ensuring the accurate transmission of the Old Testament to future generations. They established strict rules to be followed by all copyists. No word or letter could be written from memory. The scribe had to look attentively at each word and pronounce it before writing it down.
Pages 31-32.
One of the earliest and most important translations was into Greek. This is called the Septuagint, because of the seventy Jewish scholars who were supposed to have prepared it. The work was done in Alexandria, Egypt, during the second and third centuries B.C.
Page 33.
The New Testament was written n a for of Greek known as Koine.
Page 33.
It is probable that the apostles and Jesus himself spoke in Aramaic, but when the time came for their words to be recorded it was done in the language of the people of that day.
Page 34.
Not a single original document exists.
Page 34.
The Codex Vaticanus is probably the oldest almost-complete copy of the Bible in existence. It derives its name from the fact that in 1481 it was already in the library of the Vatican in Rome, and is still a part of it. Little is known of its history before that date, but scholars have declared that it belongs to the first half of the fourth century.
Page 34.
Another priceless manuscript is the Codex Sinaiticus, discovered in 1844 by the German scholar Tishchendorf at the monastery of St. Catherine near Mount Sinai. … It is dated by scholars about the middle of the fourth century, probably somewhat later than the Codex Vaticanus.
Pages 34-35.
Since the Council of Trent (1545-1563) the Vulgate has bene the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church.
Page 38.
There was no complete translation into English, however, until 1382, when John Wyclif gave the people of England the first Bible in their own tongue.
Page 38.
In 1525 William Tyndale published the first printed English New Testament.
Page 39.
Almost 90 percent of the King James Version is believed to by Tyndale’s wording.
Page 39.
In 1560 the Geneva Bible was printed in Switzerland - the first to be divided into verses.
Page 39.
In no other language have there been so many different translations and revisions of the Bible as in English.
Page 39.
No matter what version it may be, it is still the Word of God.
Page 43.
God’s richest treasures are found in earthen vessels. The vessels may be marred by human frailties, but the treasure is divinely perfect.
Page 44.
Read all the versions you can obtain. … But be sure as you read to keep listening for the voice of the Author.
Page 44.
Though extraordinarily diversified, its sixty-six sections all have one predominant purpose. Some are poetry, others prose. Some are historical, others prophetical. Some are missionary reports, others are church letters or personal correspondence. Yet all speak of the same God, all uplift the same standards of righteousness, all tell of the same plan of salvation, and all look forward to the same day of divine judgment and eternal reward.
Page 45.
One important contribution which archeology has made to our understanding of the conditions under which the transmission of the biblical records took place has been the light which it has thrown on the history and development of writing in the ancient Near East.
Page 53.
It has universal appeal. Its message is for all people. It speaks to the Indian, the Chinese, the African, with the same compelling power that it speaks to the Englishman, the Australian, the American.
Page 55.
The Author’s message can always be understood in any language. It never loses its life-giving power. Wherever it goes a river of life flows with it. It has a strange reforming influence, changing people’s lives, filling them with courage and hope, and heling them to life aright.
Page 55.
When you have read the four Gospels you will have had the finest possible introduction to the Bible.
Page 67.
Elijah … and his successor Elisha were the greatest Hebrew prophets of the ninth century B.C. As few others have done, they learned how toe cause the power of God to work for them. The brought fire from heaven, raised the dead, and performed all manner of other miracles.
Page 68.
Another highly profitable approach to the Bible is to look upon it as a library in which to pursue a variety of studies.
Page 69.
Don’t hesitate to mark your Bible if you feel so disposed. Underlining texts neatly and carefully, in various colors, has proved a great help to many.
Page 71.
More important than any plan or method is the spirit in which you read it. If you approach the Bible critically, looking for faults and flaws, it won’t do you much good. On the other hand, if you read it with a prayer in our heart for God’s guidance and blessing, you will find it to be not only an endless source of wisdom and enjoyment, but also “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Page 71.
The Bible is a revelation of God, and effort on His part to let us know what He is like and what our relationship to Him should be.
Page 77.
As you continue to study your Bible you will become aware that it takes for granted the existence of a Supreme Being who is not only omnipotent, omniscient, eternal , and infinite but is also the Creator of the universe.
Page 85.
Notice that this text does not say that God made something out of nothing - although of course He could have done that - but that He made invisible things become visible, which may well be a succinct statement of the great scientific truth that a rearrangement of atoms can alter the elements.
Page 87.
God has but to speak, to state a desire, and the atoms conform to His will
Page 87.
The moment God brought the universe into existence laws became essential for its orderly continuance.
Page 93.
God intended His law to be a blessing.
Page 99.
Here indeed is the crowing revelation concerning Him. Not only does God possess all power and wisdom, not only is He infinite in goodness and truth, but He is the source and fountain of love.
Page 100.
There was nothing God could do but receive in Himself the penalty He had decreed for sin. True, He could have set aside his law and said that it was of no consequence; but had he done so He would have jeopardized the foundation on which the government of His whole vast universe depends. The penalty for disobedience is death, and this penalty had to be paid either by the offender, or by the Lawgiver in His own person.
Page 102.
Loge was the central theme of His teaching.
Page 103.
He taught men to call God “Father,” which was a new idea to most of them.
Page 105.
He offered up a complete, perfect, and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of men.
Page 105.
Under no condition should you feel that you are left out.
Page 111.
Where sin abounds, Paul assures us, grace does much more abound. In other words, there is no sinner Christ cannot save. No life is too degraded for Him to transform. His grace is sufficient for every need and in every case.
Page 116.
God’s offer is good - the best ever made - and we need to be careful that we do not value it lightly because it is free.
Page 119.
Acceptance of the deity of Christ was the password into the early church. It was the essential declaration of faith. It meant acceptance of God’s gift and God’s salvation.
Page 119.
So in going to heaven Jesus did not take Himself clear away from humanity and all its problems. On the contrary, He is better able to help us than ever. Because He suffered so much we may be sure He understands when we suffer. Because He was tempted so sorely we may know for certain that He can help us whenever we are tempted.
Page 125.
Just when your river Jordan is overflowing its banks, making a crossing seem impossible, He will open a way through.
Page 128.
Nothing “just happens” in the lives of those who love God.
Page 129.
The more you study your Bible the more clearly you will see how much it has to say about your life. It is full of good counsel as to how you can make the most of it.
Page 135.
Peace is to be found in God because He is more durable than the mountains. With Him there is stability and permanence that invite the fullest confidence. He is ever the same, unaffected by forces that work changes in others. The passing of time brings no alteration to His person or His character.
Page 136.
There will never come a time when God’s love for His children will lessen. There will never be an occasion when He will cease to hear their petitions and supply their needs.
Page 138.
If confessed and forsaken, your past sins should be dismissed from your mind.
Page 141.
There is nothing God is not willing to do to help those who have surrendered their lives to Him.
Page 145.
This divine concern reaches into the temporal details of our lives.
Page 145.
We should cease form worrying so much about temporal matters and trust more confidently in the loving-kindness of God toward us.
Page 146.
Taking a little time now and then to think about God and to talk with Him is one of the surest ways of keeping your mind at peace.
If you know you are overwrought, nervous, quick-tempered, worried, it may well be because you are not praying enough. Communion with God is the most soul-calming force known.
Page 147.
If we would have His peace, we must find time to pray. Indeed, we must learn to bring all things to Him in prayer.
Page 147.
The moment a man opens the door of his heart ot God the divine Wind blows in.
Page 152.
All the gifts of the Spirit may not be granted you, but you will receive those best suited to your capacity for service.
Here is power that will develop every latent talent of yours to the utmost and make your witness for God abundantly effective.
Page 157.
The Holy Spirit awaits your invitation.
Page 158.
The power of the Holy Spirit is so great, so limitless, that it can bring about a complete transformation of an individual’s life. It can change you into an entirely new person.
Page 159.
So absolute is this transformation that it corresponds to a death and resurrection - death of the old nature, with all its sinful tendencies, and life for the new nature, with all its glorious possibilities in Christ.
Page 159.
The commandments of God are seen in a new light. No longer do they seem legalistic and burdensome. He now counts it a privilege to live in harmony with God’s revealed will
Page 163.
The “new man,” reborn by the power of God, considers himself a steward rather than an owner, administering his affairs “as unto the Lord.”
Page 163.
You may be sure that He can make you into a new person if you want Him to do so.
Page 165.
If words mean anything, then God has made provision for every holy wish of ours to be granted. If our lives are wretched, impoverished, and spiritually emaciated, the fault must be ours, not His. He has planned greatly for us. He stands ready to be very gracious to us and fill our lives with blessings. If we “have not” it is because we “ask not.”
Page 169.
Of course, the word “anything” does not mean anything bad or anything harmful to us or to others. But it does imply anything that will be good for us, anything that is in harmony with the will of God, anything that will advance His cause and His kingdom.
Pages 170-171.
It is His joy to do great things for His children.
Page 171.
God’s blessings are not for sale.
Page 185.
God wants us to pay one tenth of our “increase” to Him as a reminder that all we possess belongs to Him and we are but stewards of His prosperity.
Page 185.
To give money to God while being unjust, unmerciful, and faithless is the worst kind of hypocrisy.
Page 187.
Only tithe accompanied by love is pleasing to God. Paid as a legal requirement it will never bring the promised blessings.
Page 187.
With head high and shoulders back you may tread the earth like a conqueror. Not in pride, of course, but in sheer joy of serving Him and with full confidence in His direction of your life.
Page 193.
The power of the people would reside not in military might but in holiness. They would be respected because of their lofty principles and noble lives. No one would dare to harm them because of their obvious identification with the God of heaven.
Page 194.
In addition to every other good thing, He offers us His company. … If you want to go along with Me, I will go along with you It was a gracious invitation to walk together.
Page 203.
If we want to walk with God, we must go where He goes. We cannot choose our own way or go off in some direction He does not approve.
Page 206.
People don’t go very far together unless they are in harmony.
Page 207.
The God of heaven is so interested in you that He wants you for His friend. He actually invites you to be His life companion. He wants you to walk with Him every day for the rest of your life.
Page 207.
You must learn to find joy in forgiving your enemies, in sacrificial giving, and in being tolerant over nonessentials, because such matters mean so much to Him. You must learn to hate all cruelty and unkindness, all tyranny and injustice, in fact, everything that hurt or harms a fellow creature, because God hates them too.
Page 209.
Church, not the golf course or the supermarket, will have to be your choice on the Sabbath day, because that is where His steps will lead.
Page 209.
Your path of life will lead on into the infinite distances of eternity.
Page 209.
God wanted man to know right from the beginning that his wife was truly a part of him, so that he would ever treat her as he would himself.
Page 216.
God’s primary purpose in marriage. It was to make two people happy. When He linked the first man and the first woman He did so with their best good in mind.
Page 220.
Keep Confidence. From the moment two young people leave on their honeymoon they should resolve that there are some things thy will tell nobody else on earth. Because henceforth they belong together they should keep their innermost secrets to themselves.
Nothing will contribute more to preserving unity than keeping private matters within the walls of the new home. That is where they belong. That is where they should be kept. They are nobody else’s business. Not even of close relatives or old friends.
Each home, if it is to last, must have a sacred citadel of exclusiveness where no prying eyes or gossiping tongues are permitted.
Page 224.
Full, unstinted love, for God and man. Love for God demonstrated by whole-hearted obedience to the first four of His Ten Commandments, and love for man revealed by the self-restraint suggested in the last six.
Page 231.
To cause children to think of God as a tyrant who says nothing but “Don’t,” and “Thou shalt not,” is to libel His good name. He is not a taskmaster, but a lover.
Page 234.
To talk solely about God’s law, no matter how good and wonderful it is, would lead to fanaticism, boredom, dissatisfaction, and, finally, rejection.
Page 234.
Parents have a long-term job on their hands, for they are preparing their children not only for this present life, but also for the life to come.
Page 243.
Children will pray for all sorts of strange and wonderful things. Never mind. Let them.
Page 245.
They should be led to understand that it is their responsibility to help keep the home going. Just as soon as they are old enough to do little jobs around the place they should be taught to do them.
Page 246.
Keep strong control on all reading matter coming into your home.
Page 247.
As the divinely appointed leaders of the home parts have the right and the duty to decide on the kind of program the children shall look at.
Page 247-249.
Above all, read to them. Children love to be read to; and there’s no music like the sound of mother’s voice
Page 249.
Laying up the Word involves memorizing it, thinking about it, and putting it into practice. It means giving God first place in all one’s plans and decisions.
Page 252.
Man’s original diet consisted of fruits, nuts, and grains.
Page 278.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of whether you get what you like to eat and drink, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Page 285.
No one can eat his way into heaven. Eating unwisely may result in a person’s being lost, by ruining his judgement and causing him to sin, but eating even the heavenly manna itself will entitle no one to Paradise. Only acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour can do that.
Page 286.
Love matters most. Love for God and our fellow man. By revealing love - in a believer or unbeliever - we glorify God, because only God can make us kind, gracious, thoughtful, and tolerant toward others.
Page 287.
To glorify God in our bodies we must avoid the use of any beverage likely to do it damage, including not only whisky, wine, and beer but other drinks containing harmful amounts of caffeine and similar alkaloids.
Page 299.
Every individual is accountable to God for the condition of his body. Having been created by God in the beginning and redeemed by \him at Calvary, he belongs to Him by a a dual tie. Consequently, he is not free to do as he pleases without reference to God’s desires. He cannot with immunity debase, defile, or destroy his body if for no other reason than that God has a prior claim to it. God expects it to be presented to Him as a “living sacrifice,” unmarred by self-indulgence.
Page 303.
Thus the body of the consecrated Christian is a dwelling place of God through the holy Spirit It is God’s home, God’s temple. Consequently its purity, health, and well-being are to be guarded as a sacred trust.
Page 303.
No one who regards his body as the temple of the Holy Spirit could deliberately destroy it with nicotine.
Page 309.
Open the door of your heart heavenward and the Holy Spirit, flowing in, will bring you both strength and victory.
Page 309.
To Jesus, preaching without healing was an imperfect presentation of God’s love.
Page 313.
God still steps in to heal miraculously when it seems best to Him to do so.
Page 317.
Divine healing is possible today. If you need it, you may have it if God sees it is for your present and eternal good. But it will come only as a result of earnest prayer, unquestioning faith, full surrender, and a total resignation to His will.
Page 317.
“Thanksgiving” connotes a worshipful state of mind, which is as important as believing in God’s power to help.
Page 325.
Identification with God’s righteous purposes is essential.
Page 325.
As it is God’s will that ultimately will be done, it is but wise and reasonable to yield to His will before you pray.
Page 326.
Over and over again God invites sinners to call upon Him.
Page 326.
Sin separates man from God. Like dirt in an electrical connection, it stops the flow of power.
Page 326.
To pray in the name of Christ is to pray as oe who is at one with Christ, whose mind is the mind of Christ, whose desires are the desires of Christ, and whose purpose is at one with that of Christ.
Page 329.
Just as there are many types of suffering, so there are many reasons for it.
Page 331.
God sometimes permits hardship and sorrow to come to His children in order to turn them from an evil course.
Page 334.
Several time in the Old Testament God is portrayed as a refiner sitting by a furnace skimming off the impurities of His people.
Page 335.
There are several causes of suffering … However, if you see to it that, whatever their cause, they drive you toward God rather than away from Him, the ultimate result is bound to be beneficial.
Page 336.
God preserves a perfect pattern of every individual and has the power to cause each one to live again.
Page 344.
The righteous dead will be raised and the righteous living will be translated, and so together they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
Pages 344-345.
And because God says “together” we may e sure that we shall know each other there. Why not? What would be the point of being “together” if all were strangers?
Page 345.
The Sabbath was made for the man - man’s happiness, welfare, uplift, inquisition The better the holy day was observed the more good would man get out it it.
Page 353.
Love is paramount. Any group that is critical, censorious, and legalistic could not possibly be the true church.
Page 361.
Love, expressed in kindness, graciousness, tolerance, and compassion, is the most conspicuous sign of the true church.
Pages 361-362.
What is true of the individual is true also of a religious group. Unless it exalts Jesus Christ as the Son of God and confesses His divinity before men, it is not and cannot be the true church.
Page 362.
Observance of the seventh day is, in fact, an outstanding sign of the true church.
Page 365.
The true Sabbath is not only a memorial of Creation but also of sanctification. It was designed to remind God’s people of His power to create and redeem
Page 365.
By allowing himself to be lowered under the water a new member of the church signified his willingness to die to his old life of sin. By rising out of the water he declared his determination to lie a new life in Christ.
Page 368.
The true church will be found following Jesus’ bidding and example.
Page 369.
It would be hard to associate the church of the humble Galilean with lavish display, ornate ceremonies, and wasteful extravagance. Such things are completely out of harmony with His life of humble, holy, selfless service for others.
Page 370.
Members of the true church will be conspicuous for their upright and noble lives and their eagerness to help the needy.
Page 371.
Belief in Christ’s second advent is indeed one of the most vital marks of the true church.
Page 372.
The true church will not confine its activities to one locality, or one country, or even one continent. Its eyes will roam over the whole wide world.
Page 372.
Look at its messengers and their manner of life. Examine their credentials in the light of your Bible. See whether fit in with the twelve identify8ing marks set forth in this chapter. If they do, let your heart leap with joy. You may well have discovered God’s true church, the spiritual home you have been seeking.
Page 373.
One of the most thrilling discoveries you will make as you study your Bible is the way it unveils the future. Its knowledge of things to come is the strongest proof of its divine inspiration.
Page 379.
Events may for a time appear to go contrary to the prophecy, but ultimately, anyone who attempts to dominate Europe will come to an untimely end.
Page 406.
Prior to 1800, most people were still living in much the same way their forefathers had lived for thousands of years.
Page 411.
All the vast, spectacular changes of our day have come to pass in God’s providence to fulfill an urgent divine purpose - that knowledge of the book of Daniel, indeed of the whole Bible, should be mightily increased and its message of the coming kingdom of God be heralded swiftly to earths remotest bounds.
Page 414.
This does not mean that there will be literal horses riding down the skies. John’s striking symbolism merely suggests the splendor of the pageantry that will accompany the Man of Galilee as he returns in royal majesty.
Page 427.
The resurrected dead and the translated living will have immortality bestowed upon them by God as a reward for their loyal and unswerving devotion to Him.
Page 431.
Beyond the second coming of Christ there stretches an endless vista of delight.
Page 433.
Your future will be infidel more beautiful and satisfying than you have ever imagined.
The first millennium will be spent in heaven, where the saints will live and reign with Christ “a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4). While there they will have access to the books of record and so satisfy themselves why some loved ones are not among the saved and why God deals as He does with the wicked.
Pages 433-434.
At last, in sight of all the redeemed, all the angels, and every creature in the universe, the story of sin will come to a dramatic close.
Page 434.
The whole globe will resemble Eden in its primeval loveliness.
Page 435-436.
Vistas of unimagined beauty will stretch in every direction, while upon the ears of the inhabitants will fall delightful harmonies, wafted on gentle winds from the angelic choir around God’s throne.
Page 436.
Every root of bitterness will have been purged away, with every cause of controversy. All will be at peace with one another and with God.
Page 436.
By beholding Jesus, everyone will have become changed into His likeness. His character will be theirs.
Page 438.
There will be no sin or sinners, nor will anyone have a single evil thought. And because there will be no sin, there will be no death. So there will be no more partings, no more saying good-by.
Page 438.
There will be no hospitals or doctors.
Pages 438-439.
Nobody will ever go hungry. There will be plenty of food for all.
Page 439.
Don’t try to find excuses for not doing what your conscience tells you is right.
Page 442.