God’s Word Is the Key
To Satisfy the Heart’s Inner Longings
Dear Grandson:
You asked a valid question when you asked, “How do we know what is right and what is wrong?” I told you that we find the answer in the Bible as to what is right and what is wrong.
You then said, “But the Bible is a big book. Where can you find where it says a certain thing is right or wrong?” Again, that is a very valid question. I know that the Bible is a big book. I trust that the following will help you.
First, I want to say that I deeply appreciate the fact that you are interested in knowing what is wrong and right, and knowing upon what basis to place your own personal understanding. This will help you find the key to peace in your soul. Each of us is individually responsible to God. The Bible says, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2:11) “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” (Romans 2:16) “[God] will render to every man according to his deeds.” (Romans 2:6) You can see we must know how to live in this world, according to the plan of God, to be cleared before the great Judge in that last day, when all men shall stand before Him. When I first opened my Bible to type the above Scriptures I saw this Scripture that I had underlined in my Bible, which at one time impressed me greatly. I feel that it must be for you, too, as the Psalmist had a desire like yours, so in his prayer he said, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” (Psalm 119:33-34) Then I always liked the verse above these verses, which I also have marked, and have quoted many times to others: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11) So we do need to desire to know what is right and what is wrong, seek after understanding, and it will be given to us. After we know and understand, we want to remember to obey God’s Word.
There is no book like the Bible. When I speak of the Bible I definitely refer to the Kings James Version. Today, there are many versions of the Bible, and the devil is using this to confuse people, and cause them to lose faith in God’s Word. I personally can say, that I have searched out the Kings James Version of the Bible, have obeyed it, and I have found a deep, sweet peace in my soul. By obeying it, I found contact with God which makes me know it is true. Your great-grandfather, Fred Pruitt, preached from it, lived by it, and saw many others saved from their sins, who lived and died by it, with victory over sin and the devil. Oh, yes, it does bring joy to a person and fulfills that deep longing in every person for peace and satisfaction in this life!
In studying the Bible, we find a Unity of Thought which makes us know that One Mind inspired the writing and arrangement of all the books. Truly it is the Word of God! It is different from any other book in the world. It is a divine book and not just a human book. We reject, with abhorrence, any suggestion that it is like other books. The Bible is an account of God’s efforts to reveal Himself to mankind. It is a record of His dealings with man and His revealed will concerning him. The Bible is for instruction and guidance in all the ways of life. From all the facts that the Apostle Paul gathered he said, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) This we find it to be true.
The special messengers of God, by whom the Bible has been written, were given the power of performing miracles, by which their inspiration was attested and their messages made authoritative; but the “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19) furnished the greatest external proof of its inspiration. To this, more than to anything else, Christ and the apostles made their constant appeal. Matthew, narrating the deeds of the Savior, gives us the standing phrase, “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,” while Peter affirms, in words unmistakable, that the “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:21)
Christ is the center and heart of the whole Bible. The Old Bible, or Testament, is an account of a Nation. The New Testament is an account of a Man, who is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament foretold Christ’s coming and founded and nurtured a nation by God to bring Christ into the world. There is no book like the Bible.
The poet has said,
“O precious Bible! burning words from heaven,
We’ll ever cherish thee in our heart;
Sweet is the counsel by thy pages given,
On life’s dark ocean, our only chart.
“O precious volume! Only in thy pages
We read the duty of all our race;
Only thy sunbeams, shining through the ages,
Reveal the wonders of saving grace.”
Oh, my grandson, it is a glorious thing to understand what God requires of us and to live by it! To accept Christ as our Savior, Lord, and Master, to strive sincerely and devotedly to follow in the path that He has mapped out for us in this life, is the most wonderful, the most reasonable, and the most satisfactory way to live. It means peace in our hearts, peace of mind, contentment, happiness, hope, and an assurance of a life beyond the grave that shall never end. What a glorious plan God has made for all who will love and serve Him with all of their hearts!
Oh, how sad to see so many go through life and face death without a hope of living in heaven with God forever in the end of time! How can anyone be so ignorant or be filled with such a lack of wisdom! It is beyond me. We all have to die, which is a proven fact. What then! Why try to get around it? It seems that every person should open his heart and mind to the Word of God and accept Christ with an open mind and consider it the greatest privilege in this world to live for Christ, the Creator of all mankind. We should be like Job of old who said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12)
Many times we read in the New Testament that “it came to pass.” The prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled. Read the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, and he describes Christ’s crucifixion and atonement work with such accuracy of detail that the inspiration of the prophet is assured. He wrote this years before Christ was born. He only had from the prophets before him the fact that God had told them that God was going to send a Messiah. So only God could inspire Him to write in such detail about his sufferings and death. Oh, there are so many proofs that the Bible is true! Jesus spoke about the Old Testament, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46-47) Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. He wrote things that were told to him from the beginning. It all harmonizes with the rest of the Bible. The early people were careful to keep accounts and told them to their children. They were written when writing was available (or began).