From the Pen of Paul. . .

"Rejected"

The word "reject" means (1) to refuse to acknowledge or submit to, (2) to refuse to take or accept, (3) to refuse to consider, (4) to throw out as useless or unsatisfactory. It is unpleasant to think of being rejected. Consider some, in the Bible, who were rejected.

Joseph was rejected by his brothers. Recall how his brothers rejected him because of Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph and because of the dreams he had and their interpretation. Stephen spoke of it in Acts 7:9-10: "And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house."

Moses was also rejected by his brethren. Again, listen to Stephen: "This Moses, whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush" (Acts 7:35). Even God was rejected. We are informed that when Samuel was old, his sons, who were appointed to judge Israel, did not walk in his ways. And, as a result of this, the people requested of Samuel, "Make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (I Sam. 8:5b). This displeased Samuel greatly, but the Lord informed Samuel that actually it was the Lord that had been rejected. "And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them" (I Sam. 8:8). Samuel reminded them of this fact later at Mizpeh when he said, "And ye have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations" (I Sam. 10:19). Later, in the New Testament, Peter reminded the Jews that they had rejected Jesus. Of Him, Peter said, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner" (Acts 4:11). Jesus used the word "rejected" in speaking of this same thing in Matthew 21:42. Many years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied of this same action of rejection of Jesus. "He is despised and rejected of men." Isn't it strange that this one who was "despised and rejected" became the "propitiation for our sins" (Rom. 3:23-25)?

As we look at these rejections, we realize just how foolish men behaved in each incident. Each of those rejected became great leaders, deliverers, and even Saviour for those who did the rejecting. But, are we any different today? Have we learned anything from these terrible mistakes in judgment? I think not.

Many today reject that which doesn't suit them or their way of thinking. Many reject God's word. Both Paul and Peter tell us that the word truly is THE word of God, given by God through His Holy Spirit, who guided men to write down God's message. See II Timothy 3:16-17 and II Peter 1:20-21. Jesus informs us that Thy (God) word is truth and the truth shall make you free (John 17:17; John 8:32). Yet, men blatantly "wrest the Scripture to their own destruction" (II Pet. 3:16). We hear men stating that what God's word plainly states is not what He meant to say. They spend hour upon hour trying to explain away God's word, when it would be much easier just to believe it, accept it, and obey it! God's word is rejected when it is "perverted" (Gal. 1:6-9); it is rejected when man adds to it or subtracts from it (Rev. 22:18-19). Far too many are like Saul, who did part of what God had told him to do, but rejected parts of His commands, and yet, he said, "I have performed the commandment of the Lord." Strange indeed! Is there any difference in that and the denominational preacher or the denominational member who reads, "He that believeth AND is baptized shall be saved" and then he says, "I have believed and been saved without baptism?" (Mark 16:16). Is there any difference in the ridiculous statement made by Saul and the lukewarm Christian saying "I am a faithful Christian" when his life does not show it? See I John 2:5-6.

What about you? Have you rejected Jesus? Have you rejected His plan of salvation? Have you rejected His church (Matt. 16:18)? Have you rejected His word? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, listen carefully to Jesus, and repent before it is too late. "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).
—Paul M. Wilmoth

From the Preacher's Viewpoint. . .

What Great Men Have Said About the Bible

The Bible is the greatest book of all the world. It will remain such in both time and eternity. It is great not because of what men have said about it, but because of its transforming power and what it makes man to be. America has been and still is the greatest nation on earth because her foundation has been Bible principles and Bible doctrine.

Read what some great and powerful individuals have said about the Bible.

1. John Adams: "The Bible is the best book in the world."
2. Queen Victoria: "This book is the secret of England's greatness."
3. Henry Clay: "I always have had, and always shall have, a profound regard for Christianity."
4. George Washington: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
5. Thomas Jefferson: "Of all the systems of morality, none appears so pure to me as that of Jesus."
6. Matthew Arnold: "To the Bible men will return, and why? Because they cannot do without it."
7. James K. Polk: "I have read the sacred Scriptures a great deal, and deeply reverence them as divine truth."
8. William H. Seward: "The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever-growing influence of the Bible."
9. Daniel Webster: "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper."
10. John Ruskin: "This book has been the accepted guide of the moral intelligence of Europe for some fifteen hundred years."
11. Abraham Lincoln: "In regard to the great Book, I have only this to say: that it is the best gift which God has given to man."
12. Edmund Burke: "I have read the Bible morning, noon, and night, and have ever since been the happier and better man for such reading."
13. William E. Gladmore: "The biblical order of statement as to the creation may be taken as a demonstrated conclusion and established fact."
14. Ulysses S. Grant: "Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your hearts and practice them in your lives."
15. Benjamin Harrison: "It is by the influence of Christianity that we shall approach universal peace and adopt arbitration methods of settling disputes."
16. John Quincy Adams: "I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year; it is an inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue."
17. Benjamin Franklin: "Young man, my advice to you is that you cultivate an acquaintance with, and a firm belief in, the Holy Scripture; this is your certain interest."
18. Sir Isaac Newton: "We count the Scriptures to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profance history whatever."
19. James A. Garfield: "No man can understand the history of any nation or of the world who does not recognize it in the power of God, and behold his stately goings forth as he walks among the nations."