Bible Consistency With Itself, "You Can Prove Anything By The Bible"
The words which serve as a title for this article have often fallen from the lips of men. At times they have come from those who are sincere and honest. In recognition of this honesty and yet with concern for the exaltation of truth and the value of the souls of men, the error of this proposition must be pointed out. Would it not be an insult to a man to have it said of him, "You can prove anything by that man"? Even so, it is an insult to God to claim to be able to "prove anything by the Bible." If such be true, then the Bible is a falsehood, and God is not the author of it. But, of course, the Bible is inspired and God is the author of it.
There are many theories which are proclaimed far and wide as being the will of God, but which cannot be proved to be true by the Bible, the Word of God. Following is a list of a few of such theories:
1. One church is as good as another. (Note: this is true if only denominations are under consideration. The church of Christ is not a denomination.)
2. One can be saved without being a member of the church that Jesus bought with His blood.
3. One can be saved without being baptized in water. Now, let us note some doctrines which can be proved by the Bible:
1. There is only one church with divine authority for its existence. In Ephesians 4:4, Paul said, "There is one body." In the same book, chapter one and verses twenty-two and twenty-three, he identified this "body" as being "the church." It follows, therefore, as an inevitable conclusion that there is only one church. This does not mean, of course, that men would not begin churches of their own, for they have done that very thing. But it does mean that there is only one church with divine authority for its existence. Paul gives corroboration to this point in 1 Corinthians 12:20, where he says, "But now they are many members, but one body." The second "but" in this sentence is an adversative which places the oneness of the body, the church, in opposition with the plurality of the members who make up that one body. Should one succeed in proving that there is more than one church with divine authority, he would at the same time have proved that the Bible is not inspired.
2. Reconciliation unto God is in the one body, the church. This is a doctrine which seems to be offensive to a great many people, but, nevertheless, it can be proved by the Bible. In Ephesians 2:15, 16, the following is found,. .....that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the Cross...." According to Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, the word here translated "reconcile" means "to bring back to a former state of harmony." Man loses his harmony with God when he sins, and all have done so, Romans 3:23. So men are brought back to the state of harmony with God, which was theirs in infancy, when they enter the body, the church. Further proof of this position is supplied from the words of Paul, as recorded in Acts 20:28, "... the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood." No one can have remission of sins without the shedding of blood, Hebrews 9:22, and this blood must be the blood of Christ, Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:9. Since Christ bought the church with His blood, all who receive any benefits from His blood are in the church. Still further proof that this position can be proved by the Bible is found in Ephesians 5:23, where Paul says.... as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the savior of the Body." No one can be saved unless Christ save them, but Christ is the savior of the body, the church. The inevitable conclusion is, therefore, that only those in the church will be saved.
3. Sinners must be baptized in water in order to be saved. This does not mean, of course, that there is power in water to forgive sins, for no such power is inherent in water at all. The cleansing power which is in the blood of Christ is the power which saves from sin. But immersion in water is a divinely given command which must be obeyed before the blood will save. Water does not have the power to cleanse from leprosy, but Naaman was not cleansed by God's power until he had enough faith in. God to do just what God, through the prophet, had commanded him to do. There is no power in water to heal a man of blindness, but the blind man of John 9 was not healed of his blindness until he had enough faith to wash in the pool of Siloam as Jesus had told him to do. So it is with man's salvation from sin today. There is no power in water to gain for one remission of sins, but no sinner will have remission of sins through the blood of Christ until he has enough faith to obey the instructions to sinners which are recorded in Acts 2:38: "Repent ye, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins." Water does not have the power to wash away sins, but the blood of Christ will wash away the sins of no person who does not have enough faith to obey the instructions which were given to a lost man in Acts 22:16: "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name." And there are many other passages which show that it can be proved by the Bible that men must be baptized in water to be saved. For instance, 2 Timothy 2:10 says that salvation is "in Christ Jesus." Since this is true, no one can be saved who is not "in Christ." So whatever it is that puts one into Christ is something without which one cannot be saved. And baptism is that very thing! Hear Paul as he says, in Romans 6:3: "Or are you ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?"
May all men come to value the Bible as the Word of God, to uphold and love its truths as the only way of salvation (John 8:32; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Heb. 5:8,9) and to denounce every way which differs from the Bible way as a way of error which will lead to the damnation of souls. (2 Thess. 2:8-12; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 John 9-11) The only thing that one can prove by the Bible is the TRUTH.