Chapter 1
The Key to Peace
By A. Marie Miles
"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.'
Preface
One day, in a very brief conversation, my grandson asked me a question. I did not get to talk with him much, so later I felt really inspired to write some things which were upon my heart, that his question had prompted. Of course I have gone into more detail than he would have had to know, but felt it was good to stir up thoughts of what he did know.
After I gave it to him to read, I remarked that I might print it some day and hoped that it would be a help to someone else. He returned it to me and I am sending it forth with a prayer that these Bible truths will be a help to some soul.
At this writing, I am 64 years of age and I feel I am living on borrowed time. In 1973, it seemed that the Lord was going to take me, but He healed me and I am doing all I can for the Lord. I recommend the Lord to every soul. He has been precious to me down through my life, with many blessings in the times of trouble and heartache.
--Sis. A. Marie Miles May, 1978
*The Key to Peace*
_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." Rom. 2:11. "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." Rom. 2:16. "Who [or God] will render to every man according to his deeds." Rom. 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." Psalms 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." (verse 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 King 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 King 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, 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." II Tim. 3:16. Thus 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" (2nd 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 Saviour, 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." II 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 Saviour, 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 712 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).
What Is Sin?
When I was a child and teen-ager, I was taught by my parents what the Bible said was right and what was wrong. Many other doctrines in the Bible were taught to me. I read them in the Bible, believed them, lived by them, and was blessed in my soul and life. There came a time in my life that I began to desire for God to teach me personally what was right and what was wrong. I never doubted that the Bible was true but I wanted to say that I believe this or that because God's Word says so. I began to search things out in the Bible. I believe God wants each of us to have this firm foundation to stand upon. So my dear grandson, you are not different from your grandmother. When I finished my search I was glad that I could say I believed this or that because it says in the Bible thus and so. I didn't believe it because someone else said it, but because God had said it. This is the way I want you to know it.
There is one thing that I had when I began my search, that was the Holy Spirit as my teacher. The Bible tells us definitely that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." I Cor. 2:14. Since the Bible was written by "holy men of God" who "spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" and it is not "of any private interpretation," then we need to have the Holy Spirit to reveal, or help us to understand all of the Word of God. (II Peter 1:20,21). Yet there are a lot of the basics that we can know. I do hope that you will understand what I write to you by the help of the Holy Spirit.
First, let us know what sin is. In other words that would be what is wrong. When we find out what is wrong then we can know what is right. Sin means "Willfully breaking religious or moral law." (Web. Dic.) The Bible also gives us the definition of sin. In I John 3:4 it says, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth [or breaks] the law [of God]; for sin is the transgression [or disobedience] of the [God's] law." Then in James 4:17 we read, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." We see that sin is either a direct disobedience of God's Word or a willful failure to live by its requirements. It is a serious thing to disobey God's law because it involves the destiny or end of our soul. It means living in either eternal torment or eternal bliss. To commit sin is a terrible thing and a very serious thing. That is the reason we need to search the Scriptures to find out how to live pleasing to the Lord in this world. We can't do this within ourselves. God had a plan for us by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our salvation, so through Christ we can live right.
If sin is disobeying God's Word then we must find out what it says in the Word of God so we can live up to it. First we want to find out why we sin, and then get rid of the cause.
You, of course, know what the Bible tells us about Adam and Eve in the beginning and how they obeyed the devil who talked to them through the serpent. He got Eve to disobey the only commandment that God had given them. She ate of the fruit, which was forbidden, and gave to Adam and he did eat. (Gen. 3rd chapter). They no longer could talk to God as before, but hid themselves. Sin separates us from God. God called to them and said, "Where art thou?" They said, "We hid ourselves because we were naked." God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree whereof I commanded you not to eat?" Of course, we realize that because of sin, they knew they were naked. Before they had sinned, they didn't think anything about their nakedness. But after they sinned they made themselves clothes of fig leaves. No doubt they thought quickly of something or they would have chosen something more substantial than leaves. The leaves would soon dry and crack, but they were so ashamed of their nakedness because of their sin. Not only did they need a covering for their bodies but they also needed a covering for their souls. God can't look upon sin with any pleasure. Sin will cause us to be cast out of His presence. But oh, the Lord is so very merciful and He told Adam and Eve that He had a plan for them, so their sins could be covered as well as their bodies.
In Genesis 3:15 we read that God promised a Saviour. God spoke to the devil, who had spoken through the serpent, and said, "I will put enmity [or warfare] between thee [the devil] and the woman, and between thy seed [Satan and his servants] and her seed [Christ and His followers]; it [Christ] shall bruise thy head [Jesus broke or crushed Satan's power], and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his heel." In other words we find a promise in this Scripture of Jesus being born. Jesus was the seed of the woman. In Luke 1:31-35 we read how the angel told Mary that she would have a child even though she was a virgin. God would be the father of this child. The angel said, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and ... that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Through Christ, sin could be conquered because He was the Son of God, and not from the seed of man, yet He was called the Son of man because He took upon Him flesh or the nature of man.
The seed of Satan are those who have yielded themselves to him and are his servants. Jesus said to some who opposed Him, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." John 8:44. So we note that the warfare would be between the seed of Satan and his servants and the seed of the woman, or Jesus Christ and His followers. Now who will conquer? God said that "her seed, it shall bruise thy head." Jesus Christ would crush or break the power of Satan over mankind and men would be able to become sons of God. Isa. 53:5 tells us that Jesus "was bruised for our iniquities [or sins]." Praise God for Jesus who conquered the enemy of our soul!
We have established the fact that sin displeases God. He punished Adam and Eve and put them out of the garden, yet He gave them a promise of a Saviour to come. It was over 4000 years before Jesus came. During this time they offered a Lamb, which was a type of Jesus, as a sacrifice for their sins. Today Jesus is our Saviour.
Let us note that in the 21st verse in Gen. 3, God killed an animal and made Adam and Eve "coats of skin" to wear. It says that God "clothed them." _Clothed_ means "to cover." Here we find that it is a command for us to wear clothing. Paul in the New Testament tells us to dress in modest apparel. (I Tim. 2:9). In other words we are to be clothed. It is still a sin to go without decent clothing today as it was in the Garden of Eden.
Now one thing that God showed me in my search, was that because Adam and Eve sinned, that sin passed down upon all the human race. Adam was created holy and pure but when he sinned, he lost that purity. When he had a son, the Bible tells us that his son was "after his [Adam's] image" or had the principle of sin within him. (Gen. 5:3). The Apostle Paul tells us "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death [spiritual death] by sin; and so death [or spiritual separation from God] passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12. We see that every child who is born has that sin principle within him. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psa. 51:5. Then we read in the Bible in another place where it says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." Psa. 58:3. Thus the Bible explains that children are born with a bent, or inclination, toward sin, but if they die without first coming to a knowledge of sin, they are saved through Jesus' blood. There comes a time in a child's life when he knows he has sinned. He understands it and then he is responsible. The Apostle Paul says, "sin is not imputed [or charged or ascribed] when there is no law [or understanding]." Romans 5:13.
Now you have come to the time in life when you are responsible. You know what sin is. I remember when I realized that I had sinned. I had a big imagination but the time came when I knew the difference between imagining things and telling lies. The Bible says that "all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Rev. 21:8. So telling lies is wrong and is a sin, as well as many other things that we will mention later.
Jesus Destroys the Works of the Devil
When we realize that we have sinned and know that sin will keep us away from living in eternity in the presence of God, we are filled with sorrow. First, we do not want to be cast into the "lake of fire," nor be with the devil and his angels as Jesus has warned. He spoke of those being "cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:44.
The next thing we think of is how Jesus loved us so much, He came willingly to take the punishment for our sins. Sin had to be punished. Man could not redeem us from our sins as all men had sinned. Jesus was innocent and without sin. He was with God from the beginning but He was born of woman, and took upon Himself flesh and blood. He lived here in this world, was mistreated and finally put on the cross to die a horrible death, although He was innocent. Why? Because He loved you and me. "God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." I John 4:9. "He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not committ sin, because he is born of God." I John 3:8,9. Through Jesus' death on the cross, sin can be forgiven and we can come into the presence of God.
When we realize that we have sinned and are sorry for that sin, we come to Jesus, and with "godly sorrow" ask Him to forgive us. Jesus hears our prayer and forgives us of our sins. By believing that He took our punishment for our sins, in dying on the cross, we are forgiven by God, and all is clear between us and God. Our sins are under the blood of Jesus. In olden times, in the Old Testament, they offered a lamb, but after Jesus came He was the Lamb who was sacrificed on the cross once and forever for sins. John the Baptist said, when he saw Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. He will take away our sins, when we confess them to Him, and in prayer, believe that He takes them away. I surely can't forget when the Lord did just that for me. It was wonderful to know that all was clear between God and me. I could sleep better and it was wonderful to know that if death overtook me I would be ready to go.
When I realized that I needed to be sanctified, or the sin principle needed to be cleansed out of my heart, I sought the Lord to give me the Holy Spirit. You can't ask forgiveness for the sin that passed down upon all men from the fall, or the sin of Adam and Eve. It has to be cleansed out of your heart by the purging of the Holy Spirit. There are two works in the heart. First we are saved from our volitional sins and then we are sanctified or cleansed of that sin principle or carnal nature. Peter speaks of some receiving the Holy Spirit and said, "purifying their hearts by faith." God had given "them the Holy Ghost." Acts 15:8,9. Then we can have power over all the power of the devil. The works of the devil are destroyed out of our hearts. Praise God forever! It is a wonderful experience.
Oh, how we love our Lord and Saviour for all that He has done for us! How sad we would be if He had not come to this world to take our punishment. How thankful we are for the Holy Spirit that was promised to us after Jesus went away. He told His disciples that the Holy Spirit, or the Comforter, could not come unless He went to the Father. (John 14).
We read how God gave the disciples the Holy Spirit, after Jesus arose into the skies, after His resurrection from the grave. In Acts, second chapter, they were waiting in the upper room and the Holy Spirit came upon them and God performed a miracle. They spoke the wonderful news and 17 or 18 different nations heard about it in their own language. It was on the day of Pentecost when people from all of these nations had come to the temple to worship God. Many of them believed on Jesus as the promised Saviour, were saved from their sins, and were filled with the Holy Spirit. It's a glorious experience and is for everyone who has been saved from sin.
Sins Named
My grandson, let us look at the Bible and see some sins that are mentioned.
In Galatians 5:19 we read that adultery is a sin. In verse 21 it is clearly stated that "they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." So there is no doubt about these sins. _Adultery_ means, "violation of the marriage-bed." Romans 7:2,3 says "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." We know that when a couple marries, it is for life or until one of them dies. Read Matt. 19:7,8, where Jesus reaffirms this truth.
_Fornication_ is the "illicit sexual intercourse of unmarried persons," which is also adultery. This is a sin. Many today are just living together. This is a sin and a stench in the nostrils of God. It is terrible and so immoral, even if many today are doing it. "But fornication, ... let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints." Eph. 5:3. "Flee fornication.... What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1st Cor. 6:18-20. You see our bodies are to be kept pure and clean. That means our minds are to be clean and pure also. Sometimes the devil will bring evil thoughts to our minds but we must not think upon them. Think pure thoughts.