SPECULATIVE DOCTRINES.
Christ is Equal with God.
I and my Father are one. ([John 10 : 30].)
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. ([Phil. 2 : 6].)
Christ is Not Equal with God.
My Father is greater than I. ([John 14 : 28].)
Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. ([Mat. 24 : 36].)
Christ Judged Men.
The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son.... As I hear I judge. ([John 5 : 22, 30].)
Christ Judged No Man.
I judge no man. ([John 8 : 15].)
If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. ([John 12 : 47].)
Jesus was All Powerful.
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ([Mat. 28 : 18].)
The Father loveth the son, and hath given all things into his hand. ([John 3 : 35].)
Jesus was Not All Powerful.
And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands on a few sick folk and healed them. ([Mark 6 : 5].)
The Law was Superceded by the Christian Dispensation.
The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached. ([Luke 16 : 16].)
Having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances. ([Eph. 2 : 15].)
But now we are delivered from the law. ([Rom. 7 : 6].)
The Law was Not Superceded by the Christian Dispensation.
I come not to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. ([Mat. 5 : 17, 18, 19].)
Christ’s Mission was Peace.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God In the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ([Luke 2 : 13, 14].)
And thou, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Highest.... To guide our feet into the way of peace. ([Luke 1 : 76, 79].)
And his name shall be called ... The Prince of Peace. ([Is. 9 : 6].)
Christ’s Mission was Not Peace.
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword. ([Mat. 10 : 34].)
I am come to send fire on the earth. ([Luke 12 : 49].)
Christ Received not Testimony from Man.
Ye sent unto John and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man. ([John 5 : 33, 34].)
Christ Did Receive Testimony from Man.
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. ([John 15 : 27].)
Christ’s Witness of Himself is True.
I am one that bear witness of myself.... Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true. ([John 8 : 18, 14].)
Christ’s Witness of Himself is Not True.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. ([John 5 : 31].)
It was Lawful for the Jews to Put Jesus to Death.
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die. ([John 19 : 7].)
It was Not Lawful for the Jews to Put him to Death.
The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death. ([John 18 : 31].)
Children are Punished for the Sins of their Parents.
I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children. ([Ex. 20 : 5].)
Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. ([2 Sam. 12 : 14].)
Children are Not Punished for the Sins of their Parents.
The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. ([Ezek. 18 : 20].)
Neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers. ([Deut. 24 : 16].)
Man is Justified by Faith Alone.
By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified. ([Rom. 3 : 20].)
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. ([Gal. 2 : 16].)
The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith. ([Gal. 3 : 11, 12].)
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory. ([Rom. 4 : 2].)
Man is Not Justified by Faith Alone.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works?... Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ([James 2 : 21, 24].)
The doers of the law shall be justified. ([Rom. 2 : 13].)
It is Impossible to Fall from Grace.
And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. ([John 10 : 28].)
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ([Rom. 8 : 38, 39].)
It is Possible to Fall from Grace.
But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. ([Ezek. 18 : 24].)
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance. ([Heb. 6 : 4, 5, 6].)
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. ([2 Peter 2 : 20, 21].)
No Man is Without Sin.
For there is no man that sinneth not. ([1 Kings 8 : 46].)
Who can say, I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin? ([Prov. 20 : 9].)
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not. ([Eccl. 7 : 20].)
There is none righteous, no, not one. ([Rom. 3 : 10].)
Christians are Sinless.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; ... he cannot sin, because he is born of God.... Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.... He that committeth sin is of the devil. ([1 John 3 : 9, 6, 8].)
There is to be a Resurrection of the Dead.
The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised. ([1 Cor. 15 : 52].)
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; ... and they were judged, every man according to their works. ([Rev. 20 : 12, 13].)
The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth. ([John 5 : 28, 29].)
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. ([1 Cor. 15 : 16].)
There is to be no Resurrection of the Dead.
As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. (Job 7 : 9.)
The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward. ([Eccl. 9 : 5].)
They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise. ([Is. 26 : 14].)
Reward and Punishment to be Bestowed in this World.
Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, much more the wicked and the sinner. ([Prov. 11 : 31].)
Reward and Punishment to be Bestowed in the Next World.
And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ([Rev. 20 : 12].)
Then he shall reward every man according to his works. ([Mat. 16 : 27].)
According to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ([2 Cor. 5 : 10].)
Annihilation the Portion of all Mankind.
Why died not I from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?... For now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest, with kings and counselors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves; or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver; or as a hidden, untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw the light. There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest.... The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul, which long for death, but it cometh not, ... which rejoice exceedingly and are glad, when they can find the grave? (Job. 3 : 11, 13–17, 19–22.)
The dead know not anything.... For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. ([Eccl. 9 : 5, 10].)
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth the beasts, even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast.... All go unto one place. ([Eccl. 3 : 19, 20].)
Endless Misery the Portion of a Part of Mankind.
These shall go away into everlasting punishment. ([Mat. 25 : 46].)
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. ([Rev. 20 : 10, 15].)
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever. ([Rev. 14 : 11].)
And many of them that sleep in the dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ([Dan. 12 : 2].)
The Earth is to be Destroyed.
The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ([2 Peter 3 : 10].)
They shall perish, but thou remainest. ([Heb. 1 : 11].)
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them. ([Rev. 20 : 11].)
The Earth is Never to be Destroyed.
Who laid the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed forever. ([Ps. 104 : 5].)
But the earth abideth forever. ([Eccl. 1 : 4].)
No Evil Shall Happen to the Godly.
There shall no evil happen to the just. ([Prov. 12 : 21].)
Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? ([1 Peter 3 : 13].)
Evil Does Happen to the Godly.
Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ([Heb. 12 : 6].)
And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man?... So went Satan forth ... and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. ([Job 2 : 3, 7].)
Worldly Good and Prosperity the Lot of the Godly.
There shall no evil happen to the just. ([Prov. 12 : 21].)
For the Lord loveth judgment and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever.... The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.... Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace. ([Ps. 37 : 28, 32, 33, 37].)
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.... Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. ([Ps. 1 : 1, 3].)
And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. ([Gen. 39 : 2].)
So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. ([Job 42 : 12].)
Worldly Misery and Destitution the Lot of the Godly.
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; ... they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. ([Heb. 11 : 37, 38].)
These are they which came out of great tribulation. ([Rev. 7 : 14].)
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. ([2 Tim. 3 : 12].)
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. ([Luke 21 : 17].)
Worldly Prosperity a Blessing and a Reward of Righteousness.
There is no man that hath left house or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, but he shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands. ([Mark 10 : 29, 30].)
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. ([Ps. 37 : 25].)
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.... Wealth and riches shall be in his house. ([Ps. 112 : 1, 3].)
If thou return unto the Almighty, thou shalt be built up.... Then thou shalt lay up gold as dust. ([Job 22 : 23, 24].)
In the house of the righteous is much treasure. ([Prov. 15 : 6].)
Worldly Prosperity a Curse and a Bar to Future Reward.
Blessed be ye poor. ([Luke 6 : 20].)
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.... For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. ([Mat. 6 : 19, 21].)
And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. ([Luke 16 : 22].)
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ([Mat. 19 : 24].)
Wo unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. ([Luke 6 : 24].)
The Christian Yoke is Easy.
Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.... For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ([Mat. 11 : 28–30].)
Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? ([1 Peter 3 : 13].)
The Christian Yoke is Not Easy.
In the world ye shall have tribulation. ([John 16 : 33].)
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. ([2 Tim. 3 : 12].)
Whom the Lord loveth be chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.... But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. ([Heb. 12 : 6, 8].)
The Fruit of God’s Spirit is Love and Gentleness.
The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness. ([Gal. 5 : 22].)
The Fruit of God’s Spirit is Vengeance and Fury.
And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.... And he ... slew a thousand men. ([Judges 15 : 14, 15].)
And it came to pass on the morrow that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, ... and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. ([1 Sam. 18 : 10, 11].)
Prosperity and Longevity Enjoyed by the Wicked.
Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear. ([Job 21 : 7, 8, 9].)
They [men of the world] are full of children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. ([Ps. 17 : 14].)
I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.... They are not in trouble as other men.... Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. ([Ps. 73 : 3, 5, 12].)
There is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. ([Eccl. 7 : 15].)
Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? ([Jer. 12 : 1].)
Prosperity and Longevity Denied to the Wicked.
The light of the wicked shall be put out.... Terrors shall make him afraid on every side.... He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. (Job. 18 : 5, 12, 18, 19.)
But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days. ([Eccl. 8 : 23].)
Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. ([Ps. 55 : 23].)
The years of the wicked shall be shortened. ([Prov. 10 : 27].)
They [the hypocrites] die in youth. (Job. 36 : 14.)
Be not over much wicked, neither be foolish; why shouldst thou die before your time? ([Eccl. 7 : 17].)
Poverty is a Blessing.
Blessed be ye poor.... Woe unto you that are rich! ([Luke 6 : 20, 24].)
Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom? ([James 2 : 5].)
Riches a Blessing.
The rich man’s wealth is his strong tower, but the destruction of the poor is their poverty. ([Prov. 10 : 15].)
If thou return unto the Almighty then thou shalt be built up.... Thou shalt then lay up gold as dust. ([Job 22 : 23, 24].)
So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning, for he had 14,000 sheep, and 6,000 camels and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. ([Job 42 : 12].)
Neither Poverty nor Riches a Blessing.
Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me; lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. ([Prov. 30 : 8, 9].)
Wisdom a Source of Enjoyment.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom.... Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and in her paths are peace. ([Prov. 3 : 13, 17].)
Wisdom a Source of Vexation, Grief, and Sorrow.
And I gave my heart to know wisdom.... I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. ([Eccl. 1 : 17, 18].)
A Good Name a Blessing.
A good name is better than precious ointment. ([Eccl. 7 : 1].)
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. ([Prov. 22 : 1].)
A Good Name is a Curse.
Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you. ([Luke 6 : 26].)
Laughter Commended.
To everything there is a season, and a time.... A time to weep and a time to laugh. ([Eccl. 3 : 1, 4].)
Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink, and to be merry. ([Eccl. 8 : 15].)
A merry heart doeth good, like a medicine. ([Prov. 17 : 22].)
Laughter Condemned.
Woe unto you that laugh now. ([Luke 6 : 25].)
Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. ([Eccl. 7 : 3, 4].)
The Rod of Correction a Remedy for Foolishness.
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. ([Prov. 22 : 15].)
There is No Remedy for Foolishness.
Though thou shouldst bray a fool in mortar, ... yet will not his foolishness depart from him. ([Prov. 27 : 22].)
Temptation to be Desired.
Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. ([James 1 : 2].)
Temptation Not to be Desired.
Lead us not into temptation. ([Mat. 6 : 13].)
Prophecy is Sure.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place. ([2 Peter 1 : 19].)
Prophecy is Not Sure.
At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. ([Jer. 18 : 7–10].)
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means.... From the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. ([Jer. 5 : 31], and [6 : 13].)
Man’s Life was to be One Hundred and Twenty Years.
His days shall be a hundred and twenty years. ([Gen. 6 : 3].)
Man’s Life is but Seventy Years.
The days of our years are three score years and ten. ([Ps. 90 : 10].)
Miracles a Proof of Divine Mission.
Now, when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see; the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised. ([Mat. 11 : 2–5].)
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ([John 3 : 2].)
And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses. ([Ex. 14 : 31].)
Miracles Not a Proof of Divine Mission.
And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. Now, the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments, for they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents. ([Ex. 7 : 10–12].)
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. ([Deut. 13 : 1–3].)
If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do our sons cast them out? ([Luke 11 : 19].)
Moses was a Very Meek Man.
Now, the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. ([Num. 12 : 3].)
Moses was a Very Cruel Man.
And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?... Now, therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man. ([Num. 31 : 15, 17].)
Elijah Went up to Heaven.
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ([2 Kings 2 : 11].)
None but Christ Ever Ascended into Heaven.
No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man. ([John 3 : 13].)
All Scripture is Inspired.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God. ([2 Tim. 3 : 16].)
Some Scripture is Not Inspired.
But I speak this by permission and not by commandment.... But to the rest speak I, not the Lord. ([1 Cor. 7 : 6], and [5 : 12].)
That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord. ([2 Cor. 11 : 17].)