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Dear bro. Turner:
 Will
you please examine in “You Know What?” the article you wrote in
July’ 73(“I Believe Testimony in connection with Eph 3:16-19. I
believe you were a little too hard on those of us who sing, “He
Lives.” In other words, is the song really unscriptural? BD
Reply:
First,
thanks for writing. It was not my intention to be “hard” on
anyone. Actually, I am often a bit put out with folk who are “picky”
about songs, allowing no poetic license; but I do believe our songs
should convey thoroughly scriptural concepts.
The
article to which you refer was aimed at subjectivist, who look
within themselves for evidences which are to be found outside, in
the word of God. The song (a beautiful one, which most people like
to sing) was only my example of how easily we can fall into the
subjective way of thinking. There is truth in the idea that God the
Son (and God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit) live in the hearts
of Christians, but this is not God’s way of producing faith in the
bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Read
the article with care, especially paragraph two, and note that I
cite Gal. 2:20 in recognition that Christ “lives” within the
Christian. Eph. 3: says Christ may “dwell” in our hearts “through
faith” (a faith produced by written testimony) but both passages
deal with man’s spiritual life in Christ, rather than with the
means of teaching the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are thousands of people who could sing
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the song “He Lives” with misguided sincerity, and yet deny that
Jesus literally arose from the grave.
The
subjectivist finds evidence for his “faith” in his “inner
feelings.” Now such feelings vary with each individual’s
experiences, for to a great extent we think and perceive with past
experience as a guide-line. But when we accept nothing but that
which accords with our experiences, or allow our “feelings” to
become a more powerful “authority” than what God has written, we
make ourselves judges of God, and superior to Him. (See Jas.
2:10-12, 4:10-12). This is the basic fallacy of much of today’s
“indwelling Holy Spirit” testimony. A man becomes convinced that
his feeling is superior testimony to that of the written word of
God.
The
unity of Christians will influence the world’s thinking, but men
believe on Christ through the word. (Jn. 17:19-21). Again, “These
(signs) are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His
name.” (Jn. 20:31) God has couched His truth in testimony,
confirmed, preached to all nations, written so as to be
understandable (Lu. l:1-4 Eph. 3: 2-6 Rom. 10:14-17); all of which
argues that this word is capable of producing in man’s heart the
faith that can save. You ask me how I know He lives, and I will
produce God’s testimony.
But
that song asks one to believe in a risen Saviour on the basis of
subjective testimony.
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