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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Lesson 1c
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Paul certainly was right. The differences which divided him from the Judaizers was no mere theological subtlety, but concerned the very heart and core of the religion of Christ. "Just as I am without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me"– that was what Paul was contending for in Galatia; that hymn would never have been written if the Judaizers had won. And without the thing which that hymn expresses there is no Christianity at all.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Lesson 1B
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Is it true, then, that Christianity is not a doctrine but a life? The question can be settled only by an examination of the beginnings of Christianity. Recognition of that fact does not involve any acceptance of Christian belief; it is merely a matter of common sense and common honesty. At the foundation of the life of every corporation is the incorporation paper, in which the objects of the corporation are set forth. Other objects may be vastly more desirable than those objects, but if the directors use the name and the resources of the corporation to pursue the other objects they are acting ultra vires of the corporation. So it is with Christianity.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Lesson 1A
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Christian and Liberalism Course, Lesson 1A
By J. Gresham Machen
Doctrine

Modern liberalism in the Church, whatever judgment may be passed upon it, is at any rate no longer merely an academic matter. It is no longer a matter merely of theological seminaries or universities. On the contrary its attack upon the fundamentals of the Christian faith is being carried on vigorously by Sunday-School "lesson-helps," by the pulpit, and by the religious press.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Introduction 01
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Christian and Liberalism Course, Introduction
By J. Gresham Machen

The purpose of this book is not to decide the religious issue of the present day, but merely to present the issue as sharply and clearly as possible, in order that the reader may be aided in deciding it for himself. Presenting an issue sharply is indeed by no means a popular business at the present time; there are many who prefer to fight their intellectual battles in what Dr. Francis L. Patton has aptly called a "condition of low visibility."[1] Clear-cut definition of terms in religious matters, bold facing of the logical implications of religious views, is by many persons regarded as an impious proceeding.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Introduction 05
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It might seem as though with such laws obscurantism had reached its lowest possible depths. But there are depths lower still. In the state of Oregon, on Election Day, 1922, a law was passed by a referendum vote in accordance with which all children in the state are required to attend the public schools. Christian schools and private schools, at least in the all-important lower grades, are thus wiped out of existence.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Introduction 04
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The improvement appears in the physical conditions of life, but in the spiritual realm there is a corresponding loss. The loss is clearest, perhaps, in the realm of art. Despite the mighty revolution which has been produced in the external conditions of life, no great poet is now living to celebrate the change; humanity has suddenly become dumb. Gone, too, are the great painters and the great musicians and the great sculptors. The art that still subsists is largely imitative, and where it is not imitative it is usually bizarre.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Introduction 03
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Two lines of criticism, then, are possible with respect to the liberal attempt at reconciling science and Christianity. Modern liberalism may be criticized (1) on the ground that it is unchristian and (2) on the ground that it is unscientific. We shall concern ourselves here chiefly with the former line of criticism; we shall be interested in showing that despite the liberal use of traditional phraseology modern liberalism not only is a different religion from Christianity but belongs in a totally different class of religions.

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Christianity and Liberalism Bible Course, Introduction 02
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If such an attitude be justifiable, then no institution is faced by a stronger hostile presumption than the institution of the Christian religion, for no institution has based itself more squarely upon the authority of a bygone age. We are not now inquiring whether such policy is wise or historically justifiable; in any case the fact itself is plain, that Christianity during many centuries has consistently appealed for the truth of its claims, not merely and not even primarily to current experience, but to certain ancient books the most recent of which was written some nineteen hundred years ago.

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When Parents Learn Patience

             Many changes come to a family when a child is born. New parents are usually unprepared for the differences in their lives, even with the best advanced warning. Even experienced parents experience shock when a new addition to the family arrives. With each child, I found myself remarking, "I had forgotten how trying a little one can be." Fortunately, there is more than enough joy and excitement with a newborn to make up for the difficult times. You see, with a newborn, it is the parents who have lessons to learn that will prepare them for raising children in the coming years.

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Billy Norris

"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints…" (Jude
3).

The original Greek word hapax translated "once for all" means that it is "of perpetual validity not requiring repetition" (Vine, pg. 819).  The faith delivered to the saints is of such quality that it is complete ("perfect." James 1:25) and will not tolerate repetition or alteration.  This means that any "revelations" since the faith was given once for all have not come from God but from the inventive minds of men.  It further means that those who claim the revelations and those who believe them are condemned.  The warning is clearly given, "Whoever transgresses (goes ahead) and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.  He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son" (II John 9).

We must recognize and respect the significance of this word translated "once for all."  Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  (Hebrews 9:28).  His sacrifice was of such quality as never to need repetition.

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In Genesis chapter 1, we read that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Evolutionary theory, taught in public schools and advocated by many books and magazines, claims the world is billions of years old. Obviously Genesis and Evolution conflict on the age of this world. Many Christians have tried to blend the two in a position that is often called the "Day/Age Theory." The point made is that perhaps the days of creation were not really literal 24-hours days; instead they represent ages. Each age would have lasted thousands or even millions of years.

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Steven Harper

In the religious realm, there are some men who would have us believe they are speaking the truths of God’s Word but would be more properly identified as the “false teachers” they are. I know that is a ‘label’ that some individuals do not like to hear, but it is a Scriptural one (cf. II Peter 2:1). It seems the problem some have in calling anyone a ‘false teacher’ comes from an apparent misunderstanding about what makes one a ‘false teacher,’ but it is rarely a problem of identifying the content of what he is teaching. Right now, some are arguing that we can only know a ‘false teacher’ if we know his motives, but if that were true then we mere humans could never identify one as a ‘false teacher’ since no man can know the motives of another unless they reveal it themselves.  [And when is the last time you heard anyone stand up and say, "Before I begin, I just want everyone to know I have ulterior motives behind the words I am about to say"?]

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