The Key to Peace Part 1

The Key To Peace.

by A. Marie Miles.

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*

_G.o.d'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 G.o.d. The Bible says, "For there is no respect of persons with G.o.d." Rom.

2:11. "In the day when G.o.d shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." Rom. 2:16. "Who [or G.o.d] 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d'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 G.o.d'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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d! 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 G.o.d'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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 a.s.surance of a life beyond the grave that shall never end. What a glorious plan G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 pa.s.s." 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 a.s.sured.

He wrote this 712 years before Christ was born. He only had from the prophets before him the fact that G.o.d had told them that G.o.d was going to send a Messiah. So only G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d's Word says so. I began to search things out in the Bible. I believe G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d: 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 G.o.d" 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 G.o.d. (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 G.o.d]; for sin is the transgression [or disobedience] of the [G.o.d'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 G.o.d's Word or a willful failure to live by its requirements. It is a serious thing to disobey G.o.d'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. G.o.d 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 G.o.d's Word then we must find out what it says in the Word of G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d as before, but hid themselves. Sin separates us from G.o.d. G.o.d called to them and said, "Where art thou?" They said, "We hid ourselves because we were naked." G.o.d 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. G.o.d 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 G.o.d promised a Saviour. G.o.d 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. G.o.d 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 G.o.d." Through Christ, sin could be conquered because He was the Son of G.o.d, 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 l.u.s.ts 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? G.o.d 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 G.o.d. Isa. 53:5 tells us that Jesus "was bruised for our iniquities [or sins]." Praise G.o.d for Jesus who conquered the enemy of our soul!

We have established the fact that sin displeases G.o.d. 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, G.o.d killed an animal and made Adam and Eve "coats of skin" to wear. It says that G.o.d "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 G.o.d showed me in my search, was that because Adam and Eve sinned, that sin pa.s.sed 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 G.o.d] pa.s.sed 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 G.o.d, 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 h.e.l.l, 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 G.o.d 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. "G.o.d 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 G.o.d was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of G.o.d doth not committ sin, because he is born of G.o.d." I John 3:8,9. Through Jesus' death on the cross, sin can be forgiven and we can come into the presence of G.o.d.