The Dean Burgon Society's 1999 Annual Meeting
Dr. Ron Tottingham, PhD, ThD, LitD;
President, Great Plains Baptist Divinity School;
Chairman of the Departments of Theology and Pastoral
Science; Professor of Biblical/Baptist History and Bible
Copyright 1999 by the author, reproduction and distribution rights assigned to the Dean
Burgon Society.
Psalm 12:6-7
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt
preserve them from this generation for ever.
God's Words - God's Integrity
- Integrity means: Honesty, soundness, etc.• God's Word IS a matter of god's
integrity. Either God is to be believed, or it matters little what else is debated of Him.
- This issue of the soundness of God's Word; of the presence of God's Words yet today
existing preserved is an issue of god's integrity, of whether God is to be believed.
- If God has no integrity, then all He stands for is not.
- The Author of our Bible said He would preserve His Word forever, AND TO every
generation!
- If He did not, Cannot, He is the liar; His integrity is faulty, NOT the Bible
corrupters.
- If His Word has not been "Perfectly" preserved, free of error, He is no more
than man and has done no more than man alone could do.
- I say again, the issue is Divine Integrity!
- Lets look at some specifics.....
[To deviate from truth, to lie]
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth
in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father
of it.
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of
his devices.
Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? not one.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their
works.
For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of
sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal
my words every one from his neighbor.
As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which
are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
- Can God Preserve His Word???
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too
hard for me? 17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great
power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return
unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
- Can God Preserve Through Copies??? The Original
And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon
mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of
God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that
he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests
the Levites:
And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he
wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of
Judah copied out.
The Possession - they had THE Scriptures!
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath
days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3. Opening and alleging, that Christ must
needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach
unto you, is Christ. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether
those things were so.
For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the
scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are
able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
- God can translate and preserve His word!
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me
unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
- Saving faith comes FROM God's Word!
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are
able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Conviction leading to repentance
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again.
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the
LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of
earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from
this generation for ever.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their
trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a
liar.
- All God's Words STILL remain!
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand
for ever.
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached unto you.
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is
the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
This is a question of integrity - God's Integrity!
Presented to the Dean Burgon Society's 1999 meeting in
Indianapolis, Indiana by Ronald L. Tottingham, PhD, ThD, LitD; President, Great Plains
Baptist Divinity School; Chairman of the Departments of Theology and Pastoral Science;
Professor of Biblical/Baptist History and Bible
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