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"If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly" (10: 24).
"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead" (11: 14).
"These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall
no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father" (16: 25).
"His disciples said unto Him, Lo, now speakest Thou plainly, and speakest no
proverb" (16: 29).
In John 10: 6, in allusion to the previous verses regarding the fold, the shepherd and
the robber, this word paroimia, "proverb", is translated "parable". This "proverb" is then
"plainly" stated in John 10: 7-18. When therefore the Lord said "plainly", "Lazarus is
dead", He was but explaining the meaning of the figure "sleep".
The reader will probably be alive to the fact that death, conceived of as a sleep from
which there is no awakening until the resurrection, is so contrary to the teaching of many
who have embraced the unscriptural teaching known as "The immortality of the soul",
and its consequent sequel "The intermediate state" (with, incidentally, all the
encouragement that such false teaching gives to "Spiritism") that so-called orthodoxy is
obliged to stoop to the use of questionable methods in order to prevent the seeker after
truth from finding it. Here, for instance, is a review, published in 1946, of The
Companion Bible:
"COMPANION BIBLE, bearing no author's name but well known to be the work of
Dr. Bullinger, gives the A.V., very much that is helpful and of literary value. Had it
contained only orthodox matter it would have been a valuable book of reference. We
must add that only students or those grounded in the faith should handle, as references
and notes abound with Dr. Bullinger's views of "Soul sleep", "Hell, the grave", "Prison
Epistles" and other dangerous theories, especially in the appendices. Do not invest in this
book" (the italics are the author's).
The reader will observe the term "Soul sleep". Dr. Bullinger repudiates the term,
saying that he did not know what it meant. Anyone who knew the meaning of the word
"soul", as taught by Scripture, would never use such an expression, but it is good enough
to frighten the timid seeker.
The reader will moreover notice the appropriation of the title "orthodox" by those who
thus criticize and condemn "The Companion Bible". If we set out to discover what this
"orthodoxy" is, and where its seat of authority is to be found, we shall be driven to the
Bible and the Bible only.
Shall we say that orthodoxy is found only in that Church "by law established"? If so,
then those whose criticisms have just been quoted will be found very unorthodox. Are
Wesleyans, Baptists, Congregationalists and Brethren orthodox? What would happen to
such a company if one should follow the lead of Paul when he observed that one part of
the Sanhedrin were Pharisees and one part Sadducees? What an exhibition of
"orthodoxy" would follow a few questions direct to such an assembly! This appeal to
so-called orthodoxy is a confession of weakness. Let all such come out plainly and
appeal only and solely to the teaching of the Scriptures and the field will be cleared of
cant.