The Influence of Christ and the Bible

     The Deity of Jesus Christ has been debated by mankind since His
appearance in the flesh. The inspiration of the book we call the
Bible has likewise been approached with skepticism by many in the
world. But one of the most compelling arguments made to the deity of
Jesus and the inspiration of the Bible has been the influence that
Jesus Christ and the Bible has had upon the world in which we live.
I wish to impress each listener in this study with the tremendous
influence which Christ Jesus has had upon mankind.
     In less than fifty years after the death of our Lord, there
existed a congregation of Christ's disciples in every major city of
the Roman empire. Colossians 1:23 states, "If so be that ye continue
in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the
hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all
creation under heaved; whereof I Paul was made a minister."  There
were even disciples in Caesar's household. So states Philippians
4:22.  Truly, Jesus Christ has and continues to have a tremendous
influence upon the world in which we live. The Pharisees in John
12:19 stated, "Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the whole
world is gone after him." Indeed, no one has ever influence the
world as greatly as this one solitary life, Jesus Christ.
     Time is even marked by His birth. Even the infidel cannot
transact a business deal, sign a check or mortgage, without giving
credit to the Lord's influence; for, such things are dated A.D.
(that is, in the year of our Lord). Before He came the Jews marked
time from the creation, the Romans from the building of the imperial
city and the Greeks from the first Olympic games. But since His
birth, time is marked from that event.
     Christ has greatly influence art. Many of the great
masterpieces in art are religious in nature, many of them pertaining
directly to Christ and His life. We recall Leonardo De Vinci's, "The
Last Supper;" Van Dyck's "Christ and the Tribute Money;" Rembrant's
"The Prodigal Son," and many more.
     Christ has greatly influenced literature. Recently in the
library of Congress there were 2,319 books about Abraham Lincoln,
1,755 about George Washington, 1,172 about Shakespeare; but, 5,152
about Jesus. Without the influence of Christ there would be blank
pages in the writings of Tenneyson, Longfellow, Dickens, and the
list goes on.
     Christ has greatly influenced law and government. A statement
from The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 10, page 82, reads,
"Democratic beliefs in equality, responsibility and care for the
weak owe much to Jesus' lessons in brotherhood and love."
     Christ has greatly influenced the field of music. Without Jesus
there would be no "Joy to the Word" or "Tell Me The Old Old Story"
or "Hark the Herald Angels sins" or "The Old Rugged Cross" yea, not
even "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord."
     Though they have enough inconsistent gall to consider Christ as
an imposter, there is not an infidel alive, who would want to live
where the influence of Christ has not gone.
     Perhaps the greatest tribute ever written to the influence of
our Lord is the one titled, "One Solitary Life," penned by an
anonymous author. I quote: "Here is a young man who was born in an
obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another
village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty, and then
for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book,
He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a
family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big
city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place he was
born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany
greatness. He had no credentials but himself. While he was still a
young man, the tide of public opinion turned against him. His
friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies. He went through
the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross, between two
thieves.  While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only
piece of property he had on earth, and that was his coat. When he
was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a
friend.  Nineteen centuries wide have come and gone, and today he is
the central figure of the human race, and the leader of the column
of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies
that ever marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all the
parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put
together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has
that one Solitary live." End of Quote.
     Let us now turn to the influence of the Bible, the Word of God.
The Bible itself teaches that we will know a thing by the fruit that
it bears. That is found in Matthew 7l:16-20; James 3:12. Everywhere
the Bible has gone, or Christ has been preached, marvelous changes
have occurred. Changes morally, socially, economically, physically
and religiously. Look what the Bible has done in places it has gone.
     It has undermined the killing of infants. Seneca, a Stoic
philosopher, and contemporary with the apostle Paul, wrote, "We
strangle a mad dog; we slaughter a fierce ox; we plunge the knife
into sickly cattle, lets they taint the heard; children who are born
deformed or weakly we drown." But, Christianity has changed this.
Where God's Word goes the mentally or physically handicapped
children are given loving care and are affectionately known as
"little angels."
     The Bible has elevated womanhood. Where the Bible has not gone
woman is a slave to man and man is a slave to himself. But, where
the Word of God has gone woman has been elevated. The Bible teaches
that (1) woman is divinely created, Genesis 1:27; 2:21-23, (2) that
woman is the complement of man, Genesis 2:18-23, (3) that honor is
to be given unto her, 1 Peter 3:7, (4) that God chose to have His
Son become incarnate through birth of a woman, Genesis 3:15; Isaiah
7:14, Galatians 4:4; Matthew 1:18-25, (5) that man is to love his
wife as he loves his own body, Ephesians 5:28-29, and (6) that a
man's wife is from the Lord, Proverbs 19:14.
     Where the Bible has gone slavery has been stopped. At the time
the Bible was being written slavery was practiced everywhere. It is
said that there were more slaves in Rome than free men. The acts
performed by the Romans against slaves are too grotesque to be aired
over the radio. Thousands were killed for the pure delight of those
who watched. And, yet slavery is no longer practiced there. While
the Bible does not say, "Thou shalt have no slaves," everywhere the
Bible has gone, slavery has ceased. And why is that? Because the
Bible, the Word of God, teaches principles which abolish slavery.
Principles such as the golden rule (Matthew 7:12) that strikes out
against slavery. And the fact that the Christian master and slave
are brothers, Philemon 16.
     Where the Bible has gone, murder has been checked, and life is
counted at a higher level. A former African cannibal, as he sat
reading his Bible, was asked by a European trader what he was doing.
"Reading the Bible," was the reply. "That book is out of date in my
country," replied the trader.  "If it had been out of date here,"
said the African, "You would have been eaten long ago." Murder has
always stood under the condemnation of Heaven. And everyplace that
the bible goes, life is elevated to its rightful position.
     The Bible brings about the stabilization of the home. The Bible
teaches the divinity of the home, that it was established by divine
decree, Genesis 2:21-25.  The Bible teaches that marriage is to
continue throughout the lifetime of both parties, Romans 7:1-4,
Matthew 19:3-9. We hear so often the quoted statement, "As long as
you both shall live." But, it seems that many do not truly mean it.
The Bible teaches the necessity and nature of love in the family
relationship, Ephesians 5:22-23.  The Word of God give the
individual responsibilities of the members of the family, Ephesians
5:22--6:4.  By following the principles of the Bible the home and
family life is stabilized. On the other hand, the absence or
disregard of the Bible contributes to the breakdown and
disintegration of the home.
     President U. S. Grant wrote, "Hold fast to the bible as the
sheet anchor of your liberties. Write its precepts on your hearts,
and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this Book we
are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to
this we must look as our guide in the future. "Righteousness
exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.'"
     Truly, the Bible has been and continues to be a tremendous
influence in the world in which we live. We need to open its cover
and study diligently from its pages. We need to accept the fact that
herein Jehovah God is speaking to each one of us. The Bible should
be our motivating guide each day that we live. Everything that we do
should be done in harmony with its teachings. Paul told Timothy,
"Give diligence (study) to present thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of
truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Do you know more of God's Word today than
you knew last week at this time?  Are you spending time in the study
of that great Book?
     But, not only are we to study and learn from the Bible; we must
also, make the application of its truths into our life. It is not
enough to be able to quote passages, or to read from them, unless we
are intent upon following its teachings, the Bible will do us no
good. I must be willing to put into practice the things which I find
written there. I must be willing to remove the things which the
Bible condemns as sinful. There is one thing that is certain, as we
spoke on two weeks ago: We shall be judged by that revealed truth,
the unsearchable Word of God, the Bible.
     Is the Bible influencing you?? Are you listening to it? Are you
obeying it?  If I may assist you in this, please let us know.
         (Much of this taken from "The Christian and His Influence,"
                                 by Wendell Winkler)
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