A BOOK FROM GOD

Conclusion of A Practical Book for Modern Living

But the Bible cautions parents in this matter of discipline.  Parental authority should never be abusive.  (Proverbs 22:15)  No child should ever be subjected to cruel punishment.  Physical violence has no place in the family that lives by the Bible.  (Psalm 11:5)  Neither does emotional and biting sarcasm, all of which can crush a child's spirit.  (Compare Proverbs 12:18) Wisely, the Bible warns  parents:  "Do  not be exasperating  your children, so that they do not become downhearted [or, "you will take all the heart out of them," Phillips]."  (Colossians 3:21)  The Bible recommends preventive measures.  At Deuteronomy 11:19, parents are urged to take advantage of casual moments to instill moral and spiritual values in their children.  Such clear, reasonable counsel on child rearing is as relevant today as it was in Bible time.

The Bible provides more than just wise counsel.  Its message appeals to the heart.  Hebrews 4:12 says:  "The word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart."  Consider and example of the Bible's motivating power.

People today are divided by racial, national and ethnic barriers.  Such artificial walls have contributed to  the wholesale slaughter of innocent humans in wars the world over.  The Bible, on the other hand, contains teachings that help men and women of different races and nations to view one another as equals.  For instance, Acts 17:26 says that God "Made  out of one man every nation of men."  This shows that there is really only one race-the human race!  The Bible further encourages us to "become imitators of God," of whom it says:  "[He] is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him."  (Ephesians 5:1; Acts 10:34, 35)  For those who truly seek to live by the Bible's teachings, this knowledge has a unifying effect.  It works on the deepest level-in the heart-dissolving the man-made barriers that divide people.  Does it really work in today's world?

Most certainly it does!  Jehovah's Witnesses are well-known for their international brotherhood, which unites people of different backgrounds who ordinarily would not be at peace with one another.  During the ethnic clashes in Rwanda, of example, Jehovah's Witnesses of each tribe protected their Christians brothers and sisters of  the other tribe, endangering their own lives in the process.  In one case, a Hutu Witness concealed in his home a Tutsi family of six from his congregation.  Sadly, the Tutsi family were eventually discovered and killed.  The Hutu brother and his family now faced the wrath of the killers and had to flee Tanzania.  Many similar examples were reported.  Jehovah's Witnesses readily acknowledge that such unity is possible because their hearts have been deeply touched by the motivating power of the Bible's message.  That the Bible can unite people in this hate-filled world is powerful proof that it is from God.

Next time: A Book of True Prophecy

Watchtower, 1998