The Word of God – A Testimony from Hell
By Neil Pfeiffer
The transcript of a message preached at the Bible League meeting in Great Baddow, Chelmsford in March 2023. The article retains the sermonic style as originally given.
In Luke 16:29-31 we read:
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
We are all familiar with these words. There are elements here that are in the style of a parable; and yet there are facts in this account. For instance, the fact that Lazarus is mentioned by name makes us rather see it as an historical event. Some details are not to be stretched too far. We must remember that there is a central message that is being communicated to us. The Lord is showing us the main things, the key issues of life. He does so by introducing us to two men.
Firstly, we see the rich man. An account of his lifestyle is given in verse 19. He is finely clothed and “fared sumptuously every day.”We would say that he was a man of great indulgence, a rich man, a wealthy man, perhaps living in a kind of gated mansion.
Secondly, in contrast to this we have the second man in verse 20, who is referred to as “a certain beggar.” Here is Lazarus and he is laid at the rich man’s gate, full of sores, and his lifestyle is quite different from the rich man. At his gate, he would gratefully eat the crumbs that fell from his table. However, he received no comfort from the rich man. His only comfort was from the dogs that came and licked his sores.
Then they both die. Death comes to all alike, rich and poor. It is the great leveller. The medics, doctors and all concerned with our health can only repair us and anaesthetise our pain. We know however, that“it is appointed unto man once to die.”Ecclesiastes 8:8 tells us that:
There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Different
Different in life as these two men were, they are of course different in their eternity. There is now a tremendous reversal. The rich man, having had his good things in life, finds himself tormented in hell, but the poor man is brought to the comfort of Abraham’s bosom, which is a picture of the blissful peace and loving security of heaven.
We see them both in how they will spend eternity: the blessedness of heaven for the believer who dies in the Lord, and the misery of the impenitent who are in the torments of hell (Luke 16:23). This latter is a state of deprivation, without a shred of comfort, to mitigate its sorrows. Moreover, it is a state in which one experiences conscious, penal sufferings. We see that there is no possibility whatsoever of deliverance for the rich man. There is a great gulf fixed (verse 26). His position in hell is forever fixed, and there is to be no alleviation of his suffering; Lazarus cannot even come and dip his finger in water and cool the rich man’s tongue in the flame (verse 25). We should meditate on these solemn realities.
Brothers
Well, what about the rich man’s brothers? Would it not be possible for Lazarus to go and warn them, that they might not come to the same end? But we find in the words of our text that his brothers already have the means of salvation: “They have Moses and they have the prophets” (this is a summary of the Old Testament Scriptures). They could hear them; hear them as they would be read in the synagogue every Sabbath day. It is at this point that the rich man responds, “Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent” (verse 30). Of course, we know that that is not the case: Abraham replied, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (verse 31).
The word of God
Now these words of our text teach us about the nature of the Word of God. There are some things that are shown to us. We could of course draw upon the rest of the word of God to emphasise these matters as well. We could use the term “guide”’ if you will; how the Word of God guides souls to heaven. Let me just refer to six things.
Authority
First, are we not shown from these words the authority of the Word of God? Abraham faithfully declares what the Word of God teaches. He upholds the truth that the Word of God is an authoritative guide. As the Scripture tells us:
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it (Psalm 68:11).
Often, when a Bible League meeting is held, we draw attention to 2 Timothy 3:16, that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” This is God’s voice; this is the voice of the Holy Spirit, and it is just as binding upon us as though God were to directly speak to us from Heaven.
Here is His Word, the living oracles of God. By His Word the God of Heaven reveals Himself to us, and declares His will to us. By His Word He commands us, by His Word He promises us, by His Word He warns us. Here is the divinely-given Scripture of God: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (verse 29).
We have in the New Testament the words of the Father addressed to the disciples concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, “This is my beloved Son … hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). Now if they were to hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ there on the Mount of Transfiguration, we are also to hear those words today; and where are these words located? They are in the pages of the Bible. Here is the Word of God to us. As we think of the context in which these words are set, it strengthens our conviction concerning this authority of the Word of God. It is the authoritative word for the good of our souls.
Abraham is saying to this rich man, “They must listen to the Word, because this is the way of life; they must listen to this Word and believe it if they are to be saved.” This Word cannot be anything other than having divine authority to address that issue. The whole matter of our salvation, the whole matter of our eternal destiny, has to do with our relationship with this God-given Word. Heed not this Word and you will perish in your sins. So here then is the authoritative Word of God. Here is an authoritative guide for us regarding all things that we are to receive and believe concerning God and the way of salvation, and how we are to frame our lives in the light of these things that we profess.
Infallibility
Secondly, these words imply infallibility; so, coming back to the thought of it being a guide, it is a true guide. It is for us an unerring guide. This is that which leads us infallibly to heaven. We must have a true guide. When it comes to the matter of God’s glory, and the eternal welfare of our souls it will not do for us to have an imperfect guide, something that is liable to err, something that is liable to lead us astray.
Imagine people being conducted on a tour, for example over some terrain in South America, and having guides leading them to various sites in the inner jungles of the Amazon. Wouldn’t they have to have confidence in those guides? They would want them to be bona fide guides, properly qualified with the requisite knowledge. If this is so in a temporal matter, how much more must it be in the great affairs of our souls, the way of salvation, and reaching heaven. It must be free from error, it must be true; and so Abraham says, “they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.”It implies infallibility, it implies inerrancy. He is not going to commit them to something that might fail and lead them astray.
We read in John 10:35, “the scripture cannot be broken”: it cannot be rendered invalid. When it says this, it is saying that no argument that is brought against it can be sustained, that you cannot gainsay what the Scripture says. Any and every issue is settled by the Word of God. We know that the religious leaders in our Lord’s time were blind leaders of the blind, but this is not so concerning the Word of God. It guides truly, it is infallible. It is “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
If Scripture errs in any one point, then it can be broken. What use to us is a Bible like that? Well, friends, we have from beginning to end, from Genesis through to Revelation, an infallible Word, we have an infallible guide. So, these words of Abraham to this rich man remind us that God’s word is infallible.
Perpetuity
Thirdly, Abraham’s response to the rich man speaks of the perpetuity of scripture. Putting it in terms of being a guide, it is a perpetual guide. When Jesus said, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them”, He affirms that the Scriptures have been kept pure. Friends, we realise that all else will fail, but the Word of God abides for ever, and has stood as an immovable rock, despite all the attacks upon it from all its enemies. The enemy has sought to undermine it, to change it, to redact it: yet, despite this it lasts, and it is preserved.
The Westminster Confession of faith says: that the Scriptures “being … by his (God’s) singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical.” Will God give His Word and not keep it intact? Will God give his Word and not preserve it? No, we see the providential care that has been exhibited by God over His Word. He is jealous over it because it relates to His glory. It is how God is revealed to us, named to us, by which His Son is declared unto us. These things touch His glory, and we might adapt that text and say that he that touches this touches the apple of His eye.
Scripture cannot be improved upon, and this brings us into the whole area of manuscripts, doesn’t it? We reject the thought that there will be newly-discovered manuscripts that will make improvements to what we have in the Scripture, where some people say, “We have found these new manuscripts and we are able now to adjust what we have commonly received and accepted, and believe that we can improve the text.” It is a kind of theory of evolution to say that we are still improving the text, and making fresh discoveries. And logically, if this were allowed, then former generations were without the complete and authentic Word of God. No, dear friends, the complete Word of God has been given to us.
So our Lord is teaching us here in His Word that the law and the prophets still stand, and that all things that are revealed, “must be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17,18). So, we have the perpetuity of the Word of God here; it is a continual guide and an unchanging guide.
Clarity
Fourthly, we affirm that these words teach us the clarity of Scripture. They teach us that the Scripture is a clear guide; that these things are not given to us obscurely, so that we just flounder and grope uncertainly through life. Here we are being told that the law and the prophets clearly show us the way of salvation.
It is not someone coming back from the dead who will convince. “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them”;they will teach them. If they go to the synagogue and hear the rabbi read the Scriptures, then they will clearly show the way of escape from hell and the way to heaven. The way of salvation is manifest. The way is not dark and obscure, but it is plain to the willing mind. If any man’s will is to “do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God”(John 7:17).
We know that the Wordis “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). It sheds light upon the way, it is light unto us, just as we have it in Pilgrim’s Progress, to direct Christian to the wicket gate. He cannot see it, but Evangelist says, “Do you see that light? Follow that light to the gate.” This guide will take you by the hand and lead you in the way to salvation in Christ. The Scriptures will clearly teach you what you are to believe, and how you are to be saved, and how you are to live. The Lord Jesus Christ told us, to “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
Of course, we know that in the New Testament the light becomes even clearer. The Word is life for us. We have clarity here; it is a clear guide.
Sufficiency
Fifthly, we are taught in these words the sufficiency of Scripture. “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (verse 29). And Abraham said that “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead” (verse 31).
We see the sufficiency of this guide: the Scripture is enough for us, and we need nothing in addition; we need nothing more. If they do not receive the Scriptural testimony then all other testimonies are superfluous, are they not? The Word is the all-sufficient means of salvation for us.
There are those who say something like this, “You need signs and you need wonders.” But we reply that we have already got the signs and wonders in the Scripture. We have already got the record of the Red Sea opening, we have already got Sinai, we have already got the Jordan being opened, we have already got the mighty works of God, we have already got the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have already got recorded for us His mighty resurrection from the dead.
The Word of God is sufficient. Sola scriptura was the first clarion call of the Reformation. We must not run outside of Scripture, and even when we read good books, those good books are only useful when they help us to understand Scripture. We affirm the sufficiency of Scripture; this guide is enough.
Efficacy
Sixthly, and finally, we have the efficacy of the Word, or if you like, the power of it. “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” In other words, if they were to hear the Word of God read, with the blessing of God, it would bring salvation to the rich man’s brothers.
We might think it strange that there is some concern by this man for his brethren. We would not press this too far, but perhaps it lies in the fact that his brothers would be a reproach to him and would add to his misery if they came to hell with him. I always think of this regarding fathers and mothers who keep their children from heaven, who do not teach them the Word of God, who set a bad example before them. What reproaches will be heaped upon others because of their words and because of their example. Or what condemnation will congregations heap upon apostate ministers who are their soul murderers!
Abraham is saying, that if they were to go and hear the Word of God read, if they were to listen to the law and the prophets and would believe their testimony, it would become the power of God unto salvation to them. There is enough even in the Old Testament Scriptures for them to be saved. We read “where the word of a king is, there is power” (Ecclesiastes 8:4). Oh, the powerful effect of the Word of God as the Holy Spirit blesses it to us and our eyes, the eyes of our understanding, are opened, and when our hearts are renewed by the truth. We remember these words, in Hebrews 4:12,
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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.
This Gospel Word is powerful. The Gospel is that power of God, it is the dunamis in Greek, the dynamite, the power of God unto salvation.
Finally
Finally, I refer to our approach in evangelism. The Word of God must ever be present in our preaching to all men. We often hear people saying that preaching is no longer relevant, and that we need other means of communicating the truth; that people are used to other means and will not listen to preaching. But we must remember that God has promised that it is through the foolishness of preaching that He is pleased to save. If God is not going to use His preached Word, what is He going to use?
Our Lord said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). They register in their minds as they hear the Word of God proclaimed, that it is the voice of the Good Shepherd, Christ Himself. This is one thing that so much of the modern church is now backtracking on. It says that you cannot preach, you must use multi-media communications. But we must always remember that it is the preaching of the Word of God that is at the sharp end of the promotion of the Kingdom of God. The Word of God is the seed, and the preacher scatters the seed of the Word of God by preaching. We read that “He that goeth forth …, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves” (Psalm 126:6).
And so we have the Word of God. How thankful we are for that Word in our possession: for its authority, its infallibility, its perpetuity, its clarity, its sufficiency, and its efficacy. May we be much in it, may we say, by adaptation, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” May we grasp the Scriptures, love the Scriptures, read and study the Scriptures, pray over the Scriptures, delight to hear the Word of God preached, and ourselves spiritually profit from them. May we follow the godly and the faithful of former generations and have unbounded confidence in the Word of the living God!