guest column:Erasmus Makarimay PREVIOUSLY I said that every statement in the Bible is truly stated but however not every statement in the Bible is a statement of truth. You would do yourself good to read last week's instalment if you didn't. We ended up analysing Job 1:21, 'And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' We will presently interrogate this. Even though we can't fully grasp God our Father who's omniscient, His character doesn't oscillate between good and evil. We're given a glimpse in James 3:10-12, '[10] Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. [11] Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? [12] Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.' God is not sum total of good and evil, chaos and order. We can't predict the full counsel of God but we know for sure He's light and doesn't mix with darkness. Let's get back to the Job story. In the whole book of Job we read about his friends trying to explain his predicament. God doesn't want us to figure out His nature from our perspective but from His revelation in Christ in the Gospel or the Grace of God. Human philosophy crumbles at the unveiling of Christ. The Grace of God corrects our wrong appreciation of God the Father. Reading the Old Testament, there are many instances where God is wrongly credited with killing people. Apostle Paul instructs Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15, 'Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.' The Bible needs interpretation and this is through the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14, Amplified reads, 'But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognising, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.' That's why it's waste of time to argue Scriptures to non-regenerate individuals. What's needed for non-believers is presentation of the Gospel of Christ. The Old Testament is the mystery revealed in the New Testament. Colossians 1:26 records, 'Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:' Jesus Christ is the explanation of all things. Our Lord and Saviour is the Logos or the reason behind and the explanation of all this. He's the mind of God and the Revelation of Scriptures. Oftentimes believers and sometimes preachers say that they have a new or fresh revelation. You may have illumination. Jesus Christ remains the Revelation of the Scriptures. So what does He say about life and death? In John 10:10 He says, 'The thief cometh not, but for to st