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'An Independent Baptist Church' C.I.
Scofield From Cyrus Scofield's life, we learn God can use any of us, no matter what are past, and He can even use us in the later years of our life. C. I. Scofield didn't start working on the Scofield Bible until he was 58 years old! His mother died at his birth, but before she died, prayed this boy might become a minister. His family moved to Tennessee, where he received his early education. Although his parents were Christians and the Bible was read at home, Cyrus didn't consider it a book of investigative study but one to enjoy merely for its stories. So like many of us, his religious experience prior to conversion was superficial. The Civil War prevented him from entering the university, so he never received a formal collegiate education. At 17 he entered the Confederate Army. In the Civil War, he fought under Robert E. Lee. During the War he was under fire in 18 battles, and was awarded the Cross of Honor for Bravery in the Civil War. When the war was over, Scofield moved to St. Louis and married Leontine, a Roman Catholic gal who came from a wealthy family. He studied law in St. Louis and afterward moved to Kansas where he was admitted to the bar in 1869. He served in the Kansas State Legislature and at the age of 29 was appointed by President Grant as United States District Attorney for Kansas. He was the youngest U.S. District Attorney at that time. Later he returned to St. Louis and re-entered law practice. During this time he drank heavily. However, this passion for drink was completely removed when he received Christ through the efforts of Thomas S. McPheeters, a YMCA worker. One day he came to visit Scofield in his law office and the conversation went something like this as Mcpheeters said, "For a long time I have been wanting to ask you a question that I have been afraid to ask...but I'm going to ask it now." Scofield replied, "I never thought of you as 'afraid', what is your question?" "I want to ask you why you are not a Christian", Mcpheeters asked. Scofield replied, "Doesn't the Bible say something about drunkards having no place in heaven? I am a hard drinker, Mcpheeters." Mcpheeters replied, "You haven't answered my question. Why are you not a Christian?" Scofield replied, "I have always been a nominal Episcopalian, you know, but I do not recall ever having been shown just how to be a Christian." McPheeters had his answer. He drew up a chair, took a New Testament out of his pocket and read passage after passage from the Scriptures, telling his friend how to be saved. He then asked Scofield, "Will you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?" Scofield replied, "I'm going to think about it." Mcpheeters answered, "No, you're not. You've been thinking about it all your life. Will you settle it now? Will you believe on Christ now and be saved?" Scofield nodded that he would. The two men dropped on their knees and the miracle of the new birth took place instantaneously and at age 36, a drunken lawyer was converted to Christ. Scofield later testified, "...instantly the chains were broken...the passion for drink was taken away!" Scofield immediately became active in Christian work. A preacher taught him a principle he would never forget - "We are always to interpret experience by Scripture, never Scripture by experience!" He never forgot that principle. Cyrus began to study the Bible intensely. With his lawyer background, Cyrus had a built-in drive to pursue a subject until he became knowledgeable of it. It was this drive that consumed him to study and understand the Bible. Scofield's YMCA work caught the eye of those around him, and he was asked to become pastor of the First Congregational Church of Dallas, Texas. It was a very small church made up of one man and eleven women. With no formal Bible training from any School of Theology, Cyrus was became pastor of the church and studied on his own to learn the Bible. He abandoned his law practice in 1882 to become pastor of the church and mother's prayers were answered 39 years after they were uttered.. Two years after his conversion, trouble had begun in his marriage as their great differences between their religions began to magnify themselves. As a Roman Catholic, his wife had completely different beliefs on salvation and Religious Beliefs. After his serious attempt at reconciliation, she followed through with divorce and stated she "would no longer tolerate his new lifestyle." Cyrus learned it truly does cost one to follow Christ. Here he was, 40 years old, now divorced, and had 3 children, and had just started pastoring a church. With no wife now, he continued to pastor the church, and the following year met a fine lady in his church whom he fell in love with and wanted to marry. Her name was Hettie Hall. What should he do? Could he remarry and still pastor a church according to the Bible. He wrote to over 100 preachers and evangelical leaders and asked for their opinion. Two thirds felt he was free to marry, which he did in 1884. The little church began to grow. Soon it grew to 200 members. After a few years it grew to over 800 members. On two occasions he brought the famed evangelist, D.L. Moody to Dallas. A new chapter opened in 1895 when Moody asked Scofield to become pastor of the Congregational Church in Northfield, Massachusetts, where Moody was a member. When Moody died in December of 1899, the funeral services were held at Northfield and Scofield was in charge of the services. In 1901 at one of the Northfield Bible conferences, Arno C. Gaebelein encouraged Cyrus to produce a reference study Bible.
Earlier in life Cyrus had noticed a friend making marks in his new Bible, which triggered the idea that chain references in the margins of a Bible would be very handy and helpful. He continually asked himself this question, "What kind of reference Bible would have helped me most when I was first trying to learn something of the Word of God, but ignorant of the very first principles of Bible Study?" With this burden on his heart, Cyrus moved back to Dallas to become Pastor once again of his old church in 1902. The church allowed their pastor to devote most of his time to the reference Bible which he did almost continually form 1902 to 1909. He and his wife even made two trips to England during this time to the Oxford Libraries in order to help him complete the task of completing this wonderful study Bible, and even once to Switzerland. Twice the work was nearly lost...once by fire and once by a misplaced shipment from Switzerland to New York, where the Scofield's took an apartment to oversee the printing. The Bible was finished in 1907 and made available to the public in 1909. Scofield revised his notes on the Bible in 1917. Cyrus Scofield died in his home in New York on July 24, 1921 after living 77 years, 11 months and 5 days. It is nothing short of amazing to realize that Millions of people have found the Word of God easier to understand as a Result of the Scofield Reference Bible, and as a result of years of diligent and systematic study, he also produced the Scofield Bible Correspondence Course, that at one time had over 7000 enrolled students. This is all the more incredible when we realize the following. Here was the world's most sought after study Bible, compiled by a man who: - was not even saved until he was 36 years old - who overcome drunkenness and alcoholism - who had never received a formal education in theology - who suffered through the personal tragedy of divorce - didn't start working on the Study Bible until age 58 - yet won the respect of the greatest scholars of his time, and is still influencing countless multitudes today. There is a lesson here: God can use people to accomplish great things even in the later years of their life God can use people who have had problems with alcohol. God can use people who have suffered through divorce and failure of a marriage.
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