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We have seen that to develop ourselves in the truth we need basic principles to rule us and to govern us. Now we must see that there is a further governing principle, which is very basic — Christ and the church. Your developing of any truth must be based upon Christ and the church. This should be and must be your governing principle. Do not pick up aspects from the Bible not related to Christ and the church.
For example, Ephesians 5 tells us that wives should be subject to their own husbands (v. 22) and that husbands should love their wives (v. 25). From my youth I heard the pastors and Christian teachers teach these things. These things, however, should not be separated from Christ and the church (v. 32). The woman’s submission and the man’s love are taught in the Bible with Christ for the church. Without Christ, who can submit or who can love? Fallen mankind’s nature is rebellious and hateful. There is no submission or love within fallen mankind. There is nothing but rebellion and hatred. Without Christ, who can love or who can submit? Therefore, the Bible teaches us women’s submission and men’s love with Christ. We must be filled in spirit with Christ (Eph. 5:18). Then love comes out, and submission comes out. If we develop submission and love without Christ, this is wrong. This becomes Confucius’s ethics. A biblical submission is not only with Christ but also for the church.
After over twenty years experience of the church life in the United States, we have seen that whoever loves the church has the best family life. Whoever is for the church has the best marriage life, but the family life and the marriage life of those who have left the church go downhill. By the Lord’s mercy, the rate of separation and divorce is lowest in the local church. You must love Christ and love the church. If you do, as a wife you will submit, and as a husband you will love. This again is the way to develop the truth based upon and governed by the principle of Christ and the church.
Holiness, humility, kindness, victory, and spirituality must be developed with Christ for the church. To allegorize any kind of case in the Bible, both in the Old and in the New Testaments, you must allegorize with Christ and for the church. Then you are safe, and whatever you say is right because the entire Bible was written according to the basic principle — with Christ for the church. Even the great Babylon on the negative side must be understood in the light of Christ and the church. The safeguarding key of the ministry is “with Christ for the church.” I have allegorized many portions of the Word and have put out many publications by this key and governing principle. We have even published a book on the Psalms under the view of this governing principle. The title of this book is Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms. The principle of “with Christ for the church” safeguards you, rules you, supports you, and enriches you. An interpretation of the Psalms using this key will be filled with the divine riches.
In our developing in the truth we must first keep the principle of the Triune God dispensing Himself into His chosen people. This is one of the basic principles that governs our interpreting of the Bible. The second basic principle is Christ and the church. In the past the Brethren told people that to interpret the Bible you must be dispensational. As a young man under the feet of the great teachers among the Brethren assemblies, I was charged definitely and repeatedly not to interpret the New Testament according to the Old Testament since they are in two dispensations. The understanding of dispensations helps to some extent, but this is too shallow. To interpret the Bible according to the principle of the Triune God dispensing Himself into His chosen people is much deeper, higher, and more profound. Another deeper principle is that we must interpret the Bible “with Christ for the church.”
Even the first two chapters of Genesis should be interpreted under this governing principle. In Genesis 1:26 we see Christ as the image of God. God created man in His own image in Genesis, and in the New Testament Colossians 1:15 tells us that God’s image is Christ. In Genesis 2:9 we see the tree of life, which also refers to Christ. Adam is also a type of Christ being the Head of all God’s creation. God’s image outwardly, God’s life inwardly, and the Head of all creation are Christ. If we develop these items with Christ, we are on the right way. With Adam’s wife, Eve, we see the church (vv. 21-25). The first two chapters of the Bible show us Christ with the church.
We must realize that these first two chapters govern the entire Bible. After these two chapters man fell, and that began another story. This is why we can see that the consummation of the Bible in Revelation 21 and 22 corresponds with the first two chapters of the Bible. These four chapters correspond with each other, and both are with Christ for the church. This is the principle for the beginning of the Bible and for the consummation of the Bible. The entire Bible between these four chapters must also be interpreted with Christ for the church. Even though so many negative things came in, they are related indirectly to Christ and indirectly to the church by providing a black background to help our understanding. Now we can see that we can interpret the entire Bible with Christ for the church.
Another principle that we must take in our interpretation of the Bible is the principle of four items: Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. The first principle we have seen is a general principle — the Triune God dispensing Himself into His chosen people. The second principle is in more detail — with Christ for the church. Now we see a third principle of Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. Any message or any development of the Bible without Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church is an empty shell with no content. The content of the Bible is Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. At least one of these items must be present in your development of the truth. Also, in your preaching of the gospel at least one of these items should be present. I saw some evangelists in China who preached quite prevailingly, but in their gospel they did not preach much reality of Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. Their prevailing evangelical work attracted a good number of people. However, many of these people turned to the way of the Lord’s recovery to pick up Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. They all remained and became very useful to the Lord’s interest. Those who did not turn this way, including the evangelists, either disappeared or still remained with emptiness. In their gospel campaigns a number were saved, but after ten years many disappeared or remained empty. We must thank the Lord, however, that many also turned this way. The ones who turned this way not only remained but became solid with the truth concerning Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church.
D. L. Moody’s preaching, comparatively speaking, was more solid than any other evangelist in England. If you compare Moody’s messages to the other evangelists’ messages of his day, you can see that with Moody’s messages there is some solid content, whereas with the others you can see mostly eloquence. Some evangelists preach with eloquent illustrations to attract people to stir up their interest, but after being interested, all that is left with them is a good story. Many are merely eloquent speakers with very little Christ. Based upon this principle, we should check today’s preaching. How much Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church is in today’s preaching of the Word? This shows us the emptiness of today’s preaching and teaching. You should not develop the truth in the Bible in this way, in an empty way. You must develop the biblical truth in the way of Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. Even if you have a good portion of the Word with a good idea to stir up people’s interest, you must consider whether or not Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church are the content of your message. If they are not the content, you should forget about it. Do not go further to develop anything apart from this governing principle, because you will waste your time. Also, you will have no safeguard, and you will be led astray.
All the heresies came in by the way of developing the truth in the Bible apart from Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. Any doctrine developed apart from these four items will issue in heresy or division. The Presbyterian Church came into existence because they developed the doctrine of presbytery without Christ, without the Spirit, without life, and without the church. If they had developed the truth of the presbytery with the church, they would not have dared to set up a Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Church became one among many divisions. Some even developed the doctrine of holiness apart from Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. We, however, should develop the doctrine of holiness with Christ for the church. We need to tell people that holiness is Christ Himself, and this Christ today is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Not only is His Spirit called the Holy Spirit, but also He is called the life-giving Spirit who imparts the divine life into us for our sanctification. Holiness is God’s nature and is related to life. If you do not have God’s life, you do not have God’s nature, which is holiness. If God’s holiness is going to be increased within you, you must live according to God’s nature and by God’s life. We must also realize that this holy life should not only be for our personal living; it must also be a part of the church life. If we would develop the doctrine of holiness with Christ, with the Spirit, with life, and with the church, we would see a marvelous revelation. Otherwise, a holiness sect will be created. This is why some have established holiness churches. These are actually holiness divisions cutting the Body into pieces.
It is dangerous to develop any biblical doctrine apart from Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. To do this could lead to division. Your doctrine, on the other hand, may not be wrong, but eventually, the issue of your practice will be a division. It is always safe to develop any doctrine in the Bible with Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. Even if something is good and scriptural, never develop it apart from Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. While the principle of dispensations helps in interpreting the Bible, it is too superficial. Always remember these three intrinsic principles of developing the truth in the Bible: the Triune God dispensing Himself into His chosen and redeemed people; Christ and the church; and Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church.
