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The Bible is an extraordinary book. It includes sixty-six books and is authored by thirty-nine to forty people. The content is extremely rich. To read this book, we must have a plan. Without a plan, we cannot reap great benefit from our reading. From different sources, we have gathered twenty-eight different plans for studying the Scriptures. If we have time, we can try all of these plans one by one. More elderly brothers may choose only a few.
There are many characters in the Old Testament, such as Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon. We have to study the history of these men carefully. We should learn their history not only from the Old Testament but from the New Testament as well.
The common impression is that Adam’s history is found only in chapters two and three of Genesis. But upon careful reading, we find that the books of Romans and 1 Corinthians also speak about Adam, and what they say is quite crucial. More about Adam can also be found in Ephesians 5. In studying Adam’s history, we have to know about his place in God’s plan, his creation, his initial innocence and sinlessness, his relationship with Eve, his judgment from God and the promise he received from God after the fall, his expulsion from the garden of Eden, his life outside Eden, and finally, his relation to the last Adam. If we spend three or four months to study him in detail, we will understand many fundamental issues in the Bible.
After we are finished with Adam’s history, we can go on to Abel’s history. We should read his history not only in Genesis but also in Hebrews 11. We have to go through all the passages in the Bible that speak of Abel in order to find the basic message that God has for us through him. What is the reason behind God’s acceptance of Abel and rejection of Cain? Many people think that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted because it had blood. But this is too heavily biased toward the New Testament; it does not bring out the root cause of God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice. Man’s responsibility in the garden of Eden was to dress and keep it. After man sinned, he could till the ground for his sustenance, but in his sinful state it was wrong to offer a sacrifice to God of his sustenance. Cain offered the produce of the land to God, as if he had forgotten the fall of sin. This was the reason his offering was not accepted. If a child commits a great offense and yet approaches his parents as if nothing has happened, he cannot possibly be approved. God cannot be pleased with sinners who nonchalantly act as if nothing has happened. The problem with Cain was that he acted as if nothing had happened, even though he had sinned. Abel, however, acknowledged the fact of sin. At that time men did not raise sheep for food. Only after the flood did men begin to take meat (Gen. 9:3). The purpose of keeping sheep was strictly for offering them as sacrifices to God. The sheep were killed and their skin was used for covering (3:21). God requires man to acknowledge that he is a sinner. Abel came to God according to this requirement, and God accepted him.
We can go on with the history of Noah and the history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. in the same way.
Women occupy a specific line in the Bible. We can study all the women as one category. We can study Eve and find out about her creation, her words, her independent acts, her fall and punishment, and her promise from God to be the mother of all living. We can go on to Sarah, Rebekah, Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, Hannah, Abigail, the Shulamite, etc. We can continue with the woman with man-child in Revelation 12, the great harlot in chapter seventeen, and the Lamb’s wife in chapter nineteen. We can see a clear line here. All the women in the Bible, positively or negatively, typify the many aspects of one woman — the church.
In order to study the types in the Old Testament, we must first have a foundation of the New Testament. The New Testament speaks of Christ, His redemption, the church, and the Holy Spirit. These are four great spiritual things. The chief types in the Old Testament are types of these four things. They either typify Christ, redemption, the church, or the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament we see the photograph before we see the person. In the New Testament we first see the person, and then we go back to the Old Testament to see the photograph. If we have seen the reality of Christ, redemption, the church, and the Holy Spirit, it is much easier for us to see the Old Testament types.
The re-creation in Genesis 1 is a type of the new creation. In chapter two Eve is a type of the church in its sinless state. When we think of ourselves, we think of sin because we are inseparably linked to sin. Yet God shows us that the relationship between Christ and the church is apart from sin, for their relationship began in Genesis 2 not Genesis 3. Adam was related to Eve in Genesis 2. Hence, their relationship had nothing to do with sin, even as Christ and the church have nothing to do with sin. When we think of the church, we should never think of sin. In God’s eyes the church has no sin. The Lord Jesus’ death for the sinner was for the remission of sin. But His death for the church was not for sin but for life. In Genesis 3 we see the fig leaves and the skins of animals. In chapter four we see the offerings. Later, we see Isaac. Who is Isaac? Is he a type of the church, the Holy Spirit, redemption, or the Lord Jesus? In reading the New Testament, we can see that Isaac somewhat typifies the Lord Jesus. Isaac was not only born of Abraham or Sarah; he was born of promise. Hence, Isaac somewhat resembles the Lord Jesus. To Sarah, Isaac was his father’s only begotten son. This again resembles the Lord Jesus. To Abraham, everything that Isaac had was inherited; Isaac simply enjoyed his inheritance. In this respect he indeed resembles the Lord Jesus. God sent the Holy Spirit to the world. The Spirit secured the church and espoused it to Christ as the Lamb’s wife. Isaac’s father sent his old servant to his own country and tribe to find a woman, Rebekah, to be Isaac’s wife. There is a correspondence here. If we compare the Old Testament and the New Testament, we can find many things in the New Testament that match the Old Testament types. In Galatians, Isaac typifies the spiritual Christians. Ishmael typifies a fleshly walk in the church, while Isaac typifies a spiritual walk. Ishmael was begotten by Abraham through Hagar, that is, through the flesh. He typifies man’s own work. Isaac was born after Abraham gave up any hope of a child being born; he was born of God’s promise. Hence, he typifies the work of the Holy Spirit. This is just one example of types. If we go through the Bible chapter by chapter, we will find many different types. The book that provides the most types is Genesis. We can say that Genesis is the nursery from which the seedlings of the whole Bible grow.
The whole book of Exodus is a type of our salvation from the world. The Passover is a type of the breaking of bread. The crossing of the Red Sea is a type of baptism. The murmuring and sojourning in the wilderness are types of God’s children in their various conditions. The living water is a type of the Holy Spirit.
The tabernacle is a type of our Lord Jesus while He sojourned on the earth. It is also a type of our sojourn in the world. The tabernacle did not have a floor, and it was pitched in the wilderness. We have to wait until the New Jerusalem before we will see the streets of gold. While we are passing through this world, we have a glorious fellowship with the Lord. God’s goal for us is Canaan; He does not want us to remain in the wilderness.
Further on, we see in the book of Numbers that the Israelites passed through forty-two stations after their exodus from Egypt prior to their entry into Canaan. Every station has its significance. In reading the names of the stations we get a picture of man’s sojourning as well the condition for his entry into Canaan.
The offerings, feasts, and ordinances regarding cleansing are all types, and we have to study them.
The book of Joshua is a book with profound types. I am not saying that all the types in this book are profound. I am saying that there are many profound things in the book of Joshua. In order to understand the significance of the Israelites entering Canaan and the warfare in Canaan, we must first know what Canaan typifies. Some think that Canaan typifies heaven. But if Canaan typifies heaven, will there be warfare in heaven? If we are careful in our reading, we will conclude that Canaan cannot be a type of heaven. It is a type of our heavenly position. It is the equivalent of the heavenlies spoken of in Ephesians. On the one hand, we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. On the other hand, we wrestle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). In studying this typology, we must not stop with the book of Joshua; we must also study Ephesians. In fact, Joshua must be read not only with Ephesians but with Hebrews as well. The entrance into Canaan in the book of Joshua typifies two things: spiritual warfare (in Ephesians) and rest (in Hebrews). The rest here clearly refers to the kingdom. Hence, Canaan is not a type of heaven but a type of the kingdom rest. Not everyone who passed under the blood of the lamb or ate of the Passover lamb entered Canaan; only two entered. The rest died in the wilderness. Many are called but few are chosen. Hence, Canaan is a type of the kingdom. The entrance into Canaan typifies our reigning in the kingdom. Once we are clear about this fundamental point, we will see which part of Joshua is a type of a Christian’s position in the heavenlies today and which part is a type of his reward in the future.
The many lawless acts in the book of Judges typify man’s self-willed life which results in all kinds of confusion.
In Samuel we see man’s reign and God’s entrusting of His authority to man. Before a man after God’s heart was raised up, a man after man’s heart stepped in. David was a man after God’s heart, but before him, a man after man’s heart, Saul, came. It is clear that Saul typifies the reign of antichrist. We see how the king after God’s choice went into battle and how he enjoyed peace. We see the battles of David and the glory of Solomon. The reign of Saul typifies the condition during the great tribulation, the reign of David typifies the condition after the tribulation, and the reign of Solomon typifies the millennium. All of these are clear types.
Solomon’s building of the temple is again a type of Christ building the church. The temple was in Jerusalem, typifying the church meeting and worshipping in the Lord’s name, because God placed His name in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the only place which God recognized and in which He put His own name (1 Kings 14:21). When Jeroboam rose up, he set up altars in Bethel and Dan for worship, and God condemned this. God wants man to worship only at the place where His name is established. He does not want man to worship anywhere else. During times of revival, the kings removed the altars. But some kings did not remove them. This is a type of the many revivals that have taken place in the church. Later, the temple was destroyed; this is a type of the church becoming desolated. Afterwards, Nehemiah, Zechariah, and Zerubbabel returned to rebuild the temple. Although the rebuilt temple was not as glorious as the one that had been destroyed, there was a beginning of recovery back to the original ground. This is a type of the recovery of the church. This recovery will be completed at the Lord’s second coming. Then the church will be a glorious church.
One third of the whole Bible contains prophecies. We can classify the prophecies in the Bible into two categories, those concerning Christ’s first coming and those concerning His second coming. Prophecies concerning His first coming can be found in the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the books of the prophets. The Lord Jesus has come, and it seems as if prophecies concerning His first coming are not very exciting. However, in order to study prophecy, we must pay attention to the Lord’s first coming. We have to find all the prophecies in the Old and New Testaments about His first coming and write them down because this will teach us something concerning the principle of prophecies. The prophecies concerning His second coming will be fulfilled the same way as the prophecies concerning His first coming.
There are rules for exposition of everything spoken of in the Bible. Anything that should be interpreted spiritually is clearly indicated by the text of the Scriptures itself. For example, Revelation 1 speaks of the seven stars in the right hand of the Lord as the messengers of the seven churches. This should not be interpreted literally, and the text tells us this. The seven lampstands, which the Lord walked in the midst of, refer to the churches. This is also clearly stated in the text. Every type should be interpreted spiritually. In type, Adam does not refer to Adam literally, but to Christ, and Eve does not refer to Eve literally, but to the church. However, prophecies can be interpreted according to two different, basic principles. They can be interpreted spiritually, in which case the fulfillment is a fulfillment in meaning only, or they can be interpreted literally, in which case the fulfillment is literal. For example, Matthew 2:17-18 says, “At that time what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, ‘A voice in Ramah was heard, weeping and great lamentation: Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more.’” This is a fulfillment in meaning. Consider the example of Acts 2:16, which says, “But this is what is spoken through the prophet Joel.” The condition that was seen at Pentecost was like the one described in the book of Joel. This is also a fulfillment in meaning. As to the first coming of the Lord Jesus, many prophecies were fulfilled literally. The virgin literally referred to a virgin. Egypt literally referred to Egypt. Not having a single bone broken meant exactly that. They were all literally fulfilled. Since many of the fulfillments concerning the Lord’s first coming were literal, most of the fulfillments concerning His second coming will be literal as well.
Some prophecies concern the Jews, others concern the Gentiles, and still others concern the church. These three kinds of prophecies are all different. Most of Moses’ and Balaam’s prophecies concerned the Jews. Of course, we find many prophecies concerning the Jews in the books of the prophets also. Prophecies concerning the Gentiles can be found in the book of Daniel. We should also pay attention to what the Lord Jesus said on earth in Matthew 24. Revelation 8—11, 13, 15—16, and 18 are all prophecies concerning the Gentiles. Prophecies concerning the church can be found in such chapters as Matthew 13, Revelation 2—3, 12, 14—15, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4. We have to know clearly which prophecies pertain to the Jews, which to the Gentiles, and which to the church.
Prophecies concerning the Jews can be divided into two main branches: those concerning the day of the Lord and those concerning the earthly blessings in the kingdom.
With regard to the prophecies concerning the Gentiles, we have to pay particular attention to all the prophecies uttered during “the times of the Gentiles” after the destruction of the Jewish nation. Chapters such as Daniel 2, 4, and 7, the seventy weeks in chapter nine, and everything thereafter, including the book of Revelation, contain prophecies for the Gentiles. Simply put, these prophecies first depict the period from the destruction of the Jewish nation to the end time, which covers the entire history spanned in the great image of Daniel 2. Second, they speak of the ten horns (the ten kings) in the end time, the other horn (the other king), and the antichrist. Third, they speak of the blessings enjoyed by the Gentiles in the millennium.
Concerning the church, there are the prophecies depicting the two thousand years of church history, the rapture, the judgment seat, the kingdom, and eternity.
God deals with man according to dispensations. In every age God has His own way of dealing with man. In one dispensation He deals with man one way. In another dispensation He deals with man another way. In one dispensation man is saved through one means. In another dispensation he is saved through another means. In one dispensation God has one kind of requirement for man’s conduct. In another dispensation He has another kind of requirement for man’s conduct. If we are not clear about the different dispensations, we will think that some statements in the Bible are confusing. But once we distinguish between the dispensations, the confusion will disappear.
Some expositors have divided history into seven dispensations. But according to the Bible itself, there should only be four dispensations. The first is the dispensation of the patriarchs. This dispensation began with Adam because Romans 5:14 clearly says, “From Adam until Moses.” Although there were many fine differences within this period, on the whole, it was “from Adam until Moses.” This is the first dispensation. The second is the dispensation of the law, which spans from Moses to Christ. But at which point in the history of Christ did this dispensation end? The Lord Jesus said that the law and the prophets ended with John (Matt. 11:13; Luke 16:16). He meant that this dispensation ended with John. The third dispensation is the dispensation of grace, which spans the time from the first coming of Christ to His second coming (Acts 3:20-21). Although the Lord still cares for the Jews during this period, the focus of His attention is on the Gentiles. We are in the dispensation of grace. The fourth dispensation is the kingdom, which spans the time from the second coming of Christ to the end of the kingdom age (Rev. 20).
In every dispensation we have to pay attention to man’s original position, his responsibilities, his failures, and God’s way of dealing with him. After we study these points carefully, it will be easy for us to solve all of the seemingly contradictory problems.
The Bible contains many topics, including: 1) creation, 2) man, 3) angels, 4) sin, 5) the satanic kingdom, 6) salvation, 7) repentance, 8) the person of Christ, 9) the work of Christ, 10) the life of Christ, 11) the Holy Spirit, 12) regeneration, 13) eternal life, 14) eternal security, 15) sanctification, 16) justification, 17) selection, 18) forgiveness, 19) righteousness, 20) freedom, 21) law, 22) inspiration, 23) revelation, 24) the Body of Christ, 25) ministers of the word, 26) God’s authority, 27) the second coming of Christ, 28) judgment, 29) the kingdom, 30) eternity, etc. At the beginning we can study one topic a year. After a while we can study two topics a year, and later, even four topics a year.
For example, the person of Christ is a big topic. How should we begin such a study? We can divide this topic according to the following subtopics: 1) He is God. As God, He has the aspect of being the Word as well as the aspect of being the Son of God. 2) He is man. This relates to how He became Jesus and how He expresses Himself as a man. 3) He is both God and man. He slept in the boat; this shows that He is a man. Yet He woke up to rebuke the wind and the waves; this shows that He is God. He attended the wedding feast; this shows that He is a man. But at the feast He changed water into wine; this shows that He is God. He asked for water from the Samaritan woman; this shows that He is a man. Yet He explained to her about the living water; this shows that He is God. 4) His history. This refers to His living on earth. 5) His position today, that is, His position after His ascension. 6) His future position, that is, His place in glory when He comes again.
We can also classify the work of Christ into different categories: 1) The relationship between His person and His work, 2) His substitution, 3) His satisfaction of God’s requirement for the redemption of sin, 4) His reconciliation of men to God, 5) His acceptance and receiving of men, 6) His priesthood, and 7) His mediatorial work.
The life of Christ can be classified under the following categories: 1) His birth, 2) His death, 3) His resurrection, 4) His ascension, and 5) His coming again. In speaking of His birth, we have to see what incarnation is. The crystallized view of His incarnation is that everything abstract and divine has become concrete and human. What is God’s patience? We do not know what it is, and we cannot know what it is. But the Lord Jesus has come. This is not only the Word becoming flesh, but Patience becoming flesh. The abstract and invisible Patience has now become tangible. The principle of incarnation is the principle of Love becoming flesh, Holiness becoming flesh, Joy, Obedience, etc. becoming flesh. In other words, what was intangible as God’s virtues have now become tangible. When God became a man, the abstract became tangible. Jesus is the standard man that God is after. We cannot come up to God’s standard. This is the reason we cannot draw near to God. A veil was present, and the more beautiful the veil looked, the harder it was for man to enter in. But thank God that death has come in. What is the meaning of death? On the one hand, it means redemption; and on the other hand, it means the termination of everything of the old creation. Death is the end of the old creation, and the death of Christ is the end of the whole creation. The veil was split from top to bottom; this is death. After this, there is resurrection, which is a new beginning. It is God’s creation. It is the new life, and this life is not bound by death. Death cannot hold this life or keep it from coming alive. It does not have that power. Resurrection means the passing away of death and trials; it is a vindication of His power. Then there is the ascension, which is victory over Satan positionally. Satan is under us. Christ’s ascension has put us on the same ground as Himself. We now enjoy His victory. The Lord’s coming again is the manifestation of the dawning of a new order of authority. Simply put, incarnation speaks of God’s standard. Death speaks of the termination of the old creation which has fallen short of God’s standard. Resurrection speaks of a new beginning, while ascension speaks of a new position. His coming again is His manifestation in glory. How precious are all these things in the eyes of God!
Some have classified God’s relationship with man in the Bible according to the following considerations: 1) God, 2) men in general, that is, humanity in general, 3) the individual, 4) the God-man, 5) God and man, 6) God in man, and 7) God over men. This is a good division. First, we have God; this is clear enough. Second, we have all men, that is, humanity. This includes Adam’s fall and sin and everything that is in Adam. Third, we have the individual, which includes individual sin and individual judgment. Fourth, we have the God-man, which we see in the Gospels; the Lord Jesus is the God-man. Fifth, we have God and man, which involves the truth of the gospel preached in the Epistles. Sixth, we have God in man, which points to all of God’s operations within man, involving the deeper truths in the Epistles. Seventh, we have God over men, which refers the kingdom age, when God will be King over all men. This includes all future events. We can adopt this plan and write down all the subjects in seven different notebooks.
The study of biblical chronology may not reap much immediate benefit. But at least it will help the reader to develop a careful habit in reading the Word. The Bible contains clear records of chronology. One can calculate the exact number of years from man’s creation to the birth of Jesus. From Adam to the flood is clearly 1,656 years. The Bible clearly gives us a record of the number of years for each period of history. Thus, we know the number of years from the time of the exodus to the entrance into Canaan. We know the number of years the Israelites lived under the judges, the number of years they lived under the kings, and the number of years from that time until the time of Daniel and from then to the time of the Lord Jesus. Some numbers are found in Stephen’s words. We even find a record of the number of years a certain person slept on his right and the number of years he slept on his left (Ezek. 4:4-6). From the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the coming of the Lord Jesus was sixty-nine weeks (483 years). In this way, we can trace the number of years all the way from Adam to the Lord Jesus. Beginning from Genesis God has laid down a chronology, and this chronology has never been interrupted. In order to study the Bible, we have to learn to be a careful and attentive person.
In studying chronology we can discover things we ordinarily would not discover. For example, when we study the history of the patriarchs, we find that Adam was still alive at the time Enoch was walking on the earth. Adam had seen God, but Enoch had never seen God. We may think that the one who had seen God should have been raptured. But in the end Enoch was raptured; Adam was not raptured. This is a lesson to us. Further along we find the name Methuselah, which means “when he dies, something will happen.” In the year that Methuselah died, the flood came. This also shows the accuracy of the Bible.
Paul tells us in Galatians 3 that grace preceded the law; it did not come after the law. We have to know the chronology, and then we will see that the grace of promise was in existence 430 years before the coming of the law.
It is easy to find biblical chronology from the book of Genesis. After Genesis it is more difficult to dig out the chronology. Yet the difficulty lies only in man’s reluctance to study the Word. How many years are there from Israel’s exodus out of Egypt to Solomon’s building of the temple? First Kings 6:1 says, “Then in the four hundred eightieth year after the children of Israel had come forth out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv (this is the second month), Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah.” Yet Acts 13:18-22 says, “And for a time of about forty years He carried them as a nurse in the wilderness.…And after these things, for about four hundred and fifty years, He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. And afterward…God gave them Saul…for forty years. And when He had deposed him, He raised up David for them as king.” All these years added together equal 530 years. When David’s reign of forty years (1 Kings 2:11) and the three years of Solomon’s reign before he built the temple are also added, the number of years comes to 573. Hence the record of 1 Kings has ninety-three fewer years than the record of Acts 13. What is the reason for this difference? According to the record of Judges, the children of Israel were taken captive five times. The first lasted eight years (3:8), the second eighteen years (v. 14), the third twenty years (4:2-3), the fourth seven years (6:1), and the last forty years (13:1). All of these years added together equal exactly ninety-three years. It seems that 1 Kings is short of ninety-three years. Actually, it purposely deleted the years of captivity. There is a need of the supplement of the record of Judges. The records of the Bible are like a chain; no link in the chain can be missing. Every link has to be present. God Himself has put these together, and all we have to do is find the links. Hence, the study of chronology is very useful in training us to be accurate.
Many numbers in the Bible have significance. The following are some examples.
One signifies the one unique God.
Two signifies fellowship.
Three also signifies God because He is triune. One refers to God’s unity, and three refers to God’s completion.
Four is the first number that is built upon three. It is three plus one. Hence, four is the number of creation. Everything that relates to the creature is four in number. For example, there are four corners of the earth, four seasons, four winds, and four rivers that flow from the garden of Eden. The image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream has four sections. Four beasts come out of the sea. The living creatures that represent all creation are four in number. The Lord Jesus’ life on earth is recorded in four Gospels. Everything that is produced from God is four in number.
Five is the number of man’s separation. The left hand has five fingers. So does the right hand. Of the ten virgins five are foolish and five wise. Five also signifies human responsibility before God. The ear is one of the five organs, the thumb is one of the five fingers, and the big toe is one of the five toes. Applying the blood to the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot signifies man’s separation to bear responsibility before God.
Six is man’s number. Man was created on the sixth day. Seven is the number of perfection. Six is less than seven. This means that what man does can never match what God does.
Seven is the number of perfection. This perfection refers to the present temporary perfection; it is not eternal perfection. Three is the number of God. Four is the number of the creature. The sum of the Creator with the creature is perfection. God plus man equals perfection. But this is only three plus four; it is a temporary perfection. Everything temporal in the Bible is signified by seven. For example, there are seven days to a week, seven parables in Matthew 13, seven churches in Revelation, seven lampstands, seven messengers, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. All these refer to temporal perfection rather than perfection in eternity.
Eight is the number of resurrection. Seven is a cycle. Eight is the first number after seven. The Lord Jesus resurrected on the eighth day. Hence, eight is the number of resurrection.
Nine is three times three, a multiplicity of God’s number. God’s testimony is not only God’s word but God’s speaking to us.
Ten signifies human perfection. The human number is completed at ten. For example, there are ten fingers to the hands and ten toes to the feet.
Eleven does not have much significance in the Bible.
Twelve is also a number for perfection, but this perfection refers to the perfection in eternity. There are two numbers for perfection: seven and twelve. Seven is divine perfection and has to do with today. Twelve is also divine perfection, but it has to do with eternity. The interesting thing is that in the new heaven and new earth, the number seven will be gone. The New Jerusalem has twelve gates, twelve foundations, the names of the twelve apostles, twelve kinds of precious stones, and twelve pearls. The wall of the city was a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is twelve times twelve. All these will remain forever. Thus, twelve signifies eternal perfection. Why is seven temporal perfection and twelve eternal perfection? Three plus four is simply God plus man, the Creator plus the creature. But three times four is the Creator multiplied by the creature. This means that the two are mingled together. There is a difference between addition and multiplication. In multiplication, God and man are no longer separate. It is a oneness between the creating God and the created beings. Such a oneness is eternal. Hence, the perfection signified by twelve is an eternal perfection.
We can go through all the parables of the Bible. After studying a few of them carefully, we will realize that there are certain principles to interpreting parables. One cannot interpret them in any way he chooses. Once we identify principles, we will know how to interpret other parables when we study them.
Every parable has its subject and its subsidiary points. In interpreting a parable, one must distinguish between the main thought and the subsidiary thought. The main subject must be interpreted point by point. Subsidiary thoughts can be interpreted in detail, or they can be skipped over. For example, the Lord spoke seven parables in Matthew 13, the first of which is the parable of the sower. There is one kind of seed but four kinds of ground. The word is the same, but the hearts are different. This is the subject. We have to pay attention to the word and the four kinds of hearts. Other points, such as the meaning of the devouring of the seed by the birds or the significance of the number of “folds” the good seed multiplies, are not as crucial. Some seeds can multiply a thousandfold or even twelve hundredfold. But the Lord does not say anything about them. This means that the exact number of “folds” is not important. If we pay attention to the size of the birds, the altitude they are flying, or the exact number of “folds” the seeds multiply, we are on the wrong track. In interpreting parables, the first thing to do is distinguish the subject from the subsidiary points.
Another point worth noting is that no parable is to be interpreted in a literal way. For example, in the parable of the sower, the sower does not mean an actual sower, the field does not mean an actual field, and the seed is not an actual seed. This is obvious. All parables have their spiritual significance and should be interpreted spiritually. But this does not mean that every point within a parable has to have spiritual significance attached to it. It only means that the main points in the parable must be interpreted spiritually. The subsidiary points can be interpreted literally. Some people try to attach interpretation to every main point as well as every minor point in a parable. This is wrong. Matthew 13 is the first instance where the Lord spoke to us in parables, and in the first parable the Lord gave us the interpretation Himself. He did not interpret every point. With some points, He gave the interpretations. With other points, He did not interpret at all. For example, in expounding the “good earth,” He told us that the earth refers to man’s heart, while good refers to the state of being noble and good (Luke 8:15). The Lord has interpreted this for us. We know that a noble and good heart is the subject here. The Lord did not expand on the meaning of the words “yielded fruit.” Hence, the yielding of fruit is not the main thought. If we are caught up with the details, we will lose sight of the spiritual significance of the passage, and our course will be wrong. It is not easy to interpret the parables. One must seek light concerning each one of them before he can interpret them properly.
We should pay particular attention to the miracles of the Lord Jesus. One can, of course, also study the other miracles. For the Old Testament miracles, one can study those of Elijah and Elisha. For the New Testament miracles, one can study those of Paul’s. If we consider the miracles as a special subject and study them, we will find out that each miracle has its own characteristics. For example, there is a difference between the miracle of healing the blind and the miracle of healing the lame. The eyes have to do with seeing; the blind have to see. Lameness has to do with power; the lame have to walk. In studying these miracles, we must first find out the special characteristics in each case and then find out how the Lord deals with them. This will give us a glimpse as to how He deals with our spiritual problems.
The Lord attached a spiritual teaching to some miracles. For example, in the case of the man born blind in John 9, the Lord clearly said that He would make the blind see and those that can see blind (v. 39). Again, in the case of the resurrection of Lazarus, the Lord clearly said that He is the resurrection and the life (11:25).
Some miracles are not followed explicitly by the Lord’s teachings. Yet there are teachings contained in the miracles, and we have to look to the Lord to show us these teachings. For example, in the case of the healing of the lame man, there is spiritual teaching attached to it. At the time the Lord healed him, He said, “Your sins are forgiven.” But He did not simply forgive his sins; He also said to him, “Rise, take up your mat and go to your house.” The man rose up, took up the mat, and went out before all men (Mark 2:3-12). Here we find a spiritual principle: It is not enough to be forgiven of our sins; we must have the manifestation of the signs of life and the ability to walk spiritually. No one can say that he is forgiven who cannot rise up to walk. Those who are forgiven will surely walk. Forgiveness comes before walking, and walking is the result of forgiveness. We see a very clear picture here.
We can study all the teachings that the Lord taught, including Matthew 5, 6, 7, 13, 24, 25. The Gospels of Luke and John also contain many of the Lord’s teachings. John 14, 15, and 16 are also important chapters on the Lord’s teachings. When we read them we have to pay attention to where the Lord was speaking. Did He teach them in the land of Judea or in Galilee? Was He speaking to the disciples or to the crowd? Was He speaking to both groups or only to the disciples and not to the crowd? If we study the teachings this way, we will grasp the central messages. If we want to work for the Lord, at least we have to study His parables, miracles, and teachings. Otherwise, we will have no material to work on. Our hands will be too empty, and we will not be able to meet the needs.
This is also an important way to study the Bible. Why did the Spirit not write one complete gospel, but instead chose to write four different Gospels? Why are the records in the four Gospels seemingly different at times and the sequence of events rearranged? Sometimes the numbers even do not agree. If we do not study them carefully, we will not realize the wonder behind the Spirit’s inspiration.
In reading the four Gospels, the first thing we have to do is subdivide them into sections. The subdivision must be detailed. We can set aside a bigger notebook and write down all the events of the four Gospels in it under four columns. For example, in recording the genealogy of the Lord, we can put Matthew 1:1-17 in the first column and Luke 3:23-38 in the third column. Mark and John do not have a genealogy, so we can leave the second and fourth columns empty. Some events are recorded in only one Gospel, while others are recorded in all four Gospels. After we finish this work, we can turn to our notebook and everything will become clear. If we further compare all the entries in the columns, we will find the similarities and differences between these records. Such comparative reading will reveal many places that differ, and these differences will reveal to us the sovereign arrangements of the Holy Spirit.
The genealogy in Matthew is divided into three groups of fourteen generations: From Abraham to David, from David to the captivity into Babylon, and from the captivity to Christ. The genealogy in Luke traces backward. Matthew goes from Abraham to David, while Luke goes from David to Abraham. Matthew goes from David to the captivity in Babylon, while Luke goes from Salathiel back to David. Matthew goes from Abraham to his descendants, while Luke goes from Abraham back to Adam. Therefore, if Matthew’s genealogy is in three sections, Luke’s genealogy should be in four sections. Luke’s genealogy begins with Mary, and Matthew’s genealogy ends with Joseph. These subdivisions must be clearly marked before we can extract the meaning from them.
Someone once linked the four living creatures in Revelation 4 to the four Gospels. The four living creatures are the lion — the king of the beasts, the ox — the diligent servant, the face of a man, and the eagle. In the Old Testament God said that He bore the children of Israel on His wings like an eagle (Exo. 19:4; Deut. 32:11-12). Matthew portrays the Lord Jesus as the King, Mark portrays Him as the Servant, Luke portrays Him as a man, and John portrays Him as God. The four living creatures exactly match the description of the Lord in the four Gospels.
Matthew shows us the Lord Jesus as the King. Hence, in his genealogy, he specifically points out that He is the descendant of King David. Luke shows the Lord Jesus as a man. This is the reason his genealogy goes all the way back to man’s first ancestor — Adam. Mark shows us the Lord Jesus as a servant, and John shows Him as the Son of God. This is the reason neither of these two books has a genealogy. When we consider the four books this way, we indeed find Matthew speaking of the Lord as the King, Mark as the Servant, Luke as a man, and John as the Son of God.
All four Gospels speak of the coming of the Lord Jesus. But the descriptions of His coming differ. Matthew says, “Behold, your King is coming to you” (21:5), Mark says that the Son of Man came to serve (10:45), Luke says that the Son of Man came to seek (19:10), and John says that the Lord came to give us life (10:10). We can find many such comparisons in the Gospels. If we spend time to study them, we will find that each Gospel has its own characteristics.
The endings of the four Gospels are very meaningful. Matthew covers the resurrection (28:6), Mark covers the ascension (16:19), Luke covers the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit (24:49), and John covers the Lord’s coming again (21:22). After the Lord Jesus resurrected, He ascended to the heavens. After the ascension, there was the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In the future the Lord Jesus will come again. The wonderful arrangement of the four Gospels matches the order of sequence of these four events.
Matthew does not say anything about the ascension of the Lord Jesus, because it speaks of the Lord being with the disciples until the completion of the age. Mark speaks of the Lord’s ascension, saying, He “sat at the right hand of God” (16:19). This is because He took the form of a slave and was obedient unto death for the accomplishment of His work. Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest. Luke records the Lord’s ascension as well. God was mindful of this man, who was a little lower than the angels, in order that He would be crowned with glory and honor. The Lord Jesus ascended in the position of a man, which means that He will lead many sons into glory. John does not say anything about the Lord’s ascension because it speaks of Him being our life and living within us.
Matthew’s record is arranged according to dispensational truth, not according to chronology. Luke “carefully investigated all things from the first”; therefore, his record is “in an orderly fashion” (1:3). Some parts are according to chronological order, while others are according to the order of subjects. Mark and John were both written according to the order of the events themselves.
We can buy a large-size copy of the four Gospels and divide Matthew into five or ten sections. Then we can study each section carefully and consider what the other three Gospels have to say about the things recorded in each section. Similar passages should be grouped together, while dissimilar ones should be clearly marked. The dissimilar passages should have broader subdivisions, while the similar passages should have finer subdivisions. For example, the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 is also in Luke. We have to make a finer subdivision before we can identify the finer differences between the various records. We have to subdivide them in such a way that we can tell the similarities and the differences at a glance. This requires much time. It takes at least two years to go through the four Gospels. The actual copying and note-taking may only take about three months.
The Bible contains many crucial chapters, such as Genesis 2 and 3, Numbers 21, and Deuteronomy 8. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are both very crucial chapters, because much is said in the New Testament about their fulfillment. Daniel 9 is also a great chapter. In the New Testament Matthew 5—7, 13, 24, and 25 are crucial chapters, as are John 14—16 and 1 Corinthians 13. In the Bible there are thirty to forty such crucial chapters, and we have to understand the meaning of each one of them.
This is a relatively simple method. We can group all the past events in the New Testament in one group, all the present events in another group, and all the future things in a third group. The earthly work of Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the beginning of the church belong to the first group. The Lord’s supplication work, His mediatorial work, the ministry of the church, the discipline and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and all the means of grace are things of the present. (In some cases, grace is given to us directly. In other cases, God grants grace to us through certain means, such as meeting, the breaking of bread, baptism, and the laying on of hands. God bestows grace to man not directly, but through these means. This is the reason they are called means of grace.) Resurrection, the rapture, redemption, glory, and God’s new creation are things of the future. Although redemption is an event of the past, it is not fully completed. A part of it is not yet fulfilled; it will be fulfilled only with the redemption of our body. Since our fleshly body is not yet taken care of, redemption is not yet consummated. The redemption of the Lord Jesus on the cross laid a foundation. The work of redemption itself will not be complete until our body is redeemed in the future. We have to differentiate between the things that God has done, the things that He is doing, and the things that He will do.
Salvation is related to the life which we receive, sanctification relates to our living, and ministry relates to our work. We can group subjects such as the Lord’s calling, His blood, and His work under the category of salvation; we can group all the work of the Holy Spirit under the category of sanctification; and we can group subjects such as endurance, testimony, and the power of the Holy Spirit under ministry. The Lord’s cross can be grouped under salvation, our cross can be grouped under sanctification, and “the dying of Jesus” or “the killing of Jesus” can be grouped under ministry. Our faith belongs to salvation, our obedience to sanctification, and our endurance to ministry. The life given by the Holy Spirit is salvation, the work of the Holy Spirit is sanctification, and the power of the Holy Spirit is ministry. We can also use three prepositions for these three categories: for us, in us, and through us. Everything done for us is salvation, everything done in us is sanctification, and everything done through us is ministry. When something is done for us, we call it salvation. When something is done in us, we call it sanctification. When something is done through us we call it ministry or service. We can classify all these teachings under these categories; they can be things that God has done for us, things that He is doing in us, or things that He will do through us. Unfortunately, many people are not clear about the distinction between God for us and God in us. For example, the crucifixion of Christ and our being crucified together with Christ are things that God has done for us. But Roman Catholicism has made these items things that God does in us. This is wrong. The cross becomes something that is done in us when we begin to bear our own cross. We bear the cross; we are not crucified on the cross. We experience the bearing, but the Lord experienced the crucifying. This shows us the difference between Protestantism and Catholicism. The crucifixion spoken of in the Bible is something that God has done for us. It is not something He will do in us. Romans 6 speaks of crucifixion, Romans 8 speaks of the putting to death, while 2 Corinthians 4 speaks of the “killing.” Therefore, Romans 6 is on salvation, Romans 8 is on sanctification, and 2 Corinthians 4 is on ministry. We have to be absolutely clear before the Lord that crucifixion belongs to the category of salvation; it is something that the Lord has done. We merely inherit what He has done. However, the putting to death of the cross is something that we experience. At the same time, the “killing” is the release of the Holy Spirit which is something in the realm of ministry. We should not think that these are simple classifications. Many people are not clear about their crucifixion with Christ. As a result, they are not clear about the matter of the putting to death. The fact of crucifixion is not in us, but in Christ. Everything in Christ relates to salvation, everything in us relates to sanctification, and everything that goes out through us relates to ministry. These are foundational understandings. We must all be clear about God’s Word.
The Bible speaks of all kinds of minerals and stones. All of them have significances, and we should spend time to study them. This does not mean that these things contain any revelation in themselves. But when God gives us revelation, He speaks to us through these materials. We must have these biblical facts in our deposit before we can put them to use at a critical juncture.
Gold signifies God’s glory. Anything that is entirely of God is signified by gold. Silver signifies the Lord’s redemption. The Bible does not say that we should buy anything with gold, but with silver. Silver signifies redemption. In other words, gold signifies God’s person, while silver signifies His work. Gold signifies His glory, while silver signifies His redemption. Bronze signifies judgment, iron signifies human authority, and lead signifies sin. The foundation of the New Jerusalem is built with all kinds of precious stones, one of which in green in color. Green is a basic color, the color of life on earth. Hence, it refers particularly to the work of the Holy Spirit. In studying the minerals, we have to find their nature and color. Red and scarlet are two different colors. Red refers to the blood, while scarlet refers to sin. Other colors such as white, black, and purple all have particular meanings. We have to classify them and find their meaning.
The Bible contains many nations, cities, mountains, rivers, wells, etc. Everything has significance. There are the nations of Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Persia. There are the cities of Samaria, the city of Jerusalem, Caesarea, Sodom, Gomorrah, Babel, Ur, Shechem, Bethel, Mahanaim, Gilgal, etc. All of them have significance. Some derive their significance from the meaning of the word, while others derive it from the history associated with it. Shechem means shoulder and can signify burden, responsibility, or the act of shouldering something. This is indicated by the meaning of the word itself. In the division of the land at Joshua’s time, there were many city names. All of them have spiritual meaning, and we have to find their meaning. Of course, with many biblical names we have to look in a Hebrew lexicon to find their meaning. But there are many words whose meaning is provided by the Bible itself, and even those who do not understand Hebrew can know the meaning of these names.
Under the category of mountains we have Mount Sinai, Horeb, Lebanon, Pisgah, the Mount of Olives, etc. All of them have meaning. Mount Horeb is the same as Mount Sinai. But why does the Bible say Mount Horeb sometimes and Mount Sinai at other times? We have to find out the reason for this. Then there are the valleys, such as the valley of the son of Hinnom, the valley of Jehoshaphat, etc.
There are the great river of Euphrates, the river of Egypt, the river Jordan, etc.
Many things are included under the category of geography. We have to study all the crucial items of it. However, we do not have to spend too much time on them; three or four months will be enough.
All geographical names derive their meaning from one of two sources. Either they are derived from the meaning of the words themselves, or they are derived from the history associated with them. Names like Jerusalem, Bethel, and Mahanaim derive their meaning from the words themselves. Golgotha derives its meaning partly from the word and partly from its history. Golgotha means the place of the skull. It also signifies the cross. The great river Euphrates derives its significance from the meaning of the word as well as from its history. History tells us that all attacks on Jerusalem come from the direction of the Euphrates. Even Revelation tells us this. Hence, the name signifies rebellious rule and rebellious power. Philistia signifies the devilish power of darkness. It derives its meaning from history, not from the meaning of the word. Another important name is Shiloh, because the subject of the church is very much related to Shiloh. If we would spend time to study these things, they will be useful to us in the future.
The Bible contains many names of persons. The meanings of the main ones are explained in the Bible. It would be good to have a Greek lexicon for reference. Names like Adam, Eve, Cain, Seth, Abel, Noah, Melchisedek, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Micah, Zechariah, Peter, etc., all have meaning, and if we research a little, we will find their meaning. This is another kind of material which we have to collect at ordinary times.
In the Bible we often find a passage written in a way that is different from the immediately surrounding text; the style of such passages in Greek is different from the rest of the surrounding text, and it more closely resembles poetry rather than prose. Such passages are usually not long paragraphs, but one or two sentences. For lack of a better term, we call these passages “choruses.” Only those who are more knowledgeable in the Greek language can discover these portions. Examples include: 1 Timothy 1:15; 3:15-16; Titus 3:4-8 Romans 10:8-10; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; Ephesians 4:8-9; 5:16; and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17. The structure and style of these portions are in the nature of songs. (In fact, the whole of Romans 9—11 is written in this style.) When we study them, we have to realize that every portion touches one matter or one doctrine. These passages cover everything from salvation to the rapture. For the Holy Spirit to write these eight portions in the form of a song means that there must be precious significance to them.
We have Abraham’s prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses’ prayer for the rebellious children of Israel, David’s prayers in the Psalms, Ezra’s prayer in chapter nine of his book, Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter nine of his book, Daniel’s prayer in chapter nine of his book, the prayer the Lord taught the disciples in Matthew 6, His own prayer in John 17, Paul’s prayer in Ephesians, etc. If we study these prayers one by one, we will have a good grasp of the whole subject of prayer. We will know what words a man should use when he prays to God and what words will receive an answer. Our heart before the Lord is important but so are our words. The Lord Jesus told the woman, “Because of this word, go. The demon has gone out of your daughter” (Mark 7:29). This shows how important the words we use in our prayer are. If our words are improper, our prayers will not be answered. Many times when we come to God, nothing happens in spite of our incessant pleading. But when just one or two words come out of our mouth, they seem to release all that we want to say, and the prayer is answered. One brother once had an inflammation in his diaphragm. A few saints were worried that it would develop into pneumonia. They prayed much but nothing availed. Later one sister prayed only one sentence: “There is no praise in hell and no thanksgiving in the grave.” That did the work. That afternoon the brother rose up from his bed. Our answer to prayer is very much related to the words we use. If the words are right, we will see miracles. We have to learn to familiarize ourselves with the proper way to pray.
There are a few basic principles to dealing with difficult passages in the Bible. First, we must believe that the Bible itself contains no difficulties whatsoever. If there is any difficulty, it is with our biased and misaimed understanding.
Second, in order to solve these difficulties, it is not enough to interpret according to the text alone. No portion of the Word can have its own interpretation. Whenever we encounter a difficult passage, we have to study it in conjunction with other passages before we can arrive at any conclusion. No difficult passage can be in conflict with the teachings contained in other parts of the Bible. When God wrote the Bible, He did not write one portion without regard for the other portions. If there is any conflict at all, it must be in our mind.
Third, although some words can be found only in one place, not in other places, we still have to believe them. We should not doubt God’s Word simply because of our prejudice and reason.
Fourth, we have to look for evidence to solve the difficulties, that is, scriptural evidence as well as logical evidence. God’s Word is absolutely logical. He can never say anything that is illogical.
Fifth, the difficulty that we are speaking of here is difficulty in interpretation and doctrine. If there are contradictions in the numbers used in the Scriptures, we should not consider them as difficulties. These may be manuscript errors. Recently, a manuscript was discovered near Mount Sinai. It has many manuscript errors. At the time it was made, the church was under persecution, Bibles were destroyed everywhere, and it was not easy to make copies. Copying errors are unavoidable, but this does not mean that there is a problem with the inspiration itself. It is nit-picking for someone to attack the Bible on account of this kind of error.
After we have agreed on the above principles, we can group the difficult passages in the Bible together. For example, there are “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:2, “go down alive into Sheol” in Numbers 16:30, “An old man is coming up.…Saul knew that it was Samuel” in 1 Samuel 28:14, “Concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even…the Son” in Matthew 24:36, the two swords in Luke 22:38, “Whosever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them” in John 20:23, “renew themselves again unto repentance” in Hebrews 6:6, “There no longer remains a sacrifice…for sins” in Hebrews 10:26, “The spirits in prison” in 1 Peter 3:19, and “The gospel was announced also to those who are now dead” in 1 Peter 4:6. All of these can be considered problematic passages for interpretation. Other issues such as the camel passing through the eye of a needle in Matthew 19:24 have been settled over four hundred years ago already; they no longer can be considered problematic. Paul’s journey to Jerusalem in Acts 21 is also not a problem in interpretation; it is a problem related to his own action.
Following the above principles, let us deal with one specific passage in the Old Testament that poses difficulty.
Genesis 6 speaks of the sons of God. This relates quite much to the second coming of the Lord Jesus, because the Lord said, “Even as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26). What were the days of Noah like? At that time the sons of God married the daughters of men. Many Bible expositors think that this refers to the sons of Seth marrying the daughters of Cain. Many popular versions of the Bible also interpret it this way, but this is too farfetched. When the sons of God married the daughters of men, the offspring were called nephilim. (The King James Version translated it as giants. The original meaning of the word is “fallen ones.”) How could Seth’s sons marry Cain’s daughters and bring forth nephilim? Seth was a man. So was Cain. How could their offspring be something other than ordinary humans? This interpretation is too farfetched.
Who were these sons of God? We have to look for the answer elsewhere in the Old Testament. If we look, we will find evidence that the sons of God refer to the angels. Job gives us strong proof of this. Job was written before Genesis. It is commonly acknowledged that Genesis was written at the time of Moses, while Job was written at the time of Abraham. Later books often use the terminology of earlier books. In Job 1, 2, and 38, the sons of God refer to the angels. Hence, the sons of God in Genesis 6 must refer to the angels. The Lord Jesus said, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matt. 22:30). This does not mean that angels are incapable of marrying; it merely means that they do not marry. God forbids angels from marrying, because they are spirits. But in Genesis 3 the greatest confusion in the world occurred: the spirit of Satan entered into a lower animal — a snake. Therefore, in Genesis 3 we see a union of spirit with a lower animal. By Genesis 6 the spirits had joined themselves to men. Angels should not marry, but they married the daughters of men. The result was the nephilim. When the nephilim were produced, God had to destroy them. God wanted to have angels and men, but He did not want nephilim. He did not produce such a race. God created everything “after its kind.” Yet the demons came and joined themselves to men. The result was nephilim in the world. God had to judge this severely. God later destroyed the Anakim because they were nephilim as well. Originally, the nephilim were annihilated during the flood. But in Canaan they were found again. This is the reason they had to be destroyed. God would not allow such creatures to remain on earth.
Jude 6 speaks of some angels who “did not keep their own principality but abandoned their own dwelling place.” This refers to the angels who married the daughters of men. When 2 Peter 2:4 speaks of angels who sinned, it refers to the same thing.
The English translation of Genesis 6:3 is very clear: “And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh.” The Hebrew text is clearer than the Chinese translation which drops the word also. In the original language the verse reads, “He also is flesh.” What does also mean? It means another one. Suppose we say, “You eat, and I eat also.” The word also means that there is a second one who is eating. When God said that man also was flesh, He meant that something else already was flesh. What other creatures could be compared with human beings? Only the angels. For man to also become flesh meant that the angels already were flesh. With such proof, we can say with confidence that the sons of God refer to the angels.
Of course, man had sinned by Genesis 3 already. But the sinning in Genesis 3 is different from man’s becoming flesh in Genesis 6. Sinning is an act; it does not describe the nature of things. To become flesh refers to the whole being falling under the influence of flesh; it has to do with one’s very nature. We must not only take note of man’s fall in chapter three, but we must realize that there was a progression to man’s sinfulness. With Adam, there was an act of sin. With Cain, there was the expression of his lust. By the time of the flood, sin had developed further; man had become flesh, and sinning had become a matter of habit. After man sinned, the Holy Spirit continued to wrestle with man. But when man became flesh, the wrestling ceased. Genesis 6:3 says, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” From the time of Eden until the flood, the Holy Spirit had been striving with man. But when man indulged in lust and became flesh, the Holy Spirit no longer strove with him. We have to pay attention to this point because the Bible says, “Even as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:27). We have to deal with this issue. Prior to the coming of the days of the Son of Man, the evil spirit of Satan will once again descend upon the earth, and sinful angels will put on the flesh. Whenever these “sons of God” cause trouble, God executes severe judgment upon them. The judgment of the flood was unprecedented, and the judgment in Canaan was serious. In the days of the Son of Man, there also will be great judgment, and the Lord will judge the angels who leave their own place.
Are the angels who leave their own place among the one third who fall in Revelation 12:4, or are they different ones? I believe they are different from the original third who fell with Satan. The first part of Jude 6 says, “And angels who did not keep their own principality but abandoned their own dwelling place.” The word principality is translated as “original state” by Darby. It refers not only to their original place but to their original state. Originally, the angels did not marry. For them to not keep their own state means that they engaged themselves in marriage. Principality refers to their state, and dwelling place refers to their place. What has happened to these angels? The last part of verse 6 says that these angels are “kept in eternal bonds under gloom for the judgment of the great day.” Verse 7 provides a further explanation of verse 6; it does not refer to something new. The grammar of Darby‘s and Stevens’s translations indicates that verse 7 is a further explanation of verse 6. These angels are like those in “Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who in like manner with these gave themselves over to fornication and went after different flesh.” They are “set forth as an example” and will undergo “the penalty of eternal fire.” These verses are speaking not of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who committed fornication but of the angels who committed fornication like the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. In fact, they were given to fornication. In other words, they did nothing except commit fornication. They forgot about everything else and only engaged in fornication. They “went after different flesh.” Hence, they are “set forth as an example, undergoing the penalty of eternal fire.” We can say that Jude 6 and 7 are an exposition of Genesis 6.
Let us use another difficult passage in the Bible as an illustration. John 20:23 says, “Whosever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them.” This is indeed a difficult passage. How can man have the authority to forgive other men’s sins? The Roman Catholic Church used this verse as the basis for selling indulgences. Actually, this verse must be linked to the preceding verse which speaks of receiving the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Lord has given the Holy Spirit to His church so that the church, as His representative and vessel, can forgive others. We call this kind of forgiveness “instrumental forgiveness.” Suppose I am preaching the gospel, and I come across a sinner. He confesses that he is a sinner and asks God for forgiveness. He weeps, cries, repents, and sincerely accepts the Lord Jesus, but he can still be ignorant of the matter of forgiveness. If someone in the church stands up and declares to him, “God has forgiven your sins,” this declaration is most helpful to him. The church can decide who is qualified to be baptized and who is eligible for the Lord’s table because it has received the Holy Spirit. Under the authority of the Holy Spirit, it can exercise its instrumental power to forgive or retain men’s sins. The church can only forgive as it is abiding in the Holy Spirit and breathing in this Spirit. No one can forgive when he is standing in the flesh. If we realize that this forgiveness is an instrumental forgiveness, we will have no problem with this passage.
The above verses serve as two illustrations of dealing with difficult passages in the Bible. The interpretation of any difficult passage in the Bible must be supported by enough proof and must take care of the context of the passage. No one can expound out of context or be guided by prejudice.
We can also study the Bible book by book. We can go through the Pentateuch, the books of history, the Psalms, and the books of the prophets. The content of each book should be memorized. In studying the books of the prophets, we have to find out how many of the prophets lived before the captivity and how many lived during and after the captivity. The study of the New Testament has to be conducted in the same manner. We have to know the historical part of the New Testament. We have to know the Epistles to the churches, the Epistles to individuals, and the prophecies. A child of God may not need to expound every book of the Bible, but he must at least know the contents of each book. We have to spend at least two years to get an overview of all sixty-six books of the Bible. If we want more in-depth knowledge, we have to spend five or six years. Once we become familiar with the contents of each book, we will know the nature of each book, and we will be able to relate one to the other. For example, we can link our study of the Old Testament to the books of Romans, Ephesians, and Colossians. These are basic skills, and we have to pay attention to them.
After we have a general grasp of all the books of the Bible, we should choose a few books and have an in-depth study of them. This requires intense research on our part.
For the Old Testament, at least we should study Genesis, Daniel, and the Song of Songs. If possible, we should add another book from the Pentateuch to this list, either Exodus, Numbers, or Leviticus. As for prophecies, we may want to add Zechariah. Isaiah surely has special value, but many of the prophecies in that book have been fulfilled already. Zechariah is like Daniel in that many of its prophecies are not yet fulfilled. This is the reason we suggest it.
For the New Testament, we have to take up four books at least: Matthew, Romans, Ephesians, and Revelation. These are the basic books. If we have time, we can also study the Gospel of John and 2 Corinthians. If we familiarize ourselves first with five or six books, and then slowly add more to the list, we will have an in-depth knowledge of ten or twenty books within ten or twenty years.
Many people have said that the Bible is a book that is specifically on Christ. The purpose of the Bible is to lead men to the knowledge of Christ. Throughout the Old and the New Testament, there is a line on Christ. We can find Christ in Genesis. In 1:26 there was a meeting of the Godhead to discuss the creation of man. Verse 27 shows us how He created man and woman in His image. Since verse 26 says “Let us,” verse 27 should use the pronoun their. Yet verse 27 uses the pronoun his. Clearly, his refers to Christ, for He is the only One in the Godhead who has an image. Therefore, in the actual creation, man was created in His image.
Genesis 3 speaks of the seed of the woman. Matthew 1 shows us that the son of Mary was the descendant of a woman. All the way from Genesis to Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, we find the Bible full of Christ. We see Christ in the story of David. We find Christ among the books of the pre-captivity prophets like Isaiah and Jonah. The books of the prophets in captivity and those who returned from captivity are also full of Christ.
We find Christ not only in the prophecies but in all of the ceremonial laws. Both Genesis and Leviticus speak of offerings. Even after the building of the temple, there were still the offerings. First, we see Christ in the offerings and sacrifices. Second, we see Christ in the laws pertaining to the cleansing of leprosy, the cleansing with the ashes of the red heifer, and the purification of the priests. Third, we see Christ in the priesthood, in the priests’ garments, and in their duties performed before God. Fourth, we see Christ in all the feasts.
Many persons also typify Christ. Some typify Him explicitly. Others typify Him by correspondence. What does it mean to typify Him explicitly? The Lord Jesus said, “Behold, something more than Solomon is here” (Luke 11:31). This shows us that Solomon is a type of the Lord Jesus. The Lord also said, “For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40). This is an explicit statement that Jonah is a type of Christ. Galatians 3 explicitly shows that Isaac is a type of Christ. Joseph, however, is not an explicit type. Although some parts of Joseph’s experience correspond to that of Christ, we cannot find one place that speaks of Joseph typifying Christ. Therefore, not only can we find persons who explicitly typify Christ, but we can find others who typify Him by correspondence. Adam, Noah, Joseph, David, and Jehoshaphat all belong to this category.
There are other types of Christ, including manna, the bronze serpent, the tabernacle, Jacob’s ladder, etc. In the Old Testament Christ is also typified by the two birds, the two kings, the two priests, and the two forerunners. The two birds typify death and resurrection respectively. The two kings typify war and peace respectively. The two priests typify earthly things (Aaron) and heavenly things (Melchisedek). The two forerunners relate to the exodus from Egypt and entry into Canaan. All of these are types of Christ.
In the New Testament, we find Christ’s history, teachings, miracles, and prophecies. In Acts we see His reign today. In the Epistles we see His indwelling. In Revelation we see His reign in the future. It is a good exercise to trace the line of Christ all the way from Genesis to Revelation.
This is a very important way of studying the Scriptures, and its scope is quite wide. We have covered the method of studying specific subjects. Apparently, word-study is similar to the study of topics, but actually the two are quite different. The study of topics concentrates on subjects; the exact wordings of the Bible may not necessarily match the subjects exactly, but we can consider the content and the spiritual meaning of the texts, putting texts together that are similar in content and spiritual meaning. This is the meaning of studying by subjects. Word-study, however, means finding all the verses that contain a certain word and studying them together. In doing word-study, we can supplement the Bible with a concordance. The following is a suggested list of some words: 1) sin, 2) death, 3) repentance, 4) faith, 5) forgiveness, 6) reconciliation, 7) mercy, 8) grace, 9) righteousness, 10) the Law (i.e., the written ordinances), 11) laws (e.g. the law of the mind, the law of the spirit, etc.), 12) life, 13) work, 14) old, 15) new, 16) crucifixion, 17) blood, 18) salvation, 19) redemption, 20) substitution, 21) raised up, 22) son, 23) priest, 24) offering, 25) holiness, 26) love, 27) hope, 28) heart, 29) spirit, 30) light, 31) joy, 32) peace, 33) truth, 34) glory, 35) prayer, 36) blessing, 37) promise, 38) comfort, 39) food, 40) obedience, 41) suffering, 42) temptation, 43) world, 44) flesh, 45) fleshy, 46) wrath, 47) mind, 48) generation, 49) whosoever, and 50) mountain. If we wanted to add to the list, we could easily expand it three or four times. But the above list should suffice for beginners. This approach turns our attention to the meaning of the words and the frequency of their use. If we compile all the verses together and arrange them in order, we will find out what God has to say concerning these words.
For example, in studying the word rejoice, we can find all the verses that contain this word. We can write down various teachings related to rejoicing and group the verses accordingly. When should we rejoice? Where does our joy come from? What kind of people cannot rejoice? How can we rejoice? If we do this, we will know something about the subject of rejoicing.
Another word found in the Bible is food. Let us look at some of the verses where food is found. John 4:34 says, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” Psalm 37:3 says, “Feed on His faithfulness.” When the twelve spies returned from Canaan, they said, “All the people that we saw in it are men of great size.…and we were in our own sight like grasshoppers.” But Joshua and Caleb said, “Do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our bread” (Num. 13:25—14:9). If we group these portions that speak of food together, we will see three kinds of food. First, there is the food of doing the Father’s will. The more we do the Father’s will, the stronger we become because we have food to eat. The Lord sent the disciples for bread because He was hungry. But after the disciples returned with the food, the Lord said, “I have food to eat.” The disciples asked one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” The Lord said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:32-34). This shows us that our works should not weaken us. Rather, they should strengthen us. Not only does prayer feed us, but work feeds us as well. If we serve God in His field as our Lord did, we spontaneously will be fed as we work because our food is to do the will of the Father. Second, God’s faithfulness is our food. God is a faithful God, and we can feed on His faithfulness. Every time God answers our prayer, our faith becomes stronger. Every time we trust in God’s leading, we are fed. The more we trust in God, the more we are satisfied and strengthened. God’s faithfulness is our food. Third, even the nephilim are our food. Each nephilim we eat makes us stronger. If we eat one today, we can eat two tomorrow, and four the next day. We will become stronger and more satisfied as we eat more of them. Many people are weak because they have never overcome the nephilim in Canaan. In other words, any difficulty is God’s food for us. If we do not eat it, we will become hungry. If we do eat it, we will become strong, and the trials will be behind us.
A brother once studied the word calling. He put several dozen verses together and grouped them into ten sections. For illustration, I will list them in the following sections:
Section One — The source of our calling:
1. The primary source — God (1 Thes. 2:12).
2. The intermediary source — Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:6).
Section Two — The called ones:
1. Scope (general) — all men (1 Cor. 1:24).
2. Scope (spiritual) — sinners (Luke 5:32).
3. God’s valuation — vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:23-24).
4. Actual condition — not many who are wise (1 Cor. 1:26).
Section Three — The goal of our calling:
1. Repentance (Luke 5:32).
2. Salvation (2 Thes. 2:13-14).
3. Peace (Col. 3:15).
4. Light (1 Pet. 2:9).
5. Fellowship (1 Cor. 1:9).
6. Service (Rom. 1:1).
7. Freedom (Gal. 5:13).
8. Holiness (1 Cor. 1:2).
9. Suffering (1 Pet. 2:21).
10. Eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12).
11. Eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15).
12. Eternal glory (1 Pet. 5:10).
Section Four — The principle of calling:
1. According to God’s plan (Rom. 8:28).
2. According to God’s grace (2 Tim. 1:9).
3. Not according to man’s merit (2 Tim. 1:9).
Section Five — The sphere of our calling:
1. In the Lord (1 Cor. 7:22).
2. In grace (Gal. 1:6).
3. In peace (1 Cor. 7:15).
4. In sanctification (1 Thes. 4:7).
5. In one Body (Col. 3:15).
Section Six — The way we are called:
1. Through the gospel (2 Thes. 2:14).
2. Through God’s grace (Gal. 1:15).
3. Through God’s glory (2 Pet. 1:3).
4. Through the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:3).
Section Seven — The nature of our calling:
1. Holy (2 Tim. 1:9).
2. From above (Phil. 3:14).
3. Heavenly (Heb. 3:1).
4. Humble (1 Cor. 1:26).
Section Eight — The requirements for our calling:
1. Remaining in it (1 Cor. 7:20, 24).
2. Walking according to it (1 Cor. 7:17).
3. Counted worthy of it (Eph. 4:1).
4. Counted worthy of the God who calls us (1 Thes. 2:12).
5. Being diligent (2 Pet. 1:10).
Section Nine — The encouragement of our calling:
1. Hope (Eph. 1:18; 4:4).
2. Reward (Phil. 3:14).
Section Ten — The guarantee of our calling:
1. God’s nature — faithfulness (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Thes. 5:24).
2. God’s plan (Rom. 8:30).
3. God’s grace (Rom. 11:29).
All these verses contain the word calling. This brother compiled all these verses together and grouped them into ten sections. Once this is done, we have a clear picture of our calling. If we pick up several dozens of these terms, we will establish a foundation in the knowledge of the Bible for ourselves.
In reading Genesis we have to pay attention to the word generation. For example, 5:1 says, “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” In reading Exodus we have to pay attention to the phrase the Lord commanded. In Leviticus we find the word holy being used frequently. In Psalms we find the expressions Thy word, the enemies, wait, and selah used quite frequently. In Proverbs we find the words wisdom, lies, evil, sloth, pride, heart, mouth, lips, and eyes used frequently. In Ecclesiastes we find the words vanity and under the sun used frequently. In Song of Songs we find the words love and myrrh used frequently. In Matthew we find the words righteousness and the kingdom of the heavens used frequently. Consider the word mountain; Matthew uses the word mountain at least eight times: 4:8; 5:1; 14:23; 15:29; 17:1; 24:3; 26:30; 28:16, and every time something significant happens. In Mark we find the word immediately. In Luke we find the words the Son of Man. In John we find the words sent, world, Father, and abide. In Acts we find the word spirit. In Romans we find the words death, faith, and righteousness. Galatians uses the word love sparingly and never speaks of holiness at all. Ephesians, however, uses the words love and holiness more frequently. We have to pay attention to all these facts and should not gloss over them. Sometimes the same word is used a few times within one portion or a few portions of the Word. For example, 1 Chronicles 16 and Psalm 71 use the word continually seven times: 1 Chronicles 16:6, 11, 37, 40; Psalm 71:3, 6, 14. Psalm 86 uses for eight times, Joshua 23 speaks of Jehovah your God thirteen times, and Ezra 7 speaks of seven things related to God (God’s hand, God’s law, God’s house, God’s will, the altar of God’s house, ministers of God’s house, and God’s wisdom). Paul said whatever you do three times in his Epistles. “Whatever you do…do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). “Whatever you do, work from the soul as to the Lord” (3:23). “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). The Gospel of John together with John’s Epistles speak of joy “being full” six times: John 3:29; 15:11; 16:24; 17:13; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 12. Paul’s Epistles use thanks be to God five times: Romans 6:17; 7:25; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 9:15. The words overcome in Revelation, precious in Peter’s Epistles, and joy in Philippians all have very particular meanings and purposes in their usage. In reading the Bible, we have to dig out these particular words and organize them into an outline of doctrines. This will bring us great benefit.
There are about seven fundamental doctrines in the Bible. They are: 1) God the Father, 2) the Son of God, 3) the Holy Spirit, 4) sin, 5) redemption, 6) the Christian life and living, and 7) future events. These are all crucial doctrines. They are actually theology itself.
Concerning God the Father, we can consider His name, His heart, His nature, His attributes, His power, His authority, His relationship with the Son, His way of redemption, etc. We must also group all the related verses together.
When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He clearly proclaimed that He is the Son. Hence, for eternity the Lord Jesus is the Son. Yet His designation as the Son occurred only after His resurrection. Hebrews 1:5 says, “This day have I begotten You.” This refers to the Lord’s resurrection. Romans 1:4 also says, “Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead.”
After we are finished with the doctrines of the Father and the Son, we can go on to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. In order to understand the Holy Spirit, at least we must know His work within man and His work outside of man. We have to distinguish clearly between the work of the Holy Spirit upon man and His work in man. If we cannot distinguish between these two, we will not have a clear understanding of the Holy Spirit.
We must also deal with the subjects of sin, redemption, the living of God’s children on earth today, and the future events one by one. Almost all theologies deal with these seven things. Once we are clear about these seven things, we will have some degree of assurance concerning the fundamental teachings of the Bible.
Every Bible reader should know one more thing: The Bible is God’s revelation handed to us in many portions and in many ways (Heb. 1:1). God grants us revelation not only in many portions but in many ways, and every time He grants us a new revelation, it is more advanced than the old ones. We have to find the advance of God’s truth through the Bible. This is not to say that the revelation of the Bible is incomplete. God’s revelation is contained in the entire Bible and is complete. However, this revelation is progressive. In the first stage God revealed Himself a certain way. In the second stage more of His revelation was added to the first. In the next stage more revelations were added. This is true in every successive stage, all the way until completion. We cannot say that God’s revelation is imperfect in any of the stages. However, when compared to the total revelation, each revelation is incomplete. God’s revelation to Abraham was perfect at his time. But when we view it in the light of the total revelation today, we realize that the revelation to Abraham was not adequate. We have to learn to trace God’s revelation through Adam, Noah, Abraham, the children of Israel, Moses, etc., in a full and complete way. His revelation is always progressive.
We must also learn to distinguish God’s dispensational truths from His eternal truths. In the Bible some doctrines are for a certain dispensation only, while others are for all ages. Sometimes God issued a commandment in a certain dispensation, yet this commandment was not meant to last for eternity. For example, God ordered the children of Israel to kill all the Canaanites. This is a dispensational truth; it is not meant to be followed for all eternity. We have to distinguish between the dispensational truths and the eternal truths. This is very important. Some words are dispensational in nature. They are directed toward men of one age, not for men of all ages. Other words are eternal in nature; they apply to all men of all ages. In reading the Bible we have to distinguish between the dispensational truths and the eternal truths. We have to know what is applicable only to a certain age, and what is applicable to all ages. We have to make a clear distinction between the two. Otherwise, we will face many insurmountable obstacles.
Many people have the misconception that the words in the Old Testament are only for men of the Old Testament age. They consider all Old Testament words to be dispensational in nature. Other people think that all Old Testament words are for us, and they take the entire Old Testament as eternal truth. But we have to separate dispensational truths from eternal truths. If God’s word to men of a certain age is applicable only to that time, it is a dispensational truth. If it is equally applicable to men of all ages, it is an eternal truth. Eternal truths are progressive. In one age God may speak only one or two words. In the next age God may speak a little more. However, we have to know that the progression of truth can only develop within the bound of the Scriptures. Doctrines that are developed apart from the Bible cannot be considered a progression of truth.
In reading Genesis we find that God is the Creator, the Ruler, the Law-giver, the Judge, and also the Redeemer. The truth about God in the Old Testament is progressive. These five aspects are adequately covered in the entire Old Testament. In Genesis we also see that man’s creation was glorious and his fall was shameful. He needed salvation, he sought after God, and he tried to save himself by works. This is what the book of Genesis tells us about the doctrine of man; however, the New Testament goes into a more detailed treatment of these five truths concerning man. This is what we mean by the progression of truth.
From Adam to Samuel, we find theocracy, that is, God ruling over His people directly. From David and Solomon until the captivity to Babylon, we see monarchy, that is, God ruling over His people through kings. From the Babylonian captivity to the coming of the Lord Jesus, we have the rule of the prophets and the priests. First there was theocracy, then there was monarchy, and then the rule of the prophets and the priests. From the beginning to the end, there is a progression from outward regulations to inward regulations. Outwardly everything failed. But inwardly “righteousness” came. Thus there is a progression of truth.
In the New Testament, we see Christ clearly in the four Gospels. This is clearly an advance. We can divide the four Gospels into seven sections.
In the first section the Lord Jesus proved that He is the Messiah. This happened in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and was recorded in John 1—4.
In the second section, after the attestation of the Messiah, the subject of the kingdom of the heavens was raised. Here we have the declaration of the kingdom of the heavens in Matthew 4, the content of the kingdom of the heavens in chapters five through seven, and the mystery of the kingdom of the heavens in chapter thirteen. The second section advances to the matter of the kingdom of the heavens.
In the third section there is the vindication of the person of the Son of God, beginning from the Lord’s feeding of the five thousand. The Gospel of John gives a special account of this. Although other Gospels speak of this as well, John’s record bears a special significance. John points out the Lord’s feeding of bread to the five thousand for the purpose of proving that He is the Son of God. From this point onward, there is Peter’s confession of Christ and of the Son of God in Caesarea. Then there is the Lord’s transfiguration on the mount. All of these are a vindication of the person of the Lord Jesus.
In the fourth section, after the Mount of Transfiguration, the Lord turned His face toward Jerusalem. Such a Christ is now the suffering One, the One going to die (Matt. 16:21; Luke 9:51).
In the fifth section the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem and spoke about His second coming. After this we have the Lord’s prophecy on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24—25.
In the sixth section, on the night of Passover, the Lord spoke to the disciples in the upper room about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the parable of the vine, etc. (John 14—17).
In the seventh section the resurrected Christ commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel.
In reading the Gospels we should first identify these seven sections of the history of Christ, like setting the bearing of seven mountains. Once we have done this, we will have a very clear understanding of the works and acts of the Lord Jesus.
In the book of Acts we find three crucial things: 1) the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, 2) His reigning, and 3) His forgiveness. A resurrected Lord is reigning today, and He is preaching the word of forgiveness to all men. This shows that Acts is a further advance from the Gospels.
After this there are Paul’s Epistles. We have to note the order of Paul’s letters in the Bible, as opposed to the chronological sequence of the writing of these letters. The chronological sequence is as follows: 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy. (If we count Hebrews as one of Paul’s books, then it should be before 1 Timothy.) The Epistles of Paul can be divided into four categories:
1)1 and 2 Thessalonians are on the Lord’s coming.
2)1 and 2 Corinthians plus Galatians are to correct the errors of the believers.
3)Romans, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philippians are on Christ.
4)1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are on such things as the administration and order of the church. They do not add much to the aspect of revelation. God’s revelation to Paul reached its peak in Ephesians.
From the above sequence we see that the truth in the Bible is always advancing. At the time of Paul, the matter of the church was fully settled, the errors of the believers were fully corrected, the riches of the church were brought out, and the issue of Christ’s return was dealt with. This is progression. The rest of the Epistles, like Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude, are of a different nature; they have their own characteristics. Some have called these the “common Epistles.” Hebrews shows us the new covenant. James shows us works. First and 2 Peter show us suffering and hope. Jude shows us the preservation of the faith. These Epistles deal with miscellaneous issues involving a Christian; they do not contribute to any advance in revelation. Finally, we have the Epistles of John and his Revelation. Here, we find John making another advance. Paul gave us truths, while John gave us theology. John specially points out the reality behind Christianity, which is the life of God. John’s Epistles and his Revelation take us all the way back to God.
The truths in the Bible are always advancing. Every truth has its peak. The revelation is unveiled in one book, and then further revelations are unveiled in other books. When the progression reaches a certain book, the revelation peaks. For example, in studying the subject of righteousness, we have to start from Matthew and consider how this topic is first unveiled. (We can skip over the other three Gospels as far as this topic is concerned.) By the time we reach Romans and Galatians, the subject reaches its peak. On the subject of the church, we have to start from Matthew 16. By Ephesians the matter is fully covered. For the subject of life, we have to start from the Gospel of John. By the time we come to the Epistles of John, the subject reaches its peak, and the matter is settled.
If we take this approach book by book, we will find where a subject is first introduced, where it is developed and expanded, and where it is fully treated and settled. The interesting thing is that after a subject is settled, nothing more is covered about the subject in subsequent books. Every subject is settled in one or more books, and after it is settled, subsequent books either do not mention the subject any further, or they skim over it. No new revelation is added to the subject. By the time the whole Bible is finished, God’s entire revelation reaches its peak. God’s revelation is always progressive. It constantly advances to the end when everything is completed.
Therefore, in reading the Bible we must do two things. First, we must find the revelation of the Bible; that is, we have to find where a truth is first spoken of. Second, we have to find where new meanings and new revelations are added. We have to trace the truth step by step and mark these steps down. One book may give us the introduction. Another book may give us further explanation. A third book may give us some new revelation. We have to write down and compile all of these new explanations and revelations. After we have gathered all the revelations and explanations together and have done a clear analysis of them, we can give a definitive statement about that truth. This is theology. Proper theology is a study of the truths of the Bible. We can call this doctrinal theology. If we study the Bible this way, we will have a clear understanding of the truths of the Bible.
We will conclude our discussion of the ways to study the Bible here.
As a final word, I would repeat that the person who reads the Bible must be right. Otherwise, a man can go through all the twenty-eight different plans of study, but he will reap no profit. “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). We are not saying that a man should read the Bible only after he is fully prepared and perfected. We are saying that while he is reading the Bible, he should take care of his condition before the Lord. Our condition before the Lord must be right on the one hand, and we must be willing to spend much time in the different methods of studying the Word on the other hand. This will insure us of an abundant harvest and a rich supply.
