The basis of the word

One

  We have seen that being a minister of God’s word is not a simple matter. Not everyone can speak God’s word. The basic question concerning a minister of God’s word relates to his person. Now we want to turn our attention to another matter — God’s Word itself. When we talk about the ministry of God’s word, we are not saying that God has other words unrelated to the Bible. We are not saying that a person can add a book to the sixty-six books of the Bible. Nor are we saying that a man can receive a revelation or introduce a ministry that is not found in the Bible. We believe that God’s word is complete in the Old and the New Testaments. We do not need to add any words to what already has been recorded in the Bible. Yet at the same time we have to realize that a knowledge of the Bible alone does not qualify one to preach God’s word. Everyone who desires to be a minister of God’s word must realize what God’s Word is. If he does not know what God’s Word is, he cannot be a minister of His word.

  The sixty-six books of the Bible were written by approximately forty people. They all used their own individual, idiomatic expressions; each one adopted his own style. Each writer used his own special terminology, and his writing contained his own feelings, thoughts, and human elements. When God’s word came to these writers, their personal elements were taken up by God. Some were used to a greater extent while others were used to a lesser extent, but everyone was used by God, everyone received revelation from Him, and everyone was a minister of His word. God’s Word is like a piece of music, and these many people were like many instruments. An orchestra contains many instruments, and every instrument has its own distinctive sound. When the whole orchestra plays, however, all the sounds blend together in a harmonious way. When the sounds reach our ears, we can distinguish between the sound of the piano, violin, trumpet, clarinet, and flute, but we do not hear a jumble of chaotic sounds. Instead, we hear one harmonious piece of music. Every instrument has its own characteristic and personality, yet all are playing the same music. If there are two pieces of music, there will be clashes and confusion. The same can be said of the ministers of the word. Every minister has his own personal characteristics. Yet each one is speaking God’s word.

  The Bible is not a chaotic collection of writings. From its first page to its last, it is an organic whole. Although one minister may say one thing and another minister may say something else, their ministries, when combined together, form an organic whole. There are approximately forty writers of the Bible. Although this number is quite large, their message is unified; there is no confusion or fragmentation. The Bible may reflect a few dozen instruments, but it is only one piece of music. Anyone who tries to add another tune becomes obviously conspicuous. As soon as the tune reaches our ear, we know that it has the wrong kind of sound. God’s Word is one unified whole. The sounds may be different, but there must not be any dissonance. We should not presume that as long as there is sound, it is good enough. We should not think that anyone can stand up, say a few words, and claim to be speaking God’s word. God’s Word is a unified whole from beginning to end. The ministries of the word in the past belong to this undivided entity, and the present ministries of the word also belong to this undivided whole. No foreign element can be added to it or form part of this whole. God’s word is the Lord Jesus Himself; it is one, and it is living. If we try to add anything to it, we will not have God’s word, but confusion, apostasy, and discord. What we have will not be God’s word.

  The Old Testament contains thirty-nine books. Historically speaking, the book of Job was probably written first. But Moses’ Pentateuch is placed at the beginning of the Bible. It is a wonderful thing that all of the writers of the Bible who came after Moses did not write independently; they built upon the writings that were before them. Moses wrote the Pentateuch without reference to the writings of others. But Joshua’s writings were based on Moses’ Pentateuch. In other words, Joshua’s ministry of God’s word was not an independent one; his service as a minister was based on his knowledge of the Pentateuch. Following Joshua, other writers, such as the authors of the books of Samuel, also based their writings on Moses’ books. This means that other than Moses, who was divinely called in the beginning to write his five books, all subsequent ministers of God’s word functioned upon the basis of the preceding words of God. The remaining books of the Old Testament were written with earlier writings as their basis. Although subsequent writers wrote differently, they all based their word on preceding words. All of the ministers of God’s word after Moses speak on the basis of the divine word that precedes them. God’s Word is one whole entity, and no writer can take his own course. Those who come later always speak on the basis of the word of those who preceded them.

  When we come to the New Testament, the only new revelation that we find is the mystery of the Body of Christ. Ephesians tells us that the Body is composed of the Jews and the Gentiles. Other than this, nothing is new; everything is based on Old Testament teachings, and everything that is in the New Testament can be found in the Old Testament as well. The Old Testament contains almost all of the doctrinal revelations. Even the new heaven and new earth are found in the Old Testament. One version of the Bible capitalizes all of the New Testament quotations of Old Testament passages. If one reads through it, he will find that many things in the New Testament were actually spoken first in the Old Testament. Some passages in the New Testament are clear, direct quotations of the Old Testament. Other passages are not direct quotations, yet the writers clearly make references to passages in the Old Testament. This is like our preaching; sometimes we quote the Scripture by merely making reference to the chapters and the verses. At other times we recite the entire verse, and those who are familiar with the Bible will know its reference. There are over fifteen hundred references to the Old Testament in the New Testament. We have to remember that the ministry of the word in the New Testament is based on the divine utterance in the Old Testament. There is no independent speaking.

  If a person stands up today and declares that he has received an independent revelation, we immediately can condemn this revelation as being untrustworthy. Today no one can receive God’s word apart from the Bible. Even the New Testament cannot exist independently by itself. Paul’s word cannot exist independently by itself. One cannot cut off the Old Testament and keep only the New Testament. Neither can one cut off the four Gospels and keep only Paul’s Epistles. We must realize that all subsequent words are based on preceding words; they are light derived from preceding words, not independent, separate words. Independent, separate words can only be words of heresy; they cannot be God’s word. We must understand what the ministry of the word is. All ministries in the Bible relate to one another. No one can receive a revelation that is completely independent of and unrelated to other revelations. No revelation can be completely isolated from other revelations or without reference to other revelations. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament are based on the Old Testament. Subsequent ministers always receive supply from preceding ministers.

Two

  We must condemn all independent revelations and independent ministries. Second Peter 1:20 says, “No prophecy of Scripture is of one’s own interpretation.” The word own also can be translated as private. It qualifies the word interpretation. This means that God’s prophecy cannot be interpreted just according to its immediate context; it cannot be interpreted from just the passage itself. For example, Matthew 24 cannot be interpreted by reference to just Matthew 24; we have to consider it in the light of other passages of the Scripture. We cannot interpret prophecy by the prophecy itself. We cannot interpret Daniel 2 by reference to just Daniel 2, or Daniel 9 by just Daniel 9. If we interpret a text by the text itself, we are making a “private interpretation.” We have to remember that God’s Word is one undivided whole. In order to speak God’s word, we have to realize first of all that it is an undivided whole. None of the Bible can be privately interpreted; it cannot be interpreted according to the immediate text alone. It has to be interpreted in conjunction with many other passages. Today we have the Bible before us; we cannot release any independent so-called “word of God” which is unrelated to God’s established Word. If our speaking does not match God’s established Word, what we have is heresy and a deception of the devil.

  The first ministers of the word spoke independently for God. They spoke independently because there was no minister of the word before them. But the second group had to build its speaking upon the speaking of the first group. Its speaking should have been only a repetition and an amplification of the first group. When the third group comes along, it should build its speaking upon the first and second groups; it cannot speak independently either. The light which God gives can only be a further application of that given to the first and second groups. God may give new visions and new revelations, but these visions and revelations are based on words that He has already spoken. Here is where the virtue of the Bereans comes in. They examined the Scriptures to see if what they had heard was indeed so (Acts 17:10-11). God’s Word does not change from day to day. It is an undivided whole, ever unchanging from beginning to end. It builds upon itself little by little. God is building something that He Himself is after. The men in the Old Testament and the New Testament who received further light did not receive any independent revelations; their revelations were all based on the first revelation in the Old Testament. That first revelation continued. From one revelation more light developed; men’s eyes were opened more and more, until we have both the Old Testament and the New Testament. A person becomes a New Testament minister of God’s word by receiving visions of God’s word in the Old Testament. Anyone who wants to be a minister of the word today must consider God’s word in view of the Old Testament and the New Testament; he cannot have God’s word apart from them. This is a very important principle. A minister of God’s word today is not independent, just as the ministers of His word in the former days were not independent. All ministers of the word depend on God’s previously spoken word. No one can receive revelation apart from the Bible. Anyone who receives a revelation apart from the Bible is receiving heresy, something which is absolutely unacceptable.

  Among God’s children there is a big misunderstanding concerning the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some think that these two testaments contradict each another. They think that the law and grace contradict one another. But in reading God’s Word, can we find the Old Testament contradicting the New Testament or the law contradicting grace? If we read the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians, we will find that there is no contradiction. In fact, Galatians shows us that the two testaments compliment each other. Many people have the wrong notion that the law and grace contradict each other, because they notice that God deals with men in one way in the Old Testament and in another way in the New. They think that the Old Testament and the New contradict each other because God appears to men differently under the law and under grace. They do not realize that the New Testament is an advancement of the Old Testament, not a contradiction of it. Grace is an advancement of the law, not a contradiction of it. We should realize that the New Testament is a continuation and further development of the Old Testament; the two do not contradict each other at all.

  Paul tells us that grace did not begin in just the New Testament age. In reading Galatians, we find that the “promise” was given when God called Abraham. In other words, God preached the gospel to Abraham and told him to wait for Christ, through whom blessing would come upon the whole world. At the time God granted Abraham grace, the law had not come in yet. Galatians tells us clearly that God did not give Abraham the law but a promise, which was the gospel (3:8). In Galatians Paul says that our gospel is based on Abraham’s gospel and that our grace is based on the grace that Abraham received. The promise we have received is based on the promise given to Abraham, and the Christ we have received is the very seed of Abraham (vv. 9, 14, 16). Paul clearly shows that both the Old Testament and New Testament follow the same line.

  Why then do we have the law? In Galatians Paul says that the law was something that was “added” (3:19). In the beginning God gave man grace; He gave man the gospel. But because sinners did not know or condemn their sins, they were unable to receive grace and the gospel. With the coming of the law, man’s sin was exposed and condemned. But Galatians tells us that even after man was condemned, God still gave him the gospel and the promise. In other words, God does not give us grace at one time and the law at another time. He does not give us the promise at one time and demand work from us at another time. God’s work does not change from beginning to end. Galatians shows us that the grace we receive today is not without precedence; it is the same grace that God gave to Abraham. Because we have become the descendants of Abraham, we are able to inherit this grace and enjoy God’s promise. Hence, the beginning promise, the intervening law, and the accomplishment of Christ’s gospel today are all along the same line. God’s Word is one undivided whole; there are not two lines. It is progressive, not contradictory.

  God first gave Abraham the promise. Then He gave the Israelites the law. Are these two contradictory? No. They do not contradict each other. On the contrary, this shows a progression. Today we find God dealing with us according to grace once again. Does this mean another contradiction? No. It is a progression. The way God deals with men becomes clearer and clearer as time goes on. God’s promise to Abraham cannot be annulled by the law which came four hundred and thirty years later (Gal. 3:17). Four hundred and thirty years after He gave Abraham the promise, God gave man the law, not for the purpose of annulling the promise but in order to fulfill it, because one will receive the promise only after becoming conscious of his sins. By shutting up all under sin, God is able to grant man the grace which He dispenses through His Son (vv. 21-22). The Old Testament is progressive and advancing. The New Testament follows the Old Testament, and it is also progressive. The New Testament does not contradict the Old Testament. God’s Word remains one undivided whole. Subsequent ministries of the word expand and develop former revelations and instructions of God; they are neither independent nor contradictory.

  A minister of the word today must know what God has spoken in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is clear that the ministers of the word who wrote the New Testament were acquainted and familiar with the Old Testament. It is also clear that today’s ministers must also be well acquainted with the Old Testament and the New Testament. We must be familiar with the word of the ministers before us. Only then can our words match those of the Old and the New Testaments; only then will our speaking not be independent speakings. The ministry of the word today is not a matter of receiving some independent words from God and speaking such words to men. The ministry of the word today involves a knowledge of what God has spoken in the Old Testament and the New Testament enhanced by renewed light and revelation. When we speak such a word to men, it is God who speaks it. The New Testament ministers of the word spoke on the basis of the Old Testament. When we stand up to speak today, we have to remember that we have plenty of words in the Old Testament and plenty of words in the New Testament already. When the first group of men stood up to speak God’s word, they did not have any spoken word from God to serve as their basis. When the second group of ministers was raised up, they could only quote as much of the Scripture as the first group had released. When the third, fourth, and subsequent groups were raised up, they could quote more, and they had a broader basis to build upon because more of God’s word had been released. Today we have advanced further and have reached a much richer place. All of the words of the Old Testament have been released, and all of the words of the New Testament have been released. We can find all the words that God has spoken in the Old Testament and the New Testament. At the same time, all of these words are here to judge us. If we are off, these words will tell us that we are speaking from ourselves, not by the Spirit. If our word does not match that of the Old Testament and the New Testament, we can know with certainty that we are off. The Bible is the word of God. Hence, if we do not know the Old Testament and the New Testament, we cannot be a minister of the word. Everyone who desires to be a minister of God’s word must at least have a practical knowledge of the Bible; he should be so familiar with the Bible that he can apply it at will. If he is not familiar with the whole Bible, he cannot apply it at will, and he cannot be a minister of God’s word. If he has never seen any new light from the written word, he has no basis for his speaking; he does not know when he has veered off in his speaking. This is the reason that we have to familiarize ourselves with the Bible. Otherwise, we will face great obstacles when we try to serve as God’s minister of the word.

  We are not saying that a knowledge of the Bible alone qualifies a person to be a minister of the word. We are saying that a minister of the word must familiarize himself with the Bible. If we have never heard the word God spoke in the past, we cannot receive any revelation now. Revelation begets revelation; they are not independent of each other. God’s revelation is first contained in the Word. When His Spirit shines through the Word, more revelation is produced, and more light is seen. The glow becomes brighter. This is the way revelation comes to us. God does not give us revelation from nothing. He does not do such a thing. He always brings light out of some existing word, and then expands on this light. Time after time when this light is revealed, it becomes brighter and brighter. This is the way God’s revelation works. If we have no past revelations from God, His light will not have the means to shine to us. Today God does not grant revelation to men in the way He did to the first men. This is a fundamental governing principle. When God first revealed Himself to man, He spoke without any previous words as His basis. But today all of God’s progressive words and progressive revelations are based upon His spoken words and revealed revelations. He adds by building upon the foundation. Anyone who is not familiar with God’s spoken word is not qualified to be His minister of the word. Without such a basis, God cannot give us any light.

Three

  Psalm 68:18 speaks of the Lord Jesus dispensing gifts at the time of His ascension. This is the Old Testament basis of Paul’s development in chapters one and four of Ephesians. Ephesians 1 tells us that the Lord Jesus ascended to the height and is seated at the right hand of God the Father (v. 20). Then chapter four tells us that in His ascension, the Lord Jesus led captive those who were taken captive by His enemy and gave gifts to men (v. 8). If we look back a little, we will find that this is exactly what Peter said on the day of Pentecost. He said, “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33). Both Peter’s word concerning the outpouring at Pentecost as well as Paul’s word in Ephesians concerning the ascension and the giving of gifts for the building up of the church were based on a knowledge of the light revealed in Psalm 68. God did not give Paul direct light. He put this light in Psalm 68 and then revealed it to Paul. In order for anyone to receive this light, he must know Psalm 68. We should remember that God concealed this light in Psalm 68. Then one day He opened up this passage and revealed this light to men. Men became clear concerning this truth. Peter and Paul were men of revelation, but they did not receive revelation in an independent way.

  The book of Hebrews unveils the meaning of many sacrifices in a clear way. It shows us that the Lord Jesus is the unique sacrifice. If a man does not understand the Old Testament sacrifices, he will not understand how the Lord Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice. God’s light is contained in the Old Testament sacrifices. The writer of the book of Hebrews understood the Old Testament revelations. Otherwise, he could not have written the book of Hebrews. God’s light is contained in the Old Testament. In other words, God’s light is contained in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, and Solomon. If we do not see these men, we will not see light. This is like saying that light is in the candle. Without the candle we do not have the light. Light is expressed through the lamp and the lampstand. Without the lamp and the lampstand, there is no light. We must realize that the words of the Old Testament and the New Testament are the containers of God’s light. If we do not understand these words, we cannot meet today’s need. God’s Word is one undivided whole. This Word is the very place where God’s light is stored and out from which the light shines.

  Take for example Galatians 3:6, which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.” This is a quotation from Genesis 15:16, which is quoted two other times in the New Testament — in Romans 4:3 and James 2:23. While it is used only once in the Old Testament, it is quoted three times in the New Testament. Three words are crucial in this verse — believed, accounted, and righteousness. This word was in the Old Testament. God’s light was contained in it. When Paul wrote Romans 4, he highlighted the word accounted. Those who believe are accounted righteous. In Galatians 3, Paul quoted the same passage again, but this time the emphasis was not on accounting but on believing. He said that those who believe are justified. When James spoke of this passage, his emphasis was neither on accounting nor on believing, but on righteousness. One has to be righteous. God’s light was released in three different aspects, from three different sources. When you read Romans 4, you find God’s light which was concealed in Genesis. When you read Galatians 3, you also find God’s light which was concealed in Genesis. When you read James 2, you can find the same thing — God’s light, which was concealed in Genesis. If Paul had never read Genesis 15, or if he had read it and forgotten about it, or read it without receiving revelation from it, this word would never have been written.

  A man who is careless, frivolous, and capricious about God’s Word cannot be a minister of the word. A minister of the word must dig out all the facts in the Bible. He should even find out all the fine points in the Word of God. He must first get into the facts of God before he can receive the light of God. Without God’s light, one can see nothing. But without the facts revealed in the Bible, there is no means whereby one can receive the light. If there is no lamp, there cannot be light. However, if one has a lamp but does not light it, there is no light either. The light must shine through the lamp. Without the lamp, there can be no light. We need God’s established Word before we can speak His word.

  Habakkuk 2:4 says, “The righteous one will live by his faith.” This verse is also quoted three times in the New Testament — in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38. This verse also has three important words — righteous,faith, and live. Romans 1 pays attention to “righteous”; it is the righteous who live by faith. Galatians 3 pays attention to “faith”; a man lives by faith. Hebrews 10 pays attention to “live”; the righteous shall live by faith. God’s light is contained in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, this light is released through the same verse, once here, once there, and once in another place. Hence, revelation is the release of light based on God’s spoken word. This light is not independent; it has a basis.

Four

  Let me repeat: other than the mystery of the Body of Christ, which is composed of Jews and Gentiles, and which is depicted in Ephesians, the New Testament contains nothing new. Everything in the New Testament is a further development of the Old Testament. The basic principle to remember is that God’s light is contained in His Word. In order to learn to serve the Lord and be a minister of His word, we have to learn to know His Word. Not everyone who is familiar with the Bible can serve as a minister of the word, but those who are not familiar with the Bible will have less of a chance to become a minister of the word. We cannot be lazy in our knowledge of the Bible. In order to know the Bible, there is the need for spiritual familiarization. It is not enough just to memorize or read through the Bible. We must read it before the Lord. We need the light, and it must become a shining book to us. We have to study the words contained in this book in the presence of God, and we have to allow these previously spoken words to speak to us once again. If a man has never touched God’s word in the Bible, he can never touch God’s light. The present-day word is contained in the New Testament words, just as the New Testament words are contained in the Old Testament words. We have to realize that just as Paul and the other apostles derived their speakings from Moses and the prophets, we also derive our speaking from Paul and the apostles. We have to learn to receive a further word through receiving the apostles’ words.

  All the revelations we have today represent further light upon previously spoken words. The first time God spoke, He spoke directly to men. Since that time, we receive further words through existing words; our words are built upon existing words. The basic principle today is to receive the word through the Word and to build words upon the words of the Bible. We do not receive God’s word independently or autonomously. If we do not receive our word from existing words, we are not qualified to be a minister of the word. We should go to God’s Word according to the pattern of the apostles, not according to the fashion of the scribes and Pharisees. We should all find light from the Word and produce more words from the Word. The first grain of wheat was created by God, but all subsequent grains are begotten. One grain begets many grains. From the one grain, many grains are produced, and many grains bring in many more grains. The first grain was from God; it was created. It was not preceded by anything; it was unprecedented. God’s word works according to the same principle. The first word was created by God; it was unprecedented. From this word more advancements were made and more words were spoken. The first word God spoke was unprecedented. Today this word in us has produced more words. Once we have the established word in us, more words are produced. Each generation finds the word becoming clearer and more abundant. Today we cannot expect God to create a grain from nothing and then to sow with such a grain. In the same way, we cannot expect God to create a word out of nothing. We can only receive words that are based on God’s established words; we can only receive light that is based upon existing light and revelation that is based upon existing revelation. This is the way of the ministers of the word today. If anyone goes beyond this limit, he is a heretic.

  Brothers and sisters, do not allow anyone to lightly claim that he is an apostle or a prophet. If a man goes beyond the boundary of God’s established, spoken Word in his speaking, his speaking is heretical and devilish. If a man is not careful with his speaking, he will get into great trouble. Today light is contained in the previously received light, the word is contained in the Word, and revelation is contained in the past revelations. Anything that comes from the Bible is right; anything that does not come from the Bible, but from other sources, is wrong. All the speakings we have today come from past speakings. Today is not the day of creation. Today’s principle is the principle of begetting. Revelation begets revelation, light begets light, and word begets word. Today we are learning to speak step by step. Eventually, we hope that we will have the ministry of the word.