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We have to take note, for our own sake as well as for the sake of others, that the word released by ministers of the word today cannot be independent from those that are found in the Bible. All of God’s subsequent words are based on His original words. All of the words of the New Testament are based on the words of the Old Testament. Hence, all of our speaking today must be based on the speaking of the New Testament and the Old Testament. God’s word is one living and organic whole. If a man claims that his word is independent, separate, and distinct from the New Testament and the Old Testament, that it bears no correspondence to God’s past words, and that it is not based upon them, we can say with certainty that this is heresy; it must be the doctrine of the devil. Today God still has ministers of the word. These ministers are building their ministry upon a certain foundation; they do not speak capriciously.
We need to go one step further. The words released by the ministers of the word must be based on God’s previously spoken words on the one hand; however, God must explain and interpret these words to the ministers on the other hand. The ministry of the word must not just have God’s word as its foundation; God Himself must open and explain this word as well. Hence, not everyone who bases his speaking on God’s word is a minister of His word. Neither can a person claim to be a messenger of God’s word simply because he has equipped himself with God’s previous speakings. A man may be well-versed in the Old Testament, but this does not mean that he can write the New Testament. In the same way, this does not mean that a person who is familiar with the New Testament can be a minister of the word today. God’s word must be the foundation, but God must also furnish the explanation. God must explain His word to His ministers before they can have the ministry of His word. We should set aside all words that do not have a proper foundation. But even when a word is based on the proper foundation, this does not necessarily mean that we can accept it. We must check whether or not it has God’s interpretation.
God’s previous words can only be interpreted by God Himself. We cannot trust in our good mind, good memory, or diligence in the Word. We cannot take God’s previously spoken word as it is and make it God’s present ministry of the word. A man who memorizes the one hundred fifty psalms in the book of Psalms may not be able to expound the psalms. Similarly, a man who memorizes the Song of Songs may not be able to interpret the Song of Songs. A man cannot expound the book of Isaiah simply because he has memorized it or expound the book of Daniel just because he has spent fifty years studying it. Those who do not base their speaking on God’s previously spoken word cannot be His spokesmen, but those who do are not necessarily ministers of the word either. Those who speak without the basis of God’s word are disqualified. But this does not mean that those who speak with such a basis are accepted. There were many scribes and Pharisees who were very familiar with the Old Testament, but none were ministers of the word. Today some people may have studied the Bible very thoroughly, but this does not mean that they are ministers of the word. Ministers of the word are those who are familiar with God’s Word and those to whom God has also explained and opened up the Word. A minister of God’s word must first possess a proper foundation. Next he must have the proper interpretation. Otherwise, he cannot be a minister of God’s word.
How does God explain His word? How did He interpret the Old Testament words to the New Testament ministers? In the New Testament there are at least three kinds of interpretation. The first is the interpretation of prophecies. The second is the interpretation of history. The third is interpretation by synthesis of a few passages of the Scripture. In reading the Old Testament, the New Testament ministers had these three kinds of words before them. The first was prophecies, the second was history, and the third was a combination of various passages. All three required the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.
Let us take the Gospel of Matthew as an example and consider how Matthew served as a minister of God’s word.
The Holy Spirit took full control of Matthew when he related the story of the Lord Jesus. Matthew 1:23 is a quotation of Isaiah 7: “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel.’” While Matthew was writing his Gospel, the Holy Spirit was enlightening him. It was not a matter of how much time Matthew had spent studying. Of course, I do not mean that Matthew did not study the Old Testament. He had been a tax collector, but he probably spent much time later studying the Old Testament. This is the reason that the Holy Spirit could remind him of quotations. This is why he could quote, “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel.’” But what does this word mean? The Holy Spirit had to explain and interpret this word to Matthew. He had to show Matthew that it referred to the birth of the Lord Jesus. Up to a certain point, God was with us. Prior to that day, God was not with us in quite the same way. Now God is with us through the Lord’s appearance on earth. This is an interpretation by the Holy Spirit. We must be familiar with God’s past speaking, but we also must have the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can ascertain the meaning of God’s word for us.
Matthew 2:15 speaks of the Lord Jesus coming out of Egypt. Here Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1. If we read Hosea 11:1 by ourselves, we might not realize that this passage refers to the Lord Jesus. But through the Holy Spirit’s interpretation, Matthew realized that these words refer to the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 2:18 says, “‘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 quotation of Jeremiah 31:15. In reading Jeremiah 31:15 we would not have the thought that this refers to Herod’s intention to kill the Lord Jesus. But through the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, we find the meaning of this passage.
Matthew 3:3 says, “For this is he who was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight His paths.’” In reading Isaiah 40:3 we would not have the thought that this refers to John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit had to interpret this for Matthew and show him that this refers to John the Baptist.
Matthew 4:13 speaks of the Lord Jesus in Capernaum, which is within the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In verses 15 and 16 Matthew quotes the word of Isaiah 9:1-2: “In order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light; and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them light has risen.’” In reading Isaiah 9, we would not have the thought that this referred to the Lord Jesus. It takes the Holy Spirit’s interpretation to show us that this refers to the Lord Jesus. This shows us that it is not enough for God’s minister of the word to just have His word; the Holy Spirit must interpret His word to us. When we have the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, we can claim God’s Word as our basis. Without the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, the Word is closed to us and, as such, can never become the basis of our speaking.
In Matthew 8 the Lord Jesus healed many who were sick and cast out many demons. Verse 17 quotes Isaiah 53:4, saying, “So that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘He Himself took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.’” The word of Isaiah 53 was opened to Matthew. This opened word served as the basis of his speaking. The ministry of God’s word is based on God’s past speaking. Yet this speaking has to be opened to the ministers before they can use it as the basis of their speaking. Without such an opening, the use of any quotation is a kind of artificial application. It is a misfit at best; it is not the ministry of the word. The opened word affords a person the ministry of the word. Hence, there is the need for not only a foundation but also the proper interpretation.
In Matthew 12:10-16, the Lord Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, saying to him, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched out his hand, and it was healed. When the Lord left that place, many followed Him, and He healed them all, charging them not to make Him known. At this point Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4: “In order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul has found delight. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the Gentiles. He will not strive nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench until He brings forth justice unto victory. And in His name will the Gentiles hope’” (Matt. 12:17-21). It was the Holy Spirit’s interpretation that linked Isaiah 42 with Matthew 12. Such an interpretation afforded Matthew the ministry of the word.
Ministry of the word requires the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of God’s Word. Such interpretation is veiled from ordinary men as it was from the scribes and Pharisees. God has to explain this Word to us before we can speak His word. Matthew did not serve as a minister of the word capriciously; his speaking was based on the writings of the Old Testament. How could he base his speaking on the Old Testament? First, he must have studied the words of the Old Testament well, and then the Holy Spirit must have explained and opened these words to him before he could take them as the basis of his speaking. This is what ministry of the word means. Ministry of the word is based on the Spirit’s interpretation of God’s Word. Without this there is no ministry of the word. There are many quotations from the Old Testament in the book of Matthew, not a few of which were made by the Lord Jesus Himself. The above examples, however, were quoted by Matthew. He told us that what was happening was a fulfillment of what Isaiah or other prophets had said. We know that Matthew was a tax collector. Yet it is precious to find that he was able to quote from the Old Testament. He was not a scribe or a Pharisee like Paul, yet he had the ministry of the word. He had the words of the Old Testament as his basis, and the Holy Spirit had interpreted these words to him. He needed the Spirit’s interpretation before he could have the ministry of the word. Without the Spirit’s interpretation, there could not have been the ministry of the word. With this interpretation, he was able to use the Old Testament words as his basis. Without this interpretation, he could not have used such words as his basis. It is not enough to just have the Scripture; the Scripture must be opened to us by the Holy Spirit.
In chapter twenty-seven Matthew said something more. The Lord Jesus was about to leave the world, Judas had hung himself, and the high priest and the elders had taken the money which Judas received to betray the Lord and bought a field. In verse 8 Matthew said, “Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.” We have to pay attention to the fact that this statement was made by Matthew himself. Then he continued to say, “At that time what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that had been priced, whom they of the sons of Israel had priced, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me’” (vv. 9-10). Matthew pointed out that this was a fulfillment of Jeremiah’s word. When we read Jeremiah’s word, it is not easy to see that it refers to the above instance. Yet God’s Spirit explained this verse to Matthew, and he was able to make such an association. In him we see the ministry of the word.
First Timothy speaks of the history of Adam and Eve in 2:13-14: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived; but the woman, having been quite deceived, has fallen into transgression.” Satan did not deceive Adam directly; his deception was aimed at Eve. He tempted Eve first, and then Eve tempted Adam. First Eve fell as a result of Satan’s deception, and then Adam fell as a result of Eve’s temptation. In the Old Testament we only have the record of this fact. But in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit opens up this fact to us and shows us that the woman should not be the head in the church; she should not dominate over the man. A pattern is shown, and a basic principle is established. Whenever the woman assumes headship, sin is brought into the world. This fact is part of the history of Adam and Eve. Yet when this fact is opened up, it becomes the basis of the ministry of the word.
In Romans 9 Paul spoke of the story of Abraham. He quoted from Genesis 21. Romans 9:7 says, “‘In Isaac shall your seed be called.’” Verse 9 says, “‘At this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.’” This is Old Testament history; it is Old Testament fact. Yet the Holy Spirit opened up to Paul the fact of Abraham’s begetting of Isaac, and he was able to see its significance. He began to realize that “not all who are out of Israel are Israel; neither is it that because they are the seed of Abraham, they are all children” (vv. 6-7). Only those who are out of Sarah are the children. God’s promise was to Sarah when He said, “‘At this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son’” (v. 9). This was God’s promise. Isaac was born of God’s promise. Only this son was reckoned as Abraham’s descendant. Hence, only those who have believed in the Lord Jesus, who are born of God’s promise, are the children of God. The Holy Spirit unveiled the history of Abraham’s begetting of Isaac to Paul. When he saw this, he had the ministry of God’s word. If Paul had read the story of Abraham and Sarah without the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, it would have remained just a story; he would not have had the ministry of the word. Hence, God’s Word requires the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. Without the interpretation of the Spirit, one cannot use God’s past words as the basis of his speaking, and he will not have the ministry of the word.
In the book of Galatians, the story of Isaac is expounded with more detail and clarity. Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 4:28 says, “But you, brothers, in the way Isaac was, are children of promise.” This was Paul’s word; it was his ministry of the word. Where did he derive his ministry from? He derived it from an Old Testament story. The Holy Spirit opened this story to him and showed him the key to this story, which was the promise. The key of the promise is found in Genesis 18:10: “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” This was a promise of God. It was to happen the following year, not that very day. This is the reason we can say that Isaac was born according to a promise. Like Isaac, we are also born according to promise. Thus, the matter becomes clear. Paul was able to minister God’s word to His children because the Holy Spirit had interpreted this word to him. He had the ministry of the word. Hence, ministry of the word is based on the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. Without the interpretation of the Spirit, there is no release of the word. We need the interpretation of the Spirit for prophecy and for history. Every part of the Old Testament history requires the explanation of the Spirit. Without the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, there is no release of the word.
Another clear example can be found in Galatians 3:15, which says, “Brothers, I speak according to man, though it is a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one nullifies it or makes additions to it.” Paul said that any man who makes a covenant cannot nullify it or make additions to it. This is true not only with God but even with man. Verse 16 then says, “But to Abraham were the promises spoken and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to the seeds,’ as concerning many, but as concerning one: ‘And to your seed,’ who is Christ.” This shows us how accurate Paul was. In Genesis God told Abraham that He would bless others through his seed. In this passage the Spirit of God explained this word to Paul. God would bless others through Abraham and his seed. What do we know about the word seed in Hebrew? This word is singular, not plural, in Hebrew. As soon as this fact dawned on Paul, he became clear. God’s intention was not to bless the nations through the many descendants of Abraham. If that were the case, God’s grace would have been for the Jews only; only they could bring blessing to the whole world. But the word seed is singular in number. It refers to Christ. When God said that He was going to bless the nations through the seed of Abraham, He was referring to Christ. The fact is simple, involving one word being singular rather than plural in number. Yet behind this simple fact lies a very important truth. The Holy Spirit opened up this fact to Paul and showed him the meaning behind this fact. Once he became clear, he had the ministry of the word.
Let us consider another fact. Abraham believed God, and God reckoned him righteous. This is recorded in Genesis 15. Based on this Paul showed us that God does not justify man according to his righteousness but according to his faith. This is Paul’s ministry. Abraham believed God, and God reckoned this faith as righteousness. Paul went on to show us that all of Abraham’s descendants are justified the same way that Abraham was justified. Abraham was justified by faith, and all those who are justified by faith are sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:6-7). God justified Abraham out of faith; He reckoned Abraham righteous out of faith. Similarly, He justifies everyone who, like Abraham, possesses the same faith (vv. 8-9). Paul shows that Genesis 15 speaks not only of a fact or of history but of a principle, the principle of justification by faith.
We should remember that both Old Testament history and Old Testament prophecies are equally valuable. Some people think that the prophecies, ordinances, and teachings in the Bible are valuable but that the history is not. They consider the history as merely stories. But we must remember that all historical records in the Bible are part of God’s word, in the same way that the teachings are God’s word. If we show an unbeliever God’s Word, he may take the book of Proverbs and throw out Genesis. But we know that the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament are God’s word, and so are the teachings, the ordinances, and even the history. God’s Word is one undivided whole, and the same principle governs all of its parts. Whether they are presented in the form of history or in the form of prophecy, they are equally God’s word, and they equally require the Holy Spirit’s interpretation. Prophecies require interpretation by the Holy Spirit, and the history also requires interpretation by the Holy Spirit. Many truths and revelations come from the unveiling of Old Testament history. In serving as a minister of God’s word, Paul sometimes received the Spirit’s revelation through Old Testament prophecies and sometimes through historical records. Once he saw the revelation, he had the ministry of the word. There is the need for the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has to interpret the facts in the Old Testament to us before we can have the ministry of the word. Otherwise there is no ministry of the word.
Both prophecies and history require the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. There is a third kind of interpretation — interpretation by synthesis. God assigns a special place for this kind of interpretation for His minister of the word. Consider how Peter served as a minister of God’s word at Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost something wonderful happened: The Holy Spirit was poured out and the gifts came. On that day many people spoke in tongues; they spoke the languages of many people. On that day the one hundred twenty received what the Israelites had never received. Previously, the Holy Spirit would come upon one person. One or two or at the most a group of prophets would receive God’s Spirit upon them. But on that day all one hundred twenty men and women received the outpouring of God’s Spirit; they were filled as if they were drunk with new wine. This was unprecedented in the history of Israel. At that time God clearly put the key in Peter’s hand. Among the eleven apostles, Peter clearly took the lead. He seized the opportunity to testify for the Lord, standing up to tell the Jews what had happened to them. Peter not only explained to the people what was happening that day; he also testified to them and exhorted them to receive the same thing. Peter was preaching. At Pentecost he was a minister of the word. He did not base his speaking on one passage but on three. He combined three passages together and received light through this synthesis. This was not an analysis but a synthesis. Three passages were put together. God not only explained this phenomenon to him, but three passages of the Scripture were put together to show the Jews what was really happening to them. Today, God’s servants also see things by putting together various passages of the Scripture. Such a practice is in the principle of Peter’s ministry at Pentecost.
On the day of Pentecost Peter put together and spoke from three passages — Joel 2, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110. His ministry of the word at Pentecost consisted of a synthesis of these three parts of the Scripture. The Holy Spirit combined the three passages together and interpreted the meaning behind them to him. This is interpretation by synthesis. With such a synthesized interpretation, men receive light from these passages. A minister of the word does not necessarily function through only one passage of the Scripture. Many times, the interpretation comes from a combination of passages. This principle of combination is even more common with the ministry of the word today. We need to put together many passages to find the meaning behind them.
For example, four things were used as objects of worship in the Old Testament: the golden calf, the bronze serpent, Gideon’s ephod, and Micah’s molten image (1 Kings 12:28-33; 2 Kings 18:4; Judg. 8:27; 18:14-31). If you want to give a message on various kinds of worship apart from God, you can combine these passages and speak something concerning them. Many subjects need to be studied synthetically.
Peter did a work of synthesis on the day of Pentecost. He spoke from Joel 2 on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, from Psalm 16 on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and from Psalm 110 on the ascension of the Lord. He put these three things together. The Lord Jesus has resurrected. After His resurrection, He did not remain on the earth; He ascended to the heavens. The result of this ascension is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s ascension follows His resurrection. Death could not hold Him; He ascended to the Father and is waiting for His enemy to become His footstool. Today the Father has glorified Him, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the proof of His glorification. While Peter was serving as a minister of God’s word that day, the Holy Spirit interpreted these three passages of the Scripture to him. With the interpretation of these three passages, he had a strong foundation for his speaking. The ministry of the word requires the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of God’s Word to us. We, in turn, have to take this interpreted word as the basis of our speaking ministry.
In Acts we find other examples of such synthesized teaching. For example, in chapter three, Peter’s message was short, consisting of only a few sentences, yet he combined Deuteronomy with Genesis. In chapter seven Stephen’s word, without a doubt, was a ministry of the word. It was, in fact, a very distinctive ministry of the word. His word was powerful, and there were few explanations in his message. He simply related to his audience the history in the Old Testament period by period, from Abraham’s calling in Genesis 12 to Moses’ time in Egypt to the Israelites’ rebellion against God. He went from Genesis to Exodus to Deuteronomy and then quoted the words of Amos and Isaiah. He went on and on without much explanation. That speech enraged those who heard it, and they stoned him to death. This shows us that his ministry of the word was a very special one. There was no explanation; he merely related the history part by part. Such a message was pressed out of Stephen’s spirit. Those who listened to it could not stand it. This synthesis was very powerful. In chapter thirteen Paul’s word was in this same principle. While he preached in Pisidian Antioch, he quoted from 1 Samuel 13, Psalm 89, Psalm 2, Isaiah 55, Psalm 16, and Habakkuk. This was a synthesis. Based on this synthesis, Paul came to a conclusion and challenged the audience to accept Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior.
As the New Testament ministers read God’s Old Testament word, they received three different kinds of interpretation from the Holy Spirit. The first was the interpretation of prophecy, the second was the interpretation of history, and the third was the interpretation of a combination of various passages. The Holy Spirit gave interpretations to all three kinds of words. We should pay special attention to words that are a combination of various passages. The book of Hebrews contains many words of this kind, and so do the books of Romans and Galatians. When the Holy Spirit instructed the apostles to speak on a certain topic, He selected many verses from the Old Testament and led them to speak what they ought to speak. We should realize that the same principle governs the ministers of the word today. Just as Peter, Paul, Matthew, and all the other apostles fulfilled their ministry by speaking according to the Old Testament, words with which the Holy Spirit had instructed them, we fulfill our ministry by speaking according to both the Old and New Testaments, as the Holy Spirit has also instructed us. The apostles did not speak carelessly; they were under the direction of the Holy Spirit. They spoke what God wanted them to speak based on the Spirit’s interpretation of God’s previous speakings. Today the ministers of the word must follow the same principle. Our basis should be the words of the New Testament and the Old Testament, words which the Spirit instructs us to speak and which He has interpreted for us. We should speak what God wants us to speak today based on these words. This is what it means to have the ministry of the word.
Neither Matthew, Paul, Peter, nor any of the other ministers of the New Testament spoke their own words. None of them spoke independently or autonomously. All their speakings were based on the Old Testament.
Yet not everyone who reads the Old Testament can speak like Matthew, Paul, or Peter. One must have the interpretation of the Holy Spirit before he can have the ministry of the word. It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens, who explains the meaning of a word, who finds the facts in the Old Testament, who points out the highlights in these words, and who affords a person the basis for speaking.
All of the writers of the New Testament had their own ministry of the word. Today the same ministry is needed among us. If we want to be ministers of God’s word, we have to study His Word earnestly. It is not enough to simply read with our mind. We have to ask the Lord’s Spirit to show us the highlights in His written Word, to turn our attention to these facts, and to interpret them for us. A minister of the word must have a basis upon which to speak. We must never speak in an independent way. Nor should we presume that merely memorizing His Word is all that we need. We need the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.
We have to remember that the ministry of the word today is far richer than the ministry of the word seen in the writers of the New Testament. This is not to say that what we see today is more profound than what they saw. We know that God’s Word was completed when the book of Revelation was finished. All of God’s truths have been released. The highest and the deepest of all truths have been released. What we are saying is that as far as the riches are concerned, the ministry of the word today should be far richer than the ministries of the New Testament writers. The basis of the divine word upon which Paul spoke was the Old Testament writings only. But the basis of the divine word upon which we speak is the Old Testament writings plus Paul’s, Peter’s, and others’ writings. The Bible we have in our hand today is bigger than the one Paul had in his hand. He only had thirty-nine books, but we have sixty-six books. Today God’s servants should have a richer ministry of the word. There is so much more material for God’s Spirit to use and so much more opportunity for God’s Spirit to give interpretation that it is only right for there to be a greater abundance of the ministry of God’s word today. There should not be any poverty at all; there should be more riches instead.
We need to study the Bible in a careful way, and we need the Holy Spirit to interpret the Scripture for us. In the past many people have spent considerable time in studying the Bible. The Holy Spirit has given us much light. Some have discovered the difference between words with articles and words without articles, such as the difference between Christ and the Christ, between law and the law, and between faith and the faith. This requires careful study. In the New Testament the title Jesus Christ refers to the Lord before resurrection, while the title Christ Jesus refers to the Lord after resurrection. Nowhere in the Bible is there reference to the believers being in Jesus. We only find the expression in Christ. These fine points require careful studying to dig them out. We have to allow the Lord’s Spirit to speak to us, and we have to realize the accuracy of God’s Word.
Many words in the Bible are not interchangeable. Many pronouns have special significance and cannot be replaced. Every time the Bible speaks of the blood, it refers to redemption, and every time it speaks of the cross, it refers to dealing with one’s very person; the two are never confused. Every time it refers to the old creation, it speaks of the crucifixion of the cross, and every time it refers to the natural self, it speaks of the bearing of the cross. The two are never confused. We are the ones who are confused; God’s Word is never confused. In regard to the operation of the Holy Spirit, the work of constitution is always inward, while the experience of the gifts is always outward. Examples such as these demonstrate the accuracy of the Scripture. The writers of the New Testament realized the accuracy of the Old Testament, and they yielded themselves to the interpretation of the Lord’s Spirit. We also must see the accuracy of the New Testament, and we should also give ground to the Lord Spirit’s interpretation. We need both the New and the Old Testaments as our basis before we can have a rich ministry of the word. We need to study the Bible, but it is not enough just to study the Bible; we need the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.
A minister of the word does not receive an isolated, unrelated, great, and unprecedented revelation all at once. Rather, he builds his light upon God’s past speakings. This was the way with Paul, Peter, and all ministers of the Lord. This is the way with the ministers of the Lord today. There were other men before Paul, and before us there are Paul, the apostles, and the sixty-six books of the Bible, God’s written Word. Today’s revelation must match that of our predecessors, and today’s light and word must match that of our forebearers. Paul needed the Spirit’s interpretation before he could be a minister of the word. If we want to be a minister of the word today, we also need the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. God’s word is handed down from generation to generation, and His word also begets more of the word from generation to generation. No one can speak anything that is independent. The second person always sees more than the first, the third person always sees more than the second, and the fourth person always sees more than the third. As time moves on, more things are seen. With the first person, God had to intervene directly, but the second person treads on the pathway of the first and sees more. The third person treads on the pathway of the second and sees even more. God’s word continues to grow. Word begets word, and as time goes on, more words are released. In order to see more and receive more, we have to see what our predecessors have seen and receive what they have received. If God is merciful and gracious to us and opens our eyes to what He has spoken, we will have a basis upon which to serve as ministers of His word.
The ministers may be many in number, but the word is one. Generation after generation, many men have acted as ministers, but all these ministers came out of the same one word. Those who come after should ask God for the interpretation of the words of those who came before. Only then will they be linked up with God’s great “word,” and only then will they be able to stand together with all ministers of God. This is a very basic principle: There is one speaking, but many ministers.
