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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1938
the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church of God. While no section of the Bible is for the exclusive use of any one group, some portions have primary reference to the Jews, other portions to the Gentiles, and still others to the church of God. T o be able rightly to interpret and to apply the teachings of passages of Scripture, we must ask ourselves to whom the passages were first addressed. W e must always differen tiate between interpretation and applica tion. A real Bible teacher will first seek to ascertain the meaning of the passage under discussion that he may give the right inter pretation, and after he has interpreted the portion, he is prepared to go on to make the application. In the fifth place, we should study the biographies of the Bible. This is one of the fnost interesting and fascinating methods of Bible study. Children especially find this method helpful. When God wants to im plant a virtue, He paints a picture of a per sonality characterized by that virtue. When God wants to warn us against sin and its consequences, He describes a person that was sinful and shows the consequences of his sin. God teaches us through object les sons. These object lessons are the biog raphies of the Bible. In the sixth place, every Christian should be familiar with the great doctrines of the Bible. W e should study the doctrine of the Triune God, the doctrine of God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, of sin and sal vation, and of heaven and hell. Every child of God should have such a grasp of these truths that he will be able to teach others and to substantiate his statements with quotations from Holy Writ. In the seventh place, we should be famil iar with the types and symbols which abound in the Word of God and in which are hidden the riches of much spiritual truth. Christ is the subject of the whole Word of God. In the Old Testament He is seen in figure; in the New Testament, in fulfillment. I n the eighth place, we should study prophecy. It has been said that two-thirds of the Bible is prophecy. Many Christians are ignorant of the prophetic teachings of the Scriptures. As an excuse for their ignorance, they say that it is impossible to understand prophecy; but God would not have given us a revelation, the larger part of which was incomprehensible and conse-? quently valueless. Satan tries to make the Christian believe that he cannot understand prophecy. Satan is a liar from the begin ning, and we should not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked by him. God the Holy Spirit is able to guide those who with open minds and hearts come to the prophetic por tions of His Word. He is able to shed light upon these passages as truly as He illumines the great messages concerning salvation and victorious Christian living. # * if # A member of the House of Lords was accustomed to pass through an art gallery on his way to work. One day his son asked him why he visited this art gallery daily. The father asked his son to accom pany him. When they reached the paint- 1 Continued on page 51]
wasted that could be used in Bible study if we would only “ buy up” our opportuni ties. Billy Sunday used to say that every Christian should spend at least fifteen min utes a day in Bible study, fifteen minutes a day in prayer and fifteen minutes a day in witnessing for Christ. Certainly this is a minimum time for any child of God to set apart for these spiritual exercises. In the third place, it is necessary to study the Bible systematically. Many persons use the grasshopper method. While any meth od is better than none at all, the reader who fails to study consecutively will never be a real Bible student. In the use of any other book— unless it is a dictionary or an encyclopedia— usually we start in the be ginning and read on to the end. Why should we not use similar intelligence in dealing with the books of the Bible? Read a book at a time, and read the book from beginning to end. W e advise new con verts first of all to read the First Epistle of John, which is the Epistle of assurance. We then urge them to read through the Gospel of John. When they finish this book they are asked to start the New Testament and read through it. After the New Testament has been completed, they may with profit commence at the beginning of the Old Testament and read the whole Bible through. It is very important to consider every truth that is revealed in the Word of God in the light of its context. By means of isolated passages, divorced from their setting, one may prove almost any proposition to be true— although the con clusions may not be at all in line with the complete revelation of God. In the fourth place, it is important that we rightly divide the word of truth. W e find, according to 1 Corinthians 10:32, that God divides humanity into three groups:
fore men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But who soever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32, 33). In the light of this solemn truth, who would not with boldness become a witness to Christ’s saving power? May God give us courage to stand true for the Lord in the home, school, office, or wherever we may find ourselves! How We Should Study the Bible There are many Christians who would like to become Bible students, but they do not know how to begin or what method to pursue. For the benefit of believers who face this problem, we point out a few simple facts that should be helpful. First of all, one should secure a good Bible with fairly large type printed on good paper. Do not be afraid to underscore par ticular verses and to write comments in the margin. The underscoring of a verse will make it easy to find the verse when you need it, and the writing of outlines and comments in the margin will make previous studies easily available for use in time of need. ' “What version should I use?” is a ques tion often asked. It is our opinion that the Authorized Version of the English Bible should be the basis of our Bible study. This translation was produced in the Shakespearean era when English had reached its climax as far as development and perfection is concerned. Many au thors and speakers declare their indebted ness to this version as far as their diction is concerned. Furthermore, this is the ver sion that is most commonly used and with which most people are familiar. It is true that some words used in this version are now obsolete. Usually the correction will be found in the margin. There are many good reference Bibles. Your second Bible should be the Ameri can Revised Version. Like the Authorized Version, this translation is the work of a large committee of scholarly men. One should be very cautious about relying upon any translation that is the work of only one man. It stands to reason that many com petent scholars working together will pro duce a better translation than will any one individual. The difficulty with many of the individual translations is that the trans lator becomes an interpreter, and thus steps outside the translator’s province. Regarded as somewhat in the nature of commentaries, however, the translations of devout individual scholars do have a value. Probably the best individual translation of the Pauline Epistles is the Arthur S. Way version which is very illuminating to Bible students and teachers. In the second place, it is important to have a regular time for Bible study. Do not wait until the end of the day when your mind is not functioning normally. Use some period during the day when the mind is alert. For reading at other times aside from this regular devotional period, every Christian should carry a pocket Testament and use the moments spent on street cars and in waiting rooms in study of the Word of God. It is surprising how much time is
LAID ASIDE By D IN N IE M cDO LE H AYES
A little inlet off the shore, I lie, and in G od's face I look: No rushing tide nor boisterous wind Besets me in this sheltered nook. It was His hand that made this place; It was His love that put me where I wait in peace beneath the sun O f His own comfort, and His care. For this I pray, that I may show His wondrous radiance day by day; That Christ upon my life may shine, And I reflect His blessed ray.
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