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TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
BOKOFTHEMOM
The first s e l e c t i o n o f twelve great b o o k s f r om the Scrip tures to be studied during 1946.
By John A. Hubbard, D. D.
QINCE WITH THIS issue we are be- ^ ginning some articles on the study of the Bible by books, the following suggestions for the most profitable Bible study are offered: 1. There must be diligent study-— hord, honest work. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a work man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). “Salvation is by faith, but a knowledge of the Scriptures comes only by works,” wrote William R. Newell. The statement in Proverbs 13:4 may well be applied to Bible study: “ The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” The Bible has been likened unto a gold mine; In a gold country, some nuggets are found on the surface, but for the richer treasures one must dig more deeply. So it is with the Bible: for its best, a real search must be made. With respect to diligent study, the Bible is to be handled like any other book. But, since the Bible is different from all other books, there are certain requisites for its.study not necessary in the perusal of other works. Given the necessary time and brain power, man can understand what man has written. For really profitable Bible study, a great deal more than this is required. 2. There must be a renewed heart and mind. (Read carefully 1 Corin thians „2:9-14.1 „ “The natural man” is the unre generate man, and as such, he can ap preciate and enjoy the Bible merely as literature. He is blind to its real purpose which is primarily for spir itual enlightenment and progress. The natural man is without spiritual dis cernment and must be “ born again” in order to understand the things of the Spirit. 3. The mind must be opened to re
ceive the truth. “These were more noble than1those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). The message which Paul gave to these Bereans was entirely new, and different from anything they had ever •heard, but they received it with an open mind. Then they searched the ,Scriptures to check upon its genuine ness. The outcome was that "many of them believed” (Acts 17:12). If our preconceived notions are wrong, we must be willing to discard them and give way to new light. 4. Another prime requisite is obedi ence to the truth. Not only must we bring t
my meditation” (Psa. 119:99). The man who meditates upon the Word of God day and night prospers in his spiritual life. (Read Psa. 1:1-3.) Medi- tation has been likened to the process of digestion and assimilation with respect to the food we eat, and it is significant that a synonym for the English word, “meditate,” is “rumi- nate,” which means “to chew the cud.” 7. A seventh indispensable requisite for profitable Bible study is the illumi nation of the Holy Spirit. The reader is urged to consider the following Scrip tures in this connection: 1 Corin thians 2:9-12; John 14:26; 16:12, 13. It is impossible to understand the Bible without this enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit dwells within every one who has been born again, it is the privilege of all believers to have Him thus throw His light upon the Word. 8. Finally, we call attention to the fact that, since Jesus Christ is the central theme of the whole Bible, all real study of the Word will ultimately lead to Him. (See John 5:38, 39, R.V.; Luke 24:27, 44.) From these verses, we learn that the Lord Jesus is the subject of the Old Testament Scrip tures. The New Testament begins with Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:1), and closes in the same way (Rev. 22:21), and in all the material between them, Christ is the “All in All.” “It is impossible for us to under stand the nature of Scripture unless we view it in relation to the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Re deemer of God’s people; for He is the center and kernel of the inspired record,” affirmed the great Adolph Saphir, and W. L. Tucker agreed: “We can know nothing of Jesus Christ apart from, the Bible, and nothing of the Bible apart from Jesus Christ. The two are so joined and inseparable as to make the Person and the Book one.”
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