How to Understand the Bible

How to Understand the Bible

Frank Novak, a desperate criminal, had been sentenced to twenty years in the Washington State Penitentiary. There he looked at a little copy of the New Testament that had been given to him in Spokane by a prison worker.

He made a vow that he would read it through three times. Knowing that it was some sort of holy book, and with the strange idea that God would be good to him if he studied hard enough, he thought he might get out of prison as a result of reading the New Testament.

What a job it was! Slowly, painstakingly, on his knees in the middle of his cell, Novak read the New Testament through. Moving the little Book back and forth in a spot of light no bigger than a dollar, and jumping back into bed whenever he heard the guard coming down the cell block, he read every word. It took him three years to fulfill his vow.

It soon became obvious that he was a converted man. He became a chaplain working for other men in the condition he once was. Few men have meant so much to those behind prison walls. Thousands have listened to him and have surrendered their lives to Christ. As the Word of God was to his heart, so it became to theirs.

Of all the many books this world contains there is only one that claims to be a direct revelation from God, telling us of Himself and His purpose for us. It's the Book that changed Frank Novak, the Bible!

The Bible possesses a living power. It changes people. Everywhere it is read, things are different.

1. WHERE DOES THE BIBLE GET SUCH POWER?

The secret of the Bible's power is found in its origin—it is inspired:

"ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."—2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

A literal translation would be, "All scripture is God-breathed." The Bible stands or falls on the claim that all Scripture, both the Old Testament and the New, is inspired by God. The New Testament is witness to the reliability of the Old Testament, repeatedly quoting the words of the Old Testament. These two books within the Book stand on the witness of each other.

The apostle Peter declares:

"HOLY MEN of God SPAKE as they were MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST."—2 Peter 1:21.

So certain is this truth that such expressions as "Thus saith the Lord," "God said," and similar assertions, are found more than 2,500 times in the Bible. Typical of these is David's exclamation:

"The Spirit of THE LORD SPAKE BY ME, and his word was in my tongue."—2 Samuel 23:2.

God spoke His eternal truths through holy men who were called to be prophets and apostles. The power of the Holy Spirit came on them. By visions, dreams, and through other means, they were directed to speak and write.

2. GOD'S CREATIVE POWER IN HIS WORD

Our created world is visible evidence of the power of the Word of God:

"BY THE WORD OF THE LORD WERE THE HEAVENS MADE; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For HE SPAKE, AND IT WAS DONE; he commanded, and it stood fast."—Psalm 33:6, 9.

How thrilling! God spoke and the earth appeared.

The apostle wrote:

"Through faith we understand that THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED BY THE WORD OF GOD."—Hebrews 11:3.

Just as God created the world by the spoken word at creation, He creates new hearts and lives for men today through His written Word. The power is the same. With power like this available to us through the Bible at all times, how foolish it would be not to make use of it!

The Bible is truly God's Holy Word. How faithfully we should obey its every teaching! How diligently we should search it for instruction in right living! How carefully we should accept its reproofs of our sinfulness! How willingly we should yield to its corrections! The Bible is the rule of life for man. It is God's road map, His infallible guidebook, pointing the way to eternal life.

Because it is God's Word, not only is the Bible true, it is the test of all truth.

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."—Isaiah 8:20.

"The law and the testimony" are common Biblical terms. "The law" refers particularly to the messages of God recorded in the first five books of the Bible which Moses wrote. The "testimony" refers to God's messages which the prophets spoke and sometimes recorded. Today we have these writings of Moses and the prophets in the Bible. So in Isaiah 8:20 men are directed to the Word of God, the Bible, as the standard of truth. Whatever men may say that is not in harmony with the Word of God has "no light" in it.

Can we know the Bible as the power of God in our lives? Indeed we can, but only as we drop every personal opinion, every belief that is not "according to this word." Power is sure to come to those who make the Scriptures their only rule of life.

Do you want this power in your life? God's invitation is, "O taste and see that the Lord is good."—Psalm 34:8.

3. THE LIVING WORD

The divine energy working through the Word of God at creation and later through the written Word of God, is the same power seen in the life of Jesus, the God-man. In Jesus, the "Word [of God] was made flesh and dwelt among us." John 1:14. Jesus, the living Word of God, and the Bible, the written Word of God, are in perfect harmony. One reveals the other, one testifies to the other. And that is exactly what Jesus said:

"Search the scriptures; . . . THEY . . . TESTIFY OF ME."—John 5:39.

The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is full of pictures that reveal Jesus, the God-man.

Before the Russian Revolution 850 portraits of young women hung on the walls of the royal palace. These paintings were a gift to Empress Catherine II by the famous Count Rotari, who had traveled through fifty provinces of the Russian Empire searching for his models. In every one of these portraits could be seen some resemblance to the Empress, carefully hidden and yet evident to those who knew her. Half-concealed, half-revealed to the careful observer, these likenesses could be seen in some pose, adornment, style of dress, mannerism, or personal characteristic, something peculiar to the Empress.

God's Word is a picture gallery, lined with likenesses of the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind. Here are events, parables, poems, simple stories, sermons, in which are found likenesses of the Man of God, half-hidden, half-revealed, yet clearly seen by the careful observer. The more we study, the more we see the likeness of Jesus.

Do you want to see Jesus? Then study the Bible.

By beholding Christ through the study of God's Word, we become changed and more like Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18.) That is the purpose of the Bible. There is power in the written Word to make us like Christ, the living Word.

4. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE (Part 1 of 4)

A.—Read it. No one can read the Bible, even casually, without being affected in some measure by it. The more we read the Book, the greater its influence upon us.

Yet there are many who read it and, like the man of Ethiopia, question, "How can I [understand], except some man should guide me?" Acts 8:31.

While most of the Bible is written in literal language and should be understood literally, some is written in symbolic language. When this is studied, it should be understood in harmony with Bible rules for symbolic interpretation.

We must never handle this sword except by the methods plainly taught in the Bible.

"No prophecy of the scripture is of any PRIVATE INTERPRETATION."—2 Peter 1:20.

To read our own opinions into the Scripture will lead to error.

B.—Search it diligently. Skill and carefulness are required of the student of God's Word.

"STUDY TO SHEW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."—2 Timothy 2:15.

Merely reading the Bible is not enough; we must know it. This means constant searching of the Word of God. Jesus said:

"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."—John 8:31, 32.

The tourist who studies his road map will not wander onto wrong roads. So it is with the Bible. Only as we study our Guidebook diligently and follow its instructions can we hope to understand spiritual truths.

To "continue in my word" means a daily searching of the Scriptures.

C.—Study it daily. Paul commended the Berean Christians because "they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily." Acts 17:11. Here is the key to power in our own lives. As we study the Bible it becomes "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Romans 1:16.

4. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE (Part 2 of 4)

D.—Follow its instruction. There is always danger that we may be "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 3:7. This happens again and again because men are not willing to follow the instruction found in God's Word. They do not wish to bring their daily lives into harmony with the Book.

An old lady once listened to a minister preach against one sin after another. Following each condemnation she shouted loudly, "Amen!" But when he condemned her pet sin, her "Amen" diminished to a mumble, "There now, he's quit preaching, and gone to meddling."

We, too, are in danger of taking the Bible as a wonderful book until it condemns some pet sin of ours, or some mistaken belief; then we turn away in self-righteous hurt, mumbling against the straight cuttings of the sword of the Spirit.

The Christian as a soldier of the cross must be willing to listen to the counsels of the Bible and accept its reproofs. If we really desire to obey God, He will teach us what is truth. Jesus said:

"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God."—John 7:17.

"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."—Proverbs 1:23.

Solomon describes the Christian who refuses to obey the teachings of the Scripture:

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."—Proverbs 14:12.

What a dangerous attitude to take! As we study the Bible, how careful we should be to obey its teachings, to heed its reproofs.

"Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee."—1 Samuel 15:23.

E.—Study it by subject. Our fighting equipment, God's Word, must be divided, or separated into subjects. God has purposely given it to us in such a form that we shall have to "search the Scriptures." John 5:39.

As we learn to apply the Word of God, we are to keep it pure and untainted from error and tradition. God says:

4. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE (Part 3 of 4)

"If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."—Revelation 22:18, 19.

While these words refer primarily to the book of Revelation, the principle applies to the entire Scripture.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, we are to compare Scripture with scripture, verse by verse:

"Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL."—1 Corinthians 2:13.

Jesus used this method of comparing scripture with scripture as He taught His disciples:

"These are the words which I spake unto you, . . . which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures."—Luke 24:44, 45.

Jesus took different parts of the Old Testament scriptures and wove them together. He compared spiritual things with spiritual, leading His disciples from scripture to scripture until they understood God's Word on each subject. In this way the meaning of the Bible's teaching became plain and simple to them. Christ's followers were able to understand the Word correctly through this Bible method of interpretation, not through the private interpretation of some man or some church.

The Christian today should use the same method. To learn Bible doctrine, we should study the Bible by subjects, until it tells us the whole truth about the question we are studying. We read:

"Whom shall he make to understand doctrine? . . . For precept must be upon precept, . . . line upon line, . . . here a little, and there a little."—Isaiah 28:9, 10.

4. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE (Part 4 of 4)

By repeating the counsel three times, Isaiah emphasizes the need for bringing together the many texts that apply to one doctrine. Precepts, which are principles or ideas, may be found in various texts, sometimes even single lines, of Scripture. When these are brought together they will form a complete picture of God's messages as shown to us in the written Word.

For a concrete illustration of how to apply this principle, let us examine the question asked by the Philippi jailer, "What must I do to be saved?" Acts 16:30. The answer is given in verse 31: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

If we take only this Scripture, we might conclude, "All I need to do is believe and I have salvation." But if we add just one more Scripture reference, we discover that such a conclusion is not valid, for James 2:19 says, "The devils also believe, and tremble." This test forces the honest man to admit that more than a mere intellectual belief is necessary to salvation.

By comparing other verses of Scripture, we discover that salvation depends on a belief which includes total surrender to Christ—repentance (Acts 3:19), confessing our sins (1 John 1:9), walking in the light (1 John 1:7), etc. Thus, by comparing several scriptures, it is possible to find a more complete answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" The comparison of Acts 16:30, 31 with other Scriptural references on this same subject is the only safe course to follow. A more detailed searching of the Scriptures yields valuable knowledge to every searcher for salvation.

When we prayerfully let the Bible explain itself in this way, we come to understand what God means, and not what some man thinks, or what some church creed asserts. In this way we allow the Bible to be its own interpreter. If man would learn to use the Bible as Jesus did, there would be only one faith, one creed, and one church.

F.—Study it with prayer. The psalmist prayed:

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."—Psalm 119:18.

5. POWER FOR MY LIFE (Part 1 of 2)

The Holy Bible gives life a meaning which helps us to meet the trials and disappointments that come to everyone. It makes life really worth living. It assures us of the existence of a God who cares for us and desires to save us from sin. It helps the broken-hearted to face the great mystery of death. It points to another life.

"I cannot argue with you," said an old Highlander to a friend. "I cannot present theological facts or reasons; I cannot explain the philosophy of revelation; but I know this, that when I was a man of evil character, the Bible got hold of me and tamed the tiger in me."

A wayward young man once found himself looking over the few possessions left to him by his dying mother; among them, her Bible. Something led him to open the Book and glance at the flyleaf, where he found a precious message written. His heart was touched as he read these words penned in her own familiar handwriting: "This Book will keep you from sin; sin will keep you from this Book."

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."—Psalm 119:11.

The Word of God is our protection and defense against sin, our power when we are tempted to do wrong. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, He defended Himself three times by quoting the Word of God. The apostle Paul advises us:

"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. . . . And take . . . the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which IS THE WORD OF GOD."—Ephesians 6:10, 17.

Verse 11 tells us that by doing this we "may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." God's Word is a strong sword with which we are to resist sin in our own lives.

5. POWER FOR MY LIFE (Part 2 of 2)

The old Saracen warriors were famous for the swords they carried. A few of these old swords still exist, among them the famous Damascus blades. These blades are said to be made of finely woven steel wires fused together in a secret process by a charcoal fire. The amazing thing about these swords is that they were so pliable the sword tip could be doubled back to the hilt without breaking. They were so strong that they could pierce any medieval armor. Their two edges were so sharp that they could halve a silk handkerchief in mid-air.

The Bible, the sword of the Spirit, is fused of many threads of truth. By the secret processes of spiritual power, these threads have been gathered into one mighty weapon of truth, the Holy Bible. Of this sword, the apostle says:

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."—Hebrews 4:12.

Like the Damascus blade, the sword of the Spirit "cannot be broken." John 10:35.

Don't be afraid when life seems to turn against you, or when temptation threatens to overcome you. Take God's Word as your defense, and He who "is able to keep you from falling" (Jude 24) will never allow your defeat. Think of this promise:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper."—Isaiah 54:17.

Yes, there's power in this Book—vast, mighty power. Nothing can resist this power when it enters the heart of a man. The Christian who uses it can stand against all the attacks of Satan. The believer who loves the Book is never truly alone or desolate or defenseless.