From the introduction to 1,000 Bible Study Outlines by F.E. Marsh.
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Seven Rules for Bible Study
by F.E. Marsh
7. Essentials to Remember
In the Revelation which God has given of Himself in Christ and in the Book, we have all the essentials for salvation and godliness, but we need eyes to see. The Spirit's inward illumination is essential to understand the Divine Revelation. There are seven things to remember.
(1) The Bible is a Spiritual Book. Christ declares, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63); and further, we are reminded the Word of God is living -- Hebrews 6:12. The Words of Christ and the Word not only contain life, or a medium of life, but they are life, even as a tree alive is a living tree.
(2) A Spiritual Mind is essential to understand the spiritual Book. We are told, "The natural mall receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). An artist who invited a friend to come and see a picture, first shut his friend up in a dark room and left him there. The friend wondered why he was so treated, and afterwards, in answer to the question, said, "I knew if you came into the studio with the glare of the sun in your eyes, you could not appreciate the fine colouring of the picture, so I left you in the dark room till the glare had worn out of your eyes." When earth lights are glaring in our eyes we cannot see the deep and hidden meaning of the things of God.
(3) The Spiritual Teacher is requisite for the spiritually minded to understand the Spiritual Book. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9, 10). A minute form of life, called a Rotifer, in a drop of water cannot be seen by the naked eye, but by means of a powerful microscope it can not only be seen, it is revealed in all the inness of its being, and its heart is manifest in its beating. Through the light of the Spirit's microscopic power we can know the minute working of His grace and the spirituality of His teaching.
(4) The Spiritual Saint. Constant reference is directed to spirituality as a quality of being to be effective in Christian life, service, and inward condition. The one who is "spiritual" is the one who is qualified to "restore" an erring brother -- Galatians 6:1, and no other. The one block in the Spirit's work in the Church at Corinth was because the many were "carnal" instead of being spiritual. When the spiritual food -- 1 Peter 2:2, R.V., is nourishing the inner life, then the unspiritual things of the old man will be thrown off, even as the rising sap in the tree will throw off any of the old leaves which may be clinging to it. A spiritual saint is one who is dominated by the Holy Spirit. Dominated in the Spirit of his self-consciousness in fellowship with the Lord; concentrating the soul of his life consciousness by being attracted to the Lord; and swayed in the body of his sense-consciousness; and by recognising the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
(5) Spiritual Blessings, or the blessings of the Spirit, are "all" found "in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Who can estimate these in their worth, or comprehend them in their totality? Among those blessings of the Spirit, if the books of the Bible are pondered in relation to the Holy Spirit, it will be found He is unveiled in a specific way, giving qualification to meet a special emergency. Thus in Genesis He is seen as the Spirit of Power, in Exodus as the Spirit of Wisdom, and in Judges as the Spirit of Victory. Everything is wanting if He is not acting, but all is met when He is in absolute possession. All blessing is found in Christ alone, but the Spirit Himself must make them known.
(6) Spiritual Things -- 1 Corinthians 2:13. At first glance there may seem to be no difference between "spiritual blessings" and "spiritual things," but the setting of the latter illuminates its importance. We are exhorted to compare "spiritual things with spiritual," or, as Darby translates, "Communicating spiritual things by spiritual means;" or, as Godet, "Appropriating spiritual things to spiritual men;" by those "spiritual things" are what "the Spirit teacheth," therefore the obvious sense, the Spirit is the One who communicates those things. He gives the spiritual things, and He alone can communicate to those who are spiritually minded. What those "spiritual things" are, or some of them, is brought out in chapters 1 and 2, where we have enumerated the things of God and of Christ, such as "the will of God," "the Church of God," "the Grace of God," "the Testimony of Christ," "the Coming of our Lord," "the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ," "fellowship in His Son," "the name of our Lord," "the Cross of Christ," "the Power of God," "the Wisdom of God," "the foolishness of God," "the Weakness of God," "the testimony of God," "Deep things of God," "the mind of Christ."
(7) "Spiritual Sacrifices" (I Peter 2:5). These we are to offer up to God, which by means of Christ will ascend to Him, like the burnt offering, as a sweet-smelling savour. The odour of love' s affection, the fragrance of faith's reliance, the perfume of life's consecration, the incense of prayers' intercession, the savour of praise's worship, the frankincense of fidelity's faithfulness, and the myrrh of help's ministry, are ever the delight of the Lord's appreciation.
After all, the written needs to be incarnated in the experience of a devoted life. Bengel's two rules must ever apply: "Apply thyself wholly to the Word, and apply the Word wholly to thyself."
The Bible:
Seven Facts Concerning Scripture
The word "Bible" is not found in the Bible. The word simply means "The Book," so "there was a time," as Trench says, "when bible might be applied to any book," but in our present use of the word we use it in a restricted sense of the one Book. The Imperial Dictionary says: "The Bible is the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as received by the Christian Church as a Divine Revelation."
There are seven things about these Holy Writings.
1. What is It?
They claim to be "inspired of God" (II Timothy 3:16,17). The word "inspired of God" is Theopneustos. Theos is the word for God, and the other part is a presumed derivation of pneo, which means to breathe or blow hard. It is rendered "bloweth" in John 3:8, and "wind" in Acts 27:40. Thus the word means to divinely breathe in. Some would render the sentence, "The Scriptures are the Divine breathing." Our English word "inspired" only occurs in one other place, and that is Job 32:8 "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." As God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul, so God has breathed this Book, and it breathes out what He has breathed in. It breathes life into the spirit, love into the soul, understanding into the mind, determination into the will, grace into the heart, beauty into the life, and harmony into the being.
2. Who Inspired It?
"Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit is the Author and the Interpreter of the Book. The "men" who were "moved" were men, human beings; but they were not the common herd of men, they were "men of God," and not only so, they were "holy men of God." These men were in fellowship with God. "Holy men" and "the Holy Spirit" needed to be in touch with each other to produce holy results. The word "moved" means to be "borne along," and is used of a ship being "driven" by the wind -- Acts 27:17, of a man being "brought" on a bed -- I.uke 5:18, and of one who is carrying another -- John 21:18. This at once makes the Bible different from all other books.
3. Who Were the Instruments Used?
"The prophets" (I Peter 1:10). We naturally think of a prophet as one through whom events are forecast; but the primary meaning is a seer, that is, one who sees. "A prophet, " as one has said, is "One who speaks forth openly before anyone, a proclaimer of a Divine message; among the heathen, the interpreter of the oracles. In the Septuagint, it is the translation of the earlier 'seer,' showing what really constituted the prophet, was immediate intercourse with God. The usage of the word is clear, it signifies one on whom the Spirit of God rested -- Numbers 11:17,25,26,29; one to whom and through whom God speaks -- Numbers 7:2; one to whom God makes known His mysteries -- Amos 3:7,8; hence it means one to whom God reveals His truth, and through whom He speaks... In the Old Testament prophets, their preaching was a prophesying of a salvation and purposes of grace and glory yet to be accomplished; while in the New Testament prophets, their prophesying was a preaching of those purposes of grace already accomplished, and also a foretelling of the purposes of glory which were still future."
4. What was the Purpose of the Bible's Revelation?
Christ Himself answers the question, for He says of the Scriptures: "They are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39). He is light in the lantern, to show the way; He is the life in the tree, to make it grow; He is the kernel in the nut, to make it worth; He is the glory in the temple, to make it beautiful; He is the heart in the body, to cause it to live; He is the spring in the watch, to make it to go; and He is the power in the wire, to electrify the machine.
The Old Testament characters in the Bible are types of Him. He is the Last Adam, to quicken; the offering Able, to sacrifice; the faithful Abram, to separate; the peaceful Isaac, to substitute; the working Jacob, to secure; the providing Joseph, to store; the leading Moses, to guide; the priestly Aaron, to represent; the valiant Joshua, to subdue; the strong David, to conquer; the wise Solomon, to teach; and the Kinsman Redeemer, to redeem.
The offerings were all foregleams. He is the Passover, to protect; the Burnt-offering, to please; the Sin-offering, to be judged; the Trespass-offering, to release; the Peace-offering, to reconcile; the Drink-offering to rejoice; and the Red Heifer-offering, to cleanse.
All Scripture contains in Him, and He is the contain of all Scripture.
5. What are the Two Fundamental Themes of the Bible?
Christ Himself answered the question to the two disciples as He journeyed with them to Emmaus, and to the eleven gathered in the upper room -- Luke 24:27, 36.
The sufferings and glory of Christ are the couplings of God, which couple up everything. Calvary and Olivet are His view points. The Cross and the Crown are the Alpha and Omega of Revelation. The Lamb and the Throne are the fulcrum and lever of God's purpose. The Passover and the Lamb are His starting point and goal; and the Altar and the Skekinah are the Genesis and Revelation of everything.
6. What the Bible Imparts?
Among the many things to which it is compared is seed -- I Peter 1:23. There are two things which are characteristic of seed. It contains life, and produces like to its kind. Faith in the Living Word comes by means of the Written Word; and when the Living Word, by means of the Written, operates in a living soul, the character of the Word is reproduced. It is a Holy Word, to sanctify; a Righteous Word, to rectify; a Living Word, to fructify; a Wise Word, to edify; a Peace Word, to pacify; a Powerful Word, to electrify; and a Loving Word, to intensify.
7. What the Bible Does?
This raises another question: "What does it not do?" One has tersely said of the Bible in a general way: "Every hour I read you, it kills a sin, or lets a virtue in to fight against it."
Many are the things the Bible does; the following will illustrate a few of the things:
Acquaints us with the theme of the Gospel -- I Corinthians 15:3,4.
Blesses us as we obey its precepts -- Psalms 119:2.
Consecrates us as we follow its injunctions -- Numbers 6:1-7.
Defeats the enemy as we use it against him -- Matt. 4:4,7,10.
Edifies the life as we heed it -- Acts 20:32.
Fires the heart to a faithful testimony -- Jeremiah 1:1; 23:29.
Guides those who follow its light -- Psalms 119:105.
Heals the spirit as it is applied -- Psalms 107:20.
It forms the mind as to its secrets -- I Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4.
Judges the conduct and maketh wise -- Psalms 19:9-11.
Keeps us abiding in Christ's love -- John 15:10.
Leads to the true and beautiful -- Proverbs 6:20-24.
Moulds us like to itself -- Romans 6:17.
Nourishes the spiritual life -- I Peter 1:2.
Orders the steps of our life -- Psalm 119:133.
Purifies the mind -- II Corinthians 7:1.
Quietens the heart -- Isaiah 30:15.
Rewards those who keep it -- Psalms 19:11.
Sanctifies those who live in it -- John 17:17.
Teaches those who are led by it -- Psalms 25:4,5.
Unites us to the Lord -- Psalms 86:11; John 17:8.
Verifies the experience -- II Peter 1:19,20.
Warns the observant -- Psalms 19:11.
'Xamines the heart -- Psalms 26:1-3.
Yokes us with Christ -- John 17:8.
Zeals the soul -- Psalms 69:9; John 2:17.
Sample Study Outlines
1. "About" Of Grace
1. Protection of Grace. "Hast Thou not made an hedge about him? " (Job 1:10).
2. Pathway of Grace. "God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea" (Exodus 13:18).
3. Discipline of Grace. "He led him about and instructed him'' (Deuteronomy 32:10).
4. Diligence of Grace. "I must be about My Father's business" (Luke 2:49).
5. Direction of Grace. "Let your loins be girded about." "Girt about" (Luke 12:35; Ephesians 4:14).
6. Life of Grace. "Always bearing about in the body, " etc. (II Corinthians 4:10).
7. Aim of Grace. "Went about doing good" (Acts 10:38).
2. "ABOVE"
"Born from above" (John 3:3).
1. Christ, who came "from above" did a work for us which was outside in its merit and worth -- John 3:31.
2. Life. The life which qualifies us for the Kingdom of God is ''from above" -- John 3:3,5. The word "again" should be "above," and is so given in John 3:31.
3. Love. The "perfect gift" of God's love and grace is "from above," as well as every good gift of His providence -- James 1:17.
4. Wisdom. The wisdom which makes us wise is "from above" -- James 3:17.
5. Affection. To set our affection on "things above" is to evidence we need resources above and beyond us -- Colossians 3:1,2.
6. Protection. We need "above all" the Shield of Faith (Christ) to shield us from the enemies' attacks -- Ephesians 6:16.
7. Satisfaction. Covering all and in all the Lord Himself, who is above, is the One who can take out of danger and bring us into untold blessing -- Psalms 18:16-19.
This page Copyright © 1999 Peter Wade. The Bible text in this publication, except where otherwise indicated, is from the King James Version. This article appears on the site: http://www.peterwade.com/.
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