We should not merely get excited concerning this goal. We also need to work hard to learn the truth. Learning the truth is a must, and the only way to learn the truth is to study the Bible. Some believers read only spiritual publications. This is to receive inspiration and can be compared to eating a snack or drinking coffee. We will not be healthy if we eat only snacks and drink coffee. We need to eat proper food. I am healthy because I eat three proper meals every day. I do not rely on snacks. In the same way, our proper, spiritual food is the Bible.
I am thankful to the Lord that I learned from several good teachers in the Brethren Assembly during the first seven years of my Christian life. I also heard much Bible exposition. The impression that the truths of the Bible formed within me is still very powerful and cannot be nullified. We may be touched when we read a spiritual publication, but that feeling will last for only a few days, and then it will vanish. However, the truths of the Bible that enter into us are permanent. Therefore, we should be encouraged to study the Bible. Everyone needs to study the Bible.
I know that it is not easy to understand the Bible. I am burdened to help the saints to enter into the truths of the Bible, because I also experienced difficulties in learning the Bible. This burden to help the saints was the source of my writing the Life-studies, which are included in the footnotes of the Recovery Version of the New Testament. The Lord’s recovery has a secure standing in the Far East, and it has spread to every continent in the West. Beginning in 1974 I began to use every opportunity to put my knowledge of the Bible into writing. I was already seventy years old by that time. I labored diligently for eleven years to complete the Life-study of the New Testament. This is a great asset that will render the brothers and sisters much help. During those eleven years, I worked with two helpers for about five hours a day and four to five months every year. This was a long period of time. I wrote notes for every chapter from Matthew to Revelation.
There are several principles in my writing of the Life-study of the Bible. First, the Life-studies are not focused on knowledge. They are a life-study; they do not expound the Bible according to knowledge. Second, the function of the Life-studies is to open our mind so that we can understand the Bible. Hence, as long as we read the Life-studies and the footnotes of the Recovery Version, our mind will be opened to understand the Bible. The Life-studies also resolve difficult portions in the Bible. There are a number of portions in the Bible that have puzzled readers for the past two thousand years. Some of these portions were resolved correctly, others incorrectly, and still others were not resolved. I went through these portions and consulted reference books. I then tried my best to write the answers in a proper and unbiased way. Therefore, almost all the difficult portions in the Bible are resolved in the footnotes of the Recovery Version, and the answers are definite.
I began to study the Bible in my youth. For seven and a half years after I was saved, I met with one of the strictest groups of the Brethren, who are known for their exposition of the Bible. In our meetings we were taught by an elderly British brother who had profound biblical knowledge. He once spent at least six months to expound Romans 1:1-2, which says, “The gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.” Every Lord’s Day he expounded clearly and logically the promises in the Old Testament related to the gospel. In those seven and a half years I attended five meetings every week no matter how heavy it rained or how much it snowed. I received a good foundation there. Later I contacted Brother Nee and became his co-worker. I received much help from him. Moreover, I also studied the teachings of the church fathers throughout the centuries and the writings of Martin Luther and the Reformers after him, of the mystics, of the inner-life, and even of Pentecostalism. I collected and assimilated the best Bible expositions in Christianity. These are incorporated in the footnotes of the Recovery Version. Hence, the footnotes contain the very best of Christian knowledge and Bible exposition throughout the generations.
I used simple English when I wrote the footnotes of the Recovery Version. Sometimes my polishers revised the phrases and words, but I made it clear to them that I do not want to show off my learning. I wanted to reduce the scholarly flavor and present the genuine truths to people in simple words. Therefore, the footnotes are easy to read. I spent much time and effort to write the footnotes. I had two helpers who consulted at least twenty different reference books of two categories. The first category of reference books were related to the original text, and the second category were Bible expositions. For example, I spent one week to write footnote 6 for 1 John 1:6 concerning the eight points on truth. I believe that this footnote is a great help to all of us. Before I wrote that footnote, whenever I spoke on the word truth, I had to study in order to determine the proper definition and find the supporting verses. I do not need to do that anymore, because all the definitions and supporting verses are in the footnote. There are quite a number of footnotes like this. Therefore, all the saints, and especially the young people, should be encouraged to read the Recovery Version and the Life-studies of the New Testament.