In the New Testament, we see Christ clearly in the four Gospels. This is clearly an advance. We can divide the four Gospels into seven sections.

In the first section the Lord Jesus proved that He is the Messiah. This happened in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and was recorded in John 1-4.

In the second section, after the attestation of the Messiah, the subject of the kingdom of the heavens was raised. Here we have the declaration of the kingdom of the heavens in Matthew 4, the content of the kingdom of the heavens in chapters five through seven, and the mystery of the kingdom of the heavens in chapter thirteen. The second section advances to the matter of the kingdom of the heavens.

In the third section there is the vindication of the person of the Son of God, beginning from the Lord’s feeding of the five thousand. The Gospel of John gives a special account of this. Although other Gospels speak of this as well, John’s record bears a special significance. John points out the Lord’s feeding of bread to the five thousand for the purpose of proving that He is the Son of God. From this point onward, there is Peter’s confession of Christ and of the Son of God in Caesarea. Then there is the Lord’s transfiguration on the mount. All of these are a vindication of the person of the Lord Jesus.

In the fourth section, after the Mount of Transfiguration, the Lord turned His face toward Jerusalem. Such a Christ is now the suffering One, the One going to die (Matt. 16:21; Luke 9:51).

In the fifth section the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem and spoke about His second coming. After this we have the Lord’s prophecy on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24-25.

In the sixth section, on the night of Passover, the Lord spoke to the disciples in the upper room about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the parable of the vine, etc. (John 14-17).

In the seventh section the resurrected Christ commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel.

In reading the Gospels we should first identify these seven sections of the history of Christ, like setting the bearing of seven mountains. Once we have done this, we will have a very clear understanding of the works and acts of the Lord Jesus.

In the book of Acts we find three crucial things: 1) the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, 2) His reigning, and 3) His forgiveness. A resurrected Lord is reigning today, and He is preaching the word of forgiveness to all men. This shows that Acts is a further advance from the Gospels.

After this there are Paul’s Epistles. We have to note the order of Paul’s letters in the Bible, as opposed to the chronological sequence of the writing of these letters. The chronological sequence is as follows: 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy. (If we count Hebrews as one of Paul’s books, then it should be before 1 Timothy.) The Epistles of Paul can be divided into four categories:

1)1 and 2 Thessalonians are on the Lord’s coming.

2)1 and 2 Corinthians plus Galatians are to correct the errors of the believers.

3)Romans, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philippians are on Christ.

4)1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are on such things as the administration and order of the church. They do not add much to the aspect of revelation. God’s revelation to Paul reached its peak in Ephesians.

From the above sequence we see that the truth in the Bible is always advancing. At the time of Paul, the matter of the church was fully settled, the errors of the believers were fully corrected, the riches of the church were brought out, and the issue of Christ’s return was dealt with. This is progression. The rest of the Epistles, like Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude, are of a different nature; they have their own characteristics. Some have called these the “common Epistles.” Hebrews shows us the new covenant. James shows us works. First and 2 Peter show us suffering and hope. Jude shows us the preservation of the faith. These Epistles deal with miscellaneous issues involving a Christian; they do not contribute to any advance in revelation. Finally, we have the Epistles of John and his Revelation. Here, we find John making another advance. Paul gave us truths, while John gave us theology. John specially points out the reality behind Christianity, which is the life of God. John’s Epistles and his Revelation take us all the way back to God.

The truths in the Bible are always advancing. Every truth has its peak. The revelation is unveiled in one book, and then further revelations are unveiled in other books. When the progression reaches a certain book, the revelation peaks. For example, in studying the subject of righteousness, we have to start from Matthew and consider how this topic is first unveiled. (We can skip over the other three Gospels as far as this topic is concerned.) By the time we reach Romans and Galatians, the subject reaches its peak. On the subject of the church, we have to start from Matthew 16. By Ephesians the matter is fully covered. For the subject of life, we have to start from the Gospel of John. By the time we come to the Epistles of John, the subject reaches its peak, and the matter is settled.

If we take this approach book by book, we will find where a subject is first introduced, where it is developed and expanded, and where it is fully treated and settled. The interesting thing is that after a subject is settled, nothing more is covered about the subject in subsequent books. Every subject is settled in one or more books, and after it is settled, subsequent books either do not mention the subject any further, or they skim over it. No new revelation is added to the subject. By the time the whole Bible is finished, God’s entire revelation reaches its peak. God’s revelation is always progressive. It constantly advances to the end when everything is completed.

Therefore, in reading the Bible we must do two things. First, we must find the revelation of the Bible; that is, we have to find where a truth is first spoken of. Second, we have to find where new meanings and new revelations are added. We have to trace the truth step by step and mark these steps down. One book may give us the introduction. Another book may give us further explanation. A third book may give us some new revelation. We have to write down and compile all of these new explanations and revelations. After we have gathered all the revelations and explanations together and have done a clear analysis of them, we can give a definitive statement about that truth. This is theology. Proper theology is a study of the truths of the Bible. We can call this doctrinal theology. If we study the Bible this way, we will have a clear understanding of the truths of the Bible.

We will conclude our discussion of the ways to study the Bible here.

As a final word, I would repeat that the person who reads the Bible must be right. Otherwise, a man can go through all the twenty-eight different plans of study, but he will reap no profit. “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). We are not saying that a man should read the Bible only after he is fully prepared and perfected. We are saying that while he is reading the Bible, he should take care of his condition before the Lord. Our condition before the Lord must be right on the one hand, and we must be willing to spend much time in the different methods of studying the Word on the other hand. This will insure us of an abundant harvest and a rich supply.
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