Neither Matthew, Paul, Peter, nor any of the other ministers of the New Testament spoke their own words. None of them spoke independently or autonomously. All their speakings were based on the Old Testament.
Yet not everyone who reads the Old Testament can speak like Matthew, Paul, or Peter. One must have the interpretation of the Holy Spirit before he can have the ministry of the word. It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens, who explains the meaning of a word, who finds the facts in the Old Testament, who points out the highlights in these words, and who affords a person the basis for speaking.
All of the writers of the New Testament had their own ministry of the word. Today the same ministry is needed among us. If we want to be ministers of God’s word, we have to study His Word earnestly. It is not enough to simply read with our mind. We have to ask the Lord’s Spirit to show us the highlights in His written Word, to turn our attention to these facts, and to interpret them for us. A minister of the word must have a basis upon which to speak. We must never speak in an independent way. Nor should we presume that merely memorizing His Word is all that we need. We need the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.
We have to remember that the ministry of the word today is far richer than the ministry of the word seen in the writers of the New Testament. This is not to say that what we see today is more profound than what they saw. We know that God’s Word was completed when the book of Revelation was finished. All of God’s truths have been released. The highest and the deepest of all truths have been released. What we are saying is that as far as the riches are concerned, the ministry of the word today should be far richer than the ministries of the New Testament writers. The basis of the divine word upon which Paul spoke was the Old Testament writings only. But the basis of the divine word upon which we speak is the Old Testament writings plus Paul’s, Peter’s, and others’ writings. The Bible we have in our hand today is bigger than the one Paul had in his hand. He only had thirty-nine books, but we have sixty-six books. Today God’s servants should have a richer ministry of the word. There is so much more material for God’s Spirit to use and so much more opportunity for God’s Spirit to give interpretation that it is only right for there to be a greater abundance of the ministry of God’s word today. There should not be any poverty at all; there should be more riches instead.
We need to study the Bible in a careful way, and we need the Holy Spirit to interpret the Scripture for us. In the past many people have spent considerable time in studying the Bible. The Holy Spirit has given us much light. Some have discovered the difference between words with articles and words without articles, such as the difference between Christ and the Christ, between law and the law, and between faith and the faith. This requires careful study. In the New Testament the title Jesus Christ refers to the Lord before resurrection, while the title Christ Jesus refers to the Lord after resurrection. Nowhere in the Bible is there reference to the believers being in Jesus. We only find the expression in Christ. These fine points require careful studying to dig them out. We have to allow the Lord’s Spirit to speak to us, and we have to realize the accuracy of God’s Word.
Many words in the Bible are not interchangeable. Many pronouns have special significance and cannot be replaced. Every time the Bible speaks of the blood, it refers to redemption, and every time it speaks of the cross, it refers to dealing with one’s very person; the two are never confused. Every time it refers to the old creation, it speaks of the crucifixion of the cross, and every time it refers to the natural self, it speaks of the bearing of the cross. The two are never confused. We are the ones who are confused; God’s Word is never confused. In regard to the operation of the Holy Spirit, the work of constitution is always inward, while the experience of the gifts is always outward. Examples such as these demonstrate the accuracy of the Scripture. The writers of the New Testament realized the accuracy of the Old Testament, and they yielded themselves to the interpretation of the Lord’s Spirit. We also must see the accuracy of the New Testament, and we should also give ground to the Lord Spirit’s interpretation. We need both the New and the Old Testaments as our basis before we can have a rich ministry of the word. We need to study the Bible, but it is not enough just to study the Bible; we need the interpretation of the Holy Spirit.
A minister of the word does not receive an isolated, unrelated, great, and unprecedented revelation all at once. Rather, he builds his light upon God’s past speakings. This was the way with Paul, Peter, and all ministers of the Lord. This is the way with the ministers of the Lord today. There were other men before Paul, and before us there are Paul, the apostles, and the sixty-six books of the Bible, God’s written Word. Today’s revelation must match that of our predecessors, and today’s light and word must match that of our forebearers. Paul needed the Spirit’s interpretation before he could be a minister of the word. If we want to be a minister of the word today, we also need the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. God’s word is handed down from generation to generation, and His word also begets more of the word from generation to generation. No one can speak anything that is independent. The second person always sees more than the first, the third person always sees more than the second, and the fourth person always sees more than the third. As time moves on, more things are seen. With the first person, God had to intervene directly, but the second person treads on the pathway of the first and sees more. The third person treads on the pathway of the second and sees even more. God’s word continues to grow. Word begets word, and as time goes on, more words are released. In order to see more and receive more, we have to see what our predecessors have seen and receive what they have received. If God is merciful and gracious to us and opens our eyes to what He has spoken, we will have a basis upon which to serve as ministers of His word.
The ministers may be many in number, but the word is one. Generation after generation, many men have acted as ministers, but all these ministers came out of the same one word. Those who come after should ask God for the interpretation of the words of those who came before. Only then will they be linked up with God’s great “word,” and only then will they be able to stand together with all ministers of God. This is a very basic principle: There is one speaking, but many ministers.