Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 5
September 3, 1953
NUMBER 17, PAGE 4,5b

Its Own Interpreter

Editorial

That the Bible is its own best interpreter is an axiom long accepted by Bible students. Difficult passages, obscure and enigmatic, have an almost uncanny way of becoming clear and obvious when taken in their full context and with the added light of parallel passages and correlated teachings thrown upon them. The very heart and taproot of sectarianism is the taking of a single passage, or perhaps a very few passages, and building up an elaborate and involved theory or doctrine around these few isolated texts and statements. Who could ever believe the doctrine of inherited total depravity after considering all the Bible teaches on the nature of man? And who could believe in a limited atonement, or salvation by faith only, or the impossibility of apostasy, if all passages on each subject were examined?

It often happens that a close and careful study of one verse or passage will reveal truth which escapes the casual or hurried reader. There are riches here that are skimmed over by the indifferent student. As a case in point, consider Paul's two questions to the men he met in Ephesus, "Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed?" and "Into what then were you baptized?" (Acts 19:2,3) There is an implication in that second statement that goes right to the heart of the "faith only" heresy. It is given force and significance by the translators use of the English word "THEN." Paul asked, "Into what THEN were you baptized?"

There is nothing in all the passage to tell Paul they had ever been baptized at all. He knew they were believers, but how did he know they were baptized believers? Is it not perfectly obvious that in his understanding of the nature of Christianity ALL believers were baptized? For a man to believe in Christ meant that he would do what Christ had taught; a failure to do what Christ had taught simply meant that he did not believe. Apparently it did not enter Paul's mind at all that one could be a believer in Christ and not be baptized. It was very much the same as if one should tell us, "I am a faithful member of the Lord's church in Dallas," and we should rejoin, "Where do you attend services?" That would be a natural and almost inevitable question. We would not ask, "Do you attend services?" for that would be taken for granted.

So in Paul's understanding of the gospel "belief" implied and included baptism. His question to the Ephesian men was as logical and natural as breathing. They understood him. It did not occur to them any more than it did to Paul that there could be believers who would decline or refuse to be baptized.

Parallel Passages

Sometimes parallel passages can throw great light on some obscure or difficult statement. As an example of this, consider Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16. The books of Ephesians and Colossians were both prison epistles, written in all probability within a few days of each other, and quite likely delivered to the respective churches by the same messenger. The books deal in broad terms with the same problems, and teach the same great truths.

To the Ephesians Paul wrote, "And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." Then to the Colossians, writing on the same theme, setting forth the same truth, he put it in these words, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God."

The significant clauses in those two passages are, "be filled with the Spirit" and "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." It seems certain that the two expressions set forth identical truth; they are parallel to each other, equal to each other, and explanatory the one of the other. The Spirit dwells in the heart not in some weird, mystical, indefinable, incomprehensible manner; but, on the contrary, it is as simple as "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Whereas many will stumble and be confused by the expression in Ephesians, no one can be confused about the obvious and simple statement in Colossians.

When the "word" is allowed to "dwell richly" in the heart one most surely is "filled with the Spirit." The expressions are interchangeable.

Thus if we are willing to let the Bible be its own interpreter, we can avoid confusion and false conclusions. This is a lesson that is needed not only by non-Christians, but by many faithful members of the body of Christ. Whether the truth be found by an analytical study of a single passage, or in the combining of all passages on a single subject, it is true always that God's word is the best "commentary" to be found anywhere. Absolute intellectual honesty and a sincere desire to serve God are the surest safe-guards possible against misunderstanding. With an open mind and an open Book, the result is predictable — and inevitable.

— F. Y. T.