A Bible Study Guide to Help You Learn How to Study the Bible and Understand the Scriptures

Carl Timothy Wray

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carl Timothy Wray

Carl Timothy Wray is a Christian author and Bible teacher whose ministry represents more than four decades of studying, teaching, and writing the Word of God. His work extends far beyond a single book or platform and reflects a lifetime devoted to biblical teaching and making those teachings accessible to readers and students.

His ministry and publishing work include:

40+ years devoted to studying and teaching the Word of God
Author of 600+ books and biblical teaching works
15+ years teaching students through Facebook and online ministry
More than 2 million views on his YouTube teaching channel
200+ books and teachings achieving #1 search positioning on Google, Bing, and Yahoo
Founder of The Finished Work of Christ
Founder of Zion University
Founder of The Finished Work of Christ TV
Creator of The Finished Work of Christ App
An extensive multi-platform teaching ministry spanning books, television, video, web, apps, and social media

Carl Timothy Wray’s extensive library addresses major biblical themes including the Grace of God, the Finished Work of Christ, the Kingdom of God, the Book of Revelation, spiritual maturity, the sons of God, and God’s eternal purpose.

His purpose remains straightforward: to search the Scriptures, teach what he sees, and make a substantial body of biblical teaching available to those who desire to go deeper in the Word of God.

Introduction — You Can Understand the Bible

Chapter 1 — Why We Study the Bible

Chapter 2 — The Holy Spirit Is Our Teacher

Chapter 3 — Natural Understanding Versus Spiritual Revelation

Chapter 4 — How to Study the Bible

Chapter 5 — Let Scripture Interpret Scripture

Chapter 6 — Seeing Jesus Christ Throughout the Scriptures

Chapter 7 — Understanding Biblical Types, Shadows, and Symbols

Chapter 8 — Understanding the Bible in Context

Chapter 9 — Common Mistakes in Bible Study

Chapter 10 — Developing a Lifetime of Bible Study

INTRODUCTION

YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45

The Bible was never given merely to occupy a place on a shelf. Neither was it given simply to provide religious information, historical knowledge, or material for theological debate. The Scriptures were given that God might reveal Himself, His Son, His purpose, His covenant, His kingdom, and His redemptive work to His people.

Yet many sincere believers read the Bible and struggle to understand what they are reading.

They love God. They believe the Scriptures. They desire to know the truth. They may faithfully read their Bible day after day, yet there are passages that remain difficult to understand. They encounter prophecies, parables, types, shadows, covenants, symbols, genealogies, laws, promises, judgments, and spiritual language that can sometimes seem overwhelming.

This can cause a believer to conclude, Perhaps the Bible is simply too difficult for me to understand.

But notice what happened to the disciples in Luke 24.

Jesus did not give them another Bible.

He opened their understanding to the Bible they already had.

That distinction is extremely important.

The problem was not that the Scriptures had failed to speak. The problem was that their understanding had not yet been opened to what the Scriptures were revealing.

This brings us to one of the foundational truths of Bible study:

BIBLE STUDY REQUIRES MORE THAN READING WORDS

SCRIPTURE

“But the natural man 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

A person can read the words of Scripture naturally while failing to perceive what the Spirit is revealing through those words.

This does not mean that careful reading is unnecessary. It means the opposite. We should read carefully. We should study context. We should compare Scripture with Scripture. We should understand who is speaking, to whom they are speaking, and what is happening within the passage.

But Bible study cannot end with the natural mind.

There is a difference between knowing what the words say and seeing what God is revealing through those words.

The Holy Spirit brings us beyond mere information into understanding.

Paul wrote:

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:10

Notice the language: God hath revealed them.

This is the territory we are entering in this book.

We are going to learn practical principles for studying the Bible, but our purpose is greater than developing a study technique. We want to understand how to approach Scripture in such a way that we see its context, recognize its patterns, compare its testimony, and ultimately behold the revelation of Jesus Christ contained within it.

THE SCRIPTURES TESTIFY OF CHRIST

SCRIPTURE

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
— John 5:39

Jesus gave us one of the greatest keys to understanding the Bible when He declared that the Scriptures testify of Him.

The Bible contains many people, places, nations, covenants, events, battles, sacrifices, feasts, temples, kings, priests, prophets, commandments, judgments, promises, and prophetic symbols.

But these things do not exist as disconnected pieces of religious information.

There is a divine purpose running through Scripture.

There is a testimony.

There is a revelation.

And at the center of that revelation stands Jesus Christ.

After His resurrection, Jesus walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They knew the events that had occurred in Jerusalem, but they did not yet understand those events according to the Scriptures.

Jesus began opening the Word to them.

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

Think about what that means.

Jesus began with Moses.

He moved through the prophets.

And throughout the Scriptures, He showed them the things concerning Himself.

This gives us a governing principle for Bible study.

We should never study Scripture merely to accumulate disconnected facts. We are looking for the testimony of God. We are looking for His purpose. We are looking for the covenant. We are looking for redemption. Above all, we are looking for the revelation of Jesus Christ.

LEARN TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

When studying a passage, many readers immediately ask:

What does this mean to me?

There is nothing wrong with applying Scripture personally, but that should not always be our first question.

First ask:

What does the Scripture actually say?

Then:

What is the context?

Who is speaking?

Who is being addressed?

What covenant is involved?

What happened before this passage?

What happens after it?

Are there other Scriptures dealing with the same subject?

Is this language literal, figurative, prophetic, typological, or symbolic?

And ultimately:

What is being revealed concerning Jesus Christ and the purpose of God?

These questions slow us down.

And sometimes slowing down is exactly what Bible study requires.

A verse that we have read one hundred times can suddenly open when we stop assuming that we already know what it means.

SCRIPTURE MUST BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK

One of the greatest dangers in Bible study is approaching Scripture with our conclusion already decided.

If we begin with what we have always been told, what our denomination teaches, what our favorite preacher believes, or what we personally want the passage to mean, we can easily begin forcing Scripture to support something instead of allowing Scripture to reveal something.

The student of the Word must remain teachable.

There are times when the Scriptures will confirm what we have believed.

There are also times when the Scriptures will challenge it.

Truth must be allowed to correct tradition.

Revelation must be allowed to correct assumption.

The Word of God must remain greater than our interpretation of the Word of God.

That is why we will emphasize throughout this book the importance of comparing Scripture with Scripture.

One verse should not be isolated from the testimony of the whole.

THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT REPLACE STUDY

There is another error we must avoid.

Depending upon the Holy Spirit does not mean that careful Bible study becomes unnecessary.

The Spirit who reveals the Word is the same Spirit who inspired the Word.

Therefore, spiritual revelation will not make us careless with Scripture. It should make us more attentive to Scripture.

Paul told Timothy:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15

There is work involved.

There is searching involved.

There is comparing involved.

There is meditation involved.

There is prayer involved.

There is learning involved.

There is also revelation involved.

These things belong together.

We study the Scriptures carefully while depending upon the Holy Spirit to illuminate what we are studying.

THIS BOOK IS A GUIDE

This book has been written to help you develop a way of approaching Scripture that you can continue using long after you finish these chapters.

We will examine why we study the Bible.

We will consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit as our teacher.

We will distinguish natural understanding from spiritual revelation.

We will learn practical principles concerning how to study the Bible.

We will see why Scripture must interpret Scripture.

We will learn to recognize Jesus Christ throughout the biblical testimony.

We will examine types, shadows, and symbols.

We will learn the importance of biblical context.

We will identify common mistakes that can lead Bible students away from what a passage is actually saying.

Finally, we will develop a pattern of Bible study that can become part of a lifetime of growing in the knowledge of the Word of God.

The purpose is not to make you dependent upon this book.

The purpose is to help you become a better student of the Book.

OPEN THOU MINE EYES

SCRIPTURE

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”
— Psalm 119:18

That prayer captures the heart of everything that follows.

The psalmist had the Word.

But he wanted his eyes opened to behold what was in the Word.

That should become the heart of every student of Scripture.

Lord, open my eyes.

Open my understanding.

Teach me to read carefully.

Teach me to recognize context.

Teach me to compare Scripture with Scripture.

Teach me to distinguish what I have assumed from what You have actually spoken.

Teach me to see Jesus Christ throughout the Scriptures.

Teach me by Your Spirit.

And as You open the Word, open my understanding with it.

You do not have to know everything about the Bible before you begin studying it.

You simply have to begin.

Open the Scriptures.

Read them.

Search them.

Compare them.

Meditate upon them.

Ask questions.

Depend upon the Holy Spirit.

And never lose the expectation that the same Lord who opened the understanding of those disciples can open our understanding that we might understand the Scriptures.

CHAPTER ONE

WHY WE STUDY THE BIBLE

THE BIBLE WAS GIVEN TO REVEAL JESUS CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

The first question we must answer in Bible study is not how we study the Bible, but why we study the Bible.

If we misunderstand the purpose of Scripture, we can spend years reading the Bible without recognizing the revelation that is standing before us.

Jesus said plainly concerning the Scriptures:

“They are they which testify of me.”

That statement gives us a governing principle for the entire Word of God.

The Bible is not merely a collection of sixty-six separate books. It is not simply a historical record of Israel. It is not merely a collection of laws, prophecies, promises, commandments, parables, and spiritual principles.

The Scriptures contain a testimony.

And the center of that testimony is Jesus Christ.

When we read Genesis, we should be looking for Christ.

When we read Exodus, we should be looking for Christ.

When we study the sacrifices, we should be looking for Christ.

When we study the tabernacle, we should be looking for Christ.

When we read the Psalms and the prophets, we should be looking for Christ.

When we enter the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation, the same divine testimony continues.

God has been revealing His Son throughout the Scriptures.

This does not mean that every verse should be forced into an artificial interpretation. We must never make Scripture say something it does not say. But it does mean that the whole biblical testimony moves toward and finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Bible study begins to change when we understand this.

We are no longer merely asking, “What happened?”

We begin asking, “What is God revealing?”

And ultimately:

“What is God revealing concerning His Son?”

MOSES AND THE PROPHETS WERE SPEAKING OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

After His resurrection, Jesus met two disciples traveling toward Emmaus.

They were discussing the events surrounding His crucifixion. They knew what had happened naturally. They knew Jesus had been condemned. They knew He had been crucified. They knew the tomb had been reported empty.

They possessed the facts.

But they did not yet possess the understanding.

Jesus did something remarkable.

He took them back into the Scriptures.

He began with Moses.

Then He moved through the prophets.

And He showed them “in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Jesus was teaching them how to read their Bible.

Moses had written centuries before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, yet Jesus said Moses wrote concerning Him.

The prophets had spoken through many generations, yet their testimony was ultimately moving toward Him.

This tells us that biblical revelation is larger than the natural event recorded on the page.

The event is real.

The history is real.

The people are real.

But within those historical events God established patterns, promises, types, shadows, covenants, and prophetic declarations that pointed forward to something greater.

They pointed to Christ.

This is why a Bible student cannot stop with the surface of the story.

We must understand what happened, but then we must ask what God was revealing through what happened.

THE SCRIPTURES ARE ABLE TO MAKE US WISE UNTO SALVATION

PASSAGE

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
— 2 Timothy 3:15

TEACHING

Paul reminded Timothy that he had known the Holy Scriptures from childhood.

But notice what Paul said those Scriptures were able to do.

They were able to make Timothy “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Scripture carries us toward Christ.

The purpose of Bible study is therefore not merely to make us knowledgeable about religion.

Knowledge alone can fill the mind without transforming our understanding.

A person can know biblical geography.

A person can memorize dates.

A person can know Hebrew and Greek words.

A person can identify kings, prophets, tribes, nations, covenants, and dispensations.

All of those things may be useful.

But if all our studying never brings us into a greater understanding of Christ and His redemptive work, we have missed the central testimony of Scripture.

The Word makes us wise unto salvation.

And Paul tells us exactly where that salvation is found:

“Through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The Bible points beyond itself to the One of whom it testifies.

We do not worship the pages.

We worship the Christ revealed through those pages.

We study the Word because through the Word the Spirit reveals the Son.

ALL SCRIPTURE IS PROFITABLE

PASSAGE

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16

TEACHING

Paul did not say that some Scripture is profitable.

He said:

“All scripture.”

That changes how we approach the Bible.

There are portions of Scripture that may initially appear more difficult than others.

A believer may easily understand certain passages in the Gospels while struggling through Leviticus.

Romans may immediately speak to one reader while Ezekiel seems mysterious.

Psalms may feel familiar while Revelation seems difficult.

But if all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, then there is divine purpose throughout the whole testimony.

Paul identifies several things Scripture accomplishes.

It is profitable for doctrine.

Doctrine teaches us truth.

It is profitable for reproof.

The Word exposes what is contrary to truth.

It is profitable for correction.

The Word does not merely reveal what is wrong; it brings our understanding back into proper alignment.

And it is profitable for instruction in righteousness.

The Word teaches us the ways and purposes of God.

Therefore, we do not approach Scripture merely looking for verses that make us feel good.

Sometimes the Word comforts us.

Sometimes it encourages us.

Sometimes it confirms us.

But sometimes it confronts our thinking.

Sometimes it exposes something we have believed incorrectly.

Sometimes it challenges traditions we inherited from others.

Sometimes it demands that we reconsider conclusions we have carried for years.

If Scripture can never correct us, then we are not truly studying Scripture.

We are merely searching for confirmation of what we already believe.

WE STUDY SO THAT OUR THINKING CAN BE CORRECTED

PASSAGE

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”
— Isaiah 55:8

TEACHING

Every person approaches the Bible with thoughts already in the mind.

We have experiences.

We have traditions.

We have opinions.

We have heard sermons.

We have read books.

We have been influenced by churches, denominations, teachers, cultures, families, and religious systems.

Some of what we have received may be true.

Some may be partially true.

Some may be completely wrong.

This is why the Word must be allowed to govern our understanding.

We do not bring the Bible under our thoughts.

We bring our thoughts under the Bible.

That requires humility.

A true student of Scripture must be willing to say:

“I may have misunderstood this.”

There is nothing shameful about having our understanding corrected by the Word of God.

That is one of the reasons God gave us the Word.

The dangerous position is not discovering that we were wrong.

The dangerous position is becoming so committed to being right that Scripture is no longer permitted to correct us.

Bible study requires a teachable spirit.

WE STUDY TO KNOW THE TRUTH FOR OURSELVES

PASSAGE

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
— Acts 17:11

TEACHING

The Bereans provide one of the clearest pictures of healthy Bible study in the New Testament.

They heard preaching.

They received the Word with readiness.

But then they did something extremely important.

They searched the Scriptures for themselves.

They did not reject teaching.

Neither did they accept teaching blindly.

They searched.

That balance is essential.

God gives teachers to the body of Christ. We should receive sound teaching. We should honor those who labor in the Word.

But no human teacher replaces our responsibility to know the Scriptures.

Not a pastor.

Not an evangelist.

Not a theologian.

Not an author.

Not a denomination.

Not a commentary.

And certainly not this book.

The purpose of a Bible study guide should never be to make the reader dependent upon the guide.

The purpose should be to teach the reader to open the Bible and search the Scriptures.

The Bereans asked a simple question:

“Are these things so?”

That question can protect us from enormous error.

When someone teaches us something, we should be able to return to Scripture.

When we hear a doctrine, we should be able to return to Scripture.

When a tradition is presented as biblical truth, we should be able to return to Scripture.

The final question is not merely, “Who said it?”

The question is:

“Is it in the Word?”

WE STUDY TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF TRUTH

PASSAGE

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15

TEACHING

Bible study involves work.

Paul called the student of Scripture a workman.

A workman learns how to handle what has been placed into his hands.

The Bible must be handled carefully.

Every verse belongs somewhere.

Every passage has a context.

Every statement was spoken within circumstances.

There are different covenants.

There are different audiences.

There are different historical settings.

There is prophetic language.

There is symbolic language.

There are parables.

There are types and shadows.

There are promises.

There are commandments.

There are statements made before the cross and statements explaining what was accomplished through the cross.

If we ignore these distinctions, we can make Scripture contradict Scripture.

The problem is not with the Bible.

The problem is with how we have divided it.

This is why Paul speaks of rightly dividing the word of truth.

Careful Bible study asks where a passage belongs within the larger testimony of Scripture.

WE STUDY TO GROW FROM MILK TO STRONG MEAT

PASSAGE

“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.”
— Hebrews 5:13

TEACHING

Spiritual growth affects our relationship with Scripture.

A newborn believer should not be ashamed of needing milk.

Milk is necessary.

Foundational truth is necessary.

Every believer begins somewhere.

But God never intended that we remain spiritual infants forever.

The writer of Hebrews describes the immature believer as “unskilful in the word of righteousness.”

That word unskilful is important.

Skill develops through use.

The more we study Scripture properly, the more capable we become in handling Scripture.

We begin recognizing patterns.

We begin remembering related passages.

We begin seeing connections between the Old Testament and New Testament.

We begin recognizing covenant language.

We begin identifying when something is symbolic and when it is literal.

We begin seeing themes that run from Genesis to Revelation.

We begin noticing Christ where we once saw only stories.

This does not happen overnight.

Spiritual understanding develops.

The Word moves us toward maturity.

STRONG MEAT BELONGS TO THE MATURE

PASSAGE

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
— Hebrews 5:14

TEACHING

Notice the phrase:

“By reason of use.”

Maturity develops through exercise.

A person does not become a mature Bible student simply because many years have passed.

Time alone does not produce understanding.

The Word must be used.

The Scriptures must be searched.

Our spiritual senses must be exercised.

We learn to discern.

We learn to separate.

We learn to recognize what belongs to the natural mind and what belongs to spiritual revelation.

We learn the difference between Adam and Christ.

We learn the difference between law and grace.

We learn the difference between shadow and substance.

We learn the difference between promise and fulfillment.

We learn the difference between human tradition and biblical truth.

This is spiritual maturity.

The mature student does not merely possess more information.

The mature student has developed greater discernment.

THE WORD OF GOD REVEALS WHAT IS WITHIN US

PASSAGE

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword… and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
— Hebrews 4:12

TEACHING

We often think of Bible study as us examining the Word.

But something else happens.

The Word examines us.

The Word is living.

The Word is powerful.

The Word discerns.

As we study Scripture, the light of truth begins exposing what is within our own understanding.

Our motives are exposed.

Our traditions are exposed.

Our fears are exposed.

Our unbelief is exposed.

Our natural reasoning is exposed.

Our false assumptions are exposed.

This is one reason some passages make us uncomfortable.

The Word is reaching deeper than information.

It is dividing.

It is discerning.

It is revealing.

We begin studying the Bible thinking that we are opening the Book.

Then we discover that the Book is opening us.

WE STUDY SO THAT LIGHT CAN OVERCOME DARKNESS

PASSAGE

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
— Psalm 119:130

TEACHING

Where the Word enters, light enters.

And when light enters, darkness loses its authority.

Ignorance is darkness.

Confusion is darkness.

False teaching produces darkness.

Religious tradition can create darkness when it prevents us from seeing what Scripture actually declares.

But the entrance of God’s Word gives light.

Notice that the verse does not merely say the Word gives information.

It gives understanding.

This is what we are seeking.

We do not simply want more verses stored in our minds.

We want the light contained in those verses to enter our understanding.

There may be a passage we have read for twenty years.

Then one day the Spirit opens it.

Suddenly we see what was standing there all along.

The words did not change.

Our understanding changed.

Light entered.

THE WORD IS A LAMP FOR OUR WALK

PASSAGE

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
— Psalm 119:105

TEACHING

The Word not only reveals truth; it gives direction.

A lamp illuminates where we are walking.

A light exposes what could not previously be seen.

This means Bible study is not merely academic.

Truth is meant to affect our walk.

The more clearly we see Christ, the more clearly we understand who we are in Him.

The more clearly we understand grace, the less power condemnation has over us.

The more clearly we understand the finished work of Christ, the less we attempt to accomplish through religious effort what Christ has already accomplished through redemption.

The more clearly we understand the purpose of God, the more accurately we can walk within that purpose.

Revelation produces direction.

Light affects our walk.

WE STUDY TO HAVE OUR MINDS RENEWED

PASSAGE

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
— Romans 12:2

TEACHING

Transformation and renewed thinking belong together.

Many believers desire transformation while continuing to think according to old patterns.

But the Word confronts those patterns.

We once thought according to fear.

The Word reveals faith.

We once thought according to condemnation.

The Word reveals justification.

We once thought according to separation from God.

The Word reveals reconciliation.

We once thought according to Adam.

The Word reveals Christ.

We once thought according to death.

The Word reveals life.

The renewed mind begins agreeing with what God has revealed.

Bible study therefore becomes part of the transformation of our understanding.

We are learning to think according to truth.

WE STUDY TO KNOW WHAT GOD HAS FREELY GIVEN US

PASSAGE

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:12

TEACHING

God does not desire His people to remain ignorant concerning what He has accomplished for them.

The Spirit has been given that “we might know.”

There are things God has freely given us in Christ.

But if we do not know what has been given, we can live as though we never received it.

The Word reveals our inheritance.

The Word reveals our position in Christ.

The Word reveals redemption.

The Word reveals reconciliation.

The Word reveals righteousness.

The Word reveals grace.

The Word reveals sonship.

The Word reveals the kingdom.

The Word reveals the eternal purpose of God.

Bible study opens these realities before us.

We are not studying merely to learn what God might someday do.

We are learning what He has already accomplished in Christ, what He has freely given, what He is presently working within His people, and what His purpose is bringing forth.

THE GOAL IS NOT INFORMATION — THE GOAL IS REVELATION

PASSAGE

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling.”
— Ephesians 1:18

TEACHING

Paul prayed for believers who already possessed Scripture.

Yet he prayed that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened.

That tells us something essential.

Possessing a Bible is not the same as understanding the Bible.

Reading Scripture is not automatically the same as seeing what Scripture reveals.

The eyes of our understanding must be enlightened.

This is why we study.

We study because there are depths in the Word we have not yet seen.

We study because Christ is greater than our present understanding of Christ.

We study because God’s purpose is greater than what we presently comprehend.

We study because there is always more light.

The purpose is not to become proud of how much we know.

The purpose is to see more clearly.

THE MORE WE SEE CHRIST, THE MORE THE SCRIPTURES OPEN

PASSAGE

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45

TEACHING

We return to the passage that established our introduction because it also brings this first chapter to its proper conclusion.

Jesus opened their understanding.

Then they understood the Scriptures.

That is what we desire throughout this book.

We will learn methods.

We will learn how to examine context.

We will learn how to compare Scripture with Scripture.

We will learn how to recognize types, shadows, symbols, covenants, and patterns.

We will learn questions to ask when approaching difficult passages.

But underneath every method must remain this dependence:

Lord, open our understanding.

We study because we want to know Him.

We study because we want to know truth.

We study because we want our traditions tested.

We study because we want our minds renewed.

We study because we want to mature.

We study because we want light.

We study because we want to recognize the testimony running throughout the Scriptures.

And when the Holy Spirit begins opening our understanding, something wonderful happens.

The Bible stops appearing as a collection of disconnected books.

The pieces begin coming together.

Genesis begins speaking to Revelation.

Moses begins speaking to the apostles.

The sacrifices begin speaking of the cross.

The shadows begin revealing the substance.

Adam begins pointing us toward Christ.

The natural begins giving way to the spiritual.

Promise begins meeting fulfillment.

And from beginning to end, one great testimony begins emerging from the pages of Scripture:

JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTER OF THE WORD OF GOD

That is why we study the Bible.

CHAPTER TWO

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

BIBLE STUDY BEGINS WITH A HUNGER TO UNDERSTAND

PASSAGE

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”
— Psalm 119:18

TEACHING

There is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible.

Reading gives us familiarity with the Word.

Study causes us to slow down, examine what is written, compare passages, recognize patterns, ask questions, and seek understanding.

The psalmist prayed:

“Open thou mine eyes.”

That prayer reveals the proper attitude of the Bible student.

We do not approach Scripture assuming that we already see everything contained within it.

We approach with hunger.

We approach with humility.

We approach expecting God to increase our understanding.

There are wondrous things within the Word that may remain unseen until our understanding is opened.

A verse can be familiar and still contain truth we have never recognized.

A passage can be read hundreds of times and suddenly become alive with understanding.

The words were always there.

What changed was our ability to see them.

Therefore, effective Bible study begins with a heart that says:

“Lord, open my eyes.”

BEGIN WITH THE PASSAGE — NOT WITH YOUR CONCLUSION

PASSAGE

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
— Psalm 119:130

TEACHING

One of the greatest mistakes we can make in Bible study is deciding what we believe before we examine what the passage actually says.

We should never approach Scripture merely looking for verses that support a conclusion we have already reached.

We begin with the Word.

Read the passage carefully.

Then read it again.

Notice what is actually written.

Who is speaking?

Who is being addressed?

What is happening?

What words are repeated?

What comes before the passage?

What follows it?

What is the main thought?

What question is being answered?

What problem is being addressed?

What does the passage plainly declare?

These simple questions prevent many errors.

Sometimes we discover that a verse we have heard quoted for years means something different when placed back into its context.

The Word must be allowed to speak before we attempt to explain it.

CONTEXT PROTECTS US FROM ERROR

PASSAGE

“And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?”
— Acts 8:31

TEACHING

The Ethiopian eunuch was reading from the prophet Isaiah.

He possessed the words.

But he needed understanding.

Philip did not simply take one sentence from Isaiah and build an unrelated message around it.

He asked:

“Understandest thou what thou readest?”

Then Philip began from that Scripture and preached Jesus unto him.

This gives us an important principle.

A verse belongs within a passage.

A passage belongs within a chapter.

A chapter belongs within a book.

And that book belongs within the larger testimony of Scripture.

Context helps us understand what a writer intended to communicate.

For example, if Paul says “therefore,” we should ask what he said before it.

If Jesus answers a question, we should identify the question.

If a prophet announces judgment, we should determine who is being addressed and why.

If a promise is given, we should examine the circumstances surrounding the promise.

Context does not diminish revelation.

Context establishes the foundation upon which sound revelation stands.

ASK WHO IS SPEAKING

PASSAGE

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel…”
— Leviticus 1:1–2

TEACHING

Not every statement in the Bible was spoken by the same person.

God speaks.

Jesus speaks.

Prophets speak.

Apostles speak.

Kings speak.

Angels speak.

Satan speaks.

Unbelievers speak.

Even foolish men speak.

Everything recorded in Scripture is there by divine inspiration, but that does not mean every recorded statement expresses the truth of God.

For example, the Bible faithfully records the words of the serpent in Genesis.

Those words are Scripture because God inspired the record.

But the serpent was lying.

Therefore, when studying a passage, ask:

Who is speaking?

That simple question can immediately clarify the meaning.

ASK WHO IS BEING ADDRESSED

PASSAGE

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
— Deuteronomy 6:4

TEACHING

We must also identify the audience.

Who received the words originally?

Israel?

The disciples?

The Pharisees?

A particular church?

An individual believer?

A king?

A prophet?

The nations?

The audience matters.

This becomes especially important when studying commandments and covenants.

God gave Israel instructions under the law of Moses that cannot simply be transferred without examination into the New Covenant.

The principle may teach us.

The type may reveal Christ.

The shadow may contain tremendous spiritual truth.

But we must first understand who received the instruction and where it belongs within God’s unfolding purpose.

Knowing the audience prevents confusion.

ASK WHEN THE WORDS WERE SPOKEN

PASSAGE

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
— John 1:17

TEACHING

The Bible contains an unfolding revelation of God’s redemptive purpose.

Therefore, timing matters.

Was the passage before the law?

Under the law?

During the earthly ministry of Jesus before the cross?

After the resurrection?

After Pentecost?

Under the New Covenant?

These distinctions matter because Scripture records the movement of God’s redemptive purpose toward fulfillment in Christ.

We must never make the mistake of flattening the entire Bible as though every passage stands in exactly the same covenantal position.

Abraham lived before Moses.

Moses received the law.

The prophets spoke under the Old Covenant while pointing toward something greater.

Jesus fulfilled what the law and prophets anticipated.

The apostles preached from the accomplishment of the cross and resurrection.

Understanding where a passage stands in that movement helps us rightly divide the Word.

READ WHAT COMES BEFORE AND AFTER

PASSAGE

“Wherefore…”
— Hebrews 12:1

TEACHING

Sometimes one word tells us that we need to look backward.

Hebrews 12 begins with:

“Wherefore…”

That word connects the statement to what has already been said.

Chapter divisions are useful for finding passages, but the biblical writers did not originally write their letters and books according to our modern chapter divisions.

Thoughts often continue from one chapter into another.

Therefore, when studying a verse, do not automatically stop at the chapter boundary.

Read backward.

Read forward.

Follow the writer’s thought.

If the passage begins with words such as therefore, wherefore, for, because, but, and, or then, investigate the connection.

Bible study becomes much clearer when we follow the thought rather than isolating the sentence.

COMPARE SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

PASSAGE

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:13

TEACHING

One passage often helps illuminate another.

The Bible interprets itself through the harmony of its testimony.

If we are studying faith, we should not build our entire understanding from one verse.

We should examine what Jesus taught about faith.

We should examine Romans.

We should examine Galatians.

We should examine Hebrews.

We should examine the examples of faith throughout Scripture.

If we are studying the Holy Spirit, we should follow the testimony from the prophets through the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles.

If we are studying salvation, grace, prayer, prophecy, judgment, or the kingdom of God, we should gather the biblical witness.

This is how understanding becomes established.

One Scripture gives light.

Another Scripture adds light.

Another establishes a pattern.

Another reveals fulfillment.

Eventually the larger testimony begins emerging.

FOLLOW IMPORTANT WORDS THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES

PASSAGE

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line…”
— Isaiah 28:10

TEACHING

Important biblical words often create pathways through Scripture.

Consider words such as:

Grace.

Faith.

Salvation.

Righteousness.

Covenant.

Kingdom.

Spirit.

Life.

Death.

Glory.

Promise.

Redemption.

When studying one of these subjects, trace the word.

Where does it first appear?

How is it used?

Does its meaning become clearer as Scripture progresses?

How do the prophets use it?

How does Jesus use it?

How do the apostles explain it?

A word study can open an entire biblical theme.

But we must also remember that the meaning of a word is determined by its context.

We are not simply collecting every occurrence.

We are examining how Scripture develops the truth connected with that word.

LOOK FOR REPEATED THEMES

PASSAGE

“In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:1

TEACHING

God establishes truth through repeated testimony.

As we grow in Bible study, we begin recognizing themes that appear again and again.

Light and darkness.

Life and death.

Flesh and Spirit.

Adam and Christ.

Bondage and liberty.

Law and grace.

Earthly and heavenly.

Natural and spiritual.

Old and new.

Shadow and substance.

Promise and fulfillment.

These themes are not isolated ideas.

They form patterns throughout Scripture.

Genesis introduces truths that continue developing through the prophets.

The prophets enlarge them.

Jesus reveals their fulfillment.

The apostles explain their meaning.

Revelation gathers many of those themes together.

The more we recognize these repeated patterns, the more unified the Bible becomes in our understanding.

IDENTIFY TYPES AND SHADOWS

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

The Bible itself teaches us that certain things were shadows.

A shadow is real, but it is not the substance.

It points toward something greater.

The sacrifices were shadows.

The priesthood contained shadows.

The tabernacle contained shadows.

Feasts contained shadows.

Certain people and events established patterns that ultimately pointed toward Christ.

But we must be careful.

A type should have biblical support.

We should not turn every small detail into a hidden meaning simply because we can imagine one.

Sound spiritual interpretation remains anchored in Scripture.

When the New Testament identifies something as a type or shadow, we have strong biblical ground.

For example, Paul speaks of Christ as our Passover.

Hebrews explains the tabernacle, priesthood, sacrifices, and covenant in relation to Christ.

Jesus compares His lifting up to Moses lifting the serpent in the wilderness.

These connections are not human inventions.

Scripture itself establishes them.

THE OLD TESTAMENT CONTAINS PATTERNS FOR OUR LEARNING

PASSAGE

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition…”
— 1 Corinthians 10:11

TEACHING

Paul looked back at Israel’s wilderness journey and said those events were examples for us.

The events actually happened.

But they also contain instruction beyond the historical event.

Israel came out of Egypt.

They passed through the sea.

They ate spiritual meat.

They drank spiritual drink.

They encountered the rock.

And Paul makes an extraordinary statement:

“That Rock was Christ.”

Paul saw Christ within the wilderness testimony.

This is exactly what Jesus demonstrated on the road to Emmaus.

The natural event contains spiritual testimony.

This teaches us how to read Scripture beyond the surface without abandoning the surface.

We first establish what happened.

Then we ask what the Holy Spirit reveals through what happened.

DISTINGUISH THE NATURAL FROM THE SPIRITUAL

PASSAGE

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:46

TEACHING

One of the great keys to understanding Scripture is learning to distinguish the natural from the spiritual.

The Bible often presents the natural first.

Then through revelation we see the spiritual reality.

There was a natural Adam.

There is Christ, the last Adam.

There was natural circumcision.

There is circumcision of the heart.

There was a natural temple.

There is a spiritual house.

There was natural Jerusalem.

Scripture also speaks of Jerusalem which is above.

There was natural Israel.

The New Testament reveals those who are children of promise.

There was natural bread in the wilderness.

Jesus revealed Himself as the true bread from heaven.

There was water from a natural rock.

Paul said:

“That Rock was Christ.”

Bible study must learn to recognize this movement.

Natural first. Spiritual afterward.

The natural pattern can reveal the spiritual reality.

THE LETTER ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH

PASSAGE

“For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:6

TEACHING

We must understand what Paul is teaching here.

He is speaking within the context of the Old Covenant and New Covenant.

The law written upon stone could expose sin, but it could not impart the life that comes through Christ.

The New Covenant is administered by the Spirit.

This principle also warns us against approaching Scripture merely as dead information.

We can know the wording and still miss the life being revealed.

We can memorize verses and still misunderstand their purpose.

We can defend doctrines and still fail to see Christ.

Bible study must move beyond information into understanding.

The Word is not merely something to analyze.

The Word reveals life.

THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES US

PASSAGE

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost… he shall teach you all things…”
— John 14:26

TEACHING

No Bible study method can replace the Holy Spirit.

Concordances are useful.

Dictionaries are useful.

Cross-references are useful.

Historical information can be useful.

Teachers can be useful.

Study guides can be useful.

But none of them replaces the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit takes the written Word and opens understanding.

He brings passages together.

He causes us to recognize Christ.

He exposes error.

He illuminates truth.

He brings remembrance.

He gives spiritual understanding.

This does not mean that every thought that enters our mind while reading the Bible came from the Holy Spirit.

Everything must remain subject to Scripture.

The Spirit who inspired the Word will never contradict the Word He inspired.

THE HOLY SPIRIT SEARCHES THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD

PASSAGE

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:10

TEACHING

There are depths in God that natural reasoning cannot discover.

They must be revealed.

This is where Bible study becomes more than intellectual exercise.

We read.

We examine.

We compare.

We search.

But revelation comes by the Spirit.

Paul does not say that God hides truth because He does not want us to know it.

He says:

“God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit brings us beyond the natural mind.

He begins showing us the purpose behind the pattern.

The reality behind the shadow.

The Christ behind the type.

The fulfillment behind the promise.

The spiritual reality behind the natural picture.

This is where Scripture begins opening.

DO NOT FORCE A REVELATION INTO THE TEXT

PASSAGE

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
— 2 Peter 1:20

TEACHING

Spiritual interpretation must never become uncontrolled imagination.

There is a difference between revelation and speculation.

Revelation agrees with the testimony of Scripture.

Speculation creates meanings that Scripture cannot support.

We should never decide that every number, color, object, name, direction, or small detail must contain a secret spiritual meaning.

Sometimes it may.

Sometimes it may not.

Let Scripture establish the connection.

If we believe we see a spiritual pattern, search for witnesses.

Does another passage support it?

Does the New Testament establish it?

Does it agree with the character of God revealed in Christ?

Does it agree with the finished work of redemption?

Does it harmonize with the larger biblical testimony?

Truth does not fear examination.

WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU SEE

PASSAGE

“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”
— Habakkuk 2:2

TEACHING

One of the simplest ways to improve Bible study is to write.

Keep notes.

Write down questions.

Record cross-references.

Write important words.

Record patterns you notice.

Write down passages you want to investigate later.

When studying a chapter, you might write four simple headings:

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN CONTEXT?

WHAT OTHER SCRIPTURES CONNECT WITH IT?

WHAT DOES IT REVEAL CONCERNING CHRIST AND HIS PURPOSE?

Writing slows the mind down.

It forces us to organize what we are seeing.

Over time, those notes become a record of spiritual growth.

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF QUESTIONS

PASSAGE

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
— Matthew 7:7

TEACHING

Questions are not enemies of faith.

Questions can become doors into understanding.

Why does this passage say this?

What does this word mean?

Why does this appear different from another passage?

Who is being addressed?

What covenant is operating?

Is this literal, symbolic, prophetic, or typological?

Where else does Scripture speak about this?

What did this mean to the original audience?

How is this fulfilled in Christ?

What is the Spirit revealing through this pattern?

Do not become discouraged when you cannot immediately answer a question.

Write it down.

Keep studying.

Sometimes another passage will answer it months later.

The Bible has a remarkable way of answering questions as our understanding develops.

STUDY WITH PATIENCE

PASSAGE

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of…”
— 2 Timothy 3:14

TEACHING

Spiritual understanding develops over time.

Do not expect to understand everything immediately.

There are passages we may wrestle with.

There are prophetic books requiring careful study.

There are historical backgrounds we may need to investigate.

There are themes that only become clear after we have followed them through many books of the Bible.

Continue.

Read.

Search.

Compare.

Pray.

Think.

Return to the passage.

The Word will continue opening.

The goal is not speed.

The goal is understanding.

LET JESUS CHRIST REMAIN THE CENTER

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

Every Bible study method needs a center.

That center is Jesus Christ.

Context matters.

History matters.

Words matter.

Covenants matter.

Cross-references matter.

Types and shadows matter.

But all these things serve the greater purpose of revealing God’s redemptive purpose in Christ.

When Jesus taught the disciples how to understand Moses and the prophets, He showed them “the things concerning himself.”

Therefore, when we study Scripture, one of the greatest questions we can ask is:

“How does this passage belong to the revelation and purpose of Jesus Christ?”

Sometimes the answer will be obvious.

Sometimes it will require study.

Sometimes the passage establishes the problem that Christ solves.

Sometimes it presents a promise He fulfills.

Sometimes it presents a shadow of which He is the substance.

Sometimes it reveals humanity in Adam so that we can understand the necessity of the new creation in Christ.

Sometimes it reveals the law so that we understand grace.

Sometimes it reveals death so that resurrection life can be understood.

But Christ remains the center.

A SIMPLE PATTERN FOR EVERY BIBLE STUDY

PASSAGE

“Search the scriptures…”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

As we move forward, remember this simple pattern.

When you open your Bible:

READ.

See what the passage actually says.

OBSERVE.

Notice the people, words, setting, repetition, contrasts, and connections.

IDENTIFY.

Determine who is speaking, who is being addressed, and where the passage belongs in the biblical story.

COMPARE.

Find other Scriptures dealing with the same truth.

SEPARATE.

Distinguish law from grace, shadow from substance, natural from spiritual, Adam from Christ, old from new.

REVEAL.

Ask what the passage reveals concerning Christ and God’s redemptive purpose.

APPLY.

Allow the truth to renew your understanding and govern your walk.

This pattern will keep our Bible study both grounded and spiritual.

We are not choosing between careful study and spiritual revelation.

We need both.

The Word gives us the foundation.

The Holy Spirit gives us understanding.

And Jesus Christ remains the center.

READ THE WORD — SEARCH THE WORD — COMPARE THE WORD — AND ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO OPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING

CHAPTER THREE

NATURAL UNDERSTANDING VERSUS SPIRITUAL REVELATION

THE NATURAL MAN CANNOT RECEIVE THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT

PASSAGE

“But the natural man 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

TEACHING

One of the most important truths in Bible study is learning the difference between natural understanding and spiritual revelation.

Paul said the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.

That does not mean the natural mind cannot read words.

It can.

It can memorize verses.

It can study history.

It can examine grammar.

It can learn facts.

It can identify people, places, dates, customs, and events.

But Paul says there are things of the Spirit of God that cannot be known by natural reasoning alone.

Why?

Because they are spiritually discerned.

That means Scripture contains truth that must be understood by the Spirit.

The natural mind sees the event.

The Spirit reveals the meaning.

The natural mind sees the letter.

The Spirit reveals the life.

The natural mind sees the shadow.

The Spirit reveals the substance.

The natural mind sees Adam.

The Spirit reveals Christ.

The natural mind can see what happened.

Spiritual revelation begins showing us what God was revealing through what happened.

This distinction must govern our Bible study.

We are not rejecting careful reading.

We are learning that careful reading is only the beginning.

THERE IS A WISDOM THE NATURAL MIND CANNOT DISCOVER

PASSAGE

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:7

TEACHING

Paul speaks of a wisdom that belongs to God.

He calls it hidden wisdom.

This does not mean God desires to hide truth from His people forever.

It means the wisdom of God cannot be discovered merely by natural intelligence.

The natural mind can study religion and still miss the purpose of God.

It can examine Scripture and still fail to see Christ.

It can know the story and still miss the mystery.

The wisdom of God must be revealed.

That is why Paul continues by speaking of the Spirit.

The Spirit opens what natural wisdom cannot reach.

This means our Bible study cannot be built entirely upon intellectual ability.

A highly educated person can miss what a simple believer sees by revelation.

Natural intelligence is useful.

Education can be useful.

Language tools can be useful.

Historical information can be useful.

But none of those things replaces the Spirit.

The things of God are spiritually discerned.

GOD REVEALS THE DEEP THINGS BY HIS SPIRIT

PASSAGE

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:10

TEACHING

Notice the language:

“God hath revealed them.”

This is the difference between information and revelation.

Information comes to the mind.

Revelation opens understanding.

Information can tell us what a verse says.

Revelation begins showing us what God is unveiling through that verse.

Information can tell us about the Passover.

Revelation shows us Christ our Passover.

Information can tell us about the rock in the wilderness.

Revelation declares:

“That Rock was Christ.”

Information can tell us about Adam.

Revelation shows us the first man and the second man.

Information can tell us about a natural temple.

Revelation shows us a spiritual house.

The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God.

Therefore, there are depths in Scripture that cannot be reached by surface reading alone.

We must allow the Spirit to take us deeper.

THE NATURAL COMES FIRST — THEN THE SPIRITUAL

PASSAGE

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:46

TEACHING

Paul gives us a powerful order:

Natural first. Spiritual afterward.

This pattern appears throughout Scripture.

First Adam.

Then Christ.

First the natural.

Then the spiritual.

First the shadow.

Then the substance.

First the earthly.

Then the heavenly.

First the type.

Then the fulfillment.

This does not mean the natural was useless.

The natural was often the picture through which God revealed the spiritual.

The natural event establishes the pattern.

The spiritual revelation unveils the greater reality.

This becomes a major key in Bible study.

When we read the Old Testament, we do not discard the natural history.

We understand it.

Then we ask what spiritual reality it points toward.

The natural event is the doorway.

The spiritual revelation is the deeper understanding.

ADAM AND CHRIST REVEAL TWO ORDERS

PASSAGE

“The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:45

TEACHING

The Bible presents two men.

Adam.

And Christ.

The first man.

And the second man.

The first Adam.

And the last Adam.

This is more than history.

It is revelation.

Adam represents one order.

Christ represents another.

One is natural.

One is spiritual.

One is earthly.

One is heavenly.

One is connected with death.

One is connected with life.

When we understand these two men, many Scriptures begin opening.

The Bible is not merely telling us about two individuals.

It is revealing two heads.

Two orders.

Two realms.

Two conditions.

The first man is from the earth.

The second man is the Lord from heaven.

This distinction helps us understand many passages concerning flesh and Spirit, old and new, death and life, natural and spiritual.

THE FIRST MAN IS OF THE EARTH

PASSAGE

“The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:47

TEACHING

Adam is connected with the earth.

Christ is connected with heaven.

This gives us another contrast.

Earthly.

Heavenly.

Natural.

Spiritual.

When Scripture speaks of these realms, we must not always think only in terms of physical geography.

There is an earthly order of understanding.

There is a heavenly order of understanding.

There is a natural mind.

There is the mind of Christ.

There is an old creation.

There is a new creation.

Bible study begins to deepen when we recognize which realm a passage is revealing.

Are we seeing Adam?

Or are we seeing Christ?

Are we seeing the natural?

Or the spiritual?

Are we seeing shadow?

Or fulfillment?

These questions help us discern the movement of Scripture.

THE LETTER CAN BE READ WITHOUT SEEING THE SPIRITUAL REALITY

PASSAGE

“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:6

TEACHING

Paul contrasts letter and Spirit within the context of the Old Covenant and New Covenant.

The letter written upon stone could command.

It could expose.

It could condemn.

But it could not impart life.

The Spirit gives life.

This teaches us something important about Bible study.

We can remain at the level of the letter and miss the life the passage is revealing.

We can know commandments without understanding covenant.

We can know law without seeing grace.

We can know sacrifice without seeing Christ.

We can know priesthood without seeing the Great High Priest.

We can know the temple without seeing the spiritual house.

We can know the Sabbath without seeing rest fulfilled in Christ.

The natural mind stops at the outward form.

Spiritual revelation begins showing us the inward reality.

THE VEIL IS REMOVED IN CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:16

TEACHING

Paul speaks of a veil over the understanding.

But he also tells us where that veil is removed.

In turning to the Lord.

Christ opens Scripture.

When Christ becomes the center, the shadows begin making sense.

The law begins pointing toward fulfillment.

The sacrifices begin speaking of redemption.

The priesthood begins revealing mediation.

The temple begins revealing habitation.

The feast days begin pointing toward greater realities.

The veil is removed when we see Christ.

This is why Christ-centered Bible study is so important.

We are not forcing Jesus into passages.

We are recognizing that God designed the entire testimony to move toward Him.

THE ROCK WAS CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:4

TEACHING

This verse is one of the clearest examples of spiritual revelation in Scripture.

Naturally, Israel drank water from a rock.

That happened.

But Paul saw more than the natural event.

He said:

“That Rock was Christ.”

The natural event contained spiritual testimony.

This is exactly what we mean by moving from natural understanding to spiritual revelation.

Natural understanding says:

Israel was thirsty.

Moses struck the rock.

Water came out.

Spiritual revelation asks:

What was God revealing through this?

Paul answers.

The Rock was Christ.

That does not erase the natural event.

It unveils its spiritual significance.

THE MANNA WAS MORE THAN NATURAL FOOD

PASSAGE

“Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
— John 6:31

TEACHING

Israel ate natural manna.

But Jesus later revealed a greater reality.

He said:

“I am the bread of life.”

The natural bread pointed toward spiritual bread.

The manna sustained natural life.

Christ gives eternal life.

The natural event was real.

But the spiritual reality was greater.

This pattern appears again and again.

Natural water.

Living water.

Natural bread.

Living bread.

Natural temple.

Spiritual house.

Natural circumcision.

Circumcision of the heart.

Natural priesthood.

A greater priesthood.

Natural sacrifice.

One final sacrifice in Christ.

The student of Scripture learns to recognize this movement.

THE TEMPLE REVEALS SOMETHING GREATER

PASSAGE

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
— 1 Corinthians 3:16

TEACHING

The Old Testament temple was physical.

It had walls.

Rooms.

Priests.

Sacrifices.

Furniture.

Courts.

But the New Testament reveals something greater.

God dwells in His people.

The natural temple became a pattern pointing toward spiritual habitation.

This is why Bible study must move beyond the visible.

The natural mind sees a building.

The Spirit reveals a people.

The natural mind sees outward structure.

The Spirit reveals inward habitation.

The shadow points toward substance.

CIRCUMCISION MOVES FROM OUTWARD TO INWARD

PASSAGE

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit.”
— Romans 2:29

TEACHING

Under the Old Covenant, circumcision was physical.

It was outward.

It marked covenant identity in the flesh.

But Paul reveals a deeper reality.

Circumcision becomes of the heart.

In the Spirit.

This movement from outward to inward is another major biblical pattern.

Natural religion focuses on outward form.

Spiritual revelation exposes the inward work of God.

God is not merely changing external behavior.

He is dealing with the heart.

He is revealing Christ within.

He is creating a new man.

The natural sign points toward spiritual reality.

THE TRUE WORK OF GOD IS WITHIN

PASSAGE

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
— Philippians 2:13

TEACHING

The natural mind often looks outward.

It looks for visible systems.

Visible achievements.

Visible performance.

Visible religion.

But the work of God is deeper.

Paul says:

“God worketh in you.”

Spiritual revelation turns our attention inward.

Where is God working?

Within.

Where is Christ being formed?

Within.

Where does transformation occur?

Within.

This changes how we read many passages.

Instead of merely asking what is happening outwardly, we begin asking:

What is God doing inwardly?

What is He exposing?

What is He separating?

What is He overcoming?

What is He bringing forth?

This becomes especially important when we study parables, prophetic symbols, and Old Testament patterns.

The work of God must be identified in the heart and spirit.

REVELATION EXPOSES WHAT BELONGS TO ADAM

PASSAGE

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”
— John 3:20

TEACHING

Light exposes.

When revelation comes, it does not merely show us Christ.

It also exposes what is contrary to Christ.

The light reveals Adam.

The light reveals flesh.

The light reveals self-righteousness.

The light reveals fear.

The light reveals unbelief.

The light reveals religious tradition.

The light reveals the natural mind.

This is part of the work of revelation.

Before something can be overcome, it must be exposed.

Before separation occurs, we must identify what belongs to the old order and what belongs to the new.

Bible study therefore becomes a work of discernment.

We are not merely learning facts.

The Word is dividing within us.

REVELATION IDENTIFIES THE TWO SEEDS

PASSAGE

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.”
— Genesis 3:15

TEACHING

From Genesis onward, Scripture reveals two seeds.

This is another great pattern.

Serpent seed.

Woman’s seed.

Flesh.

Spirit.

Adam.

Christ.

Darkness.

Light.

The natural mind may see only individuals and events.

Spiritual revelation begins identifying the deeper conflict.

What nature is being expressed?

What seed is speaking?

What kingdom is operating?

What spirit is being manifested?

The Bible is filled with these contrasts.

Cain and Abel.

Ishmael and Isaac.

Esau and Jacob.

Saul and David.

Old covenant and new covenant.

First Adam and last Adam.

The patterns keep revealing separation between what is natural and what is spiritual.

REVELATION SEPARATES FLESH FROM SPIRIT

PASSAGE

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
— John 3:6

TEACHING

Jesus gives us an absolute distinction.

Flesh is flesh.

Spirit is spirit.

The flesh cannot evolve into Spirit.

Adam cannot be improved into Christ.

The natural cannot become spiritual through religious effort.

There must be new birth.

This is why Bible study must learn to separate the two.

When Scripture speaks of flesh, we must not call it Spirit.

When Scripture reveals the old man, we must not confuse it with the new man.

When Scripture exposes Adam, we must not try to repair Adam.

God’s answer is Christ.

Revelation identifies.

Then it separates.

REVELATION SHOWS THE NEW SWALLOWING UP THE OLD

PASSAGE

“That mortality might be swallowed up of life.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:4

TEACHING

The purpose of revelation is not merely to expose the old.

It reveals the greater reality that overcomes the old.

Life swallows mortality.

Light overcomes darkness.

Christ overcomes Adam.

Spirit overcomes flesh.

Grace overcomes law-consciousness.

Truth overcomes error.

The new creation is greater than the old.

This is why spiritual revelation must never become merely negative.

We do not spend all our time identifying darkness.

We reveal the Light that swallows it up.

We do not merely expose Adam.

We reveal Christ.

We do not merely preach death.

We reveal resurrection life.

The greater reality must always govern the lesser.

LIGHT DOES NOT STRUGGLE WITH DARKNESS

PASSAGE

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
— John 1:5

TEACHING

Light does not negotiate with darkness.

It shines.

The presence of light reveals the weakness of darkness.

This is a powerful principle for spiritual understanding.

When Christ is revealed, falsehood loses power.

When grace is revealed, condemnation loses power.

When righteousness is revealed, guilt loses power.

When life is revealed, death loses power.

When the finished work is revealed, religious striving loses power.

Revelation is not merely explanation.

Revelation carries light.

And light changes the realm.

THE MIND OF CHRIST GIVES SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

PASSAGE

“But we have the mind of Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:16

TEACHING

Paul begins by telling us the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit.

Then he concludes with this declaration:

“We have the mind of Christ.”

This is the answer.

We are not trapped in natural understanding.

The Spirit gives us another mind.

Another perspective.

Another realm of understanding.

The mind of Christ sees according to the purpose of God.

It sees beyond appearance.

It sees beyond shadow.

It sees beyond tradition.

It sees according to truth.

Bible study becomes spiritual when the mind of Christ governs how we see the Word.

THE DISCIPLES KNEW THE EVENTS BUT DID NOT UNDERSTAND THEM

PASSAGE

“But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.”
— Luke 24:21

TEACHING

The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew the natural facts.

They knew Jesus had been crucified.

They knew the tomb was empty.

They knew reports had circulated that He was alive.

Yet they were confused.

Why?

Because natural information had not yet become spiritual understanding.

They knew what happened.

They did not understand what it meant.

This is exactly what can happen in Bible study.

We can know the story.

Know the characters.

Know the verses.

Know the chronology.

And still miss the revelation.

Jesus had to open the Scriptures to them.

JESUS OPENED THE SCRIPTURES BEFORE HE OPENED THEIR EYES

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

Jesus did not merely perform another miracle for the disciples.

He opened the Word.

He took natural events they already knew and gave them spiritual understanding.

He showed them how Moses spoke of Him.

How the prophets spoke of Him.

How the suffering of Christ belonged to the purpose of God.

How the glory followed the suffering.

Their problem was not lack of information.

Their problem was lack of revelation.

And when Christ opened the Scriptures, their hearts burned within them.

REVELATION CAUSES THE HEART TO BURN

PASSAGE

“Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
— Luke 24:32

TEACHING

This is what happens when Scripture opens.

Something awakens within us.

The Word becomes alive.

Connections appear.

Patterns emerge.

Christ is revealed.

What once seemed dry becomes living.

What once seemed disconnected becomes unified.

What once seemed confusing becomes clear.

Their hearts burned because Christ opened the Scriptures.

That is spiritual revelation.

THE PURPOSE IS MANIFESTATION

PASSAGE

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
— Colossians 3:4

TEACHING

Revelation is not the final destination.

Revelation leads to manifestation.

God reveals Christ so Christ may be formed in us.

He exposes the old so the new can be manifested.

He identifies flesh so Spirit may govern.

He separates Adam from Christ so the life of Christ may come forth.

This gives us a spiritual movement that we will continue using throughout this book:

REVEAL.

The Spirit reveals truth.

EXPOSE.

The light exposes what is contrary to Christ.

IDENTIFY.

We identify what belongs to Adam and what belongs to Christ.

SEPARATE.

We distinguish natural from spiritual, flesh from Spirit, old from new.

OVERCOME.

The greater life of Christ swallows up the lesser realm.

MANIFEST.

Christ is revealed in and through His people.

This is more than a Bible study technique.

It is the inward work of the Word.

SPIRITUAL REVELATION ALWAYS LEADS US TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:6

TEACHING

Where does revelation finally bring us?

To Jesus Christ.

The light shines in our hearts.

The knowledge comes.

The glory is revealed.

And it is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

This is the test.

True spiritual revelation magnifies Christ.

It does not magnify human imagination.

It does not produce pride.

It does not turn us into seekers of secret knowledge.

It brings us into clearer understanding of Jesus Christ and the purpose of God in Him.

That is the difference between natural understanding and spiritual revelation.

Natural understanding can tell us about Christ.

Spiritual revelation causes us to see Him.

THE NATURAL MIND READS THE WORD — THE SPIRIT OPENS THE WORD — AND CHRIST IS REVEALED

CHAPTER FOUR

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

START WITH THE TEXT BEFORE YOU START WITH AN INTERPRETATION

PASSAGE

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
— Psalm 119:130

TEACHING

A sound Bible study begins with the words that are actually written.

Before we ask what a passage means spiritually, before we connect it with another passage, before we attempt to build doctrine from it, we first need to see what the text itself says.

That sounds simple, but this is where many mistakes begin.

Sometimes we come to Scripture already carrying an interpretation.

We have heard a preacher explain the verse.

We have read a commentary.

We have inherited a denominational position.

We have formed an opinion from years of hearing the same passage taught in the same way.

Then instead of allowing the Scripture to speak, we begin reading our conclusion back into the text.

Good Bible study reverses that order.

We begin with the passage.

We read it carefully.

We observe the words.

We notice the subject.

We identify the speaker.

We identify the audience.

We examine what happened before.

We examine what happens afterward.

Then we begin asking what the passage is revealing.

The Word must govern our interpretation.

Our interpretation must never govern the Word.

READ THE PASSAGE MORE THAN ONCE

PASSAGE

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
— 1 Timothy 4:13

TEACHING

Many passages become clearer simply because we slow down and read them again.

The first reading may give us the general thought.

The second reading may reveal words we overlooked.

The third reading may show a contrast.

Another reading may reveal a repeated phrase.

Sometimes the very thing that opens a passage is a small word we passed over the first time.

Therefore.

But.

For.

Because.

Then.

Now.

Wherefore.

Those words often connect one thought to another.

Bible study requires attention.

We are not racing through Scripture merely to finish a chapter.

We are allowing Scripture to speak.

Read the passage until you can state its main thought in simple words.

If you cannot explain what the passage is saying naturally, you are probably not ready to begin explaining its deeper spiritual significance.

IDENTIFY WHO IS SPEAKING

PASSAGE

“And Jesus answering said unto them…”
— Matthew 24:4

TEACHING

One of the first questions we should ask is:

Who is speaking?

This matters because the Bible records the words of many different people.

God speaks.

Jesus speaks.

Prophets speak.

Apostles speak.

Kings speak.

Priests speak.

Disciples speak.

Pharisees speak.

Angels speak.

Satan speaks.

Even unbelieving men speak.

The Bible faithfully records what was said, but not every statement spoken by every person is a declaration of divine truth.

When the serpent spoke to Eve, Scripture recorded the words accurately.

But the serpent was deceiving her.

When Job’s friends spoke, much of their speech was recorded, yet God later corrected them.

Therefore, identifying the speaker is fundamental.

We cannot properly interpret a statement until we know who said it.

IDENTIFY WHO IS BEING ADDRESSED

PASSAGE

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus…”
— Ephesians 1:1

TEACHING

The next question is:

Who is being addressed?

Paul wrote particular letters to particular churches and individuals.

Jesus sometimes spoke to His disciples.

Sometimes He spoke to the multitudes.

Sometimes He spoke directly to the Pharisees.

The prophets often spoke specifically to Israel, Judah, Jerusalem, surrounding nations, kings, priests, or false prophets.

Audience matters.

A warning to a Pharisee should not automatically be treated as though it were spoken to a believer in Christ.

An Old Covenant commandment given specifically to Israel should not be transferred into the New Covenant without examining its fulfillment in Christ.

This does not mean the passage has nothing to teach us.

It means we first respect the original audience before making application.

Good Bible study asks:

Who heard these words first?

DETERMINE THE COVENANT SETTING

PASSAGE

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
— John 1:17

TEACHING

Not every passage in the Bible stands in the same covenantal position.

This is one of the most important distinctions we can make.

There was a covenant given through Moses.

There is a New Covenant established through Jesus Christ.

The law contained commandments, sacrifices, ordinances, priesthood, feast days, and ceremonial requirements.

Those things belonged to a particular covenant.

The New Testament repeatedly shows us that many of those things were shadows pointing toward Christ.

Therefore, when we study Scripture, we ask:

What covenant is operating here?

Was this before Moses?

Under the law?

During the earthly ministry of Jesus before the cross?

After the cross?

After the resurrection?

Under the New Covenant?

This prevents us from mixing covenantal instructions together as though nothing changed through the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ.

READ WHAT COMES BEFORE THE VERSE

PASSAGE

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…”
— Romans 8:1

TEACHING

The word therefore tells us to look backward.

Romans 8 does not begin in isolation.

Paul has spent the previous chapters developing a tremendous argument concerning sin, law, righteousness, Adam, Christ, grace, and deliverance.

Then he says:

“There is therefore now no condemnation…”

Why is there no condemnation?

The answer is connected to what Paul has already taught.

Whenever we encounter words such as therefore or wherefore, we should investigate what conclusion is being drawn.

Sometimes an entire interpretation changes when we read the chapter before the verse.

READ WHAT COMES AFTER THE VERSE

PASSAGE

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”
— John 3:16

TEACHING

John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible.

But its meaning becomes even richer when we continue reading.

The following verses speak of salvation, condemnation, light, darkness, belief, and unbelief.

The surrounding passage expands the thought.

Never assume that the verse ends the teaching.

Often the explanation follows immediately afterward.

DO NOT BUILD A DOCTRINE FROM ONE ISOLATED VERSE

PASSAGE

“In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:1

TEACHING

One isolated verse can easily be misunderstood.

But when multiple passages speak to the same subject, understanding becomes stronger.

If we are studying grace, gather the Scriptures concerning grace.

If we are studying faith, gather the Scriptures concerning faith.

If we are studying salvation, righteousness, judgment, resurrection, the kingdom of God, or the Holy Spirit, gather the broader biblical testimony.

Truth has witnesses.

One passage may introduce a subject.

Another develops it.

Another shows the contrast.

Another reveals fulfillment.

Another explains the spiritual meaning.

Eventually the whole counsel begins to emerge.

COMPARE SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL

PASSAGE

“Comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:13

TEACHING

Scripture is one of the greatest interpreters of Scripture.

The Holy Spirit inspired the whole testimony.

Therefore, one passage often sheds light upon another.

The Old Testament may establish a pattern.

The New Testament may interpret it.

The prophet may introduce a promise.

The apostle may explain its fulfillment.

A natural event may occur in Exodus.

Paul may later identify its spiritual meaning.

This is exactly what happened with the rock in the wilderness.

The event appears in the Old Testament.

Paul explains:

“That Rock was Christ.”

The later revelation helps us understand the earlier pattern.

This is why cross-referencing Scripture is so powerful.

TRACE THE SUBJECT THROUGH THE WHOLE BIBLE

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

Jesus did not explain Himself from one isolated passage.

He began with Moses.

He went through the prophets.

He showed the disciples a testimony running through the Scriptures.

This gives us a model for topical study.

Suppose we are studying covenant.

We should begin looking for covenant throughout Scripture.

Suppose we are studying kingdom.

Follow kingdom language from the Old Testament through the teaching of Jesus and into the apostles.

Suppose we are studying grace.

Examine how Scripture develops grace.

Suppose we are studying the sons of God.

Trace the phrase and the revelation.

The deeper the subject, the more important it becomes to follow the whole testimony.

PAY ATTENTION TO REPEATED WORDS

PASSAGE

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
— Ephesians 4:5

TEACHING

Repeated words often reveal emphasis.

If a chapter repeatedly uses the word faith, pay attention.

If a passage repeatedly uses in Christ, notice it.

If Jesus repeats verily, verily, something important follows.

If Revelation repeatedly uses a particular symbol or phrase, do not ignore the repetition.

Repetition helps us identify the writer’s emphasis.

Sometimes the key to understanding a passage is sitting in a word that appears again and again.

NOTICE CONTRASTS

PASSAGE

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
— John 1:17

TEACHING

The Bible frequently teaches through contrast.

Law and grace.

Flesh and Spirit.

Adam and Christ.

Death and life.

Darkness and light.

Bondage and liberty.

Earthly and heavenly.

Natural and spiritual.

Old and new.

Shadow and substance.

When Scripture places two things beside one another, examine the contrast.

Ask:

What belongs to the first?

What belongs to the second?

What changed?

Which is greater?

Which one finds fulfillment in Christ?

Contrasts help us separate things that religion often mixes together.

LOOK FOR THE CENTRAL THOUGHT OF THE PASSAGE

PASSAGE

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:2

TEACHING

A passage usually has a governing thought.

Do not become so distracted by every small detail that you miss the main message.

Ask:

What is the writer trying to establish?

What problem is he addressing?

What truth is he revealing?

Once the central thought is clear, the smaller details begin finding their proper place.

ASK WHAT THE PASSAGE REVEALS ABOUT CHRIST

PASSAGE

“They are they which testify of me.”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

After we establish context, audience, covenant, and natural meaning, we can ask one of the greatest questions in Bible study:

What does this reveal concerning Jesus Christ?

Sometimes the connection is direct.

Sometimes it is typological.

Sometimes the passage reveals the need Christ fulfills.

Sometimes it reveals a promise fulfilled in Him.

Sometimes it reveals a shadow of which He is the substance.

Sometimes it reveals Adam so that Christ may be understood by contrast.

But the testimony of Scripture ultimately moves toward Christ.

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TYPE AND SUBSTANCE

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

A shadow is not the final reality.

It points toward the reality.

The sacrifices pointed toward Christ.

The priesthood pointed toward Christ.

The Passover pointed toward Christ.

The temple pointed toward a greater habitation.

The Sabbath pointed toward a greater rest.

When we study the shadow, we should always ask:

Where is the substance?

If Christ has fulfilled the shadow, we should not live as though the shadow were greater than Him.

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL

PASSAGE

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:46

TEACHING

We established this principle in the previous chapter, but now we apply it directly to our study method.

First determine the natural event.

Then look for the spiritual reality Scripture reveals.

Do not skip the natural.

Do not stop at the natural.

Move carefully from one to the other.

The natural is often the picture.

The spiritual is the greater reality.

ASK WHERE THE WORK IS TAKING PLACE

PASSAGE

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
— Philippians 2:13

TEACHING

One of the most powerful questions we can ask when studying spiritual truth is:

Where is this work taking place?

Religion often sends everything outward.

God works inwardly.

When Scripture speaks of transformation, ask where that transformation occurs.

When Scripture speaks of circumcision, ask whether the New Testament moves the reality inward.

When Scripture speaks of temple, ask where God now dwells.

When Scripture speaks of kingdom, ask what Jesus taught concerning its presence and operation.

The inward work of God must be identified.

IDENTIFY WHAT BELONGS TO ADAM AND WHAT BELONGS TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:22

TEACHING

One of the greatest dividing lines in Scripture is:

In Adam.

In Christ.

When studying a passage, ask which order is being revealed.

Death belongs to Adam.

Life belongs to Christ.

Condemnation entered through Adam.

Righteousness comes through Christ.

The old man belongs to Adam.

The new man belongs to Christ.

This distinction helps prevent enormous confusion.

IDENTIFY WHAT BELONGS TO LAW AND WHAT BELONGS TO GRACE

PASSAGE

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
— Romans 6:14

TEACHING

Scripture itself distinguishes law from grace.

Therefore, Bible study must not mix them carelessly.

The law demands.

Grace supplies.

The law reveals sin.

Grace reveals righteousness in Christ.

The law belongs to the ministry written upon stone.

The New Covenant writes upon the heart.

When a passage belongs to law, identify it.

When a passage reveals grace, identify it.

Then examine how Christ fulfills what the law could never accomplish.

DO NOT FORCE SYMBOLISM WHERE SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SUPPORT IT

PASSAGE

“No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
— 2 Peter 1:20

TEACHING

Spiritual Bible study must remain anchored in Scripture.

Not every stone has a secret meaning.

Not every number requires a hidden interpretation.

Not every color represents a doctrine.

Not every person’s name must become a symbol.

There are genuine types and symbols throughout Scripture.

But the safest ones are those Scripture itself establishes.

The more witnesses we have, the stronger the interpretation becomes.

Revelation should illuminate Scripture.

It should not become imagination disconnected from Scripture.

USE QUESTIONS AS TOOLS

PASSAGE

“Understandest thou what thou readest?”
— Acts 8:30

TEACHING

Questions are powerful study tools.

When studying a passage, ask:

Who is speaking?

Who is listening?

What is the setting?

What covenant is operating?

What is the main subject?

What happened before this?

What happens next?

What words are repeated?

What contrasts appear?

What other Scriptures speak about this?

Is this natural, spiritual, literal, symbolic, prophetic, or typological?

What does this reveal about Christ?

What is being exposed?

What is being separated?

What is being overcome?

What is being manifested?

Questions slow us down and force us to look again.

WRITE DOWN YOUR OBSERVATIONS

PASSAGE

“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables…”
— Habakkuk 2:2

TEACHING

Writing strengthens study.

Keep a notebook.

Record the passage.

Write the subject.

Write cross-references.

Write questions.

Write repeated words.

Write contrasts.

Write what you see naturally.

Then write what the Spirit begins revealing spiritually.

Over time, your notes become a record of understanding.

Many great studies begin with one small observation written down while reading.

BUILD YOUR STUDY ONE LAYER AT A TIME

PASSAGE

“Precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
— Isaiah 28:10

TEACHING

Understanding develops in layers.

Do not become frustrated because one study does not answer every question.

Start with what is clear.

Then build.

One verse adds light.

Another adds context.

Another establishes the pattern.

Another reveals fulfillment.

The picture becomes clearer as the layers come together.

Bible study is not always instantaneous.

Sometimes revelation develops over years.

DO NOT RUSH DIFFICULT PASSAGES

PASSAGE

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
— 2 Timothy 2:7

TEACHING

Paul connects consideration with understanding.

Some passages require meditation.

Think about them.

Return to them.

Compare them.

Allow them to remain open questions.

There is no shame in saying:

“I do not understand this yet.”

That is better than forcing an interpretation simply because we feel we must have an answer.

Truth can withstand patience.

LET THE HOLY SPIRIT OPEN WHAT STUDY UNCOVERS

PASSAGE

“He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
— John 14:26

TEACHING

After all our reading, comparing, observing, writing, and examining, we remain dependent upon the Holy Spirit.

Methods do not create revelation.

Methods position us to examine what God has spoken.

The Spirit gives understanding.

The Spirit connects truth.

The Spirit reveals Christ.

The Spirit brings the Word alive within us.

Bible study and spiritual revelation belong together.

USE THIS SIMPLE BIBLE STUDY PATTERN

PASSAGE

“Search the scriptures.”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

Here is a simple pattern you can carry into almost any Bible study.

READ

Read the passage carefully.

OBSERVE

Notice what is actually there.

CONTEXTUALIZE

Determine speaker, audience, setting, covenant, and surrounding verses.

COMPARE

Gather related Scriptures.

IDENTIFY

Identify the main subject, repeated words, contrasts, types, and patterns.

SEPARATE

Separate law from grace, Adam from Christ, natural from spiritual, shadow from substance.

REVEAL

Ask what the Holy Spirit is revealing concerning Jesus Christ and God’s purpose.

APPLY

Allow the truth to correct your understanding and shape your walk.

This is not a rigid formula.

It is a disciplined way of slowing down and allowing Scripture to open.

THE PURPOSE OF BIBLE STUDY IS TO SEE MORE CLEARLY

PASSAGE

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45

TEACHING

That remains our goal.

We want understanding opened.

We want to see what is written.

We want to understand context.

We want to recognize the covenant.

We want to follow the testimony.

We want to distinguish the natural from the spiritual.

We want to recognize types and fulfillment.

We want to see what belongs to Adam and what belongs to Christ.

We want to understand what God has accomplished through redemption.

And above all, we want to behold Jesus Christ throughout the Scriptures.

Bible study is not about proving how much we know.

It is about seeing more clearly.

Every time we open the Word, the prayer remains:

LORD, OPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT WE MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES

CHAPTER FIVE

LET SCRIPTURE INTERPRET SCRIPTURE

THE BIBLE IS ITS OWN BEST INTERPRETER

PASSAGE

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:13

TEACHING

One of the safest and strongest principles in Bible study is this:

Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

We should never build our understanding upon one isolated verse when the Bible gives us many witnesses concerning the same subject.

A single verse may introduce a truth.

Another passage may explain it.

Another may establish the context.

Another may reveal its fulfillment.

Another may show us the spiritual meaning.

This is why we compare spiritual things with spiritual.

The Holy Spirit inspired the whole testimony.

Therefore, Scripture will often explain Scripture.

The more we allow the Bible to speak across the whole counsel of God, the less dependent we become upon assumptions, traditions, and isolated interpretations.

ONE VERSE SHOULD NOT STAND ALONE

PASSAGE

“In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:1

TEACHING

Truth is established through witness.

If we build a doctrine from one verse while ignoring ten other passages that speak differently, something is wrong with our interpretation.

One verse should not be forced to carry a meaning the rest of Scripture does not support.

This does not mean every truth must have dozens of identical verses.

It means our interpretation should harmonize with the larger biblical testimony.

If we believe a passage teaches something concerning grace, compare it with Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and the teaching of Jesus.

If we believe a passage teaches something concerning judgment, compare it with the broader testimony of Scripture.

If we believe a passage reveals something concerning the kingdom of God, gather the passages concerning the kingdom.

Let the witnesses speak.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES DAILY

PASSAGE

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
— Acts 17:11

TEACHING

The Bereans did not reject teaching.

They received it with readiness.

But then they searched the Scriptures.

That is a healthy pattern.

Receive.

Then search.

Listen.

Then examine.

Consider.

Then compare.

The Bereans were not suspicious people looking for an argument.

They were serious students of truth.

They wanted to know whether what they had heard agreed with the Word.

That should be our attitude.

Do not accept something merely because a respected person said it.

Do not reject something merely because it is new to you.

Search the Scriptures.

THE OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER

PASSAGE

“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.”
— John 5:46

TEACHING

Jesus said Moses wrote concerning Him.

That means the writings of Moses cannot be fully understood apart from Christ.

The New Testament helps us understand the Old Testament.

And the Old Testament gives us the patterns, promises, shadows, and language that help us understand the New Testament.

The two belong together.

Genesis introduces.

The law establishes patterns.

The prophets expand.

Jesus fulfills.

The apostles explain.

Revelation gathers.

When Scripture interprets Scripture, the entire Bible begins functioning as one testimony rather than sixty-six disconnected books.

THE PASSOVER IS INTERPRETED BY CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
— 1 Corinthians 5:7

TEACHING

If we read Exodus alone, we see a natural Passover.

A lamb was slain.

Blood was placed upon the door.

Judgment passed over the house.

Israel came out of Egypt.

All of that happened naturally.

But Paul interprets the pattern.

He says:

“Christ our passover.”

Now the Old Testament picture becomes clearer.

The lamb points to Christ.

The blood points to redemption.

Deliverance points to something greater.

Scripture has interpreted Scripture.

We did not invent the connection.

The New Testament established it.

THE ROCK IN THE WILDERNESS IS INTERPRETED FOR US

PASSAGE

“For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:4

TEACHING

The Old Testament gives us the event.

Paul gives us the spiritual interpretation.

The rock was Christ.

This is one of the clearest examples of Scripture interpreting Scripture.

If we had only the natural event, we might see only water coming from a rock.

But the New Testament reveals a greater reality.

Christ was being testified of in the wilderness.

This is how Bible study becomes deeper without becoming speculative.

We allow the inspired writers to teach us how to interpret the patterns.

THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS IS INTERPRETED BY JESUS

PASSAGE

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”
— John 3:14

TEACHING

In Numbers, Israel was bitten by serpents.

Moses lifted up the brazen serpent.

Those who looked lived.

Jesus later interpreted the event.

He said:

“Even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”

Again, Scripture interprets Scripture.

The natural event becomes a prophetic pattern.

Jesus Himself tells us how to understand it.

This is why we should be cautious about creating private meanings when the Bible gives us inspired interpretations.

The strongest types are the ones Scripture itself identifies.

ADAM IS INTERPRETED THROUGH CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses… who is the figure of him that was to come.”
— Romans 5:14

TEACHING

Paul tells us Adam was a figure of One who was to come.

That One is Christ.

Now Genesis becomes larger.

Adam is not merely the first man in history.

He becomes part of a greater revelation.

First Adam.

Last Adam.

First man.

Second man.

One man through whom death entered.

One Man through whom righteousness and life came.

Romans interprets Genesis.

1 Corinthians enlarges the same truth.

The witnesses agree.

ISAAC IS UNDERSTOOD THROUGH THE PROMISE

PASSAGE

“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”
— Galatians 4:28

TEACHING

Isaac was a natural son.

But Paul sees a spiritual principle.

Isaac represents promise.

Ishmael represents fleshly effort.

This is not merely a historical family conflict.

Paul interprets the event spiritually.

One is after the flesh.

One is by promise.

This gives us a pattern for understanding law and grace.

Natural history becomes spiritual instruction because the apostle tells us how the pattern functions.

HAGAR AND SARAH ARE INTERPRETED AS TWO COVENANTS

PASSAGE

“Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants…”
— Galatians 4:24

TEACHING

Paul gives us another direct example.

He says these women represent two covenants.

Hagar.

Sarah.

Bondwoman.

Freewoman.

Flesh.

Promise.

Old covenant.

New covenant.

Paul is not denying their literal existence.

He is unveiling the spiritual pattern contained within their story.

This teaches us something important:

A passage can be historically true and spiritually significant at the same time.

The natural event remains real.

The spiritual revelation does not erase it.

It reveals its greater meaning.

THE TABERNACLE IS INTERPRETED IN HEBREWS

PASSAGE

“Which was a figure for the time then present…”
— Hebrews 9:9

TEACHING

The book of Hebrews is one of the greatest examples of Scripture interpreting Scripture.

It takes the tabernacle, priesthood, sacrifices, blood, covenant, altar, veil, and holy place and shows us their fulfillment in Christ.

Without Hebrews, many Old Testament details would remain much more difficult to understand.

But Hebrews interprets them.

It tells us they were figures.

Shadows.

Patterns.

Copies.

Then it reveals the greater reality.

Christ is the greater High Priest.

His blood is better.

His sacrifice is final.

His covenant is better.

His ministry is heavenly.

The shadow gives way to substance.

THE LAW WAS A SHADOW

PASSAGE

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things…”
— Hebrews 10:1

TEACHING

Hebrews tells us directly that the law contained shadows.

That means when we study the law, we must ask what it was pointing toward.

The sacrifices were not the final answer.

The priesthood was not the final answer.

The tabernacle was not the final answer.

The ceremonies were not the final answer.

They pointed forward.

When Christ appears, the substance arrives.

Scripture interprets Scripture by showing us the relationship between shadow and fulfillment.

THE SABBATH IS INTERPRETED AS REST

PASSAGE

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
— Hebrews 4:9

TEACHING

The Sabbath begins naturally.

A day of rest.

But Hebrews expands the idea.

There is a deeper rest.

The writer connects the seventh day, Israel entering the land, and the rest of God.

Then he shows us that there remains a rest for the people of God.

The natural Sabbath points toward a greater spiritual reality.

The shadow is interpreted through the fuller testimony.

DAVID’S PSALMS ARE INTERPRETED THROUGH CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For David speaketh concerning him…”
— Acts 2:25

TEACHING

Peter stood on the day of Pentecost and interpreted the Psalms concerning Christ.

He did not treat David’s words merely as David speaking about himself.

He saw prophetic testimony.

David spoke concerning Christ.

The resurrection was already being testified of in the Psalms.

Acts interprets Psalms.

The New Testament reveals the fulfillment of what the Old Testament declared.

THE PROPHETS SPOKE OF THE SUFFERINGS AND GLORY OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”
— 1 Peter 1:11

TEACHING

Peter tells us what the Spirit was doing in the prophets.

The Spirit was testifying beforehand concerning Christ.

The sufferings.

The glory.

That means prophetic Scripture must ultimately be interpreted through Christ.

The prophets were not merely predicting random future events.

Their testimony was moving toward redemption, Messiah, suffering, glory, kingdom, covenant, and fulfillment.

This gives us a governing center.

Christ.

REVELATION REUSES OLD TESTAMENT LANGUAGE

PASSAGE

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth…”
— Revelation 21:1

TEACHING

The book of Revelation is filled with language drawn from earlier Scripture.

Temple.

Candlesticks.

Trumpets.

Plagues.

Babylon.

Jerusalem.

Beasts.

Lamb.

Throne.

River.

Tree of life.

New heaven and new earth.

If we try to interpret Revelation without knowing the Old Testament language it draws upon, we can easily become confused.

Scripture interprets Scripture because Revelation assumes the reader knows the earlier biblical testimony.

Many symbols are not introduced for the first time in Revelation.

They have histories.

Patterns.

Earlier meanings.

We must trace them.

BABYLON MUST BE TRACED THROUGH SCRIPTURE

PASSAGE

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen…”
— Revelation 14:8

TEACHING

Babylon appears long before Revelation.

Its roots reach back into Genesis.

The tower.

The city.

The kingdom.

Human pride.

Confusion.

Later Babylon becomes an empire.

Then in Revelation the name carries prophetic and spiritual significance.

We understand the final use better when we trace the earlier testimony.

This is how Scripture interprets Scripture.

Follow the symbol backward.

See where it began.

Watch how it developed.

Then understand how Revelation uses it.

JERUSALEM ALSO HAS A LARGER TESTIMONY

PASSAGE

“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
— Galatians 4:26

TEACHING

Scripture speaks of natural Jerusalem.

But Paul also speaks of Jerusalem above.

If we read every reference to Jerusalem as though it can only refer to the natural city, we may miss the spiritual testimony.

Again, Scripture expands Scripture.

The natural city becomes part of a larger pattern.

Earthly.

Heavenly.

Bondage.

Liberty.

Old covenant.

New covenant.

We must allow the apostolic interpretation to govern our understanding.

THE TEMPLE IS INTERPRETED SPIRITUALLY

PASSAGE

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house…”
— 1 Peter 2:5

TEACHING

The Old Testament temple was built of natural stones.

Peter speaks of living stones.

A spiritual house.

Paul says believers are the temple of God.

Now the temple theme expands.

We cannot read temple language only as architecture.

The New Testament interprets the greater reality.

God is building a people.

A habitation.

A spiritual house.

Again, Scripture interprets Scripture.

CIRCUMCISION IS INTERPRETED INWARDLY

PASSAGE

“Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter.”
— Romans 2:29

TEACHING

Natural circumcision belonged to the flesh.

Paul reveals an inward circumcision.

Of the heart.

In the Spirit.

The outward sign points toward an inward reality.

If we stop at the natural, we miss the greater revelation.

The apostle interprets the symbol for us.

ISRAEL’S WILDERNESS JOURNEY BECOMES OUR EXAMPLE

PASSAGE

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition…”
— 1 Corinthians 10:11

TEACHING

Paul tells us exactly how to approach the wilderness events.

They happened.

And they were written for our admonition.

That means natural history becomes spiritual instruction.

Egypt.

The sea.

The wilderness.

Manna.

Rock.

Temptation.

Idolatry.

All become examples.

But we do not have to guess that.

Scripture tells us.

This is why biblical interpretation must remain anchored in biblical witness.

DO NOT IGNORE THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“For precept must be upon precept… line upon line…”
— Isaiah 28:10

TEACHING

Comparing Scripture with Scripture does not mean we can pull verses from everywhere while ignoring their original context.

Context comes first.

Comparison comes after.

We must understand what Isaiah is saying in Isaiah.

What Paul is saying in Romans.

What Jesus is saying in Matthew.

Then we compare.

Otherwise, cross-referencing can become another form of misuse.

A verse should not be detached from its own meaning merely because it contains a word we like.

USE CLEAR SCRIPTURES TO HELP WITH DIFFICULT SCRIPTURES

PASSAGE

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
— 2 Timothy 2:7

TEACHING

When a passage is difficult, begin with what is clear.

Do not force the difficult verse to create a doctrine that contradicts many clear passages.

Let established truth guide your examination.

For example, if a symbolic passage appears confusing, search for other places where Scripture uses the same symbol more clearly.

If a prophetic image appears unusual, trace the image through earlier Scripture.

If one verse seems to contradict the finished work of Christ, examine the context, covenant, audience, and broader testimony before reaching a conclusion.

Clarity helps interpret difficulty.

THE WHOLE COUNSEL PROTECTS US FROM IMBALANCE

PASSAGE

“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”
— Acts 20:27

TEACHING

Truth must be held within the whole counsel of God.

When we isolate one truth from everything else, imbalance develops.

Grace without understanding redemption can become vague.

Judgment without understanding the cross can become fear.

Faith without understanding grace can become performance.

Prophecy without Christ can become speculation.

Kingdom without redemption can become ambition.

Every truth belongs within the larger counsel.

Bible study becomes safer and richer when we keep the whole testimony in view.

CHRIST IS THE KEY THAT HOLDS THE TESTIMONY TOGETHER

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

Jesus demonstrated the highest form of Scripture interpreting Scripture.

He moved through Moses.

The prophets.

The Scriptures.

And He showed the things concerning Himself.

Christ was the key.

When Christ is removed from biblical interpretation, the Bible becomes fragmented.

But when Christ is revealed, the pieces begin coming together.

The lamb.

The altar.

The priest.

The blood.

The covenant.

The temple.

The feast.

The promise.

The prophet.

The king.

The Son.

The cross.

The resurrection.

The throne.

They begin forming one testimony.

LET THE NEW TESTAMENT EXPLAIN THE SHADOWS

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

One of the safest ways to understand Old Testament shadows is to ask:

How does the New Testament interpret them?

If Hebrews explains the priesthood, listen to Hebrews.

If Paul identifies Christ as Passover, receive that interpretation.

If Jesus identifies Himself as the true bread, let His words govern the manna pattern.

If Peter speaks of a spiritual house, let that illuminate the temple pattern.

The inspired interpretation is stronger than our imagination.

DO NOT BUILD PRIVATE INTERPRETATIONS

PASSAGE

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
— 2 Peter 1:20

TEACHING

Scripture should never become a playground for private speculation.

A revelation that cannot survive comparison with Scripture is not a revelation we should build upon.

Ask for witnesses.

Search for patterns.

Compare language.

Examine covenant.

Look for apostolic interpretation.

Let the whole testimony judge the conclusion.

The deeper we go spiritually, the more anchored we should become in Scripture.

Not less.

USE THIS SIMPLE COMPARISON METHOD

PASSAGE

“Search the scriptures.”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

When studying a subject, use this pattern.

FIND THE MAIN PASSAGE

Begin with the Scripture that introduced the question.

ESTABLISH THE CONTEXT

Understand what that passage says where it stands.

FIND RELATED WORDS

Search for the important words and phrases.

FIND RELATED THEMES

Look for the same truth expressed with different wording.

TRACE THE SUBJECT

Follow it from earlier Scripture into later Scripture.

LOOK FOR INSPIRED INTERPRETATION

See whether Jesus or the apostles explain the pattern.

IDENTIFY TYPE AND FULFILLMENT

Separate shadow from substance.

BRING EVERYTHING BACK TO CHRIST

Ask how the testimony finds its center and fulfillment in Him.

This method prevents us from becoming dependent upon isolated verses.

SCRIPTURE BUILDS UPON SCRIPTURE

PASSAGE

“Line upon line… here a little, and there a little.”
— Isaiah 28:10

TEACHING

Understanding grows as truth accumulates.

One Scripture gives us a line.

Another adds another line.

Another gives a pattern.

Another reveals fulfillment.

Eventually we begin seeing the whole.

This is why long-term Bible study becomes so rich.

The more Scripture we know, the more connections become available.

A verse in Genesis reminds us of Romans.

A verse in Isaiah opens something in Revelation.

A Psalm explains something in Acts.

Hebrews opens Leviticus.

Galatians opens Genesis.

Christ begins appearing everywhere.

THE BIBLE BECOMES ONE BOOK WHEN CHRIST IS REVEALED

PASSAGE

“Lo, I come… in the volume of the book it is written of me.”
— Hebrews 10:7

TEACHING

The more Scripture interprets Scripture, the less fragmented the Bible becomes.

It becomes one unfolding revelation.

One purpose.

One redemption.

One Christ.

One testimony.

The law points.

The prophets declare.

The Psalms sing.

The Gospels reveal.

The apostles explain.

Revelation unveils.

And through it all, Jesus Christ remains the center.

That is why we let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Not merely because it is a good study technique.

But because the Bible is one inspired testimony.

LET THE WORD EXPLAIN THE WORD — LET THE WITNESSES AGREE — AND LET CHRIST REMAIN THE CENTER

CHAPTER SIX

SEEING JESUS CHRIST THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES

JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTRAL TESTIMONY OF THE BIBLE

PASSAGE

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

Jesus gave us one of the greatest keys to Bible study when He said:

“They are they which testify of me.”

The Scriptures testify of Christ.

That means Jesus Christ is not merely one subject among many subjects in the Bible.

He is the center of the testimony.

There are many doctrines.

Many covenants.

Many people.

Many nations.

Many prophecies.

Many symbols.

Many sacrifices.

Many stories.

Many commandments.

Many promises.

But running through all of them is one great purpose.

God is revealing His Son.

When we understand this, Bible study begins to change.

We no longer see Genesis as disconnected from the Gospels.

We no longer see Exodus as merely the history of Israel.

We no longer see Leviticus as merely a collection of sacrifices and laws.

We no longer see the prophets as merely announcing events.

We begin asking:

Where is Christ in this testimony?

What is God revealing concerning His Son?

THE SCRIPTURES BEGIN REVEALING CHRIST FROM THE BEGINNING

PASSAGE

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
— Genesis 1:1

TEACHING

The Bible begins with creation.

But the New Testament teaches us that creation itself belongs to the revelation of Christ.

John wrote:

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Paul wrote concerning Christ:

“For by him were all things created.”

Therefore, when we begin Genesis, Christ is already present in the testimony.

He is not introduced for the first time in Matthew.

The New Testament reveals that He stands at the beginning.

Creation itself points us toward Him.

The One who later walks through Galilee is the One through whom all things were made.

That changes how we read Scripture.

The revelation of Christ does not begin at Bethlehem.

It reaches back before Bethlehem.

Before Abraham.

Before Moses.

Before Adam.

Before the foundation of the world.

THE WORD WAS WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING

PASSAGE

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
— John 1:1

TEACHING

John deliberately takes us back to the language of Genesis.

“In the beginning.”

But John reveals something Genesis does not explain in the same way.

The Word was there.

The Word was with God.

The Word was God.

Then John declares:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”

The Christ revealed in the Gospels is the eternal Word.

This is why all Scripture finds its center in Him.

He is not merely another man appearing late in biblical history.

He is the Word through whom the whole purpose of God is revealed.

CHRIST WAS IN GOD’S PURPOSE BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD

PASSAGE

“Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
— 1 Peter 1:20

TEACHING

Christ was not God’s emergency response to Adam’s failure.

The Lamb was foreordained before the foundation of the world.

That means redemption belongs to eternal purpose.

God did not begin with Adam and then invent Christ after Adam fell.

Christ stood in the purpose of God from before the foundation.

This gives us a powerful way to read Scripture.

We are watching an eternal purpose unfold in time.

Genesis does not create the purpose.

Genesis begins revealing the purpose.

The prophets do not invent the purpose.

They testify concerning it.

The cross does not surprise God.

The cross manifests what was already ordained in Him.

THE SEED OF THE WOMAN POINTS TOWARD CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.”
— Genesis 3:15

TEACHING

Very early in Genesis, Scripture begins speaking of seed.

Two seeds appear.

The seed of the serpent.

The seed of the woman.

A conflict is announced.

And the promise begins moving forward.

The New Testament later identifies the promise of seed in relation to Christ.

Paul writes:

“And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

The seed theme begins in Genesis and continues through Abraham, promise, Israel, David, and ultimately Christ.

The natural line carries a spiritual testimony.

God is bringing forth His promised Seed.

ABEL POINTS TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS ONE

PASSAGE

“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.”
— Genesis 4:4

TEACHING

Abel appears very early in Scripture.

He is righteous.

He brings an acceptable offering.

He is hated by his brother.

His blood is shed.

Hebrews later speaks of “the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

Abel’s blood cries from the ground.

Christ’s blood speaks better things.

Again, Scripture builds a pattern.

The righteous one is rejected.

Blood is shed.

But Christ is greater than the pattern.

He is the fulfillment.

NOAH’S ARK POINTS TOWARD SALVATION

PASSAGE

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark.”
— Genesis 7:1

TEACHING

The ark was a natural vessel of deliverance.

Judgment came.

The waters rose.

But those within the ark were preserved.

Peter later connects the days of Noah with salvation and baptismal imagery.

The ark becomes a picture of refuge.

But our refuge is not ultimately a wooden vessel.

Our refuge is Christ.

The natural deliverance points toward the greater salvation.

We are saved in Him.

MELCHIZEDEK POINTS TOWARD CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.”
— Genesis 14:18

TEACHING

Melchizedek appears suddenly in Genesis.

He is king.

He is priest.

He blesses Abraham.

Then Hebrews takes this brief Old Testament appearance and opens a tremendous revelation concerning Christ.

Jesus is declared:

“A priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

The natural priesthood under Aaron was temporary.

But Christ belongs to another order.

King and priest.

Righteousness and peace.

An abiding priesthood.

Genesis gives the shadow.

Hebrews reveals the greater reality.

ISAAC POINTS TOWARD THE PROMISED SON

PASSAGE

“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest…”
— Genesis 22:2

TEACHING

Isaac is the son of promise.

He is loved by his father.

He is taken to the mountain.

Wood is laid upon him.

The sacrifice is prepared.

But God provides a substitute.

The story is historical.

But the pattern is powerful.

A father.

A beloved son.

A mountain.

A sacrifice.

Provision.

Later Scripture reveals the Son whom the Father truly gives.

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

Isaac points.

Christ fulfills.

JOSEPH POINTS TOWARD THE REJECTED AND EXALTED CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him.”
— Genesis 37:4

TEACHING

Joseph is loved by his father.

Rejected by his brethren.

Sold.

Brought low.

Falsely accused.

Placed in confinement.

Then exalted.

And through his exaltation, provision comes for the very brothers who rejected him.

The pattern is difficult to miss.

Rejected.

Humiliated.

Exalted.

Made ruler.

Becoming provision for others.

Joseph is not Jesus.

But Joseph’s life contains a pattern that helps us recognize the suffering and exaltation of Christ.

THE PASSOVER LAMB POINTS DIRECTLY TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Your lamb shall be without blemish…”
— Exodus 12:5

TEACHING

The Passover lamb had to be without blemish.

The lamb was slain.

Blood was applied.

Judgment passed over.

Israel was delivered.

Then Paul gives the inspired interpretation:

“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”

There is no need to speculate.

Scripture tells us plainly.

Christ is our Passover.

The lamb pointed to Him.

The blood pointed to Him.

The deliverance pointed toward the redemption accomplished in Him.

THE MANNA POINTS TOWARD CHRIST THE BREAD OF LIFE

PASSAGE

“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.”
— Exodus 16:4

TEACHING

Israel ate bread from heaven.

It sustained them in the wilderness.

But Jesus later said:

“I am the bread of life.”

The natural bread could sustain natural life.

Christ gives a greater life.

The manna was temporary.

Christ is the true bread from heaven.

Again:

Natural first.

Spiritual afterward.

Shadow first.

Substance afterward.

THE ROCK POINTS TOWARD CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock…”
— Exodus 17:6

TEACHING

The rock was smitten.

Water came forth.

Israel drank.

Paul later writes:

“That Rock was Christ.”

The rock was more than geology.

The event was more than wilderness survival.

The Holy Spirit built a testimony into the event.

The smitten Rock provided water.

Christ becomes the source of living water.

Scripture interprets the picture.

THE TABERNACLE POINTS TOWARD CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”
— Exodus 25:8

TEACHING

The tabernacle was filled with revelation.

The gate.

The altar.

The laver.

The lampstand.

The table.

The incense altar.

The veil.

The mercy seat.

The priesthood.

The sacrifices.

The blood.

Hebrews later explains that these were patterns and shadows of greater realities.

Christ becomes the true meeting place.

Christ becomes the sacrifice.

Christ becomes the High Priest.

Christ opens the way.

The tabernacle is not merely an ancient religious structure.

It is part of the testimony pointing toward Christ.

THE HIGH PRIEST POINTS TOWARD JESUS

PASSAGE

“And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother… that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”
— Exodus 28:1

TEACHING

Aaron’s priesthood served under the Old Covenant.

But Hebrews declares:

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God…”

The natural priest points toward the greater Priest.

Aaron entered with blood that was not his own.

Jesus enters through His own blood.

Aaron’s ministry had to be repeated.

Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient.

The shadow was temporary.

The reality is eternal.

THE SACRIFICES POINT TOWARD ONE FINAL SACRIFICE

PASSAGE

“And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him…”
— Leviticus 1:4

TEACHING

The Old Covenant contained repeated sacrifices.

Morning and evening.

Day after day.

Year after year.

Blood continued flowing.

Why?

Because the shadow could not finally remove sin.

Hebrews says:

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

One sacrifice.

For sins.

Forever.

Christ brings the sacrificial system to fulfillment.

The many sacrifices point toward the One.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT POINTS TOWARD THE FINISHED WORK

PASSAGE

“And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year…”
— Exodus 30:10

TEACHING

Under the Old Covenant, atonement was repeated.

The high priest entered once every year.

But Hebrews contrasts that repeated ministry with Christ.

He entered once.

He obtained eternal redemption.

This is a fundamental movement from shadow to substance.

Repeated work gives way to finished work.

Temporary covering gives way to eternal redemption.

The old points toward the new.

Christ fulfills the pattern.

THE FEASTS POINT TOWARD CHRIST AND GOD’S PURPOSE

PASSAGE

“These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations…”
— Leviticus 23:4

TEACHING

Israel’s feasts were appointed by God.

Passover.

Unleavened Bread.

Firstfruits.

Pentecost.

Trumpets.

Atonement.

Tabernacles.

These were natural observances in Israel.

But the New Testament reveals Christ within them.

Christ our Passover.

Christ the Firstfruits.

The outpouring at Pentecost.

The feast language becomes part of a larger spiritual testimony.

The natural feast points beyond itself.

God was revealing a redemptive order.

MOSES POINTS TOWARD A GREATER PROPHET

PASSAGE

“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me…”
— Deuteronomy 18:15

TEACHING

Moses spoke of another Prophet.

The New Testament applies this promise to Christ.

Moses delivered Israel from Egypt.

Christ brings a greater deliverance.

Moses mediated an Old Covenant.

Christ mediates the New Covenant.

Moses led a natural people.

Christ leads a redeemed people.

The prophet like Moses is greater than Moses.

JOSHUA POINTS TOWARD A GREATER REST

PASSAGE

“For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.”
— Hebrews 4:8

TEACHING

The name translated “Jesus” in this verse refers to Joshua.

Joshua led Israel into the land.

But Hebrews tells us that even that natural rest was not the final rest.

There remained another rest.

The natural inheritance pointed toward something greater.

Christ brings His people into the rest of God.

The shadow cannot complete what only the substance can fulfill.

DAVID POINTS TOWARD THE KING

PASSAGE

“I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant.”
— Psalm 89:3

TEACHING

David becomes central to the kingly promise.

God establishes covenant with him.

A Son will sit upon the throne.

The prophets continue developing that promise.

Then the New Testament declares Jesus as the Son of David.

David’s throne points toward a greater kingship.

Christ is not merely a descendant in natural genealogy.

He is the King in whom the promise reaches fulfillment.

THE PSALMS SPEAK OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For David speaketh concerning him…”
— Acts 2:25

TEACHING

Peter tells us that David spoke concerning Christ.

The Psalms contain the sufferings of Christ.

The resurrection of Christ.

The kingship of Christ.

The priesthood of Christ.

The glory of Christ.

This means we cannot read the Psalms merely as David’s personal journal.

Some passages move beyond David.

The Spirit of Christ was testifying beforehand.

The Psalms become prophetic revelation.

ISAIAH SAW CHRIST

PASSAGE

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…”
— Isaiah 53:3

TEACHING

Isaiah wrote centuries before the cross.

Yet he speaks of rejection.

Suffering.

Wounds.

Sin-bearing.

Death.

Burial.

And the outcome of redemption.

The New Testament repeatedly connects Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus.

This reveals again that the prophets were not merely discussing their own generation.

The Spirit was testifying concerning Christ.

THE PROPHETS TESTIFIED OF CHRIST BEFOREHAND

PASSAGE

“When it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”
— 1 Peter 1:11

TEACHING

Peter tells us directly what was happening in the prophets.

The Spirit of Christ was in them.

The Spirit testified beforehand.

Sufferings.

Then glory.

This gives us a major principle for reading prophetic Scripture.

Christ must remain central.

Prophecy without Christ becomes speculation.

Prophecy through Christ becomes revelation.

JONAH POINTS TOWARD DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION

PASSAGE

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
— Matthew 12:40

TEACHING

Jesus Himself interprets Jonah.

Jonah’s experience becomes a sign.

Three days.

Three nights.

Descent.

Then emergence.

Jesus connects it directly with His own death and resurrection.

Again, we do not invent the type.

Christ establishes it.

SOLOMON POINTS TOWARD ONE GREATER THAN SOLOMON

PASSAGE

“Behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”
— Matthew 12:42

TEACHING

Solomon possessed wisdom.

Wealth.

Glory.

A kingdom.

But Jesus said:

“A greater than Solomon is here.”

The natural king becomes part of the testimony of the greater King.

Solomon’s glory cannot compare with Christ.

The shadow points upward.

The lesser directs us toward the greater.

THE TEMPLE POINTS TOWARD CHRIST AND HIS BODY

PASSAGE

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
— John 2:19

TEACHING

Those listening thought Jesus was speaking about the natural temple.

But John explains:

“He spake of the temple of his body.”

Here we see the transition.

Natural temple.

Christ’s body.

Then Paul goes further and says:

“Ye are the temple of God.”

The revelation grows.

Natural house.

Christ.

His people.

God’s dwelling moves from shadow into spiritual reality.

JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS

PASSAGE

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
— Matthew 5:17

TEACHING

Christ fulfills.

That word is essential.

He does not merely comment upon the law and prophets.

He fulfills their testimony.

What they anticipated reaches fullness in Him.

The promise finds fulfillment.

The shadow finds substance.

The prophecy finds its Christ.

The pattern reaches reality.

This is why Bible study cannot stop at the Old Testament form.

We must move into fulfillment.

THE LAW WAS A SCHOOLMASTER TO BRING US TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ…”
— Galatians 3:24

TEACHING

Paul tells us where the law was pointing.

To Christ.

The law reveals sin.

The law exposes inability.

The law establishes shadows.

The law prepares the testimony.

But Christ is the destination.

If we study law and never arrive at Christ, we have stopped before the purpose was revealed.

CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

PASSAGE

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
— Romans 10:4

TEACHING

The law cannot become our righteousness.

Christ is our righteousness.

The Old Covenant cannot produce what the New Covenant supplies.

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.

Therefore, when studying Old Covenant commandments, we must always ask what Christ fulfilled and what the New Covenant now reveals.

The Bible moves forward.

We must move with it.

ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD FIND THEIR YES IN CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen…”
— 2 Corinthians 1:20

TEACHING

The promises come together in Christ.

God does not have one redemptive plan in Genesis, another in Isaiah, another in the Gospels, and another in the Epistles.

The promises converge.

In Him.

Yes.

Amen.

Christ becomes the certainty of God’s purpose.

CHRIST IS THE MYSTERY ONCE HIDDEN BUT NOW REVEALED

PASSAGE

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”
— Colossians 1:26

TEACHING

There was a mystery.

It was hidden through ages.

But now it is revealed.

Paul tells us what that mystery includes:

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

This takes the revelation even deeper.

Christ is not only revealed historically.

Christ is revealed inwardly.

The One testified of throughout Scripture is now revealed in His people.

The purpose moves from promise to manifestation.

CHRIST IS NOT ONLY FOR US — CHRIST IS IN US

PASSAGE

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
— Colossians 1:27

TEACHING

This is where Bible study becomes inward.

We can study Christ historically.

Born in Bethlehem.

Walking in Galilee.

Dying at Calvary.

Rising from the dead.

Ascending.

All of that is essential.

But Paul reveals Christ in another dimension.

Christ in you.

The revelation moves inward.

The Seed is within.

The kingdom works within.

The Spirit dwells within.

The Word is written upon the heart.

God’s purpose is not merely to teach us about Christ.

It is to manifest Christ in us.

CHRIST IS BEING FORMED IN HIS PEOPLE

PASSAGE

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.”
— Galatians 4:19

TEACHING

Paul’s ministry was not satisfied with people merely knowing information about Jesus.

He wanted Christ formed in them.

That is the purpose of revelation.

Revelation leads to formation.

Formation leads to manifestation.

The Word reveals Christ.

The Spirit forms Christ.

The life of Christ is manifested.

This is where Bible study reaches beyond information.

We do not merely see Christ on the page.

We begin recognizing His life within.

THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL A MOVEMENT FROM ADAM TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:22

TEACHING

The Bible reveals two great corporate identities.

In Adam.

In Christ.

Death belongs to the first.

Life belongs to the second.

This distinction runs through Scripture.

Old man.

New man.

Earthly.

Heavenly.

Natural.

Spiritual.

Flesh.

Spirit.

Death.

Life.

The revelation of Christ exposes the limitations of Adam and reveals the glory of the new creation.

THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL A MOVEMENT FROM SHADOW TO SUBSTANCE

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

Shadow is not evil.

It simply is not the final reality.

The shadow has value because it points toward the substance.

But once the substance is revealed, we must not prefer the shadow.

Christ is the substance.

This is why the Bible student must constantly ask:

Am I looking at the shadow or the fulfillment?

THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL A MOVEMENT FROM DEATH TO LIFE

PASSAGE

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
— Romans 8:2

TEACHING

The revelation of Christ is the revelation of life.

Death entered through Adam.

Life is in Christ.

The Scriptures repeatedly expose death so that life may be revealed as greater.

Darkness appears.

Then light shines.

Death appears.

Then resurrection comes.

Adam appears.

Then Christ.

The lesser is swallowed by the greater.

THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL A MOVEMENT FROM OUTWARD TO INWARD

PASSAGE

“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”
— Jeremiah 31:33

TEACHING

Under the old order, much was outward.

Stone.

Temple.

Priesthood.

Sacrifice.

Circumcision.

Nation.

Land.

But the prophets already anticipated an inward covenant.

Law written in the heart.

Then the New Testament reveals the fulfillment.

Spirit within.

Christ within.

Temple within.

Kingdom within.

God’s work moves inward.

THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL A MOVEMENT FROM PROMISE TO FULFILLMENT

PASSAGE

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…”
— Galatians 4:4

TEACHING

Promise waits.

Fulfillment arrives.

The prophets looked forward.

The apostles looked upon fulfillment.

The Bible student must recognize where he is standing in that movement.

We should not live as though Christ has not come.

We should not live as though redemption has not been accomplished.

We should not stand in promise when Scripture declares fulfillment.

Christ has come.

JESUS OPENS THE WHOLE BIBLE

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

This passage must remain before us.

Moses.

The prophets.

All the Scriptures.

Things concerning Himself.

That is how Jesus taught the Bible.

He revealed Himself through it.

And when He did, the disciples began seeing the Scriptures differently.

WHEN CHRIST IS REVEALED THE SCRIPTURES BECOME ONE TESTIMONY

PASSAGE

“Did not our heart burn within us… while he opened to us the scriptures?”
— Luke 24:32

TEACHING

Their hearts burned.

Why?

Because the Scriptures opened.

What once appeared disconnected became connected.

Moses spoke.

The prophets spoke.

The Psalms spoke.

The events of the cross spoke.

And all of them began saying one thing.

Christ.

That is what happens when spiritual revelation opens the Bible.

The pieces come together.

KEEP CHRIST AT THE CENTER OF EVERY STUDY

PASSAGE

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:2

TEACHING

This does not mean Paul knew nothing else.

It means Christ governed everything else.

That should become our pattern.

Study prophecy.

But keep Christ in the center.

Study grace.

Keep Christ in the center.

Study judgment.

Keep Christ in the center.

Study the kingdom.

Keep Christ in the center.

Study Revelation.

Keep Christ in the center.

Study Moses.

Keep Christ in the center.

Study the prophets.

Keep Christ in the center.

Without Christ, Bible study can become information.

With Christ revealed, the whole testimony comes alive.

FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION — THE SCRIPTURES TESTIFY OF JESUS CHRIST

CHAPTER SEVEN

UNDERSTANDING BIBLICAL TYPES, SHADOWS, AND SYMBOLS

GOD OFTEN REVEALS SPIRITUAL TRUTH THROUGH NATURAL PICTURES

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

The Bible is filled with natural things that point toward spiritual realities.

A lamb can point toward Christ.

A priest can point toward Christ.

A tabernacle can point toward God’s dwelling.

Bread can point toward life.

Water can point toward the Spirit.

A wilderness can become a picture of testing.

A promised land can become a picture of inheritance.

A city can become a picture of a people.

A mountain can become a picture of government, kingdom, or divine order.

Scripture often begins with something visible and uses it to reveal something invisible.

This is why types, shadows, and symbols matter.

They are not decorations added to the Bible.

They are part of the way God communicates revelation.

But they must be handled carefully.

A symbol is not an excuse to make Scripture mean anything we want.

A type must remain anchored in the biblical testimony.

A shadow must point toward a greater substance.

And according to Paul, the substance is found in Christ.

A SHADOW IS NOT THE SUBSTANCE

PASSAGE

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things…”
— Hebrews 10:1

TEACHING

A shadow has a relationship to something real.

But the shadow is not the reality itself.

If a person is standing in sunlight, a shadow may appear on the ground.

The shadow tells us something about the person.

But we would never mistake the shadow for the person.

This is how many Old Testament realities function.

The sacrifices were real.

The priesthood was real.

The tabernacle was real.

The feast days were real.

The covenant given through Moses was real.

But Hebrews tells us those things contained shadows.

They pointed toward something greater.

This is one of the most important rules in Bible study:

Never make the shadow greater than the substance.

If Christ has fulfilled the pattern, our understanding must move from the shadow to Christ.

THE PASSOVER LAMB WAS A SHADOW OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Your lamb shall be without blemish…”
— Exodus 12:5

TEACHING

Israel’s Passover was a natural event.

A lamb was chosen.

The lamb was without blemish.

The lamb was slain.

Blood was applied.

Judgment passed over.

Deliverance followed.

Then Paul gives us the spiritual interpretation:

“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”

The Passover lamb was not Christ physically.

It was a type.

A shadow.

A prophetic picture.

The natural lamb helped reveal the greater Lamb.

This is how types operate.

They establish a pattern that later finds fulfillment.

THE BRAZEN SERPENT WAS A SIGN POINTING TOWARD THE CROSS

PASSAGE

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”
— John 3:14

TEACHING

In the wilderness, Israel was bitten by serpents.

God instructed Moses to lift up a brazen serpent.

Those who looked lived.

Then Jesus interprets the event.

He says:

“Even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”

This is a powerful example because Jesus Himself establishes the connection.

We do not have to invent the symbolism.

The natural event becomes a prophetic picture of the cross.

The lifted serpent pointed toward the lifted Christ.

The dying looked and lived.

The type points toward redemption.

THE ROCK WAS CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And that Rock was Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:4

TEACHING

Few verses give us a clearer example of inspired symbolism.

Israel drank from a natural rock.

But Paul says:

“That Rock was Christ.”

The natural event had a spiritual meaning.

The rock was struck.

Water flowed.

The people drank.

Christ would be smitten.

Life would flow.

The image is simple.

But it is powerful.

This is what spiritual interpretation should do.

It should not make Scripture stranger.

It should reveal Christ more clearly.

THE TABERNACLE WAS A PATTERN OF HEAVENLY THINGS

PASSAGE

“See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”
— Hebrews 8:5

TEACHING

The tabernacle was built according to a pattern.

That means it was not random architecture.

Its structure carried meaning.

The outer court.

The altar.

The laver.

The holy place.

The lampstand.

The table.

The incense altar.

The veil.

The most holy place.

The mercy seat.

All of it belonged to a divinely ordered pattern.

Hebrews teaches us that the earthly tabernacle served as a copy and shadow of heavenly things.

Therefore, when we study the tabernacle, we are not merely studying furniture.

We are studying revelation.

The tabernacle points toward Christ.

It points toward access to God.

It points toward priesthood.

It points toward sacrifice.

It points toward God’s dwelling.

And ultimately the New Testament reveals God’s people as His temple.

THE TEMPLE MOVES FROM BUILDING TO PEOPLE

PASSAGE

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
— 1 Corinthians 3:16

TEACHING

The Old Testament temple was made of stone.

But the New Testament moves the revelation inward.

Paul says:

“Ye are the temple of God.”

Peter says believers are “lively stones” built into a spiritual house.

The natural temple becomes a shadow of a greater habitation.

God is not ultimately seeking a building made by human hands.

He is building a people.

A spiritual house.

A dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

This is exactly why symbols must be traced through Scripture.

If we stop with the natural temple, we miss the greater reality.

CIRCUMCISION MOVES FROM THE FLESH TO THE HEART

PASSAGE

“Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter.”
— Romans 2:29

TEACHING

Circumcision under the Old Covenant was outward.

It was performed in the flesh.

But Paul reveals an inward circumcision.

Of the heart.

In the Spirit.

The outward sign becomes a picture of inward separation.

This movement appears repeatedly in Scripture.

Natural first.

Spiritual afterward.

Outward first.

Inward afterward.

Shadow first.

Substance afterward.

The Bible student must learn to follow the movement.

THE SABBATH POINTS TOWARD REST

PASSAGE

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
— Hebrews 4:9

TEACHING

The Sabbath began as a natural day.

Israel was commanded to rest.

But Hebrews carries the revelation deeper.

There is a rest of God.

There is a spiritual entering into rest.

The natural day becomes a shadow of something greater.

Rest is no longer merely twenty-four hours on a calendar.

It becomes participation in the finished work of God.

The shadow points toward fulfillment.

THE FEASTS CONTAIN PROPHETIC PATTERNS

PASSAGE

“These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations…”
— Leviticus 23:4

TEACHING

The feasts of Israel were natural observances.

They occurred in seasons.

They involved days, sacrifices, gatherings, and harvests.

But the New Testament shows us spiritual realities within them.

Passover points toward Christ our Passover.

Firstfruits points toward resurrection.

Pentecost points toward the outpouring of the Spirit.

The feast pattern teaches us that God can use natural seasons to reveal spiritual order.

Again, the natural event is not discarded.

It becomes a prophetic witness.

THE WILDERNESS BECOMES A SPIRITUAL EXAMPLE

PASSAGE

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition…”
— 1 Corinthians 10:11

TEACHING

Paul tells us plainly that Israel’s wilderness experiences became examples for us.

Egypt.

The sea.

The wilderness.

Manna.

Water from the rock.

Idolatry.

Unbelief.

Temptation.

All of these natural events contain spiritual instruction.

Egypt can reveal bondage.

The wilderness can reveal testing and transition.

The promised land can reveal inheritance.

The point is not to force every detail into a spiritual meaning.

The point is to recognize when Scripture itself establishes the pattern.

ADAM IS MORE THAN ONE MAN IN HISTORY

PASSAGE

“Who is the figure of him that was to come.”
— Romans 5:14

TEACHING

Paul says Adam was a figure of the One to come.

That means Adam has typological significance.

Through Adam we begin understanding Christ by contrast.

First man.

Second man.

First Adam.

Last Adam.

Death.

Life.

Disobedience.

Obedience.

Condemnation.

Righteousness.

Adam becomes more than one historical person.

He becomes the head of an order.

Christ becomes the head of another.

The type reveals the contrast.

ISHMAEL AND ISAAC REVEAL FLESH AND PROMISE

PASSAGE

“But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.”
— Galatians 4:23

TEACHING

Paul does something remarkable with the story of Hagar, Sarah, Ishmael, and Isaac.

He does not deny the natural history.

But he reveals spiritual meaning within it.

One is after the flesh.

One is by promise.

One belongs to bondage.

One belongs to liberty.

Paul then says:

“Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants.”

This is inspired interpretation.

The historical account contains covenantal revelation.

Natural birth and promised birth become pictures of two orders.

EGYPT CAN REPRESENT BONDAGE

PASSAGE

“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
— Exodus 20:2

TEACHING

Egypt was a real nation.

Israel experienced real slavery.

But Egypt also becomes a biblical pattern of bondage.

God brought His people out.

This makes the Exodus a powerful picture of deliverance.

Yet the greater deliverance is not merely geographic.

Christ delivers from sin.

From condemnation.

From the old order.

From the dominion of death.

The natural Exodus becomes a picture of a greater redemption.

THE RED SEA CAN REVEAL SEPARATION FROM THE OLD ORDER

PASSAGE

“And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:2

TEACHING

Israel passed through the sea.

Egypt remained behind them.

Paul identifies baptismal imagery in the event.

The sea becomes a dividing line.

One realm behind.

Another ahead.

Bondage behind.

Journey ahead.

A natural event becomes a spiritual example of separation and transition.

This is how symbols work when Scripture gives us the connection.

THE PROMISED LAND CAN REVEAL INHERITANCE

PASSAGE

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee…”
— Deuteronomy 8:2

TEACHING

Israel journeyed toward a natural land.

A promised inheritance.

But later Scripture shows us that natural inheritance does not exhaust the purpose of God.

Hebrews points toward something greater.

The land becomes part of a pattern of entering into what God has prepared.

The type teaches us movement.

From bondage.

Through testing.

Into inheritance.

JERUSALEM CAN SPEAK OF MORE THAN A NATURAL CITY

PASSAGE

“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
— Galatians 4:26

TEACHING

The Bible speaks of natural Jerusalem.

But Paul also speaks of Jerusalem above.

This means the word can carry more than one level of meaning depending upon context.

Natural city.

Spiritual city.

Bondage.

Freedom.

Old covenant.

New covenant.

If we insist that every reference to Jerusalem must only mean the natural city, we can miss the spiritual revelation.

Context tells us which meaning is operating.

BABYLON CAN BECOME MORE THAN A NATURAL EMPIRE

PASSAGE

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen…”
— Revelation 14:8

TEACHING

Babylon begins in Scripture as something natural.

A city.

A kingdom.

An empire.

But the biblical testimony develops the name into a prophetic symbol.

In Revelation, Babylon becomes larger than one ancient city.

It becomes a spiritual system.

A mystery.

A religious and worldly order standing against the kingdom of God.

The natural history creates the vocabulary for later spiritual revelation.

This is why symbols must be traced from their earlier appearances.

THE SERPENT IS A BIBLICAL SYMBOL OF DECEPTION

PASSAGE

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field…”
— Genesis 3:1

TEACHING

The serpent appears early in Scripture.

Deception.

Subtlety.

Opposition to the word of God.

Later Revelation identifies:

“That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan…”

Now the symbol becomes clearer.

The Bible itself establishes the connection.

The serpent becomes more than an animal in a garden.

It becomes a symbol tied to deception and the adversarial order.

THE LAMB IS A SYMBOL CENTERED IN CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
— John 1:29

TEACHING

When John calls Jesus “the Lamb of God,” he is drawing on the entire sacrificial testimony.

Passover.

Sacrifice.

Blood.

Innocence.

Redemption.

The Lamb becomes one of the most powerful symbols in the Bible.

Then Revelation carries the Lamb imagery into the throne.

The Lamb slain.

The Lamb standing.

The Lamb overcoming.

The symbol does not hide Christ.

It reveals Him.

BREAD CAN SYMBOLIZE LIFE

PASSAGE

“I am the bread of life.”
— John 6:35

TEACHING

Bread sustained natural life.

Jesus uses that natural image to reveal spiritual life.

He is the bread of life.

The symbol is simple because the natural function helps us understand the spiritual truth.

Bread feeds.

Christ gives life.

Natural hunger.

Spiritual hunger.

Natural provision.

Spiritual provision.

This is how symbols communicate.

WATER CAN SPEAK OF THE SPIRIT AND LIFE

PASSAGE

“He that believeth on me… out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
— John 7:38

TEACHING

John explains the symbol:

“But this spake he of the Spirit.”

Again, Scripture interprets Scripture.

Living water becomes a picture of the Holy Spirit.

The symbol comes from something natural.

Water refreshes.

Water cleanses.

Water gives life.

Then the natural function reveals the spiritual reality.

LIGHT REVEALS CHRIST AND TRUTH

PASSAGE

“I am the light of the world.”
— John 8:12

TEACHING

Light is one of Scripture’s great symbols.

Light reveals.

Light exposes.

Light gives direction.

Light overcomes darkness.

Jesus says:

“I am the light of the world.”

The symbol tells us something about Him.

He reveals God.

He exposes darkness.

He brings understanding.

He gives life.

The natural image carries spiritual revelation.

DARKNESS CAN REVEAL IGNORANCE AND THE OLD ORDER

PASSAGE

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
— John 1:5

TEACHING

Darkness is more than the absence of natural sunlight in many biblical passages.

It can speak of blindness.

Ignorance.

Sin.

Alienation.

The realm opposed to light.

When Christ appears as Light, darkness is exposed.

This gives us another spiritual contrast.

Light.

Darkness.

Christ.

The old order.

Truth.

Error.

Revelation.

Blindness.

SEED CAN REVEAL NATURE AND GENERATION

PASSAGE

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God…”
— 1 Peter 1:23

TEACHING

Seed produces according to its nature.

This makes seed a powerful biblical symbol.

Corruptible seed produces corruption.

Incorruptible seed produces life.

The serpent has a seed.

The woman has a seed.

Abraham receives promise concerning seed.

Paul identifies the Seed as Christ.

Peter speaks of incorruptible seed.

The symbol reveals generation.

Nature.

Identity.

What is born from what.

A TREE CAN REPRESENT A PERSON OR KINGDOM

PASSAGE

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…”
— Psalm 1:3

TEACHING

Trees appear repeatedly in Scripture.

A righteous man can be compared to a tree.

Kingdoms can be pictured as trees.

Nebuchadnezzar is represented by a tree in Daniel.

Jesus speaks of trees and fruit.

Revelation returns to the tree of life.

The symbol can vary by context.

This is why we do not assume one fixed meaning everywhere.

We study how the symbol is being used in the passage.

MOUNTAINS CAN REVEAL KINGDOM AND GOVERNMENT

PASSAGE

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains…”
— Isaiah 2:2

TEACHING

Mountains in prophetic Scripture can carry governmental significance.

Kingdoms rise.

Governments stand above plains.

Mountains become images of exalted rule.

But again, we must allow context to govern.

Not every mountain automatically means kingdom.

Sometimes a mountain is simply a mountain.

The Bible student must learn restraint.

EARTH, SEA, AND HEAVEN CAN FUNCTION AS SPIRITUAL REALMS

PASSAGE

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea…”
— Revelation 13:1

TEACHING

Prophetic books often use earth, sea, and heaven symbolically.

The sea may portray restless peoples and nations.

The earth may portray established human order.

Heaven may portray a spiritual or governmental realm.

But these meanings must be established from Scripture and context.

The point is not to assign symbols randomly.

The point is to trace how prophetic language operates throughout the biblical testimony.

NUMBERS CAN HAVE PATTERNS — BUT WE MUST NOT FORCE THEM

PASSAGE

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested…”
— Genesis 2:2

TEACHING

Certain numbers repeat in Scripture with recognizable patterns.

Seven often appears with completion.

Twelve appears with governmental order.

Forty often appears in testing or transition.

Three often appears in significant patterns of witness and resurrection.

But we must be careful.

Not every appearance of a number automatically carries the same symbolic meaning.

Numbers should support interpretation.

They should not become the entire interpretation.

We must never build doctrine upon numerical imagination.

COLORS CAN CARRY MEANING — BUT CONTEXT REMAINS KING

PASSAGE

“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”
— Isaiah 1:18

TEACHING

Scripture sometimes uses colors symbolically.

Scarlet.

White.

Purple.

Gold.

Black.

But colors can mean different things in different passages.

White may speak of righteousness or purity.

Scarlet may connect with sin, blood, or royalty depending upon context.

Purple may connect with kingship.

Again:

Context governs interpretation.

We should not create a universal color chart and force every verse into it.

THE BEST SYMBOLS ARE THE ONES SCRIPTURE INTERPRETS FOR US

PASSAGE

“The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
— Revelation 1:20

TEACHING

Here Revelation interprets its own symbols.

Stars.

Candlesticks.

We are told what they represent.

This is the safest kind of symbolic interpretation.

When Scripture gives the meaning, receive it.

When Scripture gives strong patterns, follow them.

When Scripture does not give us enough evidence, remain humble.

DO NOT TURN EVERY DETAIL INTO A SECRET MESSAGE

PASSAGE

“No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
— 2 Peter 1:20

TEACHING

There is a danger in spiritual Bible study.

We can become so eager to find hidden meaning that we create meanings Scripture never intended.

Not every spoon in the tabernacle needs a separate doctrine.

Not every stone in a story needs a prophetic identity.

Not every animal must represent something.

Not every direction has a secret spiritual meaning.

Not every number is a code.

Revelation must remain anchored.

If the interpretation cannot be supported by Scripture, it should not be preached as certainty.

We can say:

“This may suggest…”

But we should not say:

“Thus saith the Lord”

when Scripture has not established it.

A TRUE TYPE POINTS US TOWARD CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
— Revelation 19:10

TEACHING

Types and symbols should not lead us away from Christ.

They should lead us toward Him.

If our interpretation makes the symbol more important than Jesus, we have missed the purpose.

If we become fascinated with beasts, numbers, colors, mysteries, and patterns but Christ becomes smaller, something is wrong.

True revelation magnifies Christ.

The lamb reveals Christ.

The rock reveals Christ.

The bread reveals Christ.

The priest reveals Christ.

The sacrifice reveals Christ.

The king reveals Christ.

The temple reveals Christ and His body.

The covenant reveals Christ.

The testimony moves toward Him.

TYPES ALSO REVEAL CHRIST WITHIN HIS PEOPLE

PASSAGE

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
— Colossians 1:27

TEACHING

We must not stop with historical fulfillment.

Christ is not merely revealed outside of us.

He is revealed within His people.

The temple points to habitation.

The seed points to life within.

The kingdom works within.

The Word is written in the heart.

The Spirit dwells within.

Types and shadows ultimately reveal the inward operation of Christ.

This is where Bible study becomes living.

We are not merely studying symbols in ancient history.

We are seeing the work of God in His people.

THE SYMBOL MUST MOVE FROM REVELATION TO MANIFESTATION

PASSAGE

“That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:11

TEACHING

The purpose of revelation is manifestation.

A symbol reveals.

The Spirit opens its meaning.

The meaning exposes what belongs to the old order.

It identifies what belongs to Christ.

It separates the natural from the spiritual.

Then the greater life overcomes the lesser realm.

Finally Christ is manifested.

This is the movement:

REVEAL.

The Spirit opens the symbol.

EXPOSE.

The light reveals what is contrary to Christ.

IDENTIFY.

We identify the nature, order, seed, or realm involved.

SEPARATE.

We separate Adam from Christ, flesh from Spirit, shadow from substance.

OVERCOME.

The greater life swallows up the lesser.

MANIFEST.

Christ is revealed in His people.

THE SHADOW MUST GIVE WAY TO THE SUBSTANCE

PASSAGE

“But the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

This is where every true biblical shadow must finally bring us.

To Christ.

The lamb gives way to the Lamb.

The priest gives way to the Great High Priest.

The sacrifice gives way to one sacrifice forever.

The natural temple gives way to God’s spiritual habitation.

The outward circumcision gives way to the circumcision of the heart.

The natural Sabbath gives way to the rest of God.

The natural seed gives way to Christ and the incorruptible seed.

The shadow was useful.

But the substance is greater.

SEE THE TYPE — UNDERSTAND THE SHADOW — FOLLOW THE SYMBOL — BUT NEVER STOP UNTIL YOU SEE CHRIST

CHAPTER EIGHT

UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE IN CONTEXT

CONTEXT TELLS US WHAT A PASSAGE ACTUALLY MEANS

PASSAGE

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”
— John 8:31

TEACHING

One of the most important habits in Bible study is learning to read a verse inside the thought that surrounds it.

A verse does not stand alone.

It belongs to a conversation.

A chapter.

A book.

A covenant.

A historical setting.

A larger biblical testimony.

Many misunderstandings happen because a verse is removed from its surroundings and made to say something the writer was never discussing.

Context protects us.

It tells us who is speaking.

Who is listening.

What question is being answered.

What problem is being addressed.

What happened before.

What happens afterward.

Before we ask what a verse means to us, we first ask:

What did it mean where God placed it?

WHO IS SPEAKING?

PASSAGE

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”
— Genesis 3:4

TEACHING

The Bible records these words accurately.

But the words themselves are a lie.

Why?

Because the serpent is speaking.

This gives us a simple but essential rule:

Identify the speaker.

The Bible records conversations involving God, prophets, apostles, angels, kings, disciples, unbelievers, false teachers, demons, Satan, and many others.

Every statement recorded in Scripture is part of the inspired record.

But not every person speaking in Scripture is speaking truth.

If we ignore the speaker, we can quote a lie as though it were a promise from God.

Context begins by asking:

Who said this?

WHO IS BEING ADDRESSED?

PASSAGE

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
— Deuteronomy 6:4

TEACHING

Audience matters.

This passage was spoken to Israel.

Many Scriptures have specific audiences.

Moses speaks to Israel.

The prophets speak to Judah, Jerusalem, kings, priests, nations, or rebellious people.

Jesus speaks sometimes to disciples, sometimes to crowds, sometimes to Pharisees.

Paul writes to particular churches.

Peter writes to particular believers.

Some commands are universal in principle.

Others belong to a specific historical and covenant setting.

Before applying a verse directly to ourselves, ask:

Who received these words first?

That question alone can prevent major errors.

WHAT QUESTION IS BEING ANSWERED?

PASSAGE

“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
— Matthew 24:3

TEACHING

Jesus’ answer in Matthew 24 did not appear out of nowhere.

His disciples asked questions.

Therefore, before interpreting His answer, we must understand the questions.

What had Jesus just said?

What were the disciples looking at?

What did they ask?

What language did Jesus use in response?

When we ignore the question, we can misunderstand the answer.

This is true throughout Scripture.

When Paul answers an issue in one of his letters, identify the issue.

When Jesus responds to a challenge, understand the challenge.

When a prophet gives a warning, determine what produced the warning.

Context explains why the words were spoken.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THIS VERSE?

PASSAGE

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 8:1

TEACHING

The word therefore tells us that Romans 8:1 is a conclusion.

A conclusion to what?

We must look backward.

Paul has already spoken about sin.

Law.

Grace.

Adam.

Christ.

The struggle connected with the law.

Deliverance through Jesus Christ.

Then he declares:

“There is therefore now no condemnation.”

The verse becomes stronger when we understand what produced the conclusion.

Whenever a verse begins with words such as:

Therefore.

Wherefore.

For.

Because.

But.

Then.

Look backward.

The writer is connecting thoughts.

WHAT COMES AFTER THE VERSE?

PASSAGE

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”
— John 3:16

TEACHING

We know John 3:16 well.

But the teaching continues.

The following verses speak of salvation.

Condemnation.

Belief.

Unbelief.

Light.

Darkness.

Deeds.

Truth.

Reading forward helps us understand the full thought.

Sometimes the next verse explains the previous verse.

Sometimes the next paragraph corrects an assumption we might have made.

Bible study should not stop merely because we reached the end of a familiar sentence.

Keep reading.

CHAPTER NUMBERS ARE HELPFUL — BUT THE THOUGHT MAY CONTINUE

PASSAGE

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses…”
— Hebrews 12:1

TEACHING

Hebrews 12 begins with:

“Wherefore…”

That means the writer is drawing a conclusion from what came before.

Hebrews 11 contains the testimony of faith.

Then chapter 12 says:

“Wherefore seeing we also…”

The modern chapter break is useful for finding Scripture.

But the writer’s thought never stopped.

When studying, follow the thought instead of allowing chapter numbers to control the interpretation.

Sometimes the key to chapter twelve is found in chapter eleven.

Sometimes the key to one chapter is several paragraphs earlier.

THE BOOK ITSELF CREATES CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”
— Romans 1:1

TEACHING

Every biblical book has a purpose.

Romans develops a great testimony concerning righteousness, sin, grace, faith, Adam, Christ, Israel, mercy, and the life of the Spirit.

Galatians strongly addresses law and grace.

Hebrews develops covenant, priesthood, sacrifice, rest, shadow, and fulfillment.

John emphasizes life, light, belief, the Son, and the revelation of the Father.

Revelation uses prophetic symbols drawn from the whole biblical testimony.

A verse should be understood within the purpose of the book where it appears.

Ask:

What is this writer developing throughout the book?

That broader context helps individual verses fall into place.

COVENANT IS PART OF CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
— John 1:17

TEACHING

A passage can be correctly quoted and still be wrongly applied if we ignore covenant.

Was this spoken under the law?

Before the cross?

After the resurrection?

Under the New Covenant?

This matters.

Israel was commanded to offer animal sacrifices.

Those commands were real.

But Hebrews tells us Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever.

Israel had a natural priesthood.

But Christ is our Great High Priest.

Israel had outward circumcision.

Paul reveals circumcision of the heart.

If we ignore covenant, we can drag shadows forward as though Christ never fulfilled them.

Context requires us to ask:

Where does this passage stand in God’s redemptive order?

THE CROSS CHANGES THE COVENANTAL POSITION

PASSAGE

“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”
— Hebrews 9:16

TEACHING

The cross is not merely another event in biblical history.

It marks fulfillment.

Redemption.

The establishing of the New Covenant.

Therefore, when studying the words of Jesus during His earthly ministry, we should recognize that He often spoke to people still living under the Mosaic covenant before the cross had occurred.

After the cross, the apostles explain what Christ accomplished.

That does not make Jesus’ earlier words unimportant.

It means we must understand where those words stand in the unfolding of redemption.

The Bible student must learn to read on both sides of the cross.

HISTORICAL SETTING HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE WORDS

PASSAGE

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury…”
— Mark 12:41

TEACHING

Historical setting can clarify a passage.

Where was Jesus?

What was happening?

What customs were operating?

What religious system was functioning?

What political pressures existed?

Historical knowledge can help us understand why certain words carried such force.

But history must serve Scripture.

We do not replace revelation with background information.

We use background to help us see the text more accurately.

CULTURAL SETTING CAN EXPLAIN DETAILS

PASSAGE

“And sat down at meat with the twelve.”
— Matthew 26:20

TEACHING

Biblical culture was not identical to ours.

Marriage customs.

Meals.

Travel.

Clothing.

Agriculture.

Family structures.

Religious ceremonies.

Government.

Slavery.

Commerce.

All operated differently in the ancient world.

Understanding these things can help explain certain passages.

But culture should never become an excuse to erase clear biblical truth.

It is a tool.

Not the master.

The text remains the authority.

WORDS GET THEIR MEANING FROM CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
— Matthew 25:46

TEACHING

A word can carry different shades of meaning depending upon how it is used.

That is why word studies must remain connected to context.

We cannot simply open a dictionary, choose the definition we prefer, and force it into the verse.

Ask:

How is the word being used in this sentence?

How is it used in the paragraph?

How does the same writer use it elsewhere?

How does the larger biblical testimony use it?

Context gives words boundaries.

Without context, word studies can become another form of speculation.

PARABLES MUST BE READ IN THEIR SETTING

PASSAGE

“And he spake many things unto them in parables…”
— Matthew 13:3

TEACHING

Parables were spoken for reasons.

They were spoken to particular audiences.

They arose within particular circumstances.

Sometimes Jesus explains the parable.

When He does, His explanation must govern ours.

We should not assign a secret meaning to every small detail when Jesus Himself identifies the central elements.

Ask:

Why did Jesus tell this parable?

Who heard it?

What subject was He discussing?

What interpretation did He give?

Context keeps parables from becoming uncontrolled symbolism.

PROPHECY MUST BE READ WITH ITS ORIGINAL AUDIENCE IN VIEW

PASSAGE

“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem…”
— Isaiah 1:1

TEACHING

Prophecy may reach beyond its immediate generation.

But it first arose within a real setting.

Isaiah spoke concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Jeremiah ministered during national crisis.

Ezekiel spoke among captives.

Daniel lived through empires.

Understanding the historical setting gives us the starting point.

Then we ask whether the New Testament expands or fulfills the prophecy in Christ.

We should not leap immediately to our own generation while ignoring the people to whom the prophet first spoke.

THE NEW TESTAMENT SHOWS US HOW PROPHECY IS FULFILLED

PASSAGE

“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet…”
— Matthew 4:14

TEACHING

One of the strongest ways to understand prophecy is to watch how inspired New Testament writers apply it.

Matthew repeatedly says:

“That it might be fulfilled.”

Peter interprets prophetic Scripture.

Paul interprets Old Testament promises.

Hebrews interprets covenant shadows.

The inspired writers teach us how fulfillment works.

This keeps prophecy centered in Christ rather than speculation.

DO NOT MAKE A VERSE SAY MORE THAN ITS CONTEXT ALLOWS

PASSAGE

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
— Philippians 4:13

TEACHING

This verse is often quoted as though Paul were saying a believer can accomplish absolutely anything imaginable.

But read the surrounding passage.

Paul speaks of being abased.

Abounding.

Being full.

Being hungry.

Having plenty.

Suffering need.

Then he says:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The context is contentment and endurance in changing circumstances.

The verse is powerful.

But its power becomes clearer when we allow Paul to define what he is discussing.

Context does not weaken a verse.

It protects its true strength.

DO NOT TURN A SPECIFIC PROMISE INTO A UNIVERSAL GUARANTEE WITHOUT EXAMINATION

PASSAGE

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD…”
— Jeremiah 29:11

TEACHING

This verse was spoken within a particular prophetic context.

Israel was in captivity.

Jeremiah was writing to exiles.

There was a seventy-year setting surrounding the promise.

The verse certainly reveals something about God’s faithfulness and purpose.

But sound Bible study first recognizes who received the promise and under what circumstances.

Then we ask what principle may properly be learned from it.

We should never bypass context simply because a verse sounds encouraging.

DO NOT APPLY A WARNING TO THE WRONG PEOPLE

PASSAGE

“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
— Matthew 23:33

TEACHING

Jesus is speaking directly to religious leaders in a chapter filled with rebuke.

If we remove the verse from context and preach it indiscriminately to believers in Christ, we distort the audience.

This is why identifying who is being addressed matters.

A warning to hypocritical religious rulers is not automatically a description of every Christian struggling with weakness.

Context protects people from condemnation produced by misapplied Scripture.

DO NOT TAKE AN OLD COVENANT CONDITION AND IGNORE NEW COVENANT FULFILLMENT

PASSAGE

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
— Hebrews 9:22

TEACHING

The verse speaks within a discussion of covenant and sacrifice.

But Hebrews does not stop there.

It moves to Christ.

His blood.

His sacrifice.

His once-for-all work.

If we quote Old Covenant sacrificial language without continuing to Christ, we leave the reader standing in the shadow.

Context moves us toward fulfillment.

THE WHOLE BIBLE PROVIDES THE LARGEST CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

Immediate context matters.

Book context matters.

Covenant context matters.

Historical context matters.

But there is an even larger context:

The whole biblical testimony.

Jesus interpreted Moses and the prophets within the revelation of Himself.

This means no verse should finally be interpreted in a way that overturns the central revelation of Christ and His redemptive work.

Christ gives the Scriptures their great center.

ADAM AND CHRIST CREATE A MAJOR BIBLICAL CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:22

TEACHING

When studying Scripture, determine whether a passage is revealing the Adamic order or the Christ order.

This is context at the level of spiritual identity.

In Adam.

In Christ.

Old man.

New man.

Earthly.

Heavenly.

Death.

Life.

Many apparent contradictions disappear when we recognize which order Scripture is describing.

LAW AND GRACE CREATE ANOTHER MAJOR CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“For ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
— Romans 6:14

TEACHING

Law and grace must not be mixed.

A passage dealing with law has a covenantal context.

A passage dealing with grace has another.

The law commands from without.

The New Covenant works within.

The law exposes sin.

Grace reveals righteousness in Christ.

The law carries shadow.

Christ is substance.

Understanding whether a passage belongs to law or grace helps us interpret it correctly.

NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL CREATE ANOTHER CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:46

TEACHING

Sometimes context tells us whether Scripture is speaking naturally or spiritually.

Natural bread.

Spiritual bread.

Natural temple.

Spiritual temple.

Natural circumcision.

Spiritual circumcision.

Natural Jerusalem.

Jerusalem above.

If we confuse the two levels, we can misinterpret the passage.

Context helps us know when Scripture moves from outward to inward.

SHADOW AND SUBSTANCE MUST NOT BE CONFUSED

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

If the passage describes a shadow, identify it as a shadow.

If the New Testament reveals the substance, move to the substance.

The shadow has context.

The fulfillment has context.

The Bible student must recognize where he is standing.

We do not preach the lamb as though the Lamb has not come.

We do not preach the priesthood as though the Great High Priest has not come.

We do not preach repeated sacrifices as though one sacrifice has not been offered forever.

Context keeps us in the proper redemptive position.

EVERY VERSE MUST AGREE WITH THE CHARACTER OF GOD REVEALED IN CHRIST

PASSAGE

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”
— John 14:9

TEACHING

Jesus is the clearest revelation of the Father.

Therefore, when our interpretation of Scripture produces a picture of God that contradicts the character revealed in Christ, we need to examine our interpretation again.

This does not mean we ignore difficult passages.

It means we interpret them within the fullness of God’s revelation.

Christ is the image of the invisible God.

He reveals the Father.

The whole Bible must finally be read through that revelation.

CONTEXT HELPS US SEPARATE TRADITION FROM SCRIPTURE

PASSAGE

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition…”
— Mark 7:13

TEACHING

Tradition often survives because verses are repeatedly quoted without context.

Once we place the verse back into the passage, the traditional interpretation may collapse.

That can be uncomfortable.

But truth is more important than familiarity.

A Bible student must be willing to ask:

Did Scripture really say what I was taught that it said?

Read it again.

Read before it.

Read after it.

Trace the subject.

Compare the witnesses.

Context exposes tradition.

CONTEXT HELPS US IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING EXPOSED

PASSAGE

“But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light.”
— Ephesians 5:13

TEACHING

Once we understand context, we can identify what the passage is actually exposing.

Is it exposing unbelief?

Religious hypocrisy?

Law-based thinking?

Flesh?

Pride?

Fear?

Idolatry?

The Adamic mind?

Knowing what is being exposed prevents us from applying the rebuke to the wrong thing.

CONTEXT HELPS US IDENTIFY WHAT GOD IS REVEALING

PASSAGE

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit…”
— 1 Corinthians 2:10

TEACHING

Context does not hinder spiritual revelation.

It strengthens it.

Once the passage is grounded, the Spirit can show us the deeper truth without our imagination taking over.

We know where the passage stands.

We know who is speaking.

We know the covenant.

We know the natural setting.

Then spiritual revelation can open the greater reality.

CONTEXT HELPS US SEPARATE THE OLD FROM THE NEW

PASSAGE

“Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

TEACHING

The Bible contains both old and new.

Old covenant.

New covenant.

Old man.

New man.

Old creation.

New creation.

Context helps us know which one is speaking.

Without this separation, we can preach old things over people whom God has placed in Christ.

Bible study must rightly divide.

CONTEXT HELPS US SEE WHAT CHRIST HAS OVERCOME

PASSAGE

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
— Romans 8:2

TEACHING

Once the passage is properly understood, we can see the movement of redemption.

What was the problem?

What did Christ accomplish?

What was bondage?

What is liberty?

What belonged to death?

What belongs to life?

Context reveals the conflict and the victory.

CONTEXT LEADS US TO MANIFESTATION

PASSAGE

“That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:10

TEACHING

Sound Bible study should ultimately produce more than correct interpretation.

Truth should work within us.

The Word exposes.

Separates.

Renews.

Transforms.

Reveals Christ.

And the life of Jesus becomes manifest.

That is why context matters.

If we misunderstand the Word, we can apply something God never intended.

If we understand it rightly, truth can do its proper work.

USE THIS CONTEXT CHECK EVERY TIME YOU STUDY

PASSAGE

“Understandest thou what thou readest?”
— Acts 8:30

TEACHING

When opening a passage, ask these questions:

WHO IS SPEAKING?

WHO IS BEING ADDRESSED?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

WHAT QUESTION IS BEING ANSWERED?

WHAT COMES BEFORE?

WHAT COMES AFTER?

WHAT BOOK AM I READING?

WHAT COVENANT IS OPERATING?

WHAT HISTORICAL SETTING IS INVOLVED?

IS THE LANGUAGE NATURAL, SPIRITUAL, SYMBOLIC, PROPHETIC, OR TYPOLOGICAL?

WHAT OTHER SCRIPTURES DEAL WITH THIS SUBJECT?

WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT REVEAL ABOUT IT?

HOW DOES IT RELATE TO JESUS CHRIST AND HIS FINISHED WORK?

Those questions will save us from many errors.

CONTEXT DOES NOT KILL REVELATION — IT GIVES REVELATION A FOUNDATION

PASSAGE

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45

TEACHING

We do not choose between context and revelation.

We need both.

Context tells us what is written.

Revelation opens what is contained within it.

Context gives the foundation.

The Spirit gives understanding.

Christ gives the testimony its center.

When these work together, Bible study becomes both sound and alive.

We do not force meanings into Scripture.

We allow Scripture to reveal its meaning.

Then the Holy Spirit carries us from the natural text into the living revelation of Christ.

READ IT WHERE IT STANDS — UNDERSTAND WHO IT ADDRESSES — RIGHTLY DIVIDE IT — AND LET CHRIST OPEN THE SCRIPTURES

CHAPTER NINE

HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT OPENS THE SCRIPTURES

THE BIBLE CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD BY THE NATURAL MIND ALONE

PASSAGE

“But the natural man 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

TEACHING

We can read the words of Scripture with our natural eyes.

We can study grammar.

We can learn history.

We can memorize verses.

We can examine maps, timelines, customs, and languages.

All of those things can help us study.

But Paul tells us plainly that there are things of God that cannot be known by the natural mind alone.

They are spiritually discerned.

This does not make careful study unnecessary.

It reveals the limitation of careful study without the Spirit.

The natural mind can collect information.

The Holy Spirit gives illumination.

The natural mind can tell us what words are on the page.

The Holy Spirit begins opening the spiritual reality contained within those words.

This is why two people can read the same passage and one sees only the natural story while another begins seeing Christ.

The difference is revelation.

GOD REVEALS BY HIS SPIRIT

PASSAGE

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:10

TEACHING

Notice Paul’s language.

He does not say:

“We figured them out.”

He says:

“God hath revealed them.”

Revelation begins with God.

The Spirit searches the deep things of God and makes them known.

There are depths in Scripture.

Depths of redemption.

Depths of covenant.

Depths of Christ.

Depths of grace.

Depths of kingdom.

Depths of God’s eternal purpose.

We may read a passage for years at one level and then suddenly see something deeper.

The words did not change.

The Holy Spirit opened our understanding.

That is revelation.

THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT GIVE ANOTHER WORD — HE OPENS THE WORD ALREADY GIVEN

PASSAGE

“He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
— John 14:26

TEACHING

The Holy Spirit does not lead us away from Scripture.

He brings us deeper into it.

Jesus said the Spirit would teach and bring His words to remembrance.

That gives us an important safeguard.

True spiritual revelation does not contradict Scripture.

It illuminates Scripture.

It connects Scripture.

It brings forgotten passages back to remembrance.

It causes one verse to suddenly illuminate another.

It opens Christ within the testimony.

The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures is the Spirit who teaches us through them.

Therefore, the Spirit and the Word do not compete.

They agree.

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH GUIDES US INTO TRUTH

PASSAGE

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…”
— John 16:13

TEACHING

Jesus calls Him:

“The Spirit of truth.”

The Holy Spirit does not guide us into confusion.

He guides into truth.

That guidance often happens progressively.

One passage opens.

Then another.

A distinction becomes clear.

An old assumption is exposed.

A connection appears.

Something we once mixed together begins separating.

Law from grace.

Adam from Christ.

Natural from spiritual.

Shadow from substance.

Old covenant from New Covenant.

The Spirit guides us until the testimony becomes clearer.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS JESUS CHRIST

PASSAGE

“He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
— John 16:14

TEACHING

This gives us one of the strongest tests of spiritual revelation.

The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ.

If an interpretation makes everything about us, our greatness, our secret knowledge, or our superiority, we should examine it carefully.

The Spirit reveals Christ.

His finished work.

His righteousness.

His life.

His covenant.

His kingdom.

His glory.

His purpose.

The deeper the Spirit takes us into Scripture, the greater Christ becomes in our understanding.

JESUS OPENED THEIR UNDERSTANDING

PASSAGE

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45

TEACHING

The disciples already possessed Scripture.

They had heard it in synagogues.

They knew Moses.

They knew the prophets.

They knew the Psalms.

Yet Jesus had to open their understanding.

This reveals that possessing Scripture and understanding Scripture are not the same thing.

A closed understanding can read an open Bible and still miss the truth.

Jesus opened their understanding.

Suddenly familiar passages began saying something greater.

They began seeing how suffering, death, resurrection, promise, and fulfillment all came together in Christ.

That same need remains.

We need opened understanding.

THEIR HEARTS BURNED WHEN THE SCRIPTURES OPENED

PASSAGE

“Did not our heart burn within us… while he opened to us the scriptures?”
— Luke 24:32

TEACHING

The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew what had happened naturally.

Jesus had been crucified.

The tomb was empty.

Reports of resurrection were circulating.

But they did not understand the meaning.

Then Jesus opened Moses and the prophets.

Their hearts burned.

That burning came when natural information became spiritual understanding.

They moved from:

WHAT HAPPENED?

to:

WHAT WAS GOD REVEALING THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED?

This is one of the great movements of Bible study.

REVELATION OFTEN BEGINS WITH A QUESTION

PASSAGE

“Understandest thou what thou readest?”
— Acts 8:30

TEACHING

Philip asked the Ethiopian a simple question.

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

The man answered:

“How can I, except some man should guide me?”

He was reading Scripture.

But he needed understanding.

His question became the doorway.

Do not be afraid of questions when you study.

Ask:

What does this mean?

Why is this word repeated?

Why does Paul make this contrast?

Why did Jesus answer this way?

What does this symbol mean?

Where else does Scripture use it?

How does this passage reveal Christ?

Questions create places for understanding to open.

THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN USE TEACHERS

PASSAGE

“And he gave some… pastors and teachers.”
— Ephesians 4:11

TEACHING

Depending upon the Holy Spirit does not mean rejecting teachers.

The Spirit can teach us through people.

Philip taught the Ethiopian.

Paul taught churches.

Apollos was helped by Aquila and Priscilla.

The body of Christ contains teaching gifts.

But every teacher remains subject to the Word.

A true teacher does not replace the Holy Spirit.

A true teacher helps point us toward what the Spirit is revealing in Scripture.

THE HOLY SPIRIT CONNECTS PASSAGES

PASSAGE

“Comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:13

TEACHING

Sometimes revelation comes through connection.

You are reading Exodus.

A passage from Corinthians comes to mind.

You are reading Genesis.

Romans suddenly gives the interpretation.

You are reading Isaiah.

A passage in Revelation begins making sense.

You are reading Hebrews.

Leviticus opens.

This is how Scripture begins joining together.

The Spirit causes witnesses to meet.

A truth that looked isolated becomes part of a larger pattern.

The Bible begins becoming one testimony.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE CHRIST BEHIND THE SHADOW

PASSAGE

“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
— 1 Corinthians 5:7

TEACHING

The natural mind sees a lamb in Exodus.

The Spirit reveals Christ our Passover.

The natural mind sees a priest.

The Spirit reveals the Great High Priest.

The natural mind sees bread from heaven.

The Spirit reveals the Bread of Life.

The natural mind sees a rock.

The Spirit reveals Christ.

The natural mind sees a temple.

The Spirit reveals a spiritual habitation.

The Spirit takes us from shadow to substance.

And the substance is Christ.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE INWARD REALITY

PASSAGE

“For the kingdom of God is within you.”
— Luke 17:21

TEACHING

The natural mind is drawn toward outward things.

Outward temples.

Outward kingdoms.

Outward ceremonies.

Outward signs.

But the Spirit continually moves us toward the inward work of God.

Christ within.

The Spirit within.

The law written within.

The kingdom operating within.

Circumcision of the heart.

A spiritual house.

The new man.

When revelation comes, we begin asking:

Where is this happening spiritually?

What is God doing in the heart?

What nature is being exposed?

What life is being brought forth?

This question carries us beyond outward religion.

THE WORD IS A DISCERNER OF THE HEART

PASSAGE

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword… and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
— Hebrews 4:12

TEACHING

The Word does not merely give us information about other people.

It discerns us.

It exposes motives.

Thoughts.

Intentions.

Mixture.

Fear.

Unbelief.

Self-righteousness.

Religious performance.

The natural mind wants to use Scripture to judge everything outside itself.

The Spirit turns the light inward.

The Word begins separating what is soulish from what is spiritual.

What belongs to Adam.

What belongs to Christ.

What comes from fear.

What comes from faith.

What comes from flesh.

What comes from Spirit.

The Word divides.

REVELATION EXPOSES BEFORE IT SEPARATES

PASSAGE

“But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”
— Ephesians 5:13

TEACHING

Light reveals what darkness concealed.

This is part of the Holy Spirit’s work through Scripture.

He exposes.

Sometimes we believed something for years.

Then light comes.

We suddenly recognize that what we called faith was fear.

What we called righteousness was self-righteousness.

What we called grace was mixture.

What we called spiritual was natural reasoning.

Revelation first makes something visible.

Once visible, it can be identified.

REVELATION IDENTIFIES THE SOURCE

PASSAGE

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
— John 3:6

TEACHING

After something is exposed, we ask:

Where did this come from?

Flesh?

Spirit?

Adam?

Christ?

Law?

Grace?

Fear?

Faith?

Darkness?

Light?

Jesus gives us a clear distinction.

Flesh produces flesh.

Spirit produces spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps us identify the source.

This keeps us from calling flesh spiritual simply because it is religious.

REVELATION SEPARATES WHAT RELIGION MIXES

PASSAGE

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.”
— Galatians 5:17

TEACHING

Some things cannot be mixed.

Flesh and Spirit are contrary.

Law and grace cannot both govern righteousness.

Adam and Christ are two different heads.

Old covenant and New Covenant are not the same administration.

Natural understanding and spiritual revelation are different realms of perception.

The Spirit separates.

Religion mixes.

Revelation divides clearly.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS WHAT BELONGS TO THE OLD MAN

PASSAGE

“Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”
— Colossians 3:9

TEACHING

The old man is not our destination.

The Spirit reveals the difference between the old man and the new.

The old belongs to Adam.

The new belongs to Christ.

When Scripture exposes bitterness, pride, fear, condemnation, fleshly identity, or self-centeredness, the purpose is not merely to make us stare at the old.

The purpose is separation.

See it.

Identify it.

Recognize that it does not belong to the new creation.

Then turn toward Christ.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE NEW MAN

PASSAGE

“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
— Ephesians 4:24

TEACHING

Revelation does more than tell us what must go.

It shows us what God has brought forth.

The new man.

Righteousness.

Holiness.

Christ.

Life.

The Spirit does not leave us staring at Adam.

He reveals the greater Man.

The answer to the old man is not endless human improvement.

The answer is the new man in Christ.

REVELATION BRINGS US FROM CONDEMNATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

PASSAGE

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 8:1

TEACHING

A believer can read Scripture through condemnation.

Every warning becomes a threat.

Every command becomes evidence of failure.

Every difficult passage produces fear.

But the Holy Spirit teaches us to read from our position in Christ.

That does not make correction unnecessary.

It places correction within redemption.

We are not studying Scripture to discover whether Christ accomplished enough.

We are studying from what Christ has accomplished.

That changes everything.

THE SPIRIT REVEALS GRACE

PASSAGE

“Now we have received… the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:12

TEACHING

This verse is powerful.

The Spirit helps us know:

“The things that are freely given to us of God.”

Grace must be revealed.

The natural religious mind continually wants to earn.

Qualify.

Achieve.

Perform.

Prove.

But the Spirit shows us what has been freely given.

Righteousness.

Life.

Sonship.

Access.

Inheritance.

The indwelling Spirit.

Union with Christ.

The natural mind asks:

“What must I accomplish to obtain?”

Grace reveals:

“What has God freely given in Christ?”

THE SPIRIT REVEALS SONSHIP

PASSAGE

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
— Romans 8:16

TEACHING

The Spirit reveals identity.

We are not merely servants standing outside.

We are children.

Sons.

Heirs.

The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

This is more than intellectual doctrine.

It is inward recognition.

The Word declares it.

The Spirit witnesses to it.

Identity becomes established.

THE SPIRIT REVEALS THE THINGS OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
— John 16:14

TEACHING

Every time the Spirit opens Scripture, He is drawing from the inexhaustible riches of Christ.

His righteousness.

His obedience.

His death.

His resurrection.

His priesthood.

His kingship.

His life.

His Spirit.

His inheritance.

His glory.

There is always more Christ to see.

We never graduate from Him.

True maturity does not move beyond Christ.

It moves deeper into Him.

REVELATION TRANSFORMS HOW WE SEE OURSELVES

PASSAGE

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image…”
— 2 Corinthians 3:18

TEACHING

What we behold changes us.

If our entire Bible study centers upon failure, we become failure-conscious.

If it centers upon condemnation, we become condemnation-conscious.

If it centers upon Adam, we become Adam-conscious.

But Paul directs our gaze toward:

“The glory of the Lord.”

As we behold Him, transformation occurs.

Revelation produces manifestation.

What we see in Christ begins governing how we understand ourselves in Him.

THE SPIRIT TRANSFORMS BY RENEWING THE MIND

PASSAGE

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
— Romans 12:2

TEACHING

The mind must be renewed.

Old thinking can remain after new birth.

Religious thinking.

Fearful thinking.

Law-based thinking.

Adamic thinking.

The Word renews us as the Spirit reveals truth.

Transformation follows renewed understanding.

That is why Bible study matters.

We are not merely filling our minds with facts.

Our minds are being brought into agreement with what God has accomplished in Christ.

THE SPIRIT REVEALS FROM GLORY TO GLORY

PASSAGE

“But we all… are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:18

TEACHING

Spiritual understanding develops.

We see.

Then we see more.

One veil comes off.

Then another.

One tradition falls.

Another distinction becomes clear.

One shadow opens.

Christ becomes greater.

The Spirit leads from glory to glory.

We should never assume that because we understand something today, we have exhausted the depth of it.

There is always more light in Christ.

REVELATION DOES NOT PRODUCE PRIDE

PASSAGE

“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:1

TEACHING

True revelation should humble us.

If knowing more Scripture causes us to despise people who know less, something has gone wrong.

Revelation is grace.

We did not create the light.

God gave it.

We did not open our own spiritual eyes.

God revealed.

Therefore, greater understanding should produce greater love, patience, and humility.

The purpose is not to become proud of what we see.

The purpose is to manifest Christ.

REVELATION MUST BE TESTED

PASSAGE

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:21

TEACHING

Not every thought we have while reading Scripture is revelation.

Not every exciting idea is truth.

Not every spiritual-sounding interpretation came from the Holy Spirit.

Test it.

Does it agree with Scripture?

Does it honor context?

Does it agree with the New Covenant?

Does it magnify Christ?

Does it agree with the finished work?

Can other Scriptures bear witness to it?

Does it reveal the character of God seen in Jesus?

Truth can be tested.

THE SPIRIT WILL NEVER CONTRADICT THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
— Hebrews 10:12

TEACHING

Any interpretation that makes Christ’s finished work unfinished must be examined carefully.

He offered one sacrifice.

He sat down.

Redemption was accomplished.

The New Covenant is established upon His work.

The Spirit who reveals Scripture glorifies that accomplishment.

He does not lead us backward into a system of endless sacrifice, endless condemnation, and endless attempts to complete what Christ finished.

Revelation brings us into rest in what Christ has accomplished.

THE SPIRIT TAKES US FROM PROMISE INTO FULFILLMENT

PASSAGE

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…”
— Galatians 4:4

TEACHING

The Old Testament contains promise.

Christ brings fulfillment.

The prophets anticipated.

The apostles proclaimed what had come.

The Holy Spirit helps us recognize where fulfillment has occurred.

Without this understanding, we may keep waiting for something God has already accomplished in Christ.

Bible study must move with God’s redemptive purpose.

From promise.

To Christ.

From shadow.

To substance.

From anticipation.

To fulfillment.

THE SPIRIT REVEALS CHRIST IN US

PASSAGE

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
— Colossians 1:27

TEACHING

The revelation finally moves inward.

Christ for us.

Christ with us.

Christ in us.

The mystery is not merely that Jesus existed historically.

The mystery is Christ in you.

Now the Scriptures become personal in the deepest possible way.

The temple becomes inward habitation.

The kingdom becomes inward government.

The seed becomes inward life.

The Word becomes written upon the heart.

The Spirit becomes the indwelling teacher.

God’s purpose is being worked within His people.

THE SPIRIT REVEALS CHRIST SO CHRIST MAY BE FORMED

PASSAGE

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.”
— Galatians 4:19

TEACHING

Paul did not merely want believers to know doctrines about Christ.

He wanted Christ formed in them.

Revelation must lead somewhere.

It leads to formation.

Christ revealed.

Christ formed.

Christ manifested.

This is why spiritual Bible study cannot end with:

“I learned something.”

The greater question is:

“What is this truth producing within me?”

THE LIFE OF JESUS IS TO BE MANIFESTED

PASSAGE

“That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:10

TEACHING

This is where revelation reaches its purpose.

The life of Jesus becomes manifest.

Not merely discussed.

Not merely studied.

Not merely defended.

Manifested.

Love becomes visible.

Grace becomes visible.

Righteousness becomes visible.

Life becomes visible.

Christ becomes visible through His people.

THE SPIRITUAL MOVEMENT OF THE WORD

PASSAGE

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts…”
— 2 Corinthians 4:6

TEACHING

We can now see the movement clearly.

REVEAL

The Holy Spirit shines light upon the Word.

EXPOSE

The light exposes darkness, mixture, tradition, flesh, and natural understanding.

IDENTIFY

We identify what belongs to Adam and what belongs to Christ.

SEPARATE

The Word separates old from new, flesh from Spirit, law from grace, shadow from substance.

OVERCOME

The greater life of Christ swallows up what belongs to the lesser order.

MANIFEST

Christ is formed and expressed through His people.

This is not merely a method for interpreting verses.

It is the operation of revelation within us.

PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION

PASSAGE

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.”
— Ephesians 1:17

TEACHING

Paul prayed for believers who already knew Christ.

Yet he still prayed for:

Wisdom.

Revelation.

Knowledge of Him.

There was more to see.

Then Paul prayed:

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened…”

That is a powerful prayer for every Bible student.

Not simply:

“Lord, help me finish this chapter.”

But:

“Enlighten the eyes of my understanding.”

Let me see Christ.

Let me understand His calling.

His inheritance.

His power.

His purpose.

Let the Word become light within me.

OPEN THE BIBLE EXPECTING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TEACH YOU

PASSAGE

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
— 2 Timothy 2:7

TEACHING

Paul gives us both sides.

Consider.

And:

The Lord give thee understanding.

Study.

Think.

Read.

Compare.

Ask questions.

Search.

But remain dependent upon God for understanding.

Bible study is not passive.

Neither is revelation merely intellectual achievement.

We study faithfully.

And the Spirit opens understanding.

That is the balance.

READ WITH YOUR EYES — STUDY WITH YOUR MIND — BUT DEPEND UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT TO OPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING

CHAPTER TEN

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER — FROM BIBLE STUDY TO SPIRITUAL REVELATION

THE PURPOSE IS NOT MERELY TO READ THE BIBLE — IT IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS REVEALING

PASSAGE

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45

TEACHING

We have now established the major foundations for spiritual Bible study.

Read the passage carefully.

Understand the context.

Know who is speaking.

Know who is being addressed.

Recognize the covenant.

Compare Scripture with Scripture.

Identify types, shadows, and symbols.

Keep Jesus Christ at the center.

Depend upon the Holy Spirit for understanding.

Now we bring those principles together.

The goal is not simply to accumulate information about the Bible.

The goal is understanding.

Jesus opened the disciples’ understanding.

They already possessed the Scriptures.

What they needed was for those Scriptures to open within them.

That is where Bible study becomes revelation.

BEGIN WITH WHAT THE PASSAGE ACTUALLY SAYS

PASSAGE

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
— Psalm 119:130

TEACHING

Never begin by trying to make a passage spiritual.

Begin by reading it.

What does it say?

What happened?

Who is involved?

What words are repeated?

What is the central thought?

We must first see the text before we attempt to see through the text.

Natural understanding gives us the foundation.

Spiritual revelation takes us deeper.

This order protects us from imagination.

ESTABLISH THE CONTEXT

PASSAGE

“Wherefore…”
— Hebrews 12:1

TEACHING

A single word can tell us that something came before.

Wherefore.

Therefore.

Because.

For.

These words connect thoughts.

Before building an interpretation, read what comes before and after.

Ask:

What is the writer discussing?

What problem is being addressed?

What conclusion is being reached?

What covenant is operating?

Context gives revelation a foundation.

IDENTIFY THE NATURAL PICTURE

PASSAGE

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:46

TEACHING

The natural often comes first.

Israel crossed a natural sea.

A natural lamb was slain.

A natural rock gave water.

A natural temple stood in Jerusalem.

Natural bread fell in the wilderness.

Natural circumcision marked the flesh.

Do not deny the natural event.

Understand it.

Then ask whether Scripture reveals something greater through it.

Natural first.

Spiritual afterward.

LOOK FOR THE INSPIRED SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION

PASSAGE

“And that Rock was Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:4

TEACHING

Before creating our own meaning, search Scripture.

Has Jesus interpreted the pattern?

Has Paul?

Peter?

Hebrews?

Revelation?

The strongest spiritual interpretations are those Scripture establishes for us.

The rock was Christ.

Christ is our Passover.

Hagar and Sarah represent two covenants.

The temple becomes a spiritual house.

Circumcision moves into the heart.

When Scripture interprets the picture, we have solid ground.

FIND CHRIST IN THE TESTIMONY

PASSAGE

“They are they which testify of me.”
— John 5:39

TEACHING

The next question is:

What does this reveal concerning Jesus Christ?

The Bible moves toward Him.

Promise moves toward Him.

Sacrifice moves toward Him.

Priesthood moves toward Him.

Prophecy moves toward Him.

Kingdom moves toward Him.

Covenant moves toward Him.

The Bible student should continually look for Christ without forcing Christ into places Scripture does not support.

When the testimony is properly opened, Christ emerges naturally.

MOVE FROM SHADOW TO SUBSTANCE

PASSAGE

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
— Colossians 2:17

TEACHING

Once Christ is revealed, do not go backward.

The lamb pointed toward Him.

The priest pointed toward Him.

The sacrifice pointed toward Him.

The temple pointed toward a greater habitation.

The Sabbath pointed toward a greater rest.

The shadow served its purpose.

But Christ is the substance.

Bible study must carry us from anticipation into fulfillment.

MOVE FROM OLD COVENANT TO NEW COVENANT

PASSAGE

“In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old.”
— Hebrews 8:13

TEACHING

This distinction is essential.

The Bible contains the record of both covenants.

Therefore, everything recorded in Scripture is not applied in exactly the same way.

The Old Covenant had:

Natural priesthood.

Repeated sacrifices.

Written commandments upon stone.

Natural circumcision.

A natural sanctuary.

The New Covenant reveals:

Jesus Christ as Great High Priest.

One sacrifice forever.

The law written upon the heart.

Circumcision of the heart.

God dwelling in His people.

The Bible student must know which covenant he is reading.

Then he must understand everything through the fulfillment accomplished in Christ.

MOVE FROM ADAM TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:22

TEACHING

Another major question is:

Which man is being revealed?

Adam?

Or Christ?

The first man?

Or the second Man?

The old man?

Or the new man?

Death?

Or life?

Much confusion disappears when we recognize these two orders.

Adam is not Christ.

Flesh is not Spirit.

The old creation is not the new creation.

The answer to Adam is not a repaired Adam.

The answer is Christ.

MOVE FROM OUTWARD TO INWARD

PASSAGE

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
— Philippians 2:13

TEACHING

Once we understand the external picture, we ask:

Where is God doing the work now?

The New Covenant continually brings the revelation inward.

Christ in you.

Spirit in you.

Kingdom within.

Law written upon the heart.

Temple of God.

New man.

Incorruptible seed.

The outward picture points toward an inward operation.

This is where Scripture begins becoming more than history.

It becomes living revelation within us.

REVELATION MUST EXPOSE WHAT IS CONTRARY TO CHRIST

PASSAGE

“For whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”
— Ephesians 5:13

TEACHING

Light reveals Christ.

But light also exposes what is not Christ.

When the Word opens, it may expose:

Fear.

Condemnation.

Self-righteousness.

Tradition.

Unbelief.

Religious mixture.

Natural reasoning.

The fleshly mind.

The Adamic identity.

This is not revelation working against us.

It is light working within us.

What remains hidden cannot be clearly identified.

So revelation exposes.

IDENTIFY WHAT THE LIGHT HAS EXPOSED

PASSAGE

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
— John 3:6

TEACHING

Once something is exposed, identify its source.

Is it flesh?

Or Spirit?

Adam?

Or Christ?

Law?

Or grace?

Fear?

Or faith?

Death?

Or life?

Darkness?

Or light?

We must learn to call things by their proper name.

Religious flesh is still flesh.

Natural reasoning does not become spiritual simply because Bible verses are attached to it.

The Spirit helps us identify the source.

SEPARATE WHAT GOD HAS SEPARATED

PASSAGE

“What communion hath light with darkness?”
— 2 Corinthians 6:14

TEACHING

Revelation creates separation.

Light from darkness.

Flesh from Spirit.

Adam from Christ.

Old from new.

Law from grace.

Shadow from substance.

Natural from spiritual.

Religion often mixes these things together.

The Spirit separates them.

This separation is necessary because we cannot properly understand the new while continually mixing it with the old.

THE GREATER MUST OVERCOME THE LESSER

PASSAGE

“That mortality might be swallowed up of life.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:4

TEACHING

Spiritual revelation does not leave us staring at what has been exposed.

It reveals something greater.

Life swallows mortality.

Light overcomes darkness.

Grace overcomes condemnation.

Truth overcomes error.

Christ overcomes Adam.

The new creation is greater than the old creation.

This is a crucial principle.

Bible study should not make the problem larger than Christ.

It should reveal Christ as the answer.

LIGHT SHINES — DARKNESS DOES NOT OVERCOME IT

PASSAGE

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
— John 1:5

TEACHING

We do not spend our lives fighting darkness by studying darkness.

We reveal the Light.

The answer to darkness is light.

The answer to error is truth.

The answer to Adam is Christ.

The answer to death is life.

The answer to condemnation is righteousness.

The answer to bondage is liberty.

When Christ is revealed clearly, many lesser things lose their power.

REVELATION MUST BECOME FORMATION

PASSAGE

“Until Christ be formed in you.”
— Galatians 4:19

TEACHING

The Bible is not merely showing us Christ so we can talk about Him.

Christ is to be formed within His people.

Truth works inwardly.

Grace works inwardly.

The Spirit works inwardly.

The Word works inwardly.

The seed grows inwardly.

Revelation without formation remains incomplete.

What we see must begin shaping how we think, live, speak, and understand ourselves.

FORMATION MUST BECOME MANIFESTATION

PASSAGE

“That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:11

TEACHING

This is where the entire process is headed.

Manifestation.

The life of Jesus becoming visible.

Grace manifested.

Love manifested.

Righteousness manifested.

Peace manifested.

Truth manifested.

Christ manifested.

The highest purpose of Bible study is not that we become impressive Bible scholars.

It is that the life revealed in the Word becomes visible in us.

USE THE REVEAL PATTERN WHEN STUDYING DIFFICULT PASSAGES

PASSAGE

“The entrance of thy words giveth light.”
— Psalm 119:130

TEACHING

Here is the spiritual pattern we have used throughout this book.

REVEAL

What truth is the Holy Spirit opening?

What does the passage reveal concerning Christ and God’s purpose?

EXPOSE

What false understanding, old nature, darkness, tradition, or mixture is being brought into the light?

IDENTIFY

What belongs to Adam?

What belongs to Christ?

What belongs to flesh?

What belongs to Spirit?

SEPARATE

Do not mix the two realms.

Separate old from new.

Law from grace.

Natural from spiritual.

OVERCOME

What greater reality in Christ swallows up the lesser?

Life over death.

Light over darkness.

Grace over condemnation.

MANIFEST

How is the life of Christ to become visible through this truth?

This pattern keeps Bible study moving toward transformation.

DO NOT FORCE EVERY PASSAGE THROUGH THE SAME MOLD

PASSAGE

“Rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15

TEACHING

A sound method is a servant.

It is not a master.

Some passages are historical.

Some are prophetic.

Some are doctrinal.

Some are poetry.

Some are parables.

Some are symbols.

Some are direct instructions.

Some reveal types and shadows.

Some simply tell us what happened.

We must rightly divide.

Do not force symbolism into a passage where none is present.

Do not turn history into allegory simply because we want a deeper meaning.

Do not turn a clear statement into a mystery.

Let Scripture determine how Scripture should be handled.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SAY “I DO NOT KNOW YET”

PASSAGE

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
— 2 Timothy 2:7

TEACHING

Some passages will remain difficult.

That is all right.

Do not manufacture certainty.

Do not force an answer.

Do not build doctrine from speculation.

Study.

Consider.

Compare.

Pray.

Return later.

Sometimes a passage that remains closed today opens six months later because another part of Scripture gives us the missing witness.

There is humility in waiting for light.

WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU SEE

PASSAGE

“Write the vision, and make it plain…”
— Habakkuk 2:2

TEACHING

Keep a record of your studies.

Write the passage.

Write the context.

Write the cross-references.

Write the questions.

Write the contrasts.

Write the natural meaning.

Write the spiritual connections Scripture establishes.

Write what you see concerning Christ.

Writing helps us slow down.

It also allows us to return later and examine whether our understanding has grown.

LET NEW LIGHT CORRECT OLD UNDERSTANDING

PASSAGE

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
— Proverbs 4:18

TEACHING

Growth means we will sometimes see something more clearly tomorrow than we see it today.

That should not frighten us.

If Scripture reveals that something we believed was incomplete, we should allow truth to correct us.

We are not defending ourselves.

We are pursuing Christ.

Never become so attached to yesterday’s understanding that you cannot receive today’s light.

The Word does not change.

But our understanding can grow.

NEVER ALLOW REVELATION TO MAKE YOU PROUD

PASSAGE

“And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:2

TEACHING

There is always more to learn.

No teacher knows everything.

No denomination knows everything.

No movement knows everything.

No author knows everything.

Revelation is a gift of grace.

Therefore, spiritual understanding should make us humble.

We should become more teachable.

More patient.

More willing to listen.

More centered in Christ.

If revelation produces arrogance, the flesh has attached itself to what God revealed.

LET LOVE GOVERN WHAT YOU LEARN

PASSAGE

“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:1

TEACHING

Knowledge by itself can become pride.

But revelation governed by love edifies.

The purpose is not to use Scripture as a weapon against everyone who sees differently.

Truth should produce life.

Grace.

Patience.

Maturity.

We can stand firmly in what we believe without becoming harsh.

Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth.

Our Bible study should produce the same character.

STUDY FROM YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST

PASSAGE

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

TEACHING

Do not approach every passage as though you are still outside Christ attempting to qualify for Him.

You are studying in Christ.

That position matters.

You are not trying to earn sonship.

You study as a son.

You are not trying to manufacture righteousness.

You study from the righteousness of Christ.

You are not trying to complete redemption.

You study from the finished work.

This changes the way we hear Scripture.

STUDY FROM THE FINISHED WORK

PASSAGE

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished.”
— John 19:30

TEACHING

These words must govern our understanding.

It is finished.

The cross accomplished something.

Redemption is not waiting for us to complete it.

The sacrifice has been offered.

The blood has been shed.

The New Covenant has been established.

Christ has risen.

Christ has been exalted.

Therefore, Bible study must not continually move us backward into an unfinished redemption.

We read from the victory of Christ.

STUDY WITH YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

PASSAGE

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”
— Hebrews 12:2

TEACHING

There are thousands of subjects in Scripture.

But one Person holds them together.

Jesus.

Keep looking unto Him.

When prophecy becomes confusing, return to Christ.

When law becomes heavy, return to Christ.

When symbolism becomes complicated, return to Christ.

When doctrine becomes argumentative, return to Christ.

He is the author.

He is the finisher.

He is the center.

THE WHOLE BIBLE MOVES TOWARD ONE GREAT REVELATION

PASSAGE

“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.”
— Colossians 1:19

TEACHING

Everything finds its fullness in Christ.

The seed.

The Lamb.

The priest.

The sacrifice.

The King.

The Son.

The covenant.

The temple.

The bread.

The Rock.

The light.

The life.

The resurrection.

The kingdom.

The glory.

All things gather into Him.

The Bible is not finally a revelation of many disconnected truths.

It is the revelation of God’s purpose centered in Jesus Christ.

OPEN THE BOOK — AND EXPECT TO SEE CHRIST

PASSAGE

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
— Luke 24:27

TEACHING

Imagine sitting on that road with the disciples.

Jesus opens Moses.

Then the prophets.

Then the Psalms.

Passage after passage begins coming alive.

The lamb speaks.

The seed speaks.

The sacrifice speaks.

The priest speaks.

The king speaks.

The prophets speak.

And everything begins pointing toward Him.

That is how we should approach Scripture.

Not looking for novelty.

Looking for Christ.

Not looking for secret knowledge.

Looking for Christ.

Not looking merely for information.

Looking for Christ.

LET YOUR HEART BURN AGAIN

PASSAGE

“Did not our heart burn within us… while he opened to us the scriptures?”
— Luke 24:32

TEACHING

Bible study should never become merely mechanical.

There is something wonderful when a passage opens.

When you suddenly see the connection.

When Christ appears in a Scripture you have read a hundred times.

When grace becomes clear.

When the old mixture falls away.

When your heart says:

“I SEE IT.”

That is the joy of spiritual revelation.

The Scriptures become alive.

The testimony becomes one.

Christ becomes clearer.

And our hearts burn within us.

THIS IS HOW WE STUDY THE BIBLE

PASSAGE

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God… rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15

TEACHING

We study carefully.

We read contextually.

We compare Scripture with Scripture.

We recognize covenant.

We distinguish natural from spiritual.

We recognize shadow and substance.

We separate Adam from Christ.

We distinguish law from grace.

We allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus.

Then we allow that revelation to work within us.

The process is simple enough for a new believer to begin.

But deep enough to occupy us for a lifetime.

REVEAL — EXPOSE — IDENTIFY — SEPARATE — OVERCOME — MANIFEST

PASSAGE

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts…”
— 2 Corinthians 4:6

TEACHING

Let this become a pattern you remember.

REVEAL.

Let the Holy Spirit open the Word.

EXPOSE.

Let the light reveal what is false, natural, fleshly, or contrary to Christ.

IDENTIFY.

Know whether you are seeing Adam or Christ, flesh or Spirit, law or grace.

SEPARATE.

Do not mix what God has distinguished.

OVERCOME.

See the greater life of Christ swallow up the lesser realm.

MANIFEST.

Allow the truth you see to become the life you live.

That is spiritual Bible study.

THE FINAL PURPOSE IS CHRIST REVEALED IN HIS PEOPLE

PASSAGE

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
— Colossians 1:27

TEACHING

This is where the entire journey brings us.

Christ in you.

Not merely Christ in history.

Not merely Christ in doctrine.

Not merely Christ in prophecy.

Not merely Christ in symbols.

Christ in you.

The Scriptures reveal Him.

The Spirit opens Him.

The Word forms Him.

And His life becomes manifest through His people.

That is why we study.

That is why we search.

That is why we compare.

That is why we pray for revelation.

We want to know Him.

We want to see Him.

We want to understand His finished work.

And we want the life we behold in Scripture to become manifest within us.

OPEN THE SCRIPTURES — SEE JESUS CHRIST — LET THE WORD WORK WITHIN YOU — AND LET HIS LIFE BE MANIFESTED

A Bible Study Guide to Help You Learn How to Study the Bible and Understand the Scriptures

Carl Timothy Wray

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carl Timothy Wray

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

BIBLE STUDY REQUIRES MORE THAN READING WORDS

SCRIPTURE

THE SCRIPTURES TESTIFY OF CHRIST

SCRIPTURE

LEARN TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

SCRIPTURE MUST BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK

THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT REPLACE STUDY

THIS BOOK IS A GUIDE

OPEN THOU MINE EYES

SCRIPTURE

CHAPTER ONE

WHY WE STUDY THE BIBLE

THE BIBLE WAS GIVEN TO REVEAL JESUS CHRIST

PASSAGE

TEACHING

MOSES AND THE PROPHETS WERE SPEAKING OF CHRIST

PASSAGE

TEACHING

THE SCRIPTURES ARE ABLE TO MAKE US WISE UNTO SALVATION

PASSAGE

TEACHING

ALL SCRIPTURE IS PROFITABLE

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY SO THAT OUR THINKING CAN BE CORRECTED

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY TO KNOW THE TRUTH FOR OURSELVES

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF TRUTH

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY TO GROW FROM MILK TO STRONG MEAT

PASSAGE

TEACHING

STRONG MEAT BELONGS TO THE MATURE

PASSAGE

TEACHING

THE WORD OF GOD REVEALS WHAT IS WITHIN US

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY SO THAT LIGHT CAN OVERCOME DARKNESS

PASSAGE

TEACHING

THE WORD IS A LAMP FOR OUR WALK

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY TO HAVE OUR MINDS RENEWED

PASSAGE

TEACHING

WE STUDY TO KNOW WHAT GOD HAS FREELY GIVEN US

PASSAGE

TEACHING

THE GOAL IS NOT INFORMATION — THE GOAL IS REVELATION

PASSAGE

TEACHING

THE MORE WE SEE CHRIST, THE MORE THE SCRIPTURES OPEN

PASSAGE

TEACHING

JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTER OF THE WORD OF GOD

CHAPTER TWO

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

BIBLE STUDY BEGINS WITH A HUNGER TO UNDERSTAND

PASSAGE

TEACHING

BEGIN WITH THE PASSAGE — NOT WITH YOUR CONCLUSION

PASSAGE

TEACHING

CONTEXT PROTECTS US FROM ERROR

PASSAGE

TEACHING

ASK WHO IS SPEAKING