We have already seen many rules and principles for solving Bible difficulties in this thesis. If these rules are followed when studying doctrine, little difficulty should be encountered. But a few additional guidelines can be given that will prove helpful. A doctrine is what the Bible teaches about a particular subject. The apostle Paul said that all scripture is profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness (II Tim. 3:16). If doctrine is found in all of the Scriptures, then we must study all the Scriptures to find the complete and accurate Bible teaching about any particular doctrine. Angus affirms this:
To gather doctrinal truth from Scripture, we bring together all the passages that refer to the same subject, whether they be doctrines, precepts, promises, or examples; impartially compare them; restrict the expressions of one passage by those of another; and explain the whole consistently. (Joseph Angus, The Bible Hand-book, pp. 359-360.)
This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah said to do:
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. (Isa. 28:9-10, emphasis mine.)
The key to many doctrines will be found in the New Testament. Christ, through His example and teachings, came to expound the laws given to ancient Israel. It is through His teachings and the instructions of the apostles that we can know God's will and purpose, His plan of salvation, the way we ought to live to conform to God's laws. It is from Christ that we can know God because He came to reveal the Father (John 14:7-11). But some parts of the New Testament cannot be understood without knowing the Old Testament. A full knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments, compared to each other, is needed to correctly understand any doctrine. Once we have gathered together all the passages on any one particular subject or doctrine, we can then determine what is the correct Bible teaching. Taking some scriptures and ignoring others will often result in a wrong conclusion and a false doctrine.
Study Plain Scriptures First
When studying doctrine, an important rule is: Begin with the plainer scriptures and reserve the more obscure ones until you have more knowledge. Base all doctrine on direct statements of scripture. Doctrine should never be based on obscure scriptures instead of the plain and clear ones. The student needs to realize that some scriptures, if taken by themselves and out of context, can be made to say more than one thing. This is why it is important to study all the scriptures on any one subject to get at the truth. In such a study, begin with the plain and clear scriptures first. When studying the subject of the law and Ten Commandments, here are the clear and plain scriptures to keep in mind: I John 2:4; 3:4; 5:2-3; Mat. 5:17; 19:17. These scriptures cannot be twisted to say that God's Law and His Commandments are abolished and no longer need to be obeyed. If heaven and hell is the subject, begin with such scriptures as John 3:13 and Acts 2:34 before trying to understand John 14:2 and Luke 16. About the soul, Genesis 2:7, Psalm 146:4 and Ecclesiastes 9:5 are clear and plain. Matthew 10:28, on the other hand, is vague and obscure. Any such scripture must be understood in the light of the plainer ones. Angus gives this rule:
Where the doctrine of Scripture is important and necessary, the Scripture will be found full and clear. Where Scripture is not full and clear, the doctrine is either in itself not important, or the certain knowledge of it is unattainable in our present state. (Joseph Angus, The Bible Hand-book, P. 364.)
Doctrine should not be based solely on a parable. The parables were not always written in clear and plain language. They were written to hide the true meaning of Christ's teaching (Mat. 13:13-15). Because of their vagueness, parables lend themselves to fanciful interpretations. McClelland shows what meaning some Bible scholars give to a simple parable:
What can be more simple and intelligible than the parable of the good Samaritan, which so beautifully inculcates universal benevolence! It is absolutely transparent! Yet in the hands of some it turns out a perfect riddle, where the true significance is not obscured, but utterly lost. The man who fell among thieves, is the sinner; the thieves, are the devil and his angels; the priest who passed by on the other side, is the law; the Levite, is legal obedience. The good Samaritan, is Christ; the oil, is grace; the wine, comfort from the promises; the inn-keeper, is the Christian Ministry; the coming again, is death, judgment, and eternity. All this may be very pious; but we repeat our maxim, that no piety can give respectability to want of plain common sense. (Alex. McClelland, Canon and Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, p. 250.)
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16) is used to support the false doctrine of eternal torment in hell fire. Those who believe in this doctrine have ignored the clear and plain scriptures on this subject and have read a meaning into this parable which is not there when we study the Bible as a whole. (See Mr. Armstrong's booklet, The Truth about Lazarus and the Rich Man.) The Bible was not written in a clear-cut, right-down-the-line manner. In order for it to be preserved for us today, it had to be written in a way so people could interpret it to suit themselves, and so the atheists, agnostics and critics could find fault with it and "stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto they were appointed" (I Peter 2:8). Make no mistake about it. If the Bible is inspired by God, there can be no errors in it as originally written — because God could not make a mistake. The Bible plainly says, "The scripture CANNOT BE BROKEN" (John 10:35). The Bible CANNOT CONTRADICT ITSELF! There can be no real discrepancies. Collett affirms this fact by saying:
It should never be forgotten that in spite of what critics have said, no error or contradiction of any kind has ever been proved to have existed in the Scriptures as originally given by God! (Sidney Collett, Scripture of Truth, p. 81.)
And another Bible scholar came to the strong conviction that, "every difficulty and discrepancy in the scriptures is, and will yet be seen to be, capable of a fair and reasonable solution" (John W. Haley, Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible, p. x). The more we study the Bible, the more questions will be answered. As our knowledge increases, more and more difficulties will disappear. God intends that we understand all the Bible.
Copyright © 2024 Herbert W Armstrong Library