Principle No. 2: One Doctrine
The Bible is a book of one doctrine with its correlated parts. Sometimes these parts are made to stand out as almost or quite unrelated doctrines; but if they are of the word, they are all one. In our common version, true doctrine is always designated in the singular. The plural, " doctrines," is used to designate false teachings and error. There is one omnipresent, all-wise God of love, justice, and mercy, manifest in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is one moral standard of righteous character. The Bible reveals but one all-sufficient Sacrifice and Saviour, and with the crimson and purple cords of love and truth the divine plan is bound about through the whole structure of God's word.
Frequently the American Revised Version translates didache as " teaching." Our word " didactic " comes from the same root. Teaching, rather than doctrine, is the thought. It is not a dry, dead, formal set of rules or facts that our Lord gives us, but heavenly instruction in living truth; and because of this, we read concerning those who listened to His teaching that " the people were astonished at His doctrine." Matt. 7:28. (See also Mark 11:18; Luke 4: 32; Acts 13: 12.) Jesus said,
" My doctrine [teaching] is not Mine, but His that sent Me." John 7: 16.
" If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself." John 7: 17, A. R. V.
The one true doctrine (or teaching) is referred to in the Scriptures as " the doctrine which is according to godliness " (1 Tim. 6:3), " the doctrine of Christ " (2 John 9), " the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2: 42). The doctrine is also described as being " sound" and " good." The teaching is Truth, and truth, although spoken of as singular, has many parts, and all parts make one complete whole, with Christ as the center. It is not in accord with the Bible principle of one " doctrine " to speak of the doctrine of the Sabbath, the doctrine of tithing, the doctrine of health reform, et cetera. The separation of the teaching of Christ, the truth of God, into various doctrines, makes it easy to reject some as of less or of no importance. A man may adopt health reform, and receive benefit from it physically; but unless it brings him closer to Christ, our life, the teaching may make of him a critical fanatic. Men may hold all these so-called doctrines, but if they do not see the heart and life of them all, they become self-righteous Pharisees.
The accompanying diagram may help to make clear that the various phases, or constituent parts, of the teaching of truth, are in God's purpose open doors to lead to the only Saviour, Jesus Christ. There are those who hear and obey the teaching concerning the Sabbath, but go no further. They do not see in the Sabbath teaching the avenue which leads to Christ,— the One who exalts the Sabbath to glorious spiritual rest in Him. The man who goes no further than to consider the Sabbath teaching as the pointing out of the day of rest which bears the sanction of heaven, and observes the day as such, is only a Saturday keeper.
This unity of doctrine brings courage to the Christian teacher. There are many people in this world who know Christ as Saviour, Sanctifier, Friend; and when they are led to see Him in His fullness as presented in the doctrine of the word, how readily and strongly will they receive all phases of His blessed present truth.
Each of these Christ-filled phases of truth unites logically with all others. To the truly converted sinner, all seeming divisions of truth become one,—all lead to Christ, and Christ is in all. The divisions on the diagram are but illustrations of every phase of Bible truth. God is one in thought and purpose; the Bible is the book of one doctrine the teaching by one Spirit.
Principle No. 3: The Law of First Mention
By this is meant that the first mention of any great or important fact, event, or teaching, carries that primary meaning throughout the Bible. This is a rule which is necessary in order to preserve the divine unity of the Scriptures, and is established on the basis of the divine inspiration of all Scripture.
Some of the great cathedrals of the Old World were centuries in building. The great and elaborate building plan was centuries old, and one master builder followed another in its construction; but the same plan and the same standards of measurement controlled at all times. For example, measurements in feet and inches remain the same in the last stage of completion as were given in the architect's first plan. A yard in the inception is a yard in the finishing — three feet, or thirty-six inches. A foot is a measure of twelve inches throughout the long period of the cathedral's construction. Any other plan than this would be inconsistent and confusing.
On the same principle, we follow the law of first mention as the divine plan in the structure of the temple of God's word, which began with Moses and ended with John. Note the words of great and important meaning in the first three chapters of Genesis. As we enter the great temple of knowledge and wisdom, of life and power, we find inscribed on the entrance archway, "In the Begginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth." The key words in this inscription are: God, Created, Heavens, Earth. God was the beginner of all.
In the beginning God "— not wanton chance, not an unexplained, intangible mist or cloud which evolved for untold ages; but God, the fullness of all things good and great and wise. And in every book following Genesis, in the making of the Bible, there is recognition of that same God.
" God created." By His own power He brought into existence new things. For " by the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." " For He spake, and it was." Ps. 33: 6, 9. And from that first clause in the inspired writings, the great thought of creation, like a living current, runs all through the word of God, even to the last message of the gospel, powered by " Him that made heaven, and earth." Rev. 14: 7.
The " law of first mention " holds good in every instance — one union of male and female as the head of the race, the true marriage law from God in the beginning, the law through which our Great Teacher brings us back to God's plan. (Mark 10: 6, 7.) The " inheritance " of man is the earth, and this holds true to the time of the earth made new. (Revelation 21 and 22.) And so it is with the establishment of God's rest day, the origin of the week, the fall of man, man's redemption through the coming of the Seed of the woman, who gave Himself to save the lost.
There are other great beginning truths in these opening chapters of Genesis, which are like little rings in the end of a long chain, upon which the earnest student may lay hold and be led into richer, fuller glories all through the word.
Do not set aside as trifling the " law of first mention," for it surely and safely leads to richer revelations all through the treasure house of the word of God. The book of Genesis is rich in beginnings.
Mountain View, Calif.
