On Searching The Scriptures

Adapted From A Sermon By John Newton

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, (John 5:39 ESV)

Jesus says in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” John Newton’s sermon on this text urges us to search them diligently, for they alone reveal Christ and the way of eternal life. May this stir and energize us to search them afresh.

Now the opening phrase in the Greek is not completely clear. It can be taken either as a command, "search the scriptures," or simply as a statement, "you who search the scriptures," as in the ESV. Since these words were spoken to the Scribes and Pharisees, who studied the letter of the scriptures with great care, this may have been the intended meaning at first. The difference does not matter much, and either meaning will give us instruction.

If we take it as a command, we should see it as given by the Lord himself, whose disciples we claim to be. It binds us by our own statement, since in them we think and say we have eternal life. It is completely necessary for us to follow, because these alone testify of Christ, and our eternal life is found in knowing him.

If we take it in the second way, as spoken to the Scribes and Pharisees, it can give us a useful warning not to put too much weight on what we think or on what we do. For these people, we find, held a correct view of the holy scriptures in some ways. They believed that in them there was eternal life, and this also led them in a way to read, and even to search them. But even though they thought this way and acted this way, and even though the scriptures from the first page to the last testify of Christ, they still could not understand or accept this testimony. Instead they rejected the Messiah they claimed to hope for, and all their effort in searching the scriptures came to nothing.

In what follows, we will proceed in this order. First we will consider a few things that are needed, without which it is impossible to understand the scriptures correctly. Second we will consider how the scriptures testify of Christ. Third we will look into what their testimony means. And finally, we will be encouraged to the practice of searching the scriptures, using the argument from the text. This argument applies just as much to us as it did to the Jews of old, that in them we think we have eternal life.

I. To begin with the things that are needed,

1. The first is sincerity.

That is: a real desire to be taught by the scriptures, and to submit both our views and our actions to be guided and directed by what we read there. Without this, our reading and searching will only lead to our greater condemnation, and put us under the severe judgment of the servant who knew his master's will and did not do it. We have a clear example of this in the Jeremiah chapter 42 to 44:

After the destruction of Jerusalem and the death of Gedaliah, the people who were left asked the prophet to inquire of the Lord for them about their plan to go into Egypt. Their request was fair: "That the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do."{Jeremiah 42:3} Their promise was very serious: "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you."

But their hypocrisy was truly awful. The Lord, who sees the deepest purposes of the soul, could not be fooled by their fair claims. He answered them with a clear command not to go into Egypt. He assured them that his curse would follow them, and that there they would certainly die. Yet they went, and confirmed what the prophet had told them: "You have gone astray at the cost of your lives. For you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and whatever the LORD our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in anything that he sent me to tell you." Then they spoke openly, and showed their true selves, when they told him, "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you."

None of us would dare speak this way in clear words. But if we bring our fixed opinions or plans, not to check them carefully by the standard of scripture, but to find or twist some passages in the word of God to support or excuse ourselves; if our desire is not simply to be led in the exact way of God's commandments; if we are not truly willing to find every error and evil that may be in us, so that we can leave them behind, then we closely copy these deceitful, stubborn, arrogant Jews, no matter how fair our claims may be. We are open to the same terrible judgment for our hypocrisy: the curse of God on our plans here, and the share of his enemies in the life to come.

Where this sincerity is missing, everything is wrong. Neither praying, nor hearing, nor reading can do any good. The scriptures are full of the strongest warnings against those who dare to mock the God who sees everything. Consider this one passage, from Ezekiel 14:3-4. "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? -- Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols."

The intent is not to encourage anyone to throw aside the practices God has set up, especially his public worship. These are the means which God has appointed, in which he has commanded us to wait, and where he is often glad to be found, even by those who do not seek him. But to lead us to carefully consider the terrible condition the un-sincere will be in if death should take them by surprise in such a state. That state makes their very prayers and sacrifices "an abomination to the Lord," and turns those things which are meant for their good into a occasion for them to fall.

2. A second thing that is needed is diligence.

This, together with the first, is well described in the book of Proverbs. "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5)

The wisdom of God that concerns us is found in his word. The best understanding is to keep his commandments. (Psalm 111) But we cannot keep them unless we know them, and we cannot know them without a careful search. The word that is translated search, comes from the work of miners. It means two things: to dig and to examine.

First, with much hard work they dig into the earth to a great depth. When they have found a vein of valuable ore, they then break it up and sift it, and let no part escape their notice. In the same way we must combine frequent and steady reading with careful and alert thinking. We compare spiritual things with spiritual things, carefully noticing the details, the reason, and the use of what we read. We can be sure that there is a treasure of truth and happiness in our hands, if we only have the skill to find it and make use of it. Only let us be careful that we have the same goals in reading the scriptures that God has in giving them to us.

The apostle lists them this way: "---All scripture," or the whole scripture, "is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work," 2 Tim. 3. And elsewhere it is said to be able to make us "wise for salvation."

How foolish it would be for a man to read a book on farming with the aim of learning navigation, or to look for the rules of trade and business in an essay on music. It is no less foolish to read or study the scriptures with any other goal than to accept its teachings, submit to its corrections, and obey its commands, so that we may be made "wise for salvation."

All studies and criticisms that fall short of this, that do not change the heart as well as fill the mind, are empty and dangerous, at least for ourselves, no matter what use they may be to others.

But, on the contrary, when we are diligent and careful in study, so that we may know the divine commands and promises better, and be more ready to follow and trust them, then we may hope for good results; for, blessed is the man whose "delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law ... (who) meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does" under this influence "he prospers," Psal. 1. This is what God has promised, and this is what many have found, and have been able to use the words of David, "Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation," Psal. 119:99.

3. Humility is a third thing that is very necessary if we want to gain real benefit from reading the scriptures.

"God gives grace to the humble," James 4. "He leads the humble in what is right, Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose," Psalm 25. The proud he oppposes, he lines up against him; he gets ready, as it were, with all his strength to block his progress. This is a very strong and frightening expression! If God only leaves us to ourselves, we are all ignorance and darkness; and what must be the terrible situation of those against whom he comes out ready for battle?

This has been a main cause of those many different and opposing false teachings and errors, which bring shame on the Christian faith, that empty man, though born in weakness and sin, has set out, by his own strength and wisdom, to settle with full authority what the scripture means, without realizing the ignorance, prejudice, and weakness that shape his judgment in religious matters, without knowing the complete inability of the natural man to understand the things of God, and without paying attention to those ways the scriptures themselves have set out to correct these problems.

But would we not waste our time and effort; would we wish not to be led astray ourselves, or not to lead others astray? Let us aim for a humble spirit. Let us think carefully about the greatness and high place of the God we serve. Let us honor his kindness in giving us a revelation of his will. Let us learn to see the word of God and the wisdom of God as meaning the same thing. In short, let us work to know ourselves, our sinfulness and ignorance; then we will no longer read the scriptures with indifference or with our minds already made up, but with the greatest respect and attention, and with the fullest expectation.

4. There is one more thing on this subject, which is just as necessary by itself as any of the ones before it, and also necessary if we are to gain them, and that is Prayer.

Sincerity, diligence, and humility are gifts from God; the blessing we seek when we practice them is in his hand; and he has promised to give all good things, even "his Holy Spirit, upon those who ask him." Prayer is truly the better half of our work while we are on earth, and the thing that gives life and power to all the rest. Prayer is not only our present duty, but the highest honor, the richest privilege we are able to receive this side of eternity; and the neglect of it means the deepest guilt, and brings the heaviest punishment.

A stranger to prayer is equally a stranger to God and to happiness, "like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind," James 1. Those who are unacquainted with prayer are without God in the world, without a guide in good times, without help in trouble, without true comfort in life, and while they stay that way, without hope in death. But especially, they are completely unfit to search the scriptures.

There is a veil over the mind and heart of every man, so that he can neither see nor take hold of heavenly truths, until this barrier is taken away:---the way to do this is prayer. Therefore David says, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Psalm 119:18) He knew there were wonderful things in the law, but admits he is unable to see them until the Lord steps in. This he has promised to do for all who call on him.

But those who do not seek help from God can find it nowhere else: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights," who has said, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God," James 1. A careful knowledge of the original languages, skill in the customs and ways of the people of old times, familiarity with the Greek and Roman classics, a reading of councils, early church writers, notes, and commentaries, a skill in the fine points of logical debate---these, in their right place and as helpers, may be of real use to clear up, explain, or strengthen the teachings of scripture: but unless they are ruled by a spirit of humility and prayer; unless the man who has them counts them as nothing at all, without that help of the Spirit of God which is promised to lead believers into all truth; unless he seeks and prays for this guidance no less earnestly than those who know nothing but their native language; all his store of knowledge only tends to lead him even farther off course; and that a plain honest farm worker, who reads no book but his Bible, and has no teacher but the God to whom he prays in private, stands in a much better position to gain true knowledge of the things of God.

But happy is he who by faith and prayer can know that God is always present with him! who is sincere in his aims, diligent in the use of the means, distrustful of himself, yet full of trust and hope that God, whom he wants to serve, will lead and guide him in the paths of peace and right living for his mercies' sake. Those things which are necessary for him to know will be made so clear that he will not get them wrong; and those things that do not concern him right away will at least teach him humility; teach him to honor the deep things of God's wisdom, and to long for that happy time when everything incomplete will be finished; when we will no longer see only in part, but will know even as we are known, I Cor. 13.

II. We move on to the second thing we set out to cover: To show how the scriptures testify of Christ.

In general, it may be said that he is the main purpose and subject of the whole scripture and of each particular book. This will be easily accepted for the New Testament, but it is not so clear with regard to several parts of the Old: Let us look therefore at this point in some detail, and help us to find the Lord Jesus Christ in almost every page of the Bible. This will be a new reason to search the scriptures, when we see that many passages which we may have read with little interest, because we could hardly find any wisdom or meaning in them, do directly testify of Christ.

What is said in the Old Testament concerning Christ may be brought under three main points---prophecies, types, and ceremonies. To open up and follow these out fully would take many volumes; but it is only a brief note on each that the limits of our time will allow.

The first light that appeared to a lost world was that promise (which can be counted as a part of prophecy) which God (who, in the middle of judgment, remembers mercy) made to the woman, that her seed should bruise the serpent's head, Gen. 3. This was complete and general, giving hope of a recovery, but no information of person, time, or place: but the path of this one promise was like the light, which shines more and more to the full day, Prov 4:18.

In the time of Noah, the hope and desire of all nations was limited to the line of Shem, (Gen. 9.) and later more clearly to the family of Abraham: when this split into two branches, God, to show that his purpose comes from himself, and that he will do as it pleases him with his own, set aside the older, and confirmed to Jacob, the younger, that in his "offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed," Gen. 38.

Jacob had twelve sons, which made a still clearer limit necessary. So the patriarch, before his death, declared that this high privilege of carrying on the line of the Messiah was fixed in the tribe of Judah, (Gen. 49:10.) and the time of his coming was faintly marked out by the promise "that the sceptre should not depart from Judah until tribute comes to him."

The last personal limit was to David, (1 Chron. 17.) that from his family God would raise up the King who would reign forever and over all.

Later prophets step by step foretold the time, place, and details of his birth, the actions of his life, the nature of his teaching, the success he met with, and the cause, purpose, and manner of his sufferings and death; in short, to almost everything that we read in the gospel, we may add the note that the writers of the gospels have made on a few cases, (in order, as it may be supposed, to guide us in searching out the rest) "then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophets."

From them we learn that the Messiah should be born of a virgin, in Bethlehem of Judah, four hundred and ninety years after the command given to rebuild Jerusalem; that he should begin his ministry in Galilee; that he should be despised and rejected of men, betrayed by one of his disciples, sold for thirty pieces of silver, with which money the potters field should be afterwards purchased! "that he should be cut off;" and that his death should be followed by the sudden and total ruin of the Jewish government.

To compare these promises and prophecies with each other, and with their exact fulfillment recorded in the New Testament,---this alone would draw us into a careful and helpful search into the scriptures, and would give us the most solid proofs of their divine origin and excellence.

The types of Christ in the Old Testament may be seen as two kinds, personal and relative.

The first ones describe under the cover of history his character and roles as seen in himself; the second ones teach under different figures the benefits those who believe in him should receive from him. In this way Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Sampson, David, Solomon, and others, were in different ways types or figures of Christ. Some more directly showed his person; others pointed ahead to his humility; others referred to his high position, rule, and glory.

So, in the second sense, the ark of Noah, the rainbow, the manna, the bronze serpent, the cities of refuge, were so many signs pointing out the nature, need, way, and safety of that salvation which the Messiah was to set up for his people. Nor are these made-up connections of our own making, but supported and taught in scripture, and easily shown from there, if time would allow; for indeed, there is not one of these persons or things which have been named that would not give material for a long talk, if carefully considered in this way, as a type of the promised Redeemer.

The same may be said of the Levitical ceremonies. The law of Moses is, in this sense, a helpful teacher to lead us to Christ: (Gal. 3.) and it may be shown beyond any doubt that in these the gospel was preached long ago to all those true Israelites whose hearts were right with God, and whose minds were enlightened by his Spirit.

The ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, the tabernacle, the incense, the altar, the offerings, the high-priest with his ornaments and garments, the laws relating to leprosy, the Nazarite, and the redemption of lands; all these, and many more which we do not have time to mention, have a deep and important meaning beyond their outward appearance; each, in their place, pointed to the Lamb of God who was to take away the sins of the world, (John 1.) got their power from him, and found their full fulfillment in him.

In this way the Old and New Testaments do explain each other; nor can either be well understood by itself. The Old Testament, in histories, types, prophecies, and ceremonies, strongly describes him who, in the fullness of time, was to come into the world to bring about a reconciliation between God and man. The New Testament shows that all these features and details were actually fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth; and that it was he of whom "Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote;" and that we are not to look for another.

We read in Genesis, that Abraham had two sons,---Isaac, the child of the promise, the son of his old age, by his wife Sarah, ---and Ishmael, born some years before, of Hagar, the handmaid and servant of Sarah; and that the latter, with his mother, were cast out of the family. The reason some would think small, namely, the anger and jealousy of Sarah, because Ishmael had mocked her son; but when it was hard for Abraham to send them away on so slight a ground, God himself stepped in and commanded him to do as she wished.

Had we heard no more of this, it is likely we would have seen it as a piece of family history, of no very great importance except to those who were directly involved in it. We should perhaps have wondered to find so much said on such a subject, in a book which we claim to believe was written by divine inspiration; we should probably have dared to question the divine wisdom, in going into details where, according to our views of what is fitting, we could see nothing either interesting or useful.

To protect us from these hasty mistakes, to explain the true meaning of this particular event, and at the same time to give us a key for understanding many passages of the same kind, in which human wisdom can find neither beauty nor benefit,---it has pleased God to give us a sure explanation of the whole matter. Not for the sake of Abraham, or Isaac, or Ishmael, or Hagar, was this recorded; much less merely to satisfy our curiosity. No: "Now this," says the apostle Paul, "may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.---Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman," Gal. 4.

We are not going to take the time right now to unpack this passage in full, even though it is richer than it first appears. But remember — nothing in the Bible is wasted. Keep this in your mind when you read the scriptures. Assure yourselves that there is nothing empty or useless in the word of God. Compare one place with another, the law with the gospel, the prophets with the writers of the gospels; pray to God that he would open your minds to understand the scriptures, as he did for the disciples; and in a little time you will find that Christ is not only spoken of in a few verses here and there, but that he is the main purpose and subject of every book, and almost of every chapter.

And consider some examples of the meaning of the ceremonies, in addition to what as been said about Hagar in regard to the types. In the law of the Passover, it was especially ordered, (Exod. x12.) that not a bone of the Passover lamb should be broken. Now, who would have thought that this referred to Christ! yet we see the writer of the gospel clearly applies it to him, and is filled with wonder at the fulfillment. The legs of those who were crucified at the same time were purposely broken, (John 19.) but our Lord was passed by; and that it should be so was hinted near fifteen hundred years before, in this command concerning the lamb.

Again, we find that in several places where a bull was commanded to be killed for a sin-offering it was ordered that the flesh and the skin should be burnt outside the camp; and from the letter to the Hebrews, (chap. 13.) we learn that this was not a small or random detail. We have there this explanation: "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured."

And it would be easy, guided by the apostles in their writings, to follow the important meaning of many of those rules, which mockers, who are wise in their own thoughts, though neither familiar with themselves nor the subject, dare to judge as unimportant. The sense of the sacred writings lies too deep for a critical, shallow, restless look; it must be a search, a careful examination; a humble, careful, sincere, and steady inquiry, or no benefit can be expected.

The meaning of the scripture-testimony concerning Christ, which was the third thing we set out to consider, must be left for another time. May what has been already said, through the divine blessing, lead you to search the scriptures. Remember, it is the command of our Lord Jesus Christ: it is the only set way to the knowledge of him, whom to know, so as to love, serve, and obey him, is both the base and the whole of our happiness, here and hereafter.

We, as well as the Jews, think we have eternal life in the scriptures, and will, like them, be without excuse and selfcondemned if we neglect it. Let us not be like fools, with a prize, a prize beyond all worth, in our hands, but without heart or skill to use it. Better would it have been for us to have lived and died in the wilds of Africa, without either means of grace or hopes of glory, than to treat lightly this record which God has been pleased to give us of his Son.

But happy the man whose delight is in the law of his God! He has sure direction in every difficulty, certain comfort in every distress. "The beauty of the precepts is preferable in his eye to "thousands of gold and silver pieces," Psalm 119. The comforts of the promises are sweeter to his taste, "than honey and drippings of the honeycomb," Psalm 19.

He is happy in life; for the word of God is to him as a "fountain of living water." He will be happy in death; the promises of his God will support him through that dark valley; and he will be happy forever in the presence and love of him for whose sake he now searches the scriptures; "Though he has not seen him," yet, from the testimony there given of him, "he loves him. Though he does not now see him, he believes in him and rejoices with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory," 1 Pet. i.