a. General Considerations. The Word of God is an organic
(3) On the one hand, the interpreter should beware of minimizing the Old Testament. This was the mistake of those who had a too carnal conception of Israel and its religious institutions, and of the privileges and duties of the Old Testament people of God. It is the error of many in the present day, who regard the Old Testament simply as the fruit of historical development, and who, in some cases, boldly declare that it has had its day now that the New Testament is in our possession.
(4) On the other hand, he should guard against reading too much into the Old Testament. This is done, for instance, whenever the details of the work of redemption, as revealed in the New Testament, are read back into the Old Testament. Many interpreters, for instance, find in Gen. 3:15 already the promise of a personal Redeemer. The great question for the exegete is, how much God actually revealed in any particular passage. This can only be determined by a careful study of the passage in question, in its proper context, and in connection with the exact stage of God's progressive revelation to which it belongs.
2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENT BOOKS OF THE BIBLE IN THE ORGANISM OF SCRIPTURE.
a. General Considerations. The Word of God is an organic production, and consequently the separate books that constitute it are organically related to one another. The Holy Spirit so directed the human authors in writing the books of the Bible that their productions are mutually complementary. They are one in recording the work which God, in the execution of his divine plan, wrought in Christ for the redemption of a people that would glorify him eternally. The Old Testament reveals this work, first of all, historically in the formation and guidance of Israel as a nation. The poetical books and the wisdom literature disclose its fruit in the spiritual experiences and the practical life of God's people. And the prophets view it in the light of God's eternal council, emphasizing the failure of the people to live up to the divine requirements, and
directing the hopes of the pious to the future. A similar line of development runs through the New Testament. The Gospels and Acts contain the history of the work of redemption in Christ. The Epistles reveal the effect of this work in the life and experience of the churches. And the Apocalypse discloses its final issue in rays of heavenly light.
b. Specific Examples. These general considerations lead on to the question, How is each book related to the Bible as a whole? The answer to this query can be found only by a careful study of the books in connection with the leading ideas of Scripture. The interpreter should make it his aim to discover, not merely what message each book contained for the contemporaries of the authors, but what permanent value it has, what word of God it conveys to all following generations. For the sake of illustration, we add the leading ideas of some of the books of the Bible. Genesis speaks to all ages until the end of time, of the creation of man in the image of God; of the entrance of sin into the world; and of the initial revelation of God's redeeming grace. Exodus acquaints the successive generations of men with the doctrine of deliverance through the shedding of blood, while Leviticus teaches them how sinful man can approach God and stand in his holy presence. Numbers pictures the pilgrimage of God's people, and Deuteronomy points to the blessing that accompanies a life of obedience to God and to the curse that awaits the unfaithful. The book of Job offers a solution for the problem of suffering in the life of God's people; the Psalms furnish an insight into the spiritual experiences of the people of God—their struggles and triumphs, their joy and sorrow. If Isaiah describes the love of God for his people, Jeremiah offers a revelation of his righteousness. While Ezekiel emphasizes the holiness of the Lord, who would sanctify his Name among the nations, Daniel reveals the glory of the Lord, as exalted above all the kings of the earth. In the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul defends the liberty of the people of God as over against the ceremonialism of the Old Testament. And while, in his letter to the Ephesians, he calls attention to the unity of the Church, in that to the Colossians he magnifies Christ as the head of the