Classification and System

This represents one of the last, best results of the scientific method. It originally brought creative order — cosmos — out of primitive chaos, and it everywhere reduces confusion to systematic and orderly arrangement. It is a perpetual process of discovery. Exact habits of research disclose hitherto hidden features, relations and adaptations; variety and complexity are seen to be subordinate to unity and simplicity, and the traces of one plan, purpose and master design compel confidence in divine authorship and inspire awe and wonder.

XAMPLES of classification and its results in orderly system might be indefinitely multiplied. This method is mainly useful in the following directions, serving to group:

1. Facts or events having some common properties or characteristics.

2. Teachings or precepts which pertain to the same general subject.

3. Predictions which forecast the same person or occurrence.

4. Persons or characters that have similar qualities or relations.

5. Duties or dangers that have some natural connection or kinship.

Of classified facts and events we may find a leading example in the festivals of the Jews; in the great facts of Hebrew history, such as the passing out of Egypt, the passing through the sea, the passing into Canaan; or the prominent events of our Lord’s career. His birth, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, crucifixion and resurrection and ascension.

Of grouped teachings and precepts, we may instance those which concern unselfish giving, secret praying, perpetual watching; or the various instructions scattered through Scripture upon such subjects as separation, service and reward.

Of predictions, first of all, those which foretell the Messiah’s first and second advents; then those that forecast Jewish history; then the destiny and doom of the nations of the world.

Of persons and characters, how naturally we group together Abraham, Moses, Aaron and Joshua; Ezra and Nehemiah; the various women, so conspicuous in the Bible, Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Mary of Bethlehem, Mary of Bethany, Mary of Magdala, Anna, Elizabeth, etc.

Of duties and dangers, praying, witnessing and giving; and the corresponding perils, carnality, unbelief and slothfulness.

This principle of classification, thoroughly carried out, would reduce the whole of Scripture to a consistent system of teaching, where one fact or truth offsets another and modifies and qualifies it.

To classify all the teachings of the Word of God on aMiction would reveal a consistent body of truth of marvelous extent and value. For instance:

Afflictions are not accidental or incidental, but providential — of divine appointment (Psa. lxvi:ii; i Thess. iii:3).

Not a mark of His anger, but of His love, and fatherly yearning for our profit (Heb. xii).

To be borne not only with patience, but with rejoicing on account of their results (Rom. v:i-5).

To be abundantly recompensed in the future perfection and glory of the believer (2 Cor. iv).

Sometimes affording an opportunity for vindication of God, as in case of Job i, ii.

Always affording opportunity for the display of the supporting strength of God (2 Cor. xii).

The teachings of Scripture concerning conscience are well worthy of being classified:

Common to all men (Prov. xx:27; Rom. ii:14, 16).

A tender and weak conscience to be respected (Rom. xiv:2).

The source of happiness and misery (Prov. xiv:14; Acts xxiiiri).

To be kept void of offence, etc. (Gen. xlii:2i).

Capable of defilement (Titus i:15).

Similarly, it is most useful to group and systematize Bible teachings on covetousness, discipleship, faith, forgiveness, grace, humility, idolatry, judgment, love, meekness, obedience, patience, peace, perseverance, praise, prayer, the promises, repentance, self-denial, sin, temptation, truth, unbelief, wisdom, worship, etc.

The full teaching of the Word upon Righteousness, and its relations to Law and Grace, may be found in Romans iii :g-2S, where at least seven particulars are grouped together:

( 1 ) By nature and habit, all men are without Righteousness.

(2) By Law, all Righteousness is impossible to a transgressor.

(3) Apart from Law, Righteousness is divinely provided.

(4) This Righteousness depends upon Faith in Jesus Christ.

(5) Righteousness is the free gift of Grace through Redemption.

(6) Righteousness involves the pretermission of past sins.

(7) The Righteousness of God is not imperilled in the sinner’s Justification.

‘’The Things of Christ/* form a special matter of revelation as to which our Lord promised that the Spirit would take and show them unto us (John xvi:14, 15). Search will show what these things are, such as:

The Rest of Christ (Matt, xi :27-3o).

The Divine Sonship (Matt. xvii:16, 17).

The Perpetual Presence (Matt. xxviii:20; John xiv:23).

The Peace of Christ (John xiv:27).

The Knowledge of Christ (Phillip iii:io).

The Faith of Christ (Romans iii -.22; Gal. ii:2o).

The Mind of Christ (Philip. ii:5; i Pet. iv:i).

The Intercession of Christ (Hebrews ii:17, 18; iv:14,

The Body of Christ (Rom. xii; i Cor. xii; Ephes. iv:4- The Cross of Christ (Gal. vi:14).

The Love of Christ (2 Cor. v:14; Ephes. 111:19).

The Power of Christ (2 Cor. xii’.g).

The Life of Christ (Gal. ii:2o).

The Law of Christ (Gal. vi:2).

The Stature of Christ (Ephes. iv:13).

The Coming of Christ (2 Thess. ii:i).

“The Things of the Spirit” are also referred to in i Cor. 11:14.

These concern His person and work, beautifully comprised tinder a threefold aspect, as the Spirit of Life (i Cor. iii:6; Rom. viii:2); of Light (i Cor. iv. 6; Gen. i:3), and of Love (Rom. v:5; Eph. iv:23).

These three briefly comprehend all His offices and activities, imparting light upon truth and duty, communicating divine life, and shedding abroad in the heart the Love of God, so that ve love both God and m.an.

Hence, the Things of the Spirit include our attitude toward Him, set forth under three main warnings; we are not to:

Resist Him, as the Spirit of Life (Acts vii:5i; Heb. x: 29).

Quench Him, as the Spirit of Light (i Thess: v:19). Grieve Him, as the Spirit of Love (Ephes. iv:3o).

The figures by which the Spirit’s character and work are expressed are also very helpful.

Water, as diffused in the atmosphere, distilling in dew, descending in rain.

Oil, as connected with anointing.

Breath or atmosphere, the secret of vitality.

The Dove, the one bird that secretes no gall, etc.

Two prayers of Paul for the Ephesians are on record; they stand out prominent in that epistle and are the only prayers of any length which are found in his epistles. Carefully studied, they are seen to be companion prayers, singularly corresponding to each other, and obviously meant as mutually complem.entary. They are not only similar in length, but in structure; one of them emphasizes the exceeding greatness of the Pozver of God, and the other the exceeding abundance of His Love. In the former Paul expresses his ceaseless yearning that Ephesian disciples may have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of their hearts being so enlightened as to know to what exalted destiny He calls and appoints them, and how immeasurable the power by which He perfects them for glory. In the latter, he shows like solicitude that they should be so strengthened in spirit as to be able, rooted and grounded in love, themselves to comprehend the infinite dim.ensions of God’s gracious purpose toward them and know His unknowable love, if only by learning that it cannot be fully known but passeth understanding. Thus each

prayer covers its own ground, but taken together they cover all that it is most desirable to know of God in Christ. Moreover, the order is important; they could not exchange places; the former is for a spiritual vision; the latter is for a spiritual experience. It is a greater thing to be so rooted and grounded in love as to know God’s love by a like love, than to be so illumined as to know His power without possessing a like power. In one case we gQ.t a glimpse of what God can do; in the other we have a f ellowship in His nature and interpret Him by a like experience. V/e are reminded of the order of creation: first light, then life. Few things in the whole compass of Scripture yield richer results by comparison than these two prayers, where the order of the first and second could not be reversed.

The Biblical teaching as to Satan, his wiles and assaults, and how God turns his whole malignant testing and afflicting of saints into a blessing, can be seen only as we thus classify and systematize many different testimonies and historic examples. He appears in many aspects, characters and activities, such as the f ollov/ing:

1. A fowler, spreading his snares, to entice and entangle. (Psalm xci:3). But God uses these to make us wary and watchful, like a bird (Prov. i:17).

2. A captor, binding and enslaving (2 Timothy ii:26; Luke xiiirii, 17). But again this makes God’s unloosing and delivering the more conspicuous.

3. A sower of tares in the Held (Matt. xiii:39), designed to counterfeit discipleship. But the Lord uses this to show how dangerous it is to trust to outward appearance or venture on condemnatory judgments.

4. A sifter with his sieve (Luke xxii:3i-34). He would sift the chaff from the wheat, to let all the grain fall to the ground. But the Lord uses his sieve to reverse the process, and separates the chaff that He may gather and perserve the grain.

5. A deceiver, deluding and blinding his victims ( i Kings xxii; Matt. xxiv:24; 2 Cor. xi:14). He means to deceive if possible the very elect. But God only uses him to compel His saints to test all teaching by the Word and the fruits in the life.

6. A destroyer, with his scourge and stake in the flesh (Job i, ii; 2 Cor. xii:7-io). God uses him to develop patience, to exhibit His strength that is made perfect in weakness, and mature the martyr spirit.

7. A zmrrior arming sinners with his panoply, and carrying on war against God and saints (Rev. xx). God uses his worst assaults to make the final conquest of Christ the more glorious.

Further examination will reveal much more of this marvelous teaching, of which the above is a brief and partial outline.

A kindred subject, developed by such classification, is the ‘’Devices’^ of the Devil, referred to in 2 Cor. ii:ii. This suggests his subtle inventions and machinations for betraying souls into error and evil. Comparative study shows the following as his main methods:

Diversion, turning! the mind from things great to small, the unseen and eternal to the visible and temporal (2 Cor. iv:4).

Delusion, lies and wiles (2 Cor. xi:14; Eph. vim; 2 Thess. ii :ii; Gen. iii 14; Ezek. xiii 122); by denials, evasions, misrepresentations.

Doubt, inducing hesitation, by a “gospel of negation,” leading to uncertainty, mental and moral (Rom. xiv:23).

Double-mind edness, compromise, trying to serve God and Mammon (Matt. vi:24; 2 Cor. vi:14; vii:i; Lev. xx:24- Darkness, enveloping the soul in gloom, either of imaginary difficulty, alienation from God, or despair (Isa. l:io).

Deadness, substituting “dead works” for living, form of godliness without its power, ritualism, etc. (Heb. vi:i; ix:

Delay, procrastinating all that is good, leading men to put

off the time of decision and action (Acts xxii:25; xxvi:

Such comparison and classification of Scripture testimony has a corrective value. For example, there has always been a tendency to deny or evade the personality of the devil, and construe all references to Satan and satanic influence as referring- to the working of the innate depravity of the human heart, or the subtle attraction of vicious surroundings and associations.

But when the various references to the devil in Scripture are compared and collated such views are corrected and are seen to be irreconcilable with the Scripture testimony.

1. First of all, personal terms and names and titles are repeatedly applied to Satan, as distinctly as to any historic personage or the incarnate Son of God.

2. Again, personal utterances, plans and activities are constantly ascribed to him, and particularly a superior subtlety and strategy to that of which man is capable.

3. Again, the temptations with which he assailed Adam in his innocence and our Lord in His sinlessness preclude the idea of a perverse human self as their source and suggestion.

4. Again, the devil is represented as entering into Judas, and filling the heart of Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost — as beguiling Eve, etc.

5. Again, the devil is expressly distinguished from the world and the flesh in several passages of Scripture, notably Ephesians ii :2, 3; James iv; i John ii, iii, iv.

6. Yet again, our Lord’s mission was and is to destroy the devil and his works. Him that had the power of death, etc, which is meaningless if he be not a personality separate from man.

7. Finally, his doom is personal and individual — and though man, if he persists in sin, is involved in it, it is a separate condemnation on separate grounds (Matt. xxv).