From the Life-Study of Philippians - What's the Theme of the Bible?

     Every book has a theme.   Most literature classes that I took focused on analyzing the writer’s theme and writing essays dissecting this theme from different angles. I loved literature classes, but sometimes you almost have to crawl into the author’s brain to figure out what their message is.  

     And maybe because the Bible has 66 books it may seem hard to pinpoint the theme.  Chapter 36 of the Life-Study of Philippians totally answers this question though.  It opened up with this here’s what the Bible’s all about in a nutshell kind of sentence:   “The basic thought of the Bible is that the Triune God desires to work Himself into man so that man may take Him as life and live Him.”  Have you ever thought about the Bible like that before?   I know I didn’t.

      Then Witness Lee points out that in order for God to work Himself into us, we need to come to the Bible as food and not look at it as a book of knowledge, ethics, or religion.  Have you ever thought of the Bible as food?  I know I didn’t until I listened to Witness Lee open up verses like these two classic verses: 

Thy words were found and I did eat them.  Jeremiah 15:16

Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

    Not only did many men of God in the Bible pray back the words of the Bible, but also many renowned men of God had this practice. Witness Lee shares his own personal journey of reading the Bible prayerfully on Page 397-400, this is a bit longer than I usually quote so please realize it's because it's a special testimony of his experience in this matter: 

"Many believers throughout the centuries had the practice of praying with the Word of God...One of those who practiced pray-reading the words of the Bible was George Whitefield, a contemporary of John Wesley.  George Whitefield's practice was to pray the New Testament in Greek while on his knees.

 ...I have been reading and studying the Bible for more than fifty years. When I was a young man, I loved the Word of God, and was ambitious to know it thoroughly.  However, I only knew to read the Bible with my eyes and my mind.  Then someone encouraged me not only to read the Word, but also to meditate on it…. I was also helped by reading George Mueller's autobiography.  According to Mueller, we should not only read the Bible and meditate on it, but also pray over it"  (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Philippians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1980, Print).

    And to understand what it's like to exercise the spirit while reading the word, he gives a great illustration.  He explains a match contains phosphorous, but it won't ignite unless it's struck. In the same way, the Word of God contains the Spirit, but we can't experience it until we pray the Word with our spirit. When we pray over the verses in the Bible, we receive the divine fire that's in the Word.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Philippians given in 1980 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  The commentary is excellent.

Blog Update 5/22/14:  Check out the  new free book put out by Bibles for America called A Life of Forbearance But Without Anxiety. 

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Philippians:

What is the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit in Philippians 1:19?
What Does It Mean to Magnify Christ in Philippians 1:20-23?
How Does Religion, Philosophy & Culture Relate to Philippians 3:5-6?
Have You Ever Wondered What Gaining Christ is in Philippians 3:8?
Why Does Paul Put Anxiety and Prayer Together in Philippians 4:6?
What's Paul's Secret in Philippians 4:12?
What Does It Mean to Live Christ in Philippians 1:19-21?
From the Life-Study of Philippians:  What's the Theme of the Bible?
What is the Sacrifice of Faith in Philippians 2:17?
How to Enjoy the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit in Philippians 1:19