- The Bible is the one textbook of the Sunday-school teacher.
- The Bible becomes exceedingly important when we find its relation to the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of men. It enlightens, quickens, converts, sanctifies, edifies, etc. No wonder it is in itself compared to “seed,” “word,” “fire,” “manna,” “silver,’ “gold,” etc.
- The Bible is to be used by the whole church-the ministry and the laity.
- The teacher’s use of the Bible, to be effective, requires the aid of the Holy Spirit.
- The teacher’s use of the Bible is twofold—personal and professional.
- The teacher must use the Bible to find Christ, since Christ the Word is in his Word.
- The teacher must also seek the indwelling of Christ, that he may say, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
- The teacher thus finding Christ in the Word, and having Christ in his own soul, will be earnest, will love his pupils, and will be patient with them and in his work..
THE DISCUSSION.
- The Sunday-school is a school with one textbook—the Holy Scriptures; therefore, the Sunday-school teacher must use the Bible. Whatever other works he consults, his final authority is the Bible. Whatever helps he employs, they must be, in every case, helps to the better understanding and use of the Word of God. If God’s Word be so goodly and mighty a thing as these scriptures declare, no wonder that they who knew best its source and mission should account the truth it contains like “seed” (Luke 8:11),like a “sword” (Heb 4:12), like a “fire and a “hammer” (Jer 23:29), like “rain” and “dew” (Deut 32:2), like “honey” and the “honey-comb” (Psalm 19:10), like “silver” (Ps 12:6), like “gold” (Ps 19:10), like “thousands of gold and silver”(Ps 119:72), and, finally like “all riches” (Ps 119:14). No wonder that the Psalmist made it his song in the house of his pilgrimage (Ps 119:54), and that his delight was in the law of the Lord, in which he mediated day and night (Ps 1:2). No wonder that we are exhorted to take earnest heed what we hear (Mark 4:24), and how we hear (Luke 8:18). No wonder that earnest Jews searched the Scriptures (John 5:39), and that the Bereans were commended as being “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scripture daily.” (Acts 17:11).
“Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy Holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life which thou hast given us in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
An excerpt taken from an article by REV. JOHN H. VINCENT, LL.D., Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. John Heyl Vincent (February 23, 1832 – May 9, 1920)