To help us to understand the Bible, The Watchtower uses the topical method. By this method all the information on a certain subject contained in all the sixty-six books of the Bible is brought together and compiled in a logical and orderly manner. This is necessary because the Bible, being largely historical, is written in a running style, and therefore, with few exceptions, does not treat comprehensively any one teaching at one place. This is also true because many of the false teachings that now confuse professed Christians were unknown among the servants of Jehovah in times past; the truth was taken for granted. In rounding out this topical method of study The Watchtower takes note of the meaning of the words in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages, and it also takes into consideration the context of the texts it cites to prove a point.

By making use of such a topical arrangement The Watchtower is not skipping around, trying to find a text to prove a pet theory or preconceived opinion, but is letting the Bible as a whole indicate God’s mind on a subject. Incidentally, this method is not new with The Watchtower, but is, in effect, the method used by Jesus in his sermon on the mount, the method Peter used on the day of Pentecost, and the method Paul used time and again in his letters. For examples please see: Matthew 5:21-38; Acts 2:14-28; Romans 15:7-13; Hebrews 1:5-14.

STUDY “THE WATCHTOWER”

There seems to be a tendency on the part of some of the readers of The Watchtower to peruse merely the main article of each issue, including perhaps the questions from readers. This is a mistake. The Watchtower deals with Bible teaching or doctrine, Bible prophecy, Christian conduct, Bible history and current missionary activity. Only by giving careful consideration to all its contents, including its so-called secondary articles, can we hope to get a rounded-out Scriptural education and keep up to date with the advancing light.

Each issue of The Watchtower may be likened to a well-balanced and well-prepared meal. Nutritionists tell us that the body needs proteins, starches, minerals and vitamins, and a rounded-out meal will provide all these. It would be a mistake to ignore any one of these. In the same way we should not ignore any of the courses of our spiritual meal. And just as we would not think of rushing through a natural meal but would take time to enjoy it, so we should also not rush through our spiritual meals.

Nor is mere reading of The Watchtower enough. Much of it, particularly the main or study articles with questions, present complex and weighty truths, often entirely new and different from anything that has been published previously, which cannot be fully understood and appreciated by just one reading. Such intellectual or spiritual fare requires thorough mastication, that is, concentration, meditation and reflection. To make such truths and arguments our own we must be convinced of their Scripturalness, their reasonableness, their factualness. That requires going over the material several times, not just once.

Besides, we want to remember as much as possible, for our purpose in acquiring these truths is not just for our own enjoyment but to give us something that we can pass on to others. And only if we have a point clearly in mind shall we be able to explain it to others; another reason for our studying The Watchtower thoroughly.

Further, The Watchtower contains much admonition and instruction regarding Christian conduct and activity. To gain the full impact of such we must go over it again and again. Unless we are moved to action we are like the foolish man that built his house upon the sand. Then ours would be a dead faith.—Matt. 7:26, 27; Jas. 2:14-26, NW.

HOW TO STUDY “THE WATCHTOWER”

As Christians, study of the Bible, with the help of Bible aids, is not discretionary but mandatory, for the apostle Paul’s instructions to Timothy apply to each one of us: “Do your utmost to present yourself approved to God, a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of the truth aright.” (2 Tim. 2:15, NW) If we want life we must gain God’s approval, and if we want God’s approval we must handle the Word of God aright, and to do that we must study. How can we best study the Bible with the aid of The Watchtower?

First of all, we recognize that it takes time to study, so we must buy out time for regular and unhurried study. If we have a very full schedule we might find fifteen or thirty minutes daily the first thing in the morning, or right after breakfast or at some other convenient time of day. (Eph. 5:16) Otherwise it would be well to budget at least one evening a week for our own private study. Nor should we overlook the fact that the busy and alert minister will take advantage of opportunities to study when traveling, even as he is alert to opportunities for incidental preaching.

To properly study The Watchtower we must approach it with the right heart attitude. While we are commanded, “Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is right,” let us not overlook the fact that we are also admonished, “Do not treat prophesyings with contempt.” (1 Thess. 5:20, 21, NW) Having found, time and again, that The Watchtower adheres faithfully to God’s Word, we have no grounds for approaching a study of it with suspicion, but rather we should approach it with a sincere desire to understand what God has provided for us through its pages, ever ready to “accept with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save [our] souls.”—Jas. 1:21, NW.

The Beroeans set us a good example in this. True, they made certain that what Paul told them was based on the Scriptures; but did that mean that they listened to Paul with a skeptical, critical or antagonistic spirit? Not at all. Rather, we are told that they “received the word with the greatest readiness of mind.”—Acts 17:11, NW.

Having the right heart attitude toward the material we are to study, we should next make sure that we dismiss all matters not germane to our study. We cannot expect to receive much benefit from our study if we have our minds on something else; some pleasant or unpleasant experience we just had or which we expect to meet up with after our study. Having set aside time for the study of The Watchtower, let us give it our undivided attention; as Paul expresses it, “pay more than the usual attention to the things” we are studying. Otherwise they will not impress themselves deeply enough on our subconscious minds so that we can recall them at will.—Heb. 2:1, NW.

Note the title and the caption text, if there is one, also the relationship between the two. As you read note not only what is presented, but how. Reflect, note how the argument is being developed. Something new? or differently expressed than before? Look up the texts cited but not quoted; note their application. Do you appreciate what light they throw on the theme under discussion? You may want to underscore main points, or the exact answers to the questions, if the article has questions. Can you express the answer in your own words? If supporting ideas, texts or facts come to mind, why not jot them down in the margin for use at the congregational study?

In an article of any length there usually are subheadings, denoting a change in thought or another aspect of the main theme. Note how the succeeding paragraphs relate to it. After you have studied an article or that part scheduled for the coming congregational study, reflect. What were the main points, the new points, the points particularly helpful to me? Go over the study questions again; as you read them does the answer to each one immediately come to mind? Remember, one of the best aids to study is review.

Studying The Watchtower with another has much to recommend itself. Studying with another lightens the labor of concentration, increases the joy, makes for better understanding, as well as improved ability to express oneself in the congregational study of The Watchtower. Something for members of a family to consider.

Congregational study of The Watchtower? Yes, each week, at some fourteen thousand Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s witnesses an hour is set aside, usually on Sunday afternoon or evening, for the study of the Bible with the help of The Watchtower. It is not enough to study privately or with other members of our family. We gain more from each lesson if we hear what others have to say in answer to its questions; they may have a different, more correct or more complete understanding of it than we do. And not only can we receive help at such a study but we can also give help to others. They need what we can give, we need what they can give. No individual member of the Christian congregation can say to another, “I have no need of you.”—1 Cor. 12:19-22, NW.

A knowledge and understanding of the Bible means light and life. To gain that knowledge and understanding we need help. The Watchtower is the pre-eminent Bible study aid. Let us show our appreciation of it by carefully reading it from cover to cover, by thoroughly studying its main articles in private or with our families, and then by regularly coming together for congregational study where we not only gain further help but are able to help our fellow Christian ministers.

Which Side Are the Churches On?

● Under the heading “Do Lottery, Liquor Belong in Church?” the Paris, Texas, News carried the case of a woman who said nervously: “My husband is a very attractive man, but he has been addicted to gambling. . . . I have tried everything in my power to make him give up this evil habit, but it seems to have him enslaved as much as if he were a dope addict. . . . Just when I thought I was making some progress, my husband comes home with a handful of tickets being sold by my church, and waves them in my face. My church is having a lottery, and is giving away $500 in cash prizes. The first prize amounts to $200, and the smallest is $10. The tickets sold for 10 cents apiece, but this price was listed in the corner as ‘Donation—10 cents’. I suppose that was just a means of evading the laws against gambling. . . . My husband tells me that I have a lot of nerve to preach to him about the evils of gambling when my own church is running a lottery. He asks me to explain the difference between his patronizing a bookie, where he bets $2 on a race horse, and buying a handful of chances on a church lottery at a dime a ticket. . . . Is sin only that type of behavior on which the church obtains no financial returns? . . . My husband is now ridiculing my religion and calling us hypocrites.”