From today's in-box:
Is it best to consult only scripture, and not other teachers?
Steve,
I am concerned about something my pastor said. He said he will not consult other Christian authors, but has decided to teach only that which the Holy Spirit teaches him from the Bible alone. But if he's not willing to teach anything but what he gets directly from the Bible, isn't that the very definition of being unteachable? Do you teach only what you get directly from the Bible or personal research or do you ever teach what someone else has taught you? Just because you are a teacher, does that mean you should not listen to other teachers in the body, and even teach those things that you may have gleaned from them, as long as they are Biblical? I know you often quote other opinions, and then give yours and scripture to back it up, which I find very helpful.
Anon.
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Hi Anon,
Since I don't know your pastor, nor exactly what he said in his own words or context, it is hard for me to know what he means, or whether I can agree with him.
If he is merely saying that he looks only to the Bible as the final authority for what he believes, I cannot fault him. If, on the other hand, he is saying that he will never listen to or read any authors other than those contained within the leather covers of his Bible, I think he is limiting himself unnecessarily in terms of his theological growth.
With so many merely-human traditions and theological opinions flying around, it is easy for a student or teacher of scripture to become overwhelmed. One may feel it is impossible to sort out all the arguments for the conflicting opinions, so as to reach confidence in one's own conclusions. For a pastor who teaches the Bible, this can be intimidating, since he feels that he must teach something about the subjects and passages he is handling, but awareness of the disagreements among so many camps, and the inability to confidently choose among them, may tend to be paralyzing.
Is it really even possible to read the Bible in a vacuum, fully free of the influence of other teachers? Few of us have ever lived in that vacuum. Most of us come to our reading of the Bible with factory-installed opinions about numerous doctrines, which we have heard from other Christians or preachers. These default opinions that are already with us in our initial research stage may go unquestioned unless we encounter the ideas of another student who does not share these beginning assumptions.
To say, "I will consult no one but the Bible" may, in some instances, be the counsel of humility””if it is saying, "I am not really confident in my own grasp of certain complex ideas of secondary importance." The psalmist wrote, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me" (Ps.131:1). If a man is frustrated and overwhelmed with TMTI (too much theological information), it is wise for him to recognize his limitations and to stick, for the time being, with the things he really understands. He cannot do better than to teach honestly and humbly.
Perhaps he is merely saying, "The Holy Spirit and scripture should be enough to lead me into any essential truth that God wants me to teach." With this sentiment I am in full sympathy. If one feels he cannot, at the present time, sort out every theological mystery adequately, one can still love, and teach others to do the same (1 Cor.13:2).
On the other hand, one can be falsely humble. Humility and teachability are root and branch of the same tree. To say, "I will listen to no one but God, because no one can hear God more clearly than I can," is neither teachable nor humble. I would think it wise for your pastor, even while following his self-limiting policy, to maintain his open-minded, unhurried reading of sincere and competent Christian authors of various viewpoints. To our great benefit, there now exist dozens of "Counterpoint" books in which one can encounter as many as four or five authors in the same book cross-examining each others' conflicting viewpoints on a subject””e.g., "War: Four Christian Views," "Understanding Four Views on Baptism," "Divorce and Remarriage: Four Christian Views," "Four Views on Eternal Security," etc.
Such a practice may be used of God to stimulate and "stir up" one's godly mind, and to keep as-yet-unsettled scriptural matters in suspension in his mental cauldron until they resolve. The key is to continually remember that being undecided on a question is not the same thing as being confused. The devil is the author of confusion, but indecision is simply the wise avoidance overconfidence concerning a matter which one has not finished studying out.
I have had to take this approach with reference to many scriptural issues. This is part of what I believe to be the duty of "meditating" day and night on the Word of God. It means that unresolved scriptural questions are continually being re-examined from every reasonable angle. In many cases, perhaps after years of uncertainty about a thing, the puzzle pieces came together and I felt confident enough to teach a position. While I read broadly, I still hold a number of questions unresolved””and am comfortable doing so. The main rule is to be unashamed to say, "I do not know."
Reading other authors is not in contrast with allowing the Holy Spirit to bring understanding. The Spirit has given some the gift of teaching (Rom.12:6-7; Eph.4:11), and may use them to draw the believer further along in the understanding of things currently opaque to him. However, to read, or hear, and respect other teachers is not the same thing as to fully trust their infallibility. It is not safe to choose one, or a few, favorite authors/teachers and to say, "They are smarter than I am. I will believe whatever they say." This is to surrender one's responsibility and agency as a steward of the mysteries of God.
I will admit that many writers, proponents of many conflicting opinions, have been used by God to stir up my thinking, or to introduce possible meanings which had not previously occurred to me on my own. But I would never believe something simply on the authority of any or all of them. When we hear any person express an opinion, we recognize that such have no authority to be credited as correct unless their ideas are agreeable with scripture.
Thus, it seems that the balanced approach (in my judgment) is to say: "I will hear various opinions, but the only authority to which I will finally submit is the Word of God." This is what the "noble" Bereans did (Acts 17:11). The Bible warns against blocking out the voices that disagree with us. "The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him" (Prov.18:17), and "He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him" (Prov.18:13). We should especially be willing to ask, "Does this author/teacher see something true in scripture that I had not previously considered?" while also saying, "I am not sure this person is right. I will not endorse his views until I am convinced that they are fully scriptural."
Blessings!
Steve Gregg