A Word of Caution

[A.W. Bowman]

About 25 years ago, I posted these thoughts on another forum, as a caution to those in a position of spiritual leadership/teacher/counselor.

A Bible study, for the most part, requires extensive preparation and actual "study". Like most people who would be teachers of the word of God, I have taken shortcuts in the writing and presentations of studies. That is, going through some notes and patching them together. Or, I could take a theme that I have been taught on years ago and polish it up with a few different/new words - the same as taking a teaching that someone else did and re-wording it as my own. I have worked to change from that "borrowed knowledge” mode into a more “original” research/study mode. [Note: On this forum, that is exactly what I am doing, i.e., collecting and ‘fixing up’ some of my old teaching, trying to clean up some errors, and to make the teaching more understandable.]

When anyone tries to create a new or original study, they risk adding to, subtracting from, or otherwise changing the scriptures to present something new and interesting, but that is not supported by the text (2 Timothy 4:3). It is neither proper nor acceptable to misapply (misuse) a verse in any teaching or study, even if the point being made is valid. Always use only the appropriate verse(s) to support or make a point. If you cannot find such a verse, most likely the point you are trying to make needs to be re-examined.

While this one danger should be enough to make any teacher apprehensive concerning what and how he/she presents in a Bible lesson, there is another danger even more critical, and that impacts the spiritual health of both the teacher and the student, i.e., the manipulation of scripture to further one’s agenda. Some teachers will use the word of God, attempting to gain authority/control over others (the love of power), to make merchandise of the believers (the love of money), seeking to make disciples of themselves (spiritual pride), or other such-like carnal motivations.

After more than 5,000 years of God working with and through men, it would seem reasonable that by now we would have discovered a workable concept of who and what God is, and what it is that we humans should be doing to establish and maintain a personal relationship with the creator of the universe. The problem: Everyone thinks that they have discovered the “perfect and acceptable way”. When any individual believes strongly enough and is persuasive enough, they can create a personal following. That new group, given enough time, will often create a new religion or at least a new division within an established religion (see the history of Christianity). Frequently, the deciding factor as to which religion (or denomination, group, or organization) becomes dominant in a region, is how ruthless the different religious camps are, and how strong and how bloody they are willing to become to establish their dominance.

Even the history of the Jews and their relationship with the Christian church (remember to love your enemies?) contains page after page of bloodletting in the name of God. Even today, we have factions that would gladly kill fellow believers in Christ Jesus over doctrinal differences. But perhaps this is one reason Jesus admonished us that to hate one’s neighbor is the same as murder. (1John 3:15)

Back to Bible studies:

We are instructed in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun regarding men's thinking and actions (experiences). However, our God is continually doing new things. Our God did not cease being God and engaging in personal relationships with His followers (children) when John the Revelator died some 2,000 years ago. God has been neither silent nor inactive during this period. The problem: Neither has the adversity been silent or inactive! For every true spiritual leader God has placed in the church, Satan has also raised a false leader (with every kind of title and in every sort of position). For every move of God (e.g., revival) in a community, our adversary moves another Satanic-driven movement – sometimes even within a church organization. (2 Peter 2:1) This is why we must be watchful (vigilant) and both living and walking in the Spirit of God, as well as watching out for our brothers and sisters. Also see, in context, Rev. 11:7 & 13:7,8.

We are in a war! A spiritual war. A gorilla war. Sometimes there may be an army on the field ready to engage in combat with the army of God, but more frequently it is the subversion of individual saints from within, a war of attrition.

An army might have the best and most capable officers any army can have, but if the troops are untrained, undisciplined, ill-equipped, unmotivated, or simply weak, they have lost the battle before they ever take to the field! When the battle starts, they will fail! And, when the attack comes from the companion standing beside them, they become quickly confused and demoralized. Today we are encumbered with spiritual leaders (officers in God’s army) who are no better prepared to fight a war than the army they pretend to lead! The companion who is watching your back might also be a traitor, and you have no way of knowing that until it is too late. When the adversity has placed his operatives into our leadership ranks, then entire divisions of the army are given over to the enemy, e.g. Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. There is but one supreme commander, but few officers are following his orders – they are leading their personal commands according to their plans and good ideas, not God’s!(2 Peter 2:1)

Conclusion:

Bible studies do not have to be original to be true and effective; they only have to be rightly dividing the word of truth. Trying to say something “original” about a particular verse will more often result in teaching error than in revealing a new God-given revelation. When a teacher manipulates the word of God to achieve his own goals, whatever that “goal” may be, he is a false teacher – good intentions are not acceptable. Any teacher who will not accept (welcome) public examination and/or correction is a false teacher. James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation [judgment].

Bottom line:

Teachers with hidden agendas, who are not themselves teachable, even while insisting that others accept their doctrines as biblical truth, or who knowingly mishandle the word of God, are to be exposed and rejected. Remember that you, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are your highest spiritual priorities! Everything else is commentary.

Next step:

Questions to be addressed before undertaking any study:

Why am I doing this study? That is, what is my purpose (what motivates me) and what do I hope to achieve (what are my goals)? What is my payoff (what do I expect to personally gain from this study - why)? What should be the expected results in the lives of the students and my own life? How is this to be measured? Who receives recognition (glory) from this study — God or me?

I measure success when my students, in turn, become my teachers. That is when I know I have accomplished my mission. If I have not had a lasting, positive impact on the lives of my students, then why am I wasting their time and mine? How does one make this judgment, and what does one do with the results of such an examination?

To be an effective teacher, one must first become (and remain) an excellent student.

Let the studies begin!

 

[David]

About 25 years ago, I posted these thoughts on another forum, as a caution to those in a position of spiritual leadership/teacher/counselor.

A Bible study, for the most part, requires extensive preparation and actual "study". Like most people who would be teachers of the word of God, I have taken shortcuts in the writing and presentations of studies. That is, going through some notes and patching them together. Or, I could take a theme that I have been taught on years ago and polish it up with a few different/new words - the same as taking a teaching that someone else did and re-wording it as my own. I have worked to change from that "borrowed knowledge” mode into a more “original” research/study mode. [Note: On this forum, that is exactly what I am doing, i.e., collecting and ‘fixing up’ some of my old teaching, trying to clean up some errors, and to make the teaching more understandable.]

When anyone tries to create a new or original study, they risk adding to, subtracting from, or otherwise changing the scriptures to present something new and interesting, but that is not supported by the text (2 Timothy 4:3). It is neither proper nor acceptable to misapply (misuse) a verse in any teaching or study, even if the point being made is valid. Always use only the appropriate verse(s) to support or make a point. If you cannot find such a verse, most likely the point you are trying to make needs to be re-examined.

While this one danger should be enough to make any teacher apprehensive concerning what and how he/she presents in a Bible lesson, there is another danger even more critical, and that impacts the spiritual health of both the teacher and the student, i.e., the manipulation of scripture to further one’s agenda. Some teachers will use the word of God, attempting to gain authority/control over others (the love of power), to make merchandise of the believers (the love of money), seeking to make disciples of themselves (spiritual pride), or other such-like carnal motivations.

After more than 5,000 years of God working with and through men, it would seem reasonable that by now we would have discovered a workable concept of who and what God is, and what it is that we humans should be doing to establish and maintain a personal relationship with the creator of the universe. The problem: Everyone thinks that they have discovered the “perfect and acceptable way”. When any individual believes strongly enough and is persuasive enough, they can create a personal following. That new group, given enough time, will often create a new religion or at least a new division within an established religion (see the history of Christianity). Frequently, the deciding factor as to which religion (or denomination, group, or organization) becomes dominant in a region, is how ruthless the different religious camps are, and how strong and how bloody they are willing to become to establish their dominance.

Even the history of the Jews and their relationship with the Christian church (remember to love your enemies?) contains page after page of bloodletting in the name of God. Even today, we have factions that would gladly kill fellow believers in Christ Jesus over doctrinal differences. But perhaps this is one reason Jesus admonished us that to hate one’s neighbor is the same as murder. (1John 3:15)

Back to Bible studies:

We are instructed in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun regarding men's thinking and actions (experiences). However, our God is continually doing new things. Our God did not cease being God and engaging in personal relationships with His followers (children) when John the Revelator died some 2,000 years ago. God has been neither silent nor inactive during this period. The problem: Neither has the adversity been silent or inactive! For every true spiritual leader God has placed in the church, Satan has also raised a false leader (with every kind of title and in every sort of position). For every move of God (e.g., revival) in a community, our adversary moves another Satanic-driven movement – sometimes even within a church organization. (2 Peter 2:1) This is why we must be watchful (vigilant) and both living and walking in the Spirit of God, as well as watching out for our brothers and sisters. Also see, in context, Rev. 11:7 & 13:7,8.

We are in a war! A spiritual war. A gorilla war. Sometimes there may be an army on the field ready to engage in combat with the army of God, but more frequently it is the subversion of individual saints from within, a war of attrition.

An army might have the best and most capable officers any army can have, but if the troops are untrained, undisciplined, ill-equipped, unmotivated, or simply weak, they have lost the battle before they ever take to the field! When the battle starts, they will fail! And, when the attack comes from the companion standing beside them, they become quickly confused and demoralized. Today we are encumbered with spiritual leaders (officers in God’s army) who are no better prepared to fight a war than the army they pretend to lead! The companion who is watching your back might also be a traitor, and you have no way of knowing that until it is too late. When the adversity has placed his operatives into our leadership ranks, then entire divisions of the army are given over to the enemy, e.g. Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. There is but one supreme commander, but few officers are following his orders – they are leading their personal commands according to their plans and good ideas, not God’s!(2 Peter 2:1)

Conclusion:

Bible studies do not have to be original to be true and effective; they only have to be rightly dividing the word of truth. Trying to say something “original” about a particular verse will more often result in teaching error than in revealing a new God-given revelation. When a teacher manipulates the word of God to achieve his own goals, whatever that “goal” may be, he is a false teacher – good intentions are not acceptable. Any teacher who will not accept (welcome) public examination and/or correction is a false teacher. James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation [judgment].

Bottom line:

Teachers with hidden agendas, who are not themselves teachable, even while insisting that others accept their doctrines as biblical truth, or who knowingly mishandle the word of God, are to be exposed and rejected. Remember that you, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are your highest spiritual priorities! Everything else is commentary.

Next step:

Questions to be addressed before undertaking any study:

Why am I doing this study? That is, what is my purpose (what motivates me) and what do I hope to achieve (what are my goals)? What is my payoff (what do I expect to personally gain from this study - why)? What should be the expected results in the lives of the students and my own life? How is this to be measured? Who receives recognition (glory) from this study — God or me?

I measure success when my students, in turn, become my teachers. That is when I know I have accomplished my mission. If I have not had a lasting, positive impact on the lives of my students, then why am I wasting their time and mine? How does one make this judgment, and what does one do with the results of such an examination?

To be an effective teacher, one must first become (and remain) an excellent student.

Let the studies begin!

I want to commend the heart behind this article and the spirit of self-examination that it represents. I would echo much of your concern regarding the care with which Scripture should be handled, and particularly the care which those who speak to and teach others should have (James 3:1).

However, I believe there are several passages which are presented in such a way that they would benefit from further cross-examination with the whole counsel of Scripture to ensure that nothing is done which does not rest completely and wholly in the Word of God.

In particular, the statement “God is continually doing new things” should be treated with extreme caution. It is true that God is always at work within His people, but to present this as if God is at any time revealing new doctrine or new truths to the Church outside of the Bible would be a very serious mistake. Scripture is complete and sufficient for all things (2 Timothy 3: 16–17) and the character of God does not change (Malachi 3:6). All so-called “new” revelation must be rigorously compared to what has already been written.

There’s a lot of human reasoning in parts, things like analyzing religious history or guessing at motives, and while that can be thought-provoking, it’s not the same as rightly dividing the Word. We need to be careful not to blur the line between biblical truth and personal commentary.

I say all this with love and with all respect. It is clear that you care about rightly handling the Word of God, and that is an aspiration which all of us need to pursue with great humility and great accountability. May we continue to seek to sharpen one another in this, ensuring that everything we say and do points people back to the Bible, and not simply to our own experience or understanding.

Thank you for starting this conversation, it is a good one.

 

[A.W. Bowman]

Thank you, David. Great post!

 

[bobinfaith]

A Bible study, for the most part, requires extensive preparation and actual "study". When anyone tries to create a new or original study, they risk adding to, subtracting from, or otherwise changing the scriptures to present something new and interesting, but that is not supported by the text (2 Timothy 4:3). The problem: Everyone thinks that they have discovered the “perfect and acceptable way”. When any individual believes strongly enough and is persuasive enough, they can create a personal following. That new group, given enough time, will often create a new religion or at least a new division within an established religion (see the history of Christianity). We are instructed in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun regarding men's thinking and actions (experiences). However, our God is continually doing new things. To be an effective teacher, one must first become (and remain) an excellent student.

In particular, the statement “God is continually doing new things” should be treated with extreme caution. It is true that God is always at work within His people, but to present this as if God is at any time revealing new doctrine or new truths to the Church outside of the Bible would be a very serious mistake. Scripture is complete and sufficient for all things (2 Timothy 3: 16–17) and the character of God does not change (Malachi 3:6). All so-called “new” revelation must be rigorously compared to what has already been written. There’s a lot of human reasoning in parts, things like analyzing religious history or guessing at motives, and while that can be thought-provoking, it’s not the same as rightly dividing the Word. We need to be careful not to blur the line between biblical truth and personal commentary.

Hello A.W. Bowman and David;

You both presented excellent posts and the areas that you wrote (I blue and red lighted) spoke to me.

AW is correct that Bible study requires preparation and actual study. My wife and I read the Bible and for the last 3 years have followed a calendar schedule. After reading she and I will ponder beyond casual reading and discuss what the Lord is saying to us, and how we can apply the teaching in our daily walk.

AW continues to share from Ecclesiastes; he writes, "However, our God is continually doing new things," I understand the context and the distinction between God being a forward thinking God in His plans and guidance for us in the application we apply.

David shares that we must use extreme caution. For years I didn't. I was under the belief that God could add to His Word through the scholars, theologians, editors and publishers, thus the revised translations in the last 50-60 years. (But this is for another discussion.)

Lesson that God revealed to me is that His Word is complete. But I displayed a strong arrogance in a Bible study or sharing the Gospel to others by adding "my doctrine."

During that time I didn't like Paul in the New Testament because I felt he too was strong and arrogant until one day I read in Ephesians 3 and it pricked my heart.

As Paul shared God's Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles and his Prayer for the Ephesians, he starts in verse 8 and 14 with;

Ephesians 3:8-9, 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. - ESV

Ephesians 3:14-17, 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, - ESV

Consistent Bible preparation and study grew me up. Paul was the lowest of low in his ministry and I feel it's with his humble attitude that God revealed His strength in His servant.

God bless you, both, A.W. Bowman, David, and your families.

bobinfaith

 

[David]

Consistent Bible preparation and study grew me up. Paul was the lowest of low in his ministry and I feel it's with his humble attitude that God revealed His strength in His servant.

I had to do the same thing you mentioned. Studying, digging, and preparing of the Bible to grow up in the Word. The more I studied, the more I saw Scripture being twisted to make it say what people wanted it to say. That teaching might “lull the flesh,” as Paul said, but it will never bring one to the kingdom of heaven.

“Certain men crept in unawares … ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” Jude 1:4. And Jesus said there will be wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15). And Paul warned us that “of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:30.

This is why study and preparation on our part are so vital. If we’re not anchored in the Word, we will be carried away by this tide of false teaching that is already flooding the church. The only safeguard is to test everything by Scripture, “to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 1:3.

We can’t just go to church or follow a teacher. We must go to the Word itself. Only the truth of Scripture, rightly divided and obeyed, can keep us from deception and bring us closer to Christ.

Grace and peace to you. Let’s keep digging in the Word, the Spirit of truth will always bring us back to Jesus.