Sola Scriptura and the role of teachers in our spiritual growth
STUDY OF SCRIPTURES

part one of four

Some one wrote:

• Your identity as a "Baptist"; your endless quotations from Charles Spurgeon; your faithful devotion to John MacArthur; and especially your willingness to call yourself a "Calvinist" are all huge red flags that tell me something is seriously wrong with your theology. Why do you teach a system of doctrine that is named after a mere man? Why are you following human teachers instead of going to the Bible alone? After all,
  1 John 2:27 says, "The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you."

• We ought to go to Scripture alone to establish our doctrine! The truth is in God's Holy word, not in any theological system or theology textbook developed by mere men.Isn't that principle what the Reformation was originally about? Sola Scriptura? Didn't even Calvin himself go to Scripture for the truth instead of reading other men? I believe that if Calvin himself wrote for this blog, he would point people to the truth in God's Holy word, not to a theology developed by some other man.

MY REPY TO THIS: So do we need to read and study other men to grow spiritually?

It would seem to me that as I study the Scriptures it is possible that I might come to a conclusion that is neither biblical nor orthodox. And, being that in our day it is pretty easy to find someone to support my belief however ridiculously unbiblical, I had better be careful who I choose to support my exegesis.

And, if I discover that there is no valid support of my exegesis - then I should reconsider what it is that I have concluded - 'scripture is not open to private interpretation.'The teachers that I choose to consult or quote as I teach or preach should only support or amplify my exegesis?

Is this true? I used to believe that! John R. Rice! Jack Hyles! Oliver B. Greene! Harry Ironside! J. Frank Norris! C.I. Scofield! The American Commentary by Alvah Hovey. Systematic Theology by Berkhof. How about that list?

I was taught to choose those men who supported my belief systems. My thinking was formed early. I am thankful that my father provided a well-rounded group of books that had different points of view.

However, the key is that I am studying the Scripture and seeking to understand what the Author intended.

Of course that sounds very professional speaking. Of course a minister should know how to understand the Word of God. It a little unsettling to think you do not know how to study the Bible.