Private Bible study question

[Tenchi]

Bible study based on what the bible actually says and not on what we want the bible to say is not as you say "ad hoc".

Yes. But I've met a great - and increasing - number of Christians who think that what they feel and experience is at least as authoritative as God's word and who also import a worldly egalitarianism into their approach to group Bible studies where the newest and most immature believer stands on equal footing in their views on Scripture with the believer who's walked well with God and been a careful student of His word for fifty years. And so, in many such Bible studies, God's word is not the Final Word, defining and clarifying itself, but, rather, the perspective/preferences of the reader of God's word decides its meaning. A very postmodern - and common - approach to Bible study and one very sure to create profound error concerning God's truth.

In any case, when I described a Bible study as "ad hoc," I meant in its establishment, not its hermeneutic approach. Sometimes, believers just decide among themselves to study the Bible together privately and informally. There's no directive from a spiritual authority (Elder/Pastor) to do so and no forming the study as a ministry of a church and so I call the decision to do the study "ad hoc."

While "approved Bible studies" can be useful they are still just some persons understanding of what the bible says or means.

Certainly, not all published Bible studies one can take up are equal. Many these days are quite awful, offered in order to generate profit rather than a deeper experience of God. Others are very careful in their handling of God's word, applying a sound intrepretive hermeneutic to Scripture, and are well-reasoned and allow Scripture to define, clarify and qualify itself rather the reader. So, while all studies are "just some person's understanding of what the Bible says," not all put forward an equally good understanding of it.

Many times people will just trust what is in those books and not do the hard work of actual bible study.

Yes. Which means these people will never grow spiritually beyond the most rudimentary level and will remain perennially susceptible to the deceits and predations of the false teacher with the impressive credentials. Too often now, believers "out-source" their thinking about their faith, following the path of least resistance, deferring to the "expert" and so, are led about by the nose concerning what to think and do as a child of God. The commonly spiritually juvenile, complacent, and impotent Church in North America is a sad testament to this.

 

[Silverhair]

Yes. But I've met a great - and increasing - number of Christians who think that what they feel and experience is at least as authoritative as God's word and who also import a worldly egalitarianism into their approach to group Bible studies where the newest and most immature believer stands on equal footing in their views on Scripture with the believer who's walked well with God and been a careful student of His word for fifty years. And so, in many such Bible studies, God's word is not the Final Word, defining and clarifying itself, but, rather, the perspective/preferences of the reader of God's word decides its meaning. A very postmodern - and common - approach to Bible study and one very sure to create profound error concerning God's truth.

In any case, when I described a Bible study as "ad hoc," I meant in its establishment, not its hermeneutic approach. Sometimes, believers just decide among themselves to study the Bible together privately and informally. There's no directive from a spiritual authority (Elder/Pastor) to do so and no forming the study as a ministry of a church and so I call the decision to do the study "ad hoc."



Certainly, not all published Bible studies one can take up are equal. Many these days are quite awful, offered in order to generate profit rather than a deeper experience of God. Others are very careful in their handling of God's word, applying a sound intrepretive hermeneutic to Scripture, and are well-reasoned and allow Scripture to define, clarify and qualify itself rather the reader. So, while all studies are "just some person's understanding of the what the Bible says," not all put forward an equally good understanding of it.



Yes. Which means these people will never grow spiritually beyond the most rudimentary level and will remain perennially susceptible to the deceits and predations of the false teacher with the impressive credentials. Too often now, believers "out-source" their thinking about their faith, following the path of least resistance, deferring to the "expert" and are led about by the nose concerning what to think and do as a child of God. The commonly spiritually juvenile, complacent, and impotent Church in North America is a sad testament to this.

I could not have said it any better.

We are in a state decline as far as biblical literacy goes.

This I believe is what will lead to many "Christians" being deceived by a smooth talking false messiah.

 

[JesusFan]

I once had all the ministry leads at my church sit with me and explain to me what they were doing in their various ministries (I was an Elder in the church, you see). After they had all offered a summary of their ministries, I asked them how they determined if they were succeeding in what they were doing. They were all surprised by my question and had little to offer in response. I was surprised myself at their surprise and asked them why they had been operating without any means of evaluating if they were doing well in their respective ministries. It's just how things had always been done, they told me.

That there was a ministry seemed to be the important thing, not that it was necessarily achieving a godly end. Because this was so, there were a number of ministry leads whose walk with God was not good. All that had been required for their leading a particular ministry was their willingness to do so and no obvious, gross sin disqualifying them. As you can imagine, the ministries were rife with small, subtle seeds of false and carnal teaching, and had drifted into being a lot of "sound and fury signifying nothing" spiritually.

I wouldn't, then, be keen to have a bunch of approved Bible studies that just anyone in the church can take out and use in a sort of ad hoc study they lead on their own. Too often, at least in my experience, this is the "blind leading the blind," involving a lot of erroneous "this is what I think" discussion and the elevation of personal feeling and experience above the declaration of God's word.

That is why need to not have a new beleiver leading the teaching, but someone seasoned and approved by the church

 

[JesusFan]

Bible study based on what the bible actually says and not on what we want the bible to say is not as you say "ad hoc". While "approved Bible studies" can be useful they are still just some persons understanding of what the bible says or means. Many times people will just trust what is in those books and not do the hard work of actual bible study.

That is why those supplies are preapproved by pastors or elders at the church

 

[JesusFan]

Okay cool... and yes I agree.

same applies to saved catholics, Sda, JW, Mormons etc, as some will say the Lord saved me to get their churches to get right and saved now, but that should be done after departing from from those groups and meeting others outside their churches

 

[JesusFan]

Yes. But I've met a great - and increasing - number of Christians who think that what they feel and experience is at least as authoritative as God's word and who also import a worldly egalitarianism into their approach to group Bible studies where the newest and most immature believer stands on equal footing in their views on Scripture with the believer who's walked well with God and been a careful student of His word for fifty years. And so, in many such Bible studies, God's word is not the Final Word, defining and clarifying itself, but, rather, the perspective/preferences of the reader of God's word decides its meaning. A very postmodern - and common - approach to Bible study and one very sure to create profound error concerning God's truth.

In any case, when I described a Bible study as "ad hoc," I meant in its establishment, not its hermeneutic approach. Sometimes, believers just decide among themselves to study the Bible together privately and informally. There's no directive from a spiritual authority (Elder/Pastor) to do so and no forming the study as a ministry of a church and so I call the decision to do the study "ad hoc."



Certainly, not all published Bible studies one can take up are equal. Many these days are quite awful, offered in order to generate profit rather than a deeper experience of God. Others are very careful in their handling of God's word, applying a sound intrepretive hermeneutic to Scripture, and are well-reasoned and allow Scripture to define, clarify and qualify itself rather the reader. So, while all studies are "just some person's understanding of what the Bible says," not all put forward an equally good understanding of it.



Yes. Which means these people will never grow spiritually beyond the most rudimentary level and will remain perennially susceptible to the deceits and predations of the false teacher with the impressive credentials. Too often now, believers "out-source" their thinking about their faith, following the path of least resistance, deferring to the "expert" and so, are led about by the nose concerning what to think and do as a child of God. The commonly spiritually juvenile, complacent, and impotent Church in North America is a sad testament to this.

The great danger in any group study would be to get to the place where its more of a chat social club, not serious bible studies, or else its gathering to learn mainly what someone holds, not what bible teaches. Love teachings of say a Macarthur or a Sproul, but areas where dsiagreed with them and they were not inspired Apostles

 

[JesusFan]

I could not have said it any better.

We are in a state decline as far as biblical literacy goes.

This I believe is what will lead to many "Christians" being deceived by a smooth talking false messiah.

See the Word o faith heretics to prove that point