A second example: In earlier years, I attended a free church in which the Bible was no longer mentioned Sunday after Sunday. This frustrated me over time and led me to leave this community. Now I heard again about a pastor turning away from the Bible. That really alienated me.

Tasks in the community

Back to the first example. Bible study is not worthwhile, said this pastor, because not even 10 people would come. The reality, however, was that someone else organized a Bible study in the same church, with the approval of the church leadership, and over 50 people were there, enjoying the teaching. Because this was done “free of charge”, it didn’t bother the pastor, who said it “wasn’t worth it”. The pastor made a misjudgment about the interest and, in my opinion, also a misjudgment about his task within the community. No wonder no pastor from this church was present. The vision of a church was characterized by other things. He also mentioned that Bible study is “dangerous”. In doing so, he mentioned aberrations, as they actually take place, in special doctrines and peculiar people with doctrinal hobbyhorses that cause divisions in congregations by binding people solely to themselves.

I can understand the caution, but wouldn’t it be a pastor’s job to promote healthy thinking in the community and prevent such aberrations? Wouldn’t that be one of the tasks of a healthy Bible study? Didn’t Paul speak of a healthy church structure in which teachers also play a role?

“[Christus] The same gives some as apostles, others as prophets, still others as evangelists or as pastors and teachers – for the fitting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the full stature of the perfection of Christ, that we may no longer be babes, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine as by surging waves, and carried about by the waywardness of men, by the cunning that goes out to spread error by design.”
Eph 4:11-14

Paul describes the building up of the church here as the task of apostles, prophets (the two laid the foundation, Eph 2:20), evangelists, shepherds and teachers. A pastor is not named, but every pastor finds his tasks here. Christ gives people as a gift to the church. This is not about “gifts to people”, as in Corinthians, but about “people as gifts”. They seem natural because Christ gives these people, like the man who organized a Bible study for the church, even though the pastor didn’t want to know about it.

Right and wrong teaching

It is perhaps a derailment of Christian community when disputes about questions of faith and life are used to “fix” things. They become dogmas or doctrines. You have recognized something and are making a lesson out of it. Then there are people who are for or against it. Ideas about “right” and “wrong” teaching emerge. You’re already at loggerheads with each other.

In some communities, right and wrong views are particularly emphasized. Even if one agrees that views are more right or more wrong, it is still not a question of right or wrong or that we must adhere to a certain doctrine or reject another.

Paul had already indicated what this was about in the above-mentioned Bible passage:

“[Christus] The same gives some as apostles, others as prophets, still others as evangelists or as shepherds and teachers –

for the adaptation of the saints to the work of the ministry,
for the edification of the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
the mature man, the measure of the full growth of the perfection of Christ,

so that we may no longer be minors, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine as by surging waves and carried about by the unpredictability of men, by the cunning that goes out to spread error by design.”
Eph 4:11-14

First, it is about the adaptation of the saints (believers) to the work of the ministry. This is very different from what orthodox believers demand, who insist on a “flawless agreement with human teachings”. The simple reality: those who are gripped by the message of grace today will realign their thinking. Then faith becomes practical. Faith, writes Paul, only becomes effective through love (Gal 5:6). It is about equipping for service:

“All scripture is God-breathed and useful

For instruction,
for transfer,
for rebuke,
to education in justice,

that the man of God may be prepared, equipped for every good work.”
2Tim 3:16-17

The aim of biblical instruction is therefore not to belong to the good or the bad, to accept one teaching or reject the other. Even if every doctrine has consequences and thus acquires meaning, it is not about the doctrine. Rather, the study of the Bible wants to achieve something in us. The question of right or wrong doctrine should rather ask about the right or wrong consequences of the doctrine. What effect does a teaching have on me or on you? It is more a question of “why” the biblical books were once handed down and recorded.

The purpose of Bible study

The meaning of an examination of the Bible does not lie in the Bible itself, but in what the examination achieves. What does this confrontation do to our hearts? What effect does this debate have in the community? How does the message I hear affect my life? What prospects do I have that can give my life direction in this world?

The purpose of Bible study lies in the confrontation that changes us. Furthermore, Bible study brings us into contact with the Bible and thus with God himself, as Paul described above, that “All Scripture is God-breathed”, namely permeated by God’s Spirit. One could also say that, carried by the words of the Bible, God’s spirit can work, or God’s spirit blows through the testimonies of the Bible. It can therefore do more than impart knowledge. Reading or listening to the Bible can touch us as only God can touch us. This is quite different from deifying the Bible or presenting it as infallible, or on the contrary, humanizing the Bible or presenting it as a complete mistake. These juxtapositions misjudge the power of the Bible because no human interpretation can decide.

It’s more like a certificate. The testimony may be incomplete, but it can tell something true. True, not in the sense of journalistic or scientific reporting (it is detached from these invented criteria), but true in the sense of “point of view”, true with regard to the fulfillment of our lives, to the direction of our thinking and expectations. True in that it points to things that we recognize as true, accept as true, and thus regard as the basis for our lives. This does not necessarily make it relative and therefore unreliable.

A testimony is by definition not the whole truth, but always relative to the witness and his perception. That is why each section of the Bible has its own testimony and is not repeated everywhere. Therefore, testimonies are not “untrue”, but they are the testimony for themselves and in their own context, and we can rejoice in them. Perhaps we recognize the testimony. Perhaps this will motivate us. We may even receive encouragement through testimonials.

The purpose of Bible study is to understand the Bible better, not because of the Bible, but because it points to the testimony. The testimony tells of God and this world and how the two are related. The Bible is God’s word, not because “every letter is divine”, but because these very words were intended as a testimony from God. The testimony always brings about faith in people. The Bible itself does not attribute this to the Bible, but to the work of God’s Spirit.

Bible study makes things understandable and tangible, not because it is “magical”, but because it is downright “non-magical”. The Bible remains sober, even if the testimony is personal. One problem with many evangelicals is that this sobriety has been lost and thus the personal testimony of the Bible is misinterpreted. The testimony is misinterpreted because it should now point to things that are not important: a “correct doctrine”, an “absolute truth” and more such things. This results in a misguided “orthodoxy”.

The nonsense of orthodoxy

Time and again I come across people from the evangelical world who insist on absolute truths. It’s usually about defending certain ideas that you absolutely want to believe. It is irrelevant whether these things are in the Bible, but orthodox believers believe things like a “hell” and things like that. As soon as cherished views are called into question, they speak out and vehemently defend what they recognize as “the absolute truth”. Their statements are characterized by black-and-white thinking. Of course, they themselves are always among the good guys, which sets them apart from the rest of the world. This can then mean something like “we are saved, the others are not yet”, which then appears in pious disguise as “come on, let’s go evangelize”.

Orthodoxy corresponds to an understanding of faith in which it is a question of right and wrong, of correct teaching versus false teaching. In this, the concern of Scripture, namely a changed life and living out the grace of God, will at best play a subordinate role. Orthodoxy heretizes and elevates one’s own knowledge above all other people. In my experience and understanding, orthodoxy speaks of fear and insecurity.

A liberated Christianity speaks differently. This goes hand in hand with a liberated humanity. Those who know they are loved by God in Christ are relaxed and do not have to defend themselves or their views. You keep to yourself and give others space to live and think, or invite them to do so. You no longer have absolute views, you allow for doubts and yet you know you are supported. Here you dare to believe what you have recognized yourself, without getting lost in empty phrases. I think that Paul speaks something like this:

“[ … ] Not that I have already received this or am already perfected in this. But I am seeking to lay hold of what I have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not yet consider myself to have received it. But I do one thing: I forget what is behind me and reach out to what is before me.”
Phil 3:12-13

Even Paul had not grasped it by then. It is open, sober, honest, full of doubt and faith at the same time. Although he has not yet grasped it, he knows he has been grasped by Christ. He has some things, but not others. Paul is not afraid to mention this. From there, the journey continues. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, offers no perspective. This is why many people turn away from faith and the Bible because their environment does not give them room to breathe or develop. I find this more than understandable and anyone who wants to free themselves from it should definitely do so. For me, however, it does not end with a rejection of orthodoxy and “absolute views”. I think there is another way. Even with the Bible, even on the basis of the Bible. The example of Paul above is intended to illustrate this. I think that engaging with the Bible can be a good thing.

It often begins with a search for better teachings, for better views on familiar topics. Bible study can liberate you from traditional views. You can discover that certain views are actually missing from the Bible. This can be an “aha!” experience that paves the way for further discoveries. However, once you have clarified the most important points for yourself and end up back at Scripture, you can recognize the usefulness of Scripture, as Paul did, as quoted earlier (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Joint growth

I began this article with the statements of two pastors. You obviously couldn’t find the strength and confidence in the Bible to use it to build your work. Likewise, I see Bible teachers who justify everything with the Bible, but their enthusiasm about the Bible can easily be mistaken for maturity. The Bible is used here, but this does not necessarily lead to spiritual growth. People are drawn to the teacher’s enthusiasm and understanding, but does this automatically lead to a mature faith and a healthy community? The Bible is used here, but woe betide the community that sticks to enthusiastic teachers as if their enthusiasm were the goal.

The real challenge lies in the purpose of the teaching in the lives of the listeners. Many teachers have no insight into this, especially on the Internet. There is a danger that listeners are merely followers of the teacher rather than imitators of Christ. Here is the question for real growth: How should the teaching lead to a healthy debate, to a healthy attitude of faith?

Teaching is good and necessary, and no reference to the Bible seems absurd for Christians, but … The problem is that you can enjoy teaching. It all fits so nicely. Therein lies a seduction. Teachers can and should ask themselves where the teaching leads and what effect this has on the lives of the listeners. Enthusiasm among listeners is nice, but where does it lead? Listeners may ask themselves what they will do to better understand the message of grace (cf. Rom 12:1-2). How can you promote healthy development? Perhaps by not getting stuck in doctrine, but actively promoting a community of faith. Because there is a promise in togetherness:

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts wholly through faith; and that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height (to know also the love of Christ which passeth all understanding), that ye may be made complete unto the entire perfection of God.”
Eph 3:17-19

Bible study with vision takes place where people are allowed to engage with the Bible in the sense of a learning culture. This first requires community with others, and then a healthy foundation. However, an overdose of biblical knowledge does not solve the task if one only repeats and deepens the old familiar doctrines. In my experience, such attempts do not work. A culture of learning takes place within the faith community.

It’s like throwing a stone into the water. From there, the waves spread outwards. The situation is similar with the Gospel. The result should expand outwards. The gospel of grace first finds a sound and echo in me. Then in the circle of the next. Then in the community. Then outside the community. That would be the natural and spiritual. What effect does the confrontation with the gospel of grace have on you and me? A learning culture is within the community, “halfway”, so to speak. It can be a formative experience in which and through which you learn new things and practice good things. But then it moves further outwards, not as a duty, but as a logical consequence.

A learning culture begins in the community with mutual questions and counter-questions. Bible teachers have a role to play in this, but not to place themselves and their teaching at the center. That can and must never be the goal. A culture of learning aims to facilitate shared growth that moves from teaching to changed thinking and from there to beneficial action. This is not super-pious, but super-practical, because it is based on spiritual growth. This is where the Bible and doctrine come into play, as aids to maturity and the joy of faith. Paul says something like this:

“Not that we have dominion over your faith, but we are fellow workers in your joy.”
2Cor 1,24

Weitblick sees a wealth in exchange and debate, which itself leads to more foresight. Questions should convey openness, not false security. What do I learn from the Bible, from this passage, from this word in this context? What can I learn? How does that shape my existence in this world? What outlook do I get? What does this outlook do to me, to our community? Can we allow doubt, just as we encourage others to grow towards Christ?

If this last step just feels a bit “strange” or “too pious”, how should you be able to read the Bible? In a learning culture, there is no fear of doubt. You’re not looking for absolute answers, just a next answer, a next differentiation, something that helps, that strengthens curiosity and confidence, and thus conveys a desire for development. Growth takes place together. It will also be necessary to address the fears and insecurities of many people, which can be met with grace. It’s not about cheap band-aids, such as legal requirements, a 5-step plan to happiness or a 40-day church course, as if these marketing strategies will lead to success. In my opinion, talk of “absolute truth” and “certainty” only ever serves to calm our own uncertainty. However, grace and fellowship, as well as healthy equipping, can lead to a trusting maturity. This is about the direction that leads on.

Paul writes, for example:

“But if we are true,
we should make everything grow in love,
into Him who is the head, Christ,
from which the entire body

(joined together and united by each incorporation of what is presented according to the effectiveness of each individual part)

the growth of the body, for its own edification in love.”
Eph 4:15-16

Teachers therefore do not support themselves, but merely the growth of the body. Teachers should always keep this in mind. The body builds itself up in love, and some support this. However, self-assembly is the core. Everyone in the community has their own contribution to this growth. Paul describes how each person contributes their own measure of effectiveness.

So no absolute knowledge and certainties lead us any further. These are just plasters on the wound of insecurity. Those who find absolute truth in their own interpretations place themselves at the center. The promotion of maturity is something else. It is worth working towards this, as Paul did.