are you an isolationist or a curator?
As a Bible study teacher I
encounter two extremes when the question of studying the Bible is raised. First
is the “isolationist”, the person who believes all she needs is personal Bible
study to grow in Godly wisdom. She doesn’t need hand-holding from a teacher or
theologian – she just needs a journal, a pen, her Bible and the Holy Spirit. She
sees any effort to systematize her reading of Scripture as an attempt to
conform the wisdom of God to the wisdom of man, thereby distorting what was
already pure and sufficient. In her zeal to elevate the importance of God’s Word,
she misinterprets the idea of Sola Scriptura to mean that no teaching outside
of Scripture is necessary for her understanding.
At the other extreme is the “curator”,
the person who, for all intents and purposes, believes she can’t navigate Scripture
on her own at all. She finds the Bible largely incomprehensible or boring, preferring
the study of doctrine (through teaching, books, podcast or topical studies) to
the study of Scripture itself, substituting learning what others say about the
Bible for actually learning the Bible. While she may never have consciously
intended to devalue personal study of Scripture, over time she grows
increasingly content to be a curator of opinions about a Book she does not read,
effectively operating under her own credo of Sola Doctrina.
Most of us fall somewhere
between these two extremes, but it is important to ask ourselves honestly which
of them we lean toward: are we more of an isolationist or a curator? Isolationist
Bible study holds as much potential danger to our spiritual health as a curator
approach. The isolationist must humbly acknowledge her own intellectual limits,
confessing her need for the help of those with the grace-granted gift of
teaching. The curator must humbly acknowledge her overdependence on the intellect
and gifting of others, confessing her tendency to use study of doctrine as a
substitute for study of Scripture. Both extremes must acknowledge the very real
presence and danger of false doctrine. Lacking an outside perspective, the isolationist
can unwittingly invent her own false doctrine. Lacking first-hand knowledge of
Scripture, the curator can fail to discern the difference between true and
false teaching, choosing whatever position appeals to her the most.
If you gravitate toward Bible-only study you may need to
remind yourself to allocate some time for doctrine. God gifts the church with
teachers for the purpose of pointing us to truth in the context of community. Isolationism
discounts the Bible’s assertion that we are members of one body,
each part needing the other.
If you gravitate toward doctrine-only study, you may need to
reclaim time for personal study of the Bible. God commands you to love Him with
all of your mind, not just with
someone else’s mind. Curatorship chooses the fallible words of man over the eternal,
unchanging, inerrant Word of the Lord.
So, work to find parity between these two extremes. Make an
honest appraisal of your current tendency toward either isolationism or
curatorship. Acknowledge how pride might be influencing whichever end of the
spectrum you are drawn to. And seek to strike a balance between the treasure of
personal study and the gift of sound instruction. We need to know how to study
the Bible on our own, and we need to put that knowledge into practice. But we
also need the insights of those God has gifted to teach us. Personal study
sharpens our awareness of the strengths and limitations of our teachers. Sound
teaching sharpens our awareness of our own strengths and limitations as students.
Both are needed for a Christ-follower to grow in wisdom. Both in balance are
worthy of our time.