Do You Need A Degree to Understand the Bible?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question:Dear Dave and Tom, I’ve been getting a little more than frustrated by those who argue that I have no right to teach what the Bible says because I have no academic credentials, no seminary degrees, no real understanding of Greek, and Hebrew, no official standing in a recognized historic Christian denomination or organization, and so on and so forth.I have been told that I am guilty of the error of private interpretation which the Bible itself rejects.

Tom:

Dave, there seems to be a lot of that going around, but let’s begin with—

Dave:

Well there’s a whole list of things.Not part of a recognized denomination and not, I guess, ordained by one or whatever, I don’t know where you find recognized denominations in the Bible.I can’t—

Tom:

Well you need to have credentials; you need to be a part of an established church—

Dave:

Yes, kind of like an ex-fisherman.

Tom:

Institution.

Dave:

A fisherman trained by Jesus.If you’re trained by Jesus through his Word—on the other hand, not everybody is called of God to be a teacher.You can’t push yourself on someone.It depends on the fellowship of believers where you attend.

Tom:

Yes, but obviously the flack that this guy is getting has to do with he doesn’t have the authority, based on as I said before, the credentials to be able to teach.So let’s assume that God has called him to be a teacher.

Dave:

Well that was what they said about Jesus.We’ve quoted that a number of times in John 7.You don’t have the degrees, why should we believe you?And he said, “If any man wills to do God’s will he will know.”So it doesn’t sound like you have to know the original language.Now I know that there are some translations that would be really bad.The New World translation for example, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.But if you don’t know the original Greek and Hebrew, well I certainly don’t.Now it is helpful to some extent.I do have a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

Tom:

You know how to read a Lexicon.

Dave:

Which can exhaust you and it gives you the Greek word.The Bible, I think is its own interpreter.You can find out how that word was used elsewhere—the same word.But the context also helps us to understand.See the problem is Tom, and wow, on the one hand I don’t want to seem to be opposing the study of Greek and Hebrew, I am sure that’s good.But on the other hand, these were supposedly Greek and Hebrew experts who translated like the King James for example.Am I going to question their expertise because I’ve had two or three years of studies of these languages in a seminary?Now I know more than they do and this was a committee.Furthermore and just simplistically and not being critical—well Tom I remember, it’s got to be more than fifty years ago, sixty years at least, I remember the first time I ever heard the expression by a speaker who said “And in the original Greek it says.”You should have heard the gasps.Wow!But logically, if that is the case and if those of us who do not know Greek and Hebrew, if we are at the mercy you would say, of those who do, and we have to take their word for it, then it seems to me that God is not talking to me.But we’re back to the magisterium; we’re back to an elite group to whom God speaks, so that I have to trust them.Furthermore, you have the Wycliffe Bible Translators going around the world translating the Bible into hundreds, I guess by this time more than a thousand languages.Well it would seem it would be much simpler to teach these people—why not teach all of these natives Greek and Hebrew and then they could read it in the original language.Why try to translate it into their language and then they still don’t know it unless they know Greek and Hebrew.Perhaps we should all learn Greek and Hebrew; every Christian should learn it from the beginning.On the other hand, it seems to me that the Greeks and the Hebrews probably knew Greek and Hebrew as well as we would ever learn it.That was not the secret to the Christian life.

Tom:

Speaking of Greek, most of the New Testament was written to correct their understanding about things.So it wasn’t the language that was a magic formula or as you say a secret, or key to the understanding.There was a lot more than that.

Dave:

Yes, we probably spent too much time on the language part of it, but the whole thing, all the questions that he/she asks seem to place certain requirements upon teaching the Word of God that I do not find in the Bible.What I find in the Bible is a pure heart, one who loves the Lord, one who knows God, who knows His Word, is walking with obedience to Him—

Tom:

One who desires, or has that desire.

Dave:

Right, one who has been called of God to teach, is living a holy life, a life that commends the Word of God; not that has a credential, has a diploma, or has the approval of a certain group.On the other hand, there should be elders.There should be those that have the oversight as the scripture says.Someone has to be in charge under God, godly men.You can just let anybody begin to take over and teach.Maybe they are teaching false doctrine.That should be the criteria.Whether what is being taught is according to the Word of God, not whether they have certain credentials.It’s a tough topic Tom; it’s almost embarrassing to have to deal with it on the radio because whatever I say will be misunderstood.

Tom:

But Dave, again, let’s go to the scriptures.2 Timothy:2:15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
See All..., “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”That’s an encouragement to everyone out there.If they have a heart for it, a desire to do it, willing to do the work, they will come to grow in God’s Word and be able to teach.

Dave:

And if God wants you to be a teacher, God will open the door, you don’t have to break them down.