Prior to the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church had a monopoly on Bible interpretation. There were no translations available to the ordinary person, and when attempts were made to produce such a version of the Bible, the Church reacted strongly against them. Outside of the Catholic hierarchy, people could not search the scriptures for themselves.

Nowadays thanks to the Protestant Reformation, we all have access to a whole range of printed material that enables us to interpret the Bible correctly. In addition we have such a wonderful choice of Bible translations to choose from. Yet sadly, the truth remains that in some ways we are returning to the pre-Reformation days, where individuals did not search the scriptures for themselves.

And even when we do read the Bible, we are often encouraged to treat it as a devotional book, to see what the Lord is saying to us. And that is fine, of course, but we should avoid a totally self-centered approach when looking at the Bible. It is more than just a place where we encounter God, not just a book that we read because we are looking for the Lord to speak to us about something. We should spend time studying the Bible so that our understanding of its teachings increases.

Jesus challenged the people of his time. They were students of the Word and yet they had failed to see the big picture. 'You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.' (John 5: 39)

When Paul commissioned Timothy he wrote the following words: 'Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, and who correctly handles the word of truth.' (2 Tim 2: 15)

'Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.' (Acts 17: 11)

This is excellent practice, and one that we should all embrace. If we are blessed to sit under the ministry of good Bible teaching, that is a wonderful privilege. However, we should not take on board teachings purely and simply because we are told they are correct. We have to have conviction in our own hearts that what we are being taught is true. Otherwise when challenges come to our beliefs we will waver, because our doctrine will be built on what we have been told rather than what we firmly believe.