Albert Bell notes, “The results of scholarly investigation cannot be the foundation of faith because the results of scholarship in this field, as in any other, may endure only until the next book on the subject appears. Today’s ‘final’ word on a problem can become a footnote in the next book or article presenting the new ‘final’ word.”¹

There are parts about that comment I like and parts I don’t like. He is spot on when he says the scholarship is always changing and the greatest minds only endure until the next book appears… But what if we turn our full attention back to the Book? I truly value the scholarly material that is available today, and I thoroughly enjoy reading about the history of the various cultures represented in the Biblical literature. But, we cannot confuse those things for the revealed truth. 

The only true test is the Bible itself. This has always been a challenge for some people and may always be. We can study the culture to such a degree that we become dismissive of what is clearly being taught in a text. Even saying things like, “Well, the text can’t mean that! The original historical context wouldn’t allow for it…” The danger here is that there is a touch of truth in the statement. To the best of your ability, you have to put yourself in the audience of the first-century recipients, but you cannot use ‘historical jargon’ to abuse the obvious meaning of the text. There may be a possible interpretation of the text, but as you understand the historical context, they would never have understood it that way. By contrast, there is oftentimes an obvious meaning in the text, and scholarship abuses the text to avoid that conclusion. “Historically, blah blah blah…” Yet, Paul is clearly saying exactly what they refuse to see. This was the direction our culture took with the marriage, divorce, and remarriage issue decades ago, and culture is beginning to treat the woman leadership question and the homosexuality issues the same way. 

Our standard is always the Bible. It is the only standard we’ve got, and thankfully it doesn’t change. Enrich your study by the use of the history, and the various scholarly works available, but don’t use them as a weapon to cut apart the clear meaning of God’s Word. 

¹ Bell Jr., Albert A. Exploring the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Jesus and the First Christians, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998), 284.