There is a theme in Scripture that what we behold we become. When we have a target we will move toward it. Hebrews 12:2 exhorts us "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith." Just as Jesus the Messiah is the author of our faith, only he can continue to build upon it. There is a danger in this regard. If we hear a certain doctrine that excites us, it is only human to want to pursue it. I remember a decade in the church when it became popular to always have a "new teaching". Teachers everywhere it seemed were unfolding new ideas, explanations to old truths or "new light" and understanding of old teachings. One traveling preacher said of those days, "if you started preaching a known doctrine it seemed as if the congregation would just tune you out with the attitude, "oh, we have heard that!" Pressure was placed on ministers to bring forth "fresh manna." That kind of pressure is really dangerous for the teacher as well as the hearer. It draws attention away from Jesus and focuses on revelation. It also develops a pride and arrogance in the teacher when he thinks he has found a new revelation. If you stop and think about it, it is very arrogant to think that after thousands of years of laboring over the Scripture in the light of the Holy Spirit that I now understand something that has never been seen! Really!! Certainly new revelation can be uncovered as we near the second coming of Jesus. But the rarity of such an event needs to be considered carefully by the teacher. He needs to be willing to submit the "new thing" to seasoned teachers of the Bible for judging and confirmation.
The moment we begin to place our vision upon a doctrine, teaching or philosophy, we of necessity must take our full vision off Jesus. The proper perspective is to realize that interpretation of Scripture requires comparison with the entirety of Scripture. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Bible. The more we study the Scripture the more we gain insight into a more complete understanding. When we open the Bible we need to ask Jesus to open His eyes in us to comprehend Truth. We need to walk in humility as we journey through the Word of God without a hint of a desire to impress with our teaching. A.S. Worley was a humble man who taught the Bible with great power and authority. After sitting under his teaching a few times I was struck that when he left us that our focus was not on the gifts of a man but the power of the Word of God. Lord, deliver us from pride of understanding some new thing and help us to look to Jesus and may He develop us along the lines of Your Truth!
