A loose view of Scriptures appears to me to be the foundation for so many errors within the church body.  I see a few specific areas where this is at work:

1. The pure and unadulterated version of the Bible only exists in the original copies (which have been lost), and therefore we are only left with copies of copies, which may or may not contain ‘errors’ or improper translations.

Within this category of error, are the many different Bible versions, the footnotes and commentaries, and the Pastors who from the pulpit make claims to be able to properly interpret the original Greek and Hebrew after taking only a few seminary classes on the original languages.  The different versions all claim that since we only have copies of copies, and since the original languages can be translated to mean numerous different things, we are permitted to critically examine the copies we have, and to determine for ourselves what are the best translated words.  We “do what is right in our own eyes,” and use our own fallen intellect and reasoning to dissect God’s Word.  We forget that HE has promised to preserve His Word forever in purity and that we are NOT ALLOWED to add or take away.  And private interpretation is FORBIDDEN.

Regardless of whether we have the original copies or not, it is God Himself who has undertaken the process of preserving His Word.  God does not lie.  God does not fail.  The same God who supernaturally spoke the universe out of nothing, and breathed life into dust and made man, can certainly protect His Word in it’s purity and entirety!  And He has promised to do so!  Not only that, but any attempts at altering it or privately interpreting it (I.E. “what it really means”) are strictly forbidden and threatened against!

And so that would apply to commentaries and footnotes.  There is room for discussion amongst brethren as to their particular insights into a verse.  And that certainly could apply to commentators.  But when we run to a source as if it is authoritative, rather than waiting on the Lord to reveal an issue, all sorts of errors can creep in!  It would be insanity for you to come to me, with your life on the line, and to ask me what something means, and then to accept my opinion as fact.  It is YOUR responsibility to search it out for yourself.  You cannot rely on others to tell you what Scriptures mean.

And lastly, this would apply to Pastors who presume to correct God by saying, “A better translation of this word would be…”  What arrogance!  What madness and pride!  Do you think because you took a semester on Greek and because you can use a concordance, that you now have the intellect and authority to improve upon Gods Word!?  HE has preserved it as He has seen fit.  It means what it means, and it is our duty to submit to it.  Not to change it to suit our preconceived opinions!

The danger here is that we have allowed for a relative view of Scripture.  And as such, we are allowed to “cherry pick” the words and ideas that work for us.  Rather than the Word ruling over us and we conforming to it, we make it conform to our authority.

2. Some hard to accept Scriptures (like 1^st Timothy 2:12) are dismissed as antiquated and no longer applicable to the modern church.

I have come across several, who when presented with Scriptures that oppose their ideals, say something like, “Well, that was only for the church at that time.”  Or, “That was only meant for that particular group.”  That kind of self imposing blindness and hardening of heart is so dangerous and wicked!  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  What God said to the church at Philipi is applicable to ALL the churches!  What was meant for Timothy, is meant for us.  Sure, there are occasions where a specific command is given for a specific people, but the context makes that clear (“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” in Acts 13, is obviously for THAT Barnabas and Saul.  It does not mean that all churches for all time need to set apart men named Barnabas and Saul for ministerial work.  The context defines the objects of reference.).  When a general command is given for church conduct and Christian behavior (as most of the New Testament is), it applies to ALL who call themselves by His Name and to ALL the churches throughout all time.

The danger here is that we can dismiss any verses that we don’t like as being not applicable.  We again “cherry pick” Scripture and make it bow to our preconceived ideas and feelings.

3. Some hard to understand Scriptures must mean something else other than their plain straightforward meaning, because we can’t make sense of their plain and straightforward meaning.

I have recently come across this position again, due to discussions regarding eschatology.  As I’ve read on the amillennial and postmillennial positions (I personally hold to the historical premillennial position), one thing is quite striking. In order to hold to either position, you have to take a poetic/metaphorical interpretation of many Scriptures (Like Revelation 19-20 and Matthew 24).  This causes all sorts of problems.  Once again, a person is left to use their own intellect and reasoning (or that of others) to determine what the Scriptures “really” mean.  Once you deviate from a literal and straightforward look at the Scriptures, you are left to all sorts of imaginations and skeptical positions.  There is no way to know FOR SURE what the Scriptures mean.  It’s up to you (or your teachers) to come up with the most logical and reasonable suggestions, but even these are shaky ground.

For instance, in the amillenial position, the “1000 year reign” from Revelation 20, is said to represent an indefinite time period.  They claim that the number “10” in Scripture is a symbol for completeness, and so somehow 10 and 1000 are synonymous.  So 1000 years, really means an undefined time period that symbolizes the complete history of man!  The problem with that is, regardless of how good it sounds, there is NO SCRIPTURAL backing to support it!  It is all merely conjecture and speculation.  Which is all you are left with when you set aside the literal meaning of Scripture!  And for the intellectual person, this is appealing.  Because the Scriptures become a large puzzle or riddle to decipher.  And it tickles the pride of the intelligence as one “discovers” the “real” meaning of the verses!

This is dangerous because a person becomes convinced of their own intellect and reasoning (or that of teachers), rather than relying on the plain and straight forward meaning of Scripture.  Yes, the Bible sometimes speaks poetically.  And it sometimes uses metaphor and symbols.  But in each case, it clearly defines itself.  It does not leave itself open for private interpretation (because this is forbidden and leads to error).  Instead, God defines it Himself.  We search line upon line, verse upon verse, for the understanding.  And when it doesn’t come, we wait on the Lord.  We don’t resort to imaginations and our own fallen logic and reason.  This will cause us to ignore the plain meanings of Scripture and could also lead to an intellectual pride.  Which is Gnosticism in a sense (knowledge is power).  We must avoid this by letting the Bible mean what it means in plain and straight forward language.  When we don’t understand it, let it be and wait for the Lord to give insight.  Don’t resort to imagining private interpretations and fanciful ulterior and hidden meanings, no matter how reasonable and logical they might seem.

Bottom line?

We must stick to the pure and unaltered Word of God, in it’s purity and fullness (the KJV in English).  We must NEVER alter, change, or presume to ‘correct’ God.  We must accept ALL Scripture as binding on us currently, regardless of current political or sociological influences and pressures.  Let God be true and all men liars.  And we must stick to a literal and straight forward approach to the Scriptures. 

When we have this high view of Scriptures, we are kept from numerous errors.  We are prevented from allowing our own hearts and imaginations from convincing us that what we want to be true is “Scriptural (We deceive ourselves).”  And we are constantly conforming our ideas and our lives to the authority of the Word, rather than compressing and conforming the Word to fit our ideas and lives.  Let us NEVER mix up the order and place ourselves above the Word!