How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have? (Jeremiah 8:8-9)
The scribes were the teachers of the people. They were supposed to study and explain God’s word, and so spread his wisdom throughout the land. However, instead of promoting God’s agenda and message, they had their own agenda, and so they mishandled his message and advanced their own ideas.
Theologians commit this same error when they allow the sinful desires of their own hearts and the traditions of their groups to control their interpretation of God’s word. Instead of God’s commands, they relate distorted versions of his holy requirements in order to excuse themselves. Suddenly, what the Bible explicitly condemns becomes something that God heartily approves. And instead of God’s doctrines, they teach the creeds and traditions of their organization. But these often do not fit, so they take the Bible and twist some ideas here, impose several strange principles there, add a few epochs and a bunch of covenants, then divide his revelation as it fits them and force the whole thing into schemes that they invented.
This happens not because theologians as such are incompetent and dishonest, although many of them are, but because all men are by nature incompetent and dishonest. The Bible causes non-Christians to display their demonic nature in its full measure, but even regenerate theologians stumble over their remaining sinfulness and inaptitude.
God states that to mishandle his word is to reject it. His word is plain and direct, so that to distort it is only a hypocritical way to say “No!” to it. After that, it is futile to claim, “We are wise. We have the word of the Lord.” A man who has rejected God’s word does not truly have God’s word, since he has twisted it into something else. And God states that there is no wisdom once his word is rejected. This means that there is wisdom only in the Bible, and once a person rejects the Bible, there is no wisdom for him. Any person who distorts or rejects the Bible is stupid. He has no wisdom, and we must not say that he has any.
Look down on theologians who do not faithfully affirm and relate what the Bible teaches. Laugh at preachers and professors who uphold the traditions of their groups instead of the word of God. Do not respect them, and do not be afraid of them. So what if they have many degrees and credentials? Do these things fall from heaven or are they conferred by mere men? If we have reasons to distrust these theologians, then why should we so quickly believe those men who approve of them? Perhaps they are useless people also. Never be intimidated by people, and it makes no difference when there are many of them.
Christian, do not have the faith of Jesus Christ through someone else. Let faithful theologians be your guides, but hold fast to the truth with your own understanding, and cling to the Lord with your own hands.