Whether you are an elder, preacher, teacher, or parent, God’s leaders use and refer to Scripture. Our people expect it and we encourage our people to read and study the Bible. But if not careful, it is easy to assume everyone shares the same view of Scripture. So here are three suggestions for what we need our flock to believe about the Bible.

The Bible is true. In a world where everyone has an opinion and so many believe that truth is found in feelings, it is vital that we hold up God’s word as true. It really is good for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and instructing us in righteousness. That is why we make Scripture the core of our lessons, why we have Bible class, and why we encourage members to bring their Bibles or use Bible apps on their devices. It is why our people trust us to be reliable in our counseling and in our decisions. Because we rely on what the Bible says. We must be people of the book.

But we also must remind them that the Bible is not God. The Bible is the word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. But we do not worship the Scriptures. If not careful, we find ourselves believing we must “get everything right.” What the Bible says, how we interpret it, and how we apply it can become the basis of our faith. But we are saved by Jesus, not the Bible.

Finally, we must remind people that they can understand Scripture for themselves. If not careful, we will cultivate a groupthink mentality that leads to a desire to have everyone see everything the same way. In effect, we begin to think it dangerous for the average member to study on their own. After all, they may misinterpret something. And by that we often mean they don’t see it the same way we do.

Scripture is true.

The Bible is not God.

You can study and understand it.

Remind your people of these truths.