From time to time I get asked if I’ve ever changed my viewpoint on something in the Bible. People often presume that scholars have everything nailed down. We don’t. I’ve always told my students the truth about that, and so I’ll tell you. Of course I’ve changed my mind. That’s what happens when people think, keep absorbing information, and are in the habit of asking God for the courage to be humble and theologically honest.
I know that a lot of people feel some anxiety about saying “I’m not sure right now” or “I changed my mind” when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Parents might fear doing so because they don’t want their kids turning to other sources, such as their peers and the information maelstrom we call the internet. Scholars might feel uneasy about the admission since they’re supposed to be authorities. Worrying accomplishes nothing in either case. Your kids are going to talk to their peers and search YouTube no matter how brilliant your answers are. And I’m sorry, professor, but your seminarians or graduate students know you don’t know everything, so just deal with it.
Pastors have a unique hurdle in this regard. The people in the pew have a habit of presuming the pastor is an expert on the Bible and doctrine. They typically don’t have access to biblical scholars and can rarely name one. In the eyes of their people, pastors are the default scholars. In view of that burden, I’ve known many pastors who are afraid to sound uncertain in front of their people. Not knowing what a passage means “for sure” or how to flawlessly unravel a theological knot might reveal a chink in the armor, or so they presume. This is unfortunate and unfair to those in ministry.
Even if you’re not a pastor or seminarian, odds are high that if you are a serious student of Scripture, you also teach others or will be asked to do so at some point. When your students ask you questions, try to fix it in your mind and heart that they’re not probing you for weaknesses. They’re sincere. They want to know, and you’re their best shot at getting an answer right now. Do your best, tell them when you’re not sure, and then get busy finding the answer.