IDEA: When we come to interpret the Bible, we need an attitude of humility and submission to God's truth.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand that there is an attitude behind the way we interpret the Scriptures.

Is there a danger in having a closed mind? Is there a danger in having an open mind?

I. How do we handle the fact that sincere Christians disagree about their interpretation of the Bible?

We don't immediately accuse them of being unspiritual.

We might assume that we're wrong and the other person is right.

We recognize that none of us has it all right, and sometimes truth exists in tension.

II. We need to be willing to obey God's truth when we understand it.

We need to be willing to suspect that we don't have an open mind about God's truth. If the Bible challenged your opinions, or challenged your lifestyle, would you change? Do you really want to learn God's truth, or do you simply want to support your previous opinions? The Bible can be an echo as well as a revelation.

III. Augustine gave us some good counsel: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things charity."

The problem, of course, is to distinguish essentials from nonessentials.