Now, I want to express another concern that is even more significant to all Baptists who understand we are Christians first. In discussion at the convention, members of the committee who wrote the new statement made it sound as though those who wanted to reinsert that wonderful sentence were appealing for the right to attribute to Jesus any outlandish view or doctrine imaginable. That was unworthy of them and a deliberate attempt to distort the issue. The words mean what they mean.
Any reasonable person can interpret the Bible without any guidance.
But we do need guidance. To know the mind of God, Christians believe we need the Scriptures, which faithfully and truly record what God has done in history and reveal his heart to us all. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us as we prayerfully read the text of Scripture. We profit greatly from Bible teachers and the community of faith as they share their understanding of Scripture with us. And we need the insight and wisdom, the example and passion of Jesus to help us properly understand the book that is above every other book.