By J. Brent Walker
As a Baptist, I embrace the great Reformation precepts — and, dare I say, Baptist (at our best) notions — of soul freedom, soul competency and the priesthood of all believers. We are all imbued by God with both the freedom and competence to read and understand Scripture and to interpret it without direction from a “priest.” The only intermediation we need, according to the writer of Hebrews, is Christ himself.
For a Baptist Christian, scriptural interpretation should begin and end with the individual reading of the text through the lens of Jesus and with the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
However, this always should be done in the context and the nurture of the community. This includes one’s ecclesiological tradition, the church, and the best of biblical scholarship. It is altogether arrogant to think that God speaks only directly to me and through no one else. Indeed, the full idea of the believers’ priesthood doctrine is not just that no one needs a priest; it is that every Christian is a priest, a priest to each other.
This mutual accountability must be done in love and with a light touch. That’s why this is done better in a small group, like a Sunday school class, or among brothers and sisters in the local church. It is not to be license to sanction top down ravishing of consciences or theological straitjacketing either of the local congregation or the individual.
In sum, I read the text through the life and teachings of Christ, expecting inspiration and understanding from the Holy Spirit. I then sometimes discuss it with others, such as a Bible study group, and often read several commentaries or other scholarly sources. In the end, as a free and competent soul without further need of a priest, I understand it and apply it to my life as best I can.
