No — a theological education is not required; the Bible was given so that ordinary believers can read, study, and understand it.
Les Feldick teaches that Scripture was never meant to be kept in seminaries and monasteries but to be placed in the hands of the common person — even every plowboy in England. God wants every Christian to become a student of His Word by searching the Scriptures and comparing Scripture with Scripture. What makes the difference is studying the Book itself, not holding an academic degree.
2 Timothy 2:15 — Paul's command to study and rightly divide the Word shows that the path to understanding is personal study, not formal theological training.
2 Peter 1:20 — Scripture is not a matter of private interpretation, so no single scholar or educated class has exclusive rights to its meaning.
Scripture never makes a theological degree a prerequisite for understanding. Paul instructs every believer to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Word is also described as not being of any private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20), and believers are praised for searching the Scriptures daily to see whether what they heard was so (Acts 17:11). Understanding comes by comparing what the Spirit teaches with other Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13), not by relying on an educated class. The biblical model is open to anyone who will search, compare, and study.
Les Feldick consistently answers this question with a firm no. He reminds audiences that the Reformers — he names Tyndale and Wycliffe as the ones he has in mind — wanted "every plowboy in England" to have a copy of Scripture, showing that no one is too uneducated. The Bible was never intended to be kept in seminaries and monasteries. During the Dark Ages the Word was locked away and common people had little access, and the Reformers set out to change that. Les says the book is not just for the highly educated or intellectual; it is for everyone in every status of society, from children to adults. His goal is to teach on a common man's level and to help people understand what the book really says, rather than what a denomination or teacher says. He wants people to search the Scriptures themselves and compare Scripture with Scripture.
Les explains that the Dark Ages were called dark because the Word of God was locked up in monasteries and the common man never had access. The Reformers wanted to completely change that — they wanted the Bible in the hands of every plowboy in England. Scripture is not just for the highly educated or intellectual; it is for everyone in every status of society.
Les encourages people to search the Scriptures to see if what they hear is so, and he answers questions by asking, "What does your Bible say?" He says understanding is not private — Scripture is not wrapped up in just one verse. God expects adults to search the Scriptures by comparing Scripture with Scripture. That means studying the Book itself, not just accepting someone else's opinion.
Yes. Les cites the Reformers' desire that every plowboy in England have a copy of Scripture, showing there was no one too uneducated. He teaches on a common-man level and receives letters from people from all backgrounds who say they are now learning. The Bible was meant for everyone, from young children to the most intellectual.
Romans 8:31-39 Explained — Why Nothing Can Separate You From God
Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Tyndale's Plowboy
Les points to the Reformer's desire to put Scripture in every plowboy's hands as proof that no one is too uneducated for the Bible; God wants every believer to study and understand it.
Ordinary Believers Can Read and Study
Les says God left us the Book so that ordinary believers can read and study it, and he connects this to the desire that even every plowboy in England have a copy of the Scriptures.
Meant for the Common Person
Les says the Book was not meant to be kept in seminaries and monasteries; it is meant for the common person, and he tries to teach on a level almost anybody can comprehend.
Comparing Scripture With Scripture
Les says Scripture is not private interpretation and is not wrapped up in just one verse; the way to understand it is to search and compare Scripture with Scripture.
Ordinary People Begin to Learn
Les shares the example of a man who could get nothing from reading the Bible until he learned how to study; the goal is to help people read and understand their Bibles for themselves.
Not Just for the Intellectual
Les says the Book is not just for the highly educated or intellectual; it is for everyone in every status of society, and he tries to bring it down to the level of even young children.
Search the Scriptures Yourself
Les urges people to understand what the Book really says, not what someone else says it says, and to search the Scriptures to see if these things are so.
2 Timothy 2:15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
This verse shows that the way to understand Scripture is personal study and right division, not formal theological credentials.
2 Peter 1:20: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
This verse supports Les's teaching that Scripture is not a matter of private or exclusive interpretation.
Acts 17:11: These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
This verse models the practice of searching the Scriptures personally to test what is taught.
1 Corinthians 2:13: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
This verse is the basis for Les's instruction that understanding comes by comparing Scripture with Scripture.
No. Les Feldick says Scripture was meant for ordinary believers, not just seminarians or preachers. God wants every believer to study the Word for themselves. The goal is to know what the Book really says, not just what someone else says it says.
Les's advice is to search the Scriptures and compare Scripture with Scripture. When someone asks him a question, his stock answer is "What does your Bible say?" If it cannot be found in the Bible, he says to run from it. Study, search, and let Scripture interpret Scripture.
Les says the Dark Ages were dark because the Word of God was locked up in monasteries and the common man never had access. The Reformers wanted a copy of the Book in the hands of every plowboy in England, so the Bible could be read and studied by everyone.
Watch the Teaching: Romans 8:31-39 Explained — Why Nothing Can Separate You From God