Yes — understanding what the Bible actually says is essential because God will judge by His Word, and many people hold ideas the Bible never teaches.
Les Feldick repeatedly shows that many people have misconceived ideas and think the Bible says things it does not. He urges everyone to search the Scriptures for themselves, compare Scripture with Scripture, and reject teachings that cannot be found in the Word of God. Because God will judge by this Book alone, knowing what it actually says is not optional.
2 Peter 1:20 — This verse shows that no Scripture is a private interpretation, so understanding the Bible requires comparing Scripture with Scripture rather than relying on personal or traditional ideas.
Acts 17:11 — This verse shows the noble practice of searching the Scriptures daily to verify whether what is taught is true, which is exactly the approach Les Feldick encourages.
The Bible itself teaches that believers are to know and search what it actually says. In Acts 17:11, the Bereans are commended because they 'searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.' This shows that what people heard from even the apostles was to be checked against the written Word of God. Likewise, 2 Peter 1:20 declares, 'Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.' Scripture is not to be interpreted by isolated verses or human opinion, but must be understood as a unified, God-breathed message that can be compared and rightly divided.
Les Feldick consistently says his goal is to help people understand what the Book really says, not what we think it says, and not what someone else says it says. He points out that 'so many people have got misconceived ideas' and that they 'think the Bible says such and such, but it doesn't.' For this reason, he stresses being just as aware of what the Bible does not say as what it does say. Les warns against tradition and denomination, teaching that God will judge us by His Word and not by what any group or preacher says. He instructs listeners to search the Scriptures for themselves, to compare Scripture with Scripture because 'no Scripture is a private interpretation,' and to reject anything that cannot be found in the Bible. He also teaches that the Bible is a sensible book that makes sense when you correctly separate God's dealings with Israel from the Church, and then contradictions disappear.
Les Feldick says plainly, 'You don't go by what the preacher says. You don't go by what I say. You have to learn to search the Scriptures.' He adds that judgment will not be based on what any denomination teaches, but on what the Word of God says. When people called with questions, his stock answer was, 'What does your Bible say?' And if they could not find something in their Bible, his advice was to run from it.
Les teaches that believers should be just as aware of what the Bible does not say as what it does say. He explains that many people have been 'brainwashed' into thinking certain things are in the Bible when they are not, and that some think verses are in places where they are not. Recognizing what is absent from Scripture is therefore part of accurately understanding what Scripture actually says.
Les says the best way to study is to compare Scripture with Scripture, because 'no Scripture is a private interpretation.' This means one cannot build doctrine on an isolated verse here and there. He also teaches that when a student rightly separates God's dealings with the nation of Israel from the Church, all the apparent contradictions disappear and the Bible becomes a sensible book.
Helping People Know What They Read
Les explains that his classes exist to help people understand and know what they read in the Bible, without twisting arms or moving them out of one group into another.
Search the Scriptures for Yourself
Les teaches that we must understand what the Book really says, not what we think or what others say, and that God will judge us by His Word; if you can't find it in your Bible, run from it.
Know What the Bible Does Not Say
Les stresses being just as aware of what the Bible does not say, because many people have preconceived ideas about what Scripture teaches when it actually does not.
Study On Your Own
Les encourages people to get into the Book and study it themselves, pointing out that many have been brainwashed into thinking certain things are in the Bible when they are not.
Compare Scripture With Scripture
Les cites 2 Peter to show that no Scripture is a private interpretation, so believers must compare all of Scripture together rather than building doctrine on isolated verses.
Beware of Tradition
Les warns that tradition is condemned in Scripture and that people can be locked into traditions that are not in line with what the Bible actually says.
Don't Just Believe a Preacher
Les tells listeners not to go by what preachers or even he himself says, but to search the Scriptures to see if what they hear is right or wrong.
The Bible Makes Sense When Rightly Divided
Les teaches that the Bible is a sensible book when you separate God's dealings with Israel from the Church, and doing so makes all the contradictions and major questions disappear.
2 Peter 1:20: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
This verse is cited by Les to show that we cannot twist Scripture to our own meaning but must interpret it properly and in context.
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 shows that even when receiving the word, believers are to search the Scriptures to verify what they have been taught.
Les Feldick says that God will judge by what the Word of God says, not by what any denomination or group says. He urges believers to search the Scriptures for themselves rather than simply accepting what preachers or traditions teach.
Les's stock answer is to ask what the Bible says. If you can't find it, he says you better run from it, because the Word of God is the only thing we have to go by.
He teaches that the best way is to compare Scripture with Scripture, because no Scripture is a private interpretation. You should not build doctrine on one verse here and one verse there, but use the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
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