Direct Answer
Bercot suggests that God intends Christians to receive truth within the life of the church, through Scripture and the historic apostolic witness, not as isolated individuals inventing doctrine for themselves. This challenges individualistic interpretation by saying that Christians are dependent not only on one another but also on the church of earlier centuries.
Support from Transcript
- Bercot says, "Christ doesn't want a cluster of lone rangers out here who have no need of each other. He wants a church." - He adds that Christ wants "one body" that is "dependent not only on each other but on the church of the preceding centuries as well." - He argues that the Holy Spirit guides believers "through the written pages of Scripture and through the historic witness of the oral apostolic tradition." - He asks, "Would we claim that we don't need the Bible because we have the Holy Spirit's guidance?" - He contrasts this with "rugged individualism," saying it "might be what fueled America's rise to power, but it's not what fuels the church."
Discussion Follow-ups
This raises the question of whether private Bible study should be corrected and enriched by the historic church’s witness.