Few preachers associated with the Restoration Movement fought so strongly and effectively against innovations and apostasy than Daniel Sommer (1850-1940). His efforts were motivated by a profound respect for the word of God, and his ability to defend the truth as he did was possible because of his diligence in studying the Scriptures. This respect and diligence can be seen in the quote below from Allen Sommer – the son of Daniel Sommer – as he recalled the memory of his father.
“When he was home, as a child I remember going to bed at night leaving Father seated at a writing table with the Book open before him, and a piece of heavy paper or card-board bent around the coal-oil lamp chimney, to shade his eyes … there he was—reading and writing—always writing and reading … And when I sleepily drifted into the room next morning, there he was—reading that Book, and writing … always writing and reading. I wondered if he’d been there all night … Sometimes he’d pause, lift his massive head and shoulders and gaze straight ahead. I wondered then what he saw. Later I concluded he was turning over in his mind a scripture, looking under, around, and behind, for safe-and-sane solution…” (Faith and Facts Quarterly, Volume 48, Number 2, p. 19).
Daniel Sommer had such a habit of Bible study that his young son wondered if he ever went to sleep or stayed up all night with the word of God open before him. This diligence is commendable. We all need to strive to maintain such a habit of studying the Scriptures. Yet there was more involved in the study done by Sommer than just the time he spent in it. His young son noticed the time, but as Allen Sommer grew up, he realized that his father’s approach to the Scriptures – looking for a “safe-and-sane solution” to the issue at hand – enabled him to teach and defend the truth so effectively.
When we study the word of God to determine what to do in religious matters, we need to look for what is safe. This means doing what we can find authority for in the word of God because the Scriptures equip us “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It also means avoiding things that we assume are right because we find nothing wrong with a particular practice or because others we regard as sincere and faithful are engaged in it. The wise man said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Jesus even spoke of those who presumed to do things “in [His] name” that they thought would please Him, yet they were practicing “lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22-23). Rather than presuming to know what will please the Lord, we need to find what we can safely conclude is His will as He revealed it in His word.
In addition to looking for what is safe, we should also study God’s word to find sane or reasonable solutions. Biblical faith is not detached from reason. When Paul preached, he “reasoned…from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence” to his hearers (Acts 17:2-3). The word that God has revealed to us is understandable (Ephesians 3:4) if we will take the time to study and learn how to “accurately [handle] the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). In other words, when we study the Scriptures, we are to come away with a reasonable understanding. We are to learn what God intended to reveal to us, not “distort…the Scriptures” as so many do “to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Therefore, when we study a particular passage, we should reach conclusions that harmonize with the rest of God’s word rather than contradicting it.
God’s word is infallibly true, and it perfectly guides us in the way that is right. On the other hand, we are fallible and can do things that are wrong despite our best intentions. Therefore, we must carefully and honestly study the Scriptures to find what is safe and sane so that we might practice what is pleasing to the Lord and avoid the things that fall outside of His will.
