The value of a new, uninitiated Christian, one who has been saved from a background removed from church attendance, is that in his freshness, never being influenced by tradition, he can understand the Scriptures free of possible error introduced over the years by the tradition of men.
On the other side of that coin tradition built through the years by earnest men who have studied the Scriptures can keep new believers from wandering into erroneous territory.
To be protected from error one must read the Scriptures for himself. Then he has some background against which he can compare to what his teacher is telling him. It takes time to build up this background. It also takes time to gain an apprehension of the organization behind the teaching.
A question worth asking is: “what does this man gain by teaching me this, does he have an angle or agenda? Is the result of this teaching to advance the position or influence of the organization he represents?”
