Are you ever puzzled by the diversity of thought regarding various doctrines? Why is it that people who have equal devotion to Jesus and an equal amount of Biblical integrity look at the same passages and come away with very different views about such things as the sovereignty of God, end times, the Lord's Supper, baptism, women in leadership, atonement theories and the like? We can line up ancient language scholars on either side of any debate and where does it get us? We read that the Spirit will guide us into all truth (John 16:13) and still we disagree. What gives?
I suspect that the truth that the Holy Spirit will lead us into isn't doctrinal truth as we think of doctrinal truth. It's the truth of who Jesus really is. That was the primary thing that Jesus faced, especially in John's Gospel, where we are told that the Spirit will guide us into the truth.
Paul, who instructed Timothy to teach "certain men not to teach strange doctrines" (1 Timothy 1:3), went on to say this: "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:5).
Any theological study that doesn't lead us to these things (love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith) ought to be abandoned.
I like to read. I am, by calling, a teacher. Teachers shall incur a stricter judgement (James 3:1). Like most other teachers, I want to "handle accurately the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). I am beginning to see with greater clarity that handling accurately the Word of truth has less to do with understanding all things well and more to do with truth that transforms me into greater Christ-likeness.
I think a word of caution is due, for those of us who spend a lot of our time studying. It's not just pastors and teachers, but the Body of Christ as a whole, who have developed an almost insatiable appetite for getting things nailed down. We develop our intellectual muscle, but I don't know that we are actually looking and sounding more like Jesus. This should disturb us. A re-ordering is in order. May God help us to invest more energy in teaching that transforms.