filosofer said:
1 Observe the Intended Meaning
The first principle is to take the words of Scripture in their normal, intended sense unless the context compels us to understand the words figuratively which then becomes the intended sense.
2 Let Scripture Interpret Scripture
This principle refers to the fact that passages dealing with the same topic can be used to explain and support each other. It means that the less clear and more difficult passages of the Bible are to be considered in the light of the clearer passages.
3 Observe the Law of Context
This principle warns the interpreter never to tear a passage out of the context in which it appears. Always explain the parts in the light of the whole.
4 Interpret Scripture in Harmony with Itself
This principle asserts that all of Scripture is a unity because God is the author of both the Old and New Testaments. No passage should be understood in a way that contradicts another clear statement of Scripture.
5 Interpret Scripture Christologically
This principle states that the entire Scripture must be seen in the light of Gods redeeming activity in Jesus Christ. Christ is not only the center of Scripture, he is the purpose of Scripture.
Hey Filo,
Does the ranking matter or are these all principles on the same level?
I like Filo's guidelines, and as for your statement above. Who's church are we going to use to interpret? From what era? The eartly human church has always had error invoked on it.
Good day Jim,
In respect to the who's church question, I would like to say I believe there to be one Church and apart from that there is no "church". When I talk about big C Church I am talking about the bride of Christ. Next, I don't think the interpretation of the Church has changed, the Church's interpretation remains the same, and that is Christological. I don't believe in an "earthly human church", but in one that is Holy, catholic, and Apostolic. While the humans in it are sinners, the Church, regardless, is the Mother of all believers and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.
That being said the Church, which has always maintained the testimony of the Apostles, does not error in its teaching of divine Scripture, as long as it remains apostolic. If it ceases to be apostolic it is no longer the Church but a heresy. Arius, Nestorius, Maniche, Pelagius, Apolinarius, etc. were all teachers who ceased to be apostolic and their errors were not errors in the Church but outside of the Church. Likewise, the Holy Fathers recorded for us the teaching they recieved through the apostles and through this teaching we are able to remain apostolic in doctrine.
How will we accomplish the goal you stated above and I underlined if we use "The church" , God's Word is never changing, where as man is ever changing and falling away from God.
The Church, like her husband who made her, will never change (doctrinally). She is always the faithful and chaste bride. People who have sought to change the Bride of Christ always found themselves anathema. This can be seen from the earliest of times, the Judaizers were condemned because of their false reliance on the law/circumcission, the Donatists found themselves excommunicated because of their misunderstanding of the participation of God in the Holy Sacraments, the impious arians desired to skew the thought of the bride to slander her holy spouse which resulted in their anathema, thus so with all heresies who tried to interpret the Sacred writs in new ways.
The Church has been able to maintain her orthodox faith from Donatism to Anabaptism, from Docetism to Mormanism and all of these have been condemned through the authority of the Church to rightly interpret her book! I do see man changing, but I see the Church as imovable built solidly on the apostles the sure foundation with the saints building up the walls and Christ Jesus as the magnificent capstone creating a Church that is beyond time and the effects thereof.
Hmmmmmmmm... 
Let's think about this for a moment...
Scripture=inspired, innerrant Word of God..."heaven and earth will pass away but My Word will never pass away..."
Church=hundreds of diferent denominations with hundreds of different interpretations of the Bible... Roman Catholicism, "only the Church(RCC) can interpret Scripture".....
I think I'll stick with the Lutheran stance that Scripture interprets Scripture. It doesn't change, hasn't changed, and will never change.
DaRev
I understand what you are saying and if it were that simple I would agree with you, however, people interpret Scripture differently. They interpret other Scriptures differently also. This leads them to citing Scripture with Scripture and can ultimately lead to a wrong interpretation.
I agree with your idea of Scripture, but I cannot concede to your thought of "the Church". All of the denominations today are not completely right, while each might have a truth they still fall short. Yet the Holy Church which never had denominations, has always taught the same truth: Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again!
Blessed St Polycarp once wrote, "Wherefore forsaking the vanity of many let us return to the Word that was handed down to us" and proceeds to interpret it (the old testament) through the apostolic teaching. Again the Most Pius St Athanasius of Alexandria (Pope of the east) wrote that "The proper interpretation of Sacred and Inspired Scripture is the interpretation of our Blessed Teachers". St Ignatius writes, "It was the Holy Spirit that caused me to urge you to do nothing without the Bishop", that is the one who was educated in the way of the Apostles. St Irrenaeus thought it so important he left us with many great teachings but namely, "The preaching of the Church has never changed" and "True Gnosis is the doctrine of the Apostles". While still our own Lutheran Fathers cling to these truths in the confessions. Our Church has always interpreted our written Tradition along with the Oral tradition, eventually that oral tradition became written in what we know as the Patristics. While they are not inerrant as the Holy writs are, they still tell us how the Church has always thought and taught.
I think the most Lutheran way is through the patristics, after all it was the way used in the AC and the Apology.
Thank you all for your responses, it is threads like these that I learn the most!
Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
-James
Are you saying that you won't accept the answer "The BoC is the only true interpretation" or are you saying that you don't accept the BoC as the only true interpretation?
