God Says Scripture Is Not Of Any Private Interpretation!!

[SackLunch]

There have been several threads started recently regarding Scriptural interpretations. What does the Bible say about this matter? Does God allow for such "other interpretations?"

2 Peter 1:19-21
"We also have a more sure word of prophecy...knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

So clearly Scripture tells us that there is no private interpretation of the Bible. All this talk of "well you have your own interpreatation" and "you worship the Bible" is simply not biblical. Reading the Bible and taking God for His word IS biblical, and clearly, it's what God tells us to do.

The Bible did not come about by man's words. The Bible is inspired by God. Furthermore, it is not open to interpretation or reinterpretation. It says what it says. God says what He says, whether we like it or not.

 

[CristianoBR]

the question is: what god is really saying when everyone has it´s own interpretation?

 

[jwu]

2 Peter 1:19-21
"We also have a more sure word of prophecy...knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

It's about prophecies, nothing else. Genesis/most of the Bible isn't a prophecy.

Furthermore, Peter != God.

 

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

I see. So your interpretation is "what the Bible says", and everyone else's "what the Bible says" is "private interpretation"

Gotcha

 

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

2 Peter 1:19-21
"We also have a more sure word of prophecy...knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

It's about prophecies, nothing else. Genesis isn't a prophecy.

Furthermore, Peter != God.

Indeed. What's that saying? A text without a context is a pretext.

 

[corvus_corax]

The Bible did not come about by man's words. The Bible is inspired by God. Furthermore, it is not open to interpretation or reinterpretation. It says what it says. God says what He says, whether we like it or not.

So, then, you are opposed to women teaching in church?
You believe in speaking in tongues and the handling of serpents?
You firmly believe that all Christian women should have long hair and that christian men should all have short hair?

If not, then tell us how your INTERPRETATION allows you to dismiss such teachings

 

[Battie]

I fully agree with you that it is not open to private interpretation. To me, that means that we must not look at the Bible in the way that we like best, or in the way that we feel we have to. We have a responisibility to try to find the intended meaning of the author.

And yes, that does mean that it's open to interpretation. You cannot look at a 2000+ year old book an know exactly what the authors meant. We have to remember that the authors lived vastly different lives from each other, thought differently from each other, and lived and thought differently from us. This means that different parts of the Bible must be read differently.

So, while we must not look for selfish interpretations, we must always been on quest to find the most correct ones. We may never find out exactly what some passages mean or we may disagree on it, and it is important to understand that.

I could be wrong about how I interpret Genesis and other books. You might be wrong too, SackLunch. We all could be.

The thing is, "no private interpretations" does not mean "no interpretations period." When you read the works of any author, listen to any song, look at any work of art, you interpret it. You look at the clues left by the author, songwriter, or artist to discern what it means. If the author is still alive today, sometimes we can just ask them what they meant. But none of the authors of the Bible are alive. We cannot get inside their heads. The best we can do is look the clues left behind by their cultures to find how it would apply to them and to us today. That's why we come up with different ideas. We're not all detectives and we might not know exactly how to read the clues.

That is the best we can do, and that is an honest way to interpret. Look for what you believe the passage was originally supposed to mean, not what you want it to mean or what everyone tells you its supposed to mean. That, I believe, is what Paul was commanding us to do.

I feel that you wrote this post with the idea that your way of reading the Bible is the right way. If that is not true, please correct me. You must understand that the TEs are not privately interpreting the Bible. That's just where the clues lead us. We're prepared to admit we might make mistakes about reading it (at least, I am) as we learn more about the ancient peoples. I hope you are also prepared to learn the same.

 

[nvxplorer]

Fine, SackLunch. Show me where in the OT God mentions original sin?

 

[Late_Cretaceous]

Do you honestly think that someone living 1000 years ago would read a passage of scripture and not wind up having a different interpretation then someone today?

 

[Welgaia]

No, friends! He's talking about himself! But thanks for reading!

 

[Magnus Vile]

I've been wondering. If we're not allowed to interpret Genesis, how do we get around God lying to Adam, and the Serpent telling the truth?

God's claim Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Serpent's claim: Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.


Result? Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

And what does God have to say about it?

Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

 

[madarab]

SackLunch, is that why Christians always agree on all aspects of Scripture and why they alone of all of the religions have not split into sects and denominations over scriptural interpretation? ) Even regarding only prophecy, Christians have vast disagreements. Just go over to the Eschatology forum here if you want to giggle about that aspect of your religion.

 

[Mystman]

..

Somewhere in Leviticus, it says that homosexuals "shall surely be puth to death".

In the New Testament, God is described as an all loving, forgiving, all knowing being.

So..

Should we go and kill all homosexuals?

Are those just old laws that don't apply?

Does it mean that God is loving for killing the homosexuals and allowing them into heaven?

Does it mean that the all loving and forgiving God will make the homosexuals burn in hell for eternity because it's the Just thing to do? (eternal punishment for finite crime?!)

Warning:

whatever your awnser is, it will be an interpretation of the bible

 

[SackLunch]

SackLunch, is that why Christians always agree on all aspects of Scripture and why they alone of all of the religions have not split into sects and denominations over scriptural interpretation? ) Even regarding only prophecy, Christians have vast disagreements. Just go over to the Eschatology forum here if you want to giggle about that aspect of your religion.

My point is that even the most basic of verses are picked apart, reinterpreted, and denied by so many here on this board. The most recent argument was over the meaning of "Word."

When God says something obvious, it is obvious what He means. When God says He created Adam from the dust of the ground, that is what He means. When He says we should not commit murder or adultery, that is what He means. And when God says there is no other name under Heaven by which men must be saved - Jesus Christ, that is - then that is EXACTLY what God means. Why? Because Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE - nobody comes to the Father but by me."

He is THE Way - the ONLY way to get to Heaven. He is the Truth - the living embodiment of absolute unchanging truth. And He is the Life - he offers life eternal to those who confess their sins and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

All these arguments over words, meanings, and interpretations are exercises in futility. God said what He said. And His Word stands.

 

[rjw]

Gidday SackLunch,


Given that what you conceive as the Bible did not even exist back when these words of Peter’s were written, how can you argue that:-

Scripture tells us that there is no private interpretation of the Bible

The scriptures of ancient people’s were not and could not be your Bible.

Clearly, what you say about the Bible is only your interpretation and it is opposed to that of others. So on what grounds do you argue that only they have a private interpretation?

The Bible is inspired by God.

Can you demonstrate that this is so or are these words just an interpretation and unsupported assertion of yours?


Regards, Roland

 

[AirPo]

There have been several threads started recently regarding Scriptural interpretations. What does the Bible say about this matter? Does God allow for such "other interpretations?"

2 Peter 1:19-21
"We also have a more sure word of prophecy...knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

So clearly Scripture tells us that there is no private interpretation of the Bible. All this talk of "well you have your own interpreatation" and "you worship the Bible" is simply not biblical. Reading the Bible and taking God for His word IS biblical, and clearly, it's what God tells us to do.

The Bible did not come about by man's words. The Bible is inspired by God. Furthermore, it is not open to interpretation or reinterpretation. It says what it says. God says what He says, whether we like it or not.

Well sure, but that's just your interpertation. I don't read it that way at all. I interpert it to say that the prophecy writen in the bible is god's word, not the interpertationof the author. In other words the author wrote exactly what god wanted, not what the author interperted.

 

[nvxplorer]

Somewhere in Leviticus, it says that homosexuals "shall surely be puth to death".

In the New Testament, God is described as an all loving, forgiving, all knowing being.

So..

Should we go and kill all homosexuals?

Are those just old laws that don't apply?

Does it mean that God is loving for killing the homosexuals and allowing them into heaven?

Does it mean that the all loving and forgiving God will make the homosexuals burn in hell for eternity because it's the Just thing to do? (eternal punishment for finite crime?!)

Warning:

whatever your awnser is, it will be an interpretation of the bible

I await Sack's reply.

How coincidental is it that each individual's interpretation seems to correlate to his personal, cultural view of realty? Those who claim homosexuality is a sin are usually those who complain about Will and Grace. The KKK has no difficulty basing their hatred on scripture. Literal creationists are rarely well versed in the evidence for evolution.

The Bible can mean many things to many people. I hope Sack can impart his great knowledge as to the true meaning of the Truth.

 

[AirPo]

My point is that even the most basic of verses are picked apart, reinterpreted, and denied by so many here on this board. The most recent argument was over the meaning of "Word."

When God says something obvious, it is obvious what He means. When God says He created Adam from the dust of the ground, that is what He means. When He says we should not commit murder or adultery, that is what He means. And when God says there is no other name under Heaven by which men must be saved - Jesus Christ, that is - then that is EXACTLY what God means. Why? Because Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE - nobody comes to the Father but by me."

He is THE Way - the ONLY way to get to Heaven. He is the Truth - the living embodiment of absolute unchanging truth. And He is the Life - he offers life eternal to those who confess their sins and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

All these arguments over words, meanings, and interpretations are exercises in futility. God said what He said. And His Word stands.

Common sense tells me that's a metaphor.

 

[nvxplorer]

My point is that even the most basic of verses are picked apart, reinterpreted, and denied by so many here on this board. The most recent argument was over the meaning of "Word."

You haven't answered my question from that thread. When you read John, how do you interpret Word? What idea is John conveying? Why is he conveying it using Word?

 

[nvxplorer]

All these arguments over words, meanings, and interpretations are exercises in futility. God said what He said. And His Word stands.

What do you mean by "His Word?" Be specific, please.