The blessing and the curse of personal interpretation of scripture

[Root of Jesse]

Catholics believe differently.

You may be surprised to find out that many protestants are ex-catholics. Really, most of this comes from anti-catholic teachings that make no sense without catholicism, so ironically, catholicism is still the basis of your belief system.

You might be surprised to find that many Catholics are ex-Protestants, too.

 

[pescador]

Anyways, as for the OP, my opinion is that one can only try their best, which is more easily said than done in christianity in its current state. Maybe that means submissively going to church and being spoon fed the word. There's nothing wrong with that and I think you can learn at least something.

I understand the perspective that suggests that one should humble themselves and accept without question what they are taught. I am, however, a realist, and in reality I've experienced things that nobody has been able to help with, in that way. I can't count the number of times I wished that Paul or James or John or even Jesus were still physically present to explain such and such. Did I mention this isn't easy? What I'm left with is a slow, often painful process of carefully considering anything and everything available to me. Sometimes I find gems that solve my particular issues, and sometimes, that requires the operation of God's guidance.

On reflecting on this further, I think, if one's study of the word takes them to a frame of mind where they are no longer willing to even consider the wisdom of others, such that your study is becoming about you and your greatness, this is a very dangerous path one is on.

"...one's study of the word" means that one is willing to consider (and hopefully believe) the wisdom of others.

 

[Root of Jesse]

Ummm... okay. I'm not following you. "... prophecy seminars at grade-school level where all the kids are taught about how Roman Catholicism is the great harlot or something or other" is somehow relevant??

How can one discuss the problems with Roman Catholicism without .. Roman Catholicism?

For that matter, how can you have Christian faith, at all, without Catholicism?
The difficulty we're having is that there's so many varieties of what you folks believe, that it's easy for any one of you to say "That's not my belief.". Yet there are Churches where, in Sunday School, anti-Catholicism is taught. Maybe not yours, but it's out there. Honestly, after a while, it gets to sounding like a political party, when asked if they agree with one member saying something controversial, to disavow, yet affirm, what was being asked.

 

[Root of Jesse]

Anyways, as for the OP, my opinion is that one can only try their best, which is more easily said than done in christianity in its current state. Maybe that means submissively going to church and being spoon fed the word. There's nothing wrong with that and I think you can learn at least something.

I understand the perspective that suggests that one should humble themselves and accept without question what they are taught. I am, however, a realist, and in reality I've experienced things that nobody has been able to help with, in that way. I can't count the number of times I wished that Paul or James or John or even Jesus were still physically present to explain such and such. Did I mention this isn't easy? What I'm left with is a slow, often painful process of carefully considering anything and everything available to me. Sometimes I find gems that solve my particular issues, and sometimes, that requires the operation of God's guidance.

On reflecting on this further, I think, if one's study of the word takes them to a frame of mind where they are no longer willing to even consider the wisdom of others, such that your study is becoming about you and your greatness, this is a very dangerous path one is on.

If you study history, you can know what the Catholic Church has always taught about the key passages in Scripture. And what we know is that there's the literal meaning, and then anagogical, moral, and alegorical senses. No passage of Scripture has less than those. Also, when you read or hear a passage of Scripture, maybe it sings to your soul in a particular way. I always ask God to show me what His message is in any passage. And I study what the Church teaches, not any one Pope, Cardinal or priest.

 

[Fervent]

For that matter, how can you have Christian faith, at all, without Catholicism?
The difficulty we're having is that there's so many varieties of what you folks believe, that it's easy for any one of you to say "That's not my belief.". Yet there are Churches where, in Sunday School, anti-Catholicism is taught. Maybe not yours, but it's out there. Honestly, after a while, it gets to sounding like a political party, when asked if they agree with one member saying something controversial, to disavow, yet affirm, what was being asked.

The claim that Catholicism is the apostolic church is nothing more than a Catholic myth. Rome wasn't the sole bishoprate with all others defering to them, in fact they weren't even the most well regarded. The earliest indication of any sort of authority came from the state, and that because Rome was the capital of the empire not any sort of apostolic claim. The claim of a line of papal succession is also suspect since all of the evidence from Rome indicates the church at Rome was governed by a council not an episcopal bishop. The earliest claim of such a thing comes from Stephen in a letter attempting to assert apostolic authority, but that claim does not seem to have been accepted by the church at large at the time as his attempt to avoid a council by invoking it was denied. Though even then the idea of a papacy was not established until Leo's Festus 3. In effect, the primary claims of the Catholic church appear to be nothing more than revisionism.

 

[Ligurian]

Hi everyone, new poster here so please be kind!

I have struggled for a long time with the balance between personal interpretation of scripture, and dependence on people in positions of authority (who may have greater knowledge).

This is an even more acute issue in the current age, where the authority of traditional news sources is being challenged, and people are being encouraged to make up their own minds.

How do we, as a community of Christians, find that balance between personal engagement with scripture, and relying on the people who understand it best to inform us?

Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Master: for one is your Teacher, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.

John 14:15 If ye love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; 17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. … 26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 

[Clare73]

This is how we should test scripture:

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

If they go against God's law, we know it's not coming from God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit which is given when we obey God's laws. John 14:15-18. Acts 5:32

I always like to pray for God's will to be my will and pray to help me obey God's Word which included His holy laws. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you in understanding. There is only one Truth and one Gospel so the devil has been really busy adding a bit of truth to a lot of lies confusing the whole world, but if you're willing to replace your will with God's He will lead you in all things....

God bless

The God-breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) are as much the word of God as what he carves in stone, and that includes the word of God which alters the old order (OT) when it brings in the new order (NT).
The mind of God does not view any part of his word as more important than any other. . .it's all his word, to be understood in the light of his new order (NT) which was the purpose of his old order (OT).

 

[Ligurian]

Hello Robert,

To check and test everything by the scriptures; you can also check for external evidences in accordance with scripture to; for example archeological evidence, sources that might have covered particular areas of interest. You can also ask God for wisdom and understanding as you are going along, and would suggest that even go back as far as to check out the Greek, and Hebrew words which also can help improve understand.

Just the other day fount out that a wineskin is simply a leather bag used as a bottle. You can not put new wine in a old leather bag like that once it is used otherwise it will be destroyed. You can only put new wine in a new wineskin, because it is newer and more reinforced. This was from a study in Mark chapter 2, and it seems to me Yeshua the Anointed one was talking to the people who one can not mix the old ways with the coming new ways; in which Yeshua was coming to bring forth which was going to be living by the spirit where God writes his laws in their minds and write them on their hearts which was the coming new covenant. (Hebrews 10:6)

Matthew 9:16-17 means this:

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

 

[Ligurian]

Yes, it's better to blindly follow the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests. There has never been any infallibility or dogma by the RCC, right?

The message of the New Testament is perfectly clear: we are to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ via the Holy Spirit. The concepts of a separate priesthood between us and God is only to be found in the Old Testament and in the RCC.

Ephesians 4:11 1 Corinthians 12:28

 

[pescador]

Hi everyone, new poster here so please be kind!

I have struggled for a long time with the balance between personal interpretation of scripture, and dependence on people in positions of authority (who may have greater knowledge).

This is an even more acute issue in the current age, where the authority of traditional news sources is being challenged, and people are being encouraged to make up their own minds.

How do we, as a community of Christians, find that balance between personal engagement with scripture, and relying on the people who understand it best to inform us?

That is a difficult question to answer. There are many gifted, intelligent people who "understand it best" but that needs to be balanced with God "speaking to you" directly through the Bible. In the end, the Bible is the best guide to living as Our Creator intended us to live. You have a personal relationship with God in Christ so let the Holy Spirit direct you according to His will.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

The God-breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) are as much the word of God as what he carves in stone, and that includes the word of God which alters the old order (OT) when it brings in the new order (NT).
The mind of God does not view any part of his word as more important than any other. . .it's all his word, to be understood in the light of his new order (NT) which was the purpose of his old order (OT).

I'm not sure how you would know what is inside the mind of God.

I never said that the scriptures is not all the Word of God so not really sure the what point you are trying to make to me, sorry if it is not clear.

 

[pescador]

Personal interpretation has caused chaos for the last 600 years or so. Causing thousands of new denominations.

Starting with the chaos created from the beginnings of the church. It doesn't take much reading in the New Testament to realize that there were differences in the early churches that needed to be resolved. That has continued throughout church history. Even though the Catholic church claims to be infallible there is no basis for the claim.

The only authoritative source is the Bible. Sola scriptura.

 

[Lost4words]

Yes, it's better to blindly follow the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests. There has never been any infallibility or dogma by the RCC, right?

The message of the New Testament is perfectly clear: we are to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ via the Holy Spirit. The concepts of a separate priesthood between us and God is only to be found in the Old Testament and in the RCC.

There is one church only: the body of Christ. Catholics and other denominations can claim that they alone are the true church, but that is contrary to Scripture.

Romans 12:3-5, "For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith. For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, "For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body—though many—are one body, so too is Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit."

IMHO Catholics have lost the essential relationship between God and His children. There is no need for intermediaries, elaborate rituals, or a "holier then thou" attitude toward others outside of the RCC.

I can see that you are among those that have their very own 'individual' interpretation of scripture. Just like the thousands of denominations, each, with their own unique interpretation of scripture too.

 

[Lost4words]

Starting with the chaos created from the beginnings of the church. It doesn't take much reading in the New Testament to realize that there were differences in the early churches that needed to be resolved. That has continued throughout church history. Even though the Catholic church claims to be infallible there is no basis for the claim.

The only authoritative source is the Bible. Sola scriptura.

You are so funny my friend...

God bless you

 

[Clare73]

I'm not sure how you would know what is inside the mind of God.

That is what Scripture is. . .and nowhere does it view any part of itself as more important than another, whether in stone, flesh or on paper.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

That is what Scripture isj. . .and nowhere does it view any part of itself as more important than another, whether in stone, flesh or on paper.

God choose only His law to be the only scripture He personally wrote with His own finger. He than choose His law that He personally wrote and personally spoke to place inside the ark in the Most holy of His Temple. This was done by design. All scripture is inspired by God but God made a distinction because of the significance of His laws. You are welcome to your opinion though as we are given free will.

This point you are trying to make here is not the point I was making from my original post.

 

[Clare73]

God choose only His law to be the only scripture He personally wrote with His own finger. He than choose His law that He personally wrote and personally spoke to place inside the ark in the Most holy of His Temple.

And it was all because of the covenant:
1) they were the condition of the covenant,
2) they were the tesimony to their sin against the covenant which the ark lid (histerion) covered.

This was done by design.

And the design was in regards to the covenant and its conditions.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Placed in the Ark for two purposes:
1) they were the condition of the covenant,
2) they were the tesimony to their sin against the covenant which the ark lid (histerion) covered.

And the design was in regards to the covenant and its conditions.

No, you are confusing the law of Moses that was written by Moses that was placed on the side of the ark, not inside, and was added because of sin Gal 3:19 and was contrary to us Col 2:14. God’s laws are righteous, pure, perfect, spiritual, eternal and made from love, and how could they not be as it was written by God Himself!

Again, you are making an argument I was not making from my post and getting a bit off topic to the OP.

 

[pescador]

I can see that you are among those that have their very own 'individual' interpretation of scripture. Just like the thousands of denominations, each, with their own unique interpretation of scripture too.

So I am not a blind follower. Thanks for not including me in the class of people who can't think for themselves.

 

[pescador]

You are so funny my friend...

God bless you

Thanks. God bless you also.