The Eight Rules of Bible Interpretation

[Jim B]

Having participated in this forum for several weeks now, I am growing more and more convinced that a vast number of the misunderstandings that we are having are rooted in how we approach and interpret scriptures. Approaches seem to range from the if-it-don’t-fit-force-it approach to interpreting the Bible, making every scripture a proof-text to validate a preferred position, to those who seem to ignore the Bible altogether in favor of some bexperience they have had.

So, in an effort to provide some unity to our discussion I would like to offer the following article I found in several places on the Internet. Many of you who attended Bible college may recognize these from your herneneutics course …

The Eight Rules of Bible Interpretation​

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." 2 Peter 1:20

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation." Prov. 1:5,6

"And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation." 2 Peter 1:19,20 NAS​

We can't have a "sure word" about the meaning of Scripture (or anything else) unless we have a sure method to interpret the words. The following eight rules are the center of all grammatical interpretation. They have been accepted and used by scholars from Socrates to the present. While my hope is that they will be used to "rightly divide the word of truth" of the Holy Bible, they are equally applicable to legal, historical, and other such language.

Since the Bible teaches that God is not the author of confusion [1 Cor. 14:33], how can the many disagreements today between Christians and the proliferation of the cults be explained since all, or nearly all, claim to use the Bible as the basis of their doctrines? Nearly all false doctrines taught today by Christians and cultists alike can be traced to the distortion of the meaning of Biblical words. These eight rules are prayerfully offered in the hope that they may help many come to the truth of what God says in His Word. The Rev. Guy Duty said in his book Divorce & Remarriage:

"When two interpretations are claimed for a Scripture, the construction most in agreement with all the facts of the case should be adopted. When all the facts of an interpretation are in agreement they sound together in harmony, like notes in a chord. Biblical interpretation is more than knowing a set of rules, but it cannot be done without the rules. So, learn the rules, and rightly apply them...."​

(Divorce & Remarriage, Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1967)

Here are the eight rules:

1) The rule of DEFINITION:

What does the word mean? Any study of Scripture must begin with a study of words. Define your terms and then keep to the terms defined. The interpreter should conscientiously abide by the plain meaning of the words. This quite often may require using a Hebrew/English or Greek/English lexicon in order to make sure that the sense of the English translation is understood. A couple of good examples of this are the Greek words "allos" and "heteros". Both are usually translated as "another" in English - yet "allos" literally means "another of the same type" and "heteros" means "another of a different type."​

2) The rule of USAGE:

It must be remembered that the Old Testament was written originally by, to and for Jews. The words and idioms must have been intelligible to them - just as the words of Christ when talking to them must have been. The majority of the New Testament likewise was written in a milieu of Greco-Roman (and to a lesser extent Jewish) culture and it is important to not impose our modern usage into our interpretation. It is not worth much to interpret a great many phrases and histories if one's interpretations are shaded by pre-conceived notions and cultural biases, thereby rendering an inaccurate and ineffectual lesson.​

3) The rule of CONTEXT:

The meaning must be gathered from the context. Every word you read must be understood in the light of the words that come before and after it. Many passages will not be understood at all, or understood incorrectly, without the help afforded by the context. A good example of this is the Mormon practice of using 1 Cor. 8:5b: "...for there be gods many and lords many..." as a "proof text" of their doctrine of polytheism. However, a simple reading of the whole verse in the context of the whole chapter (e.g. where Paul calls these gods "so-called"), plainly demonstrates that Paul is not teaching polytheism.​

4) The rule of HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

The interpreter must have some awareness of the life and society of the times in which the Scripture was written. The spiritual principle will be timeless but often can't be properly appreciated without some knowledge of the background. If the interpreter can have in his mind what the writer had in his mind when he wrote - without adding any excess baggage from the interpreter's own culture or society - then the true thought of the Scripture can be captured resulting in an accurate interpretation. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Our only interest in the past is for the light it throws upon the present."​

5) The rule of LOGIC:

Interpretation is merely logical reasoning. When interpreting Scripture, the use of reason is everywhere to be assumed. Does the interpretation make sense? The Bible was given to us in the form of human language and therefore appeals to human reason - it invites investigation. It is to be interpreted as we would any other volume: applying the laws of language and grammatical analysis. As Bernard Ramm said: "What is the control we use to weed out false theological speculation? Certainly the control is logic and evidence... interpreters who have not had the sharpening experience of logic...may have improper notions of implication and evidence. Too frequently such a person uses a basis of appeal that is a notorious violation of the laws of logic and evidence." (Protestant Biblical Interpretation, Boston: W. A. Wilde, 1956)​

6) The rule of PRECEDENT:

We must not violate the known usage of a word and invent another for which there is no precedent. Just as a judge's chief occupation is the study of previous cases, so must the interpreter use precedents in order to determine whether they really support an alleged doctrine. Consider the Bereans in Acts 17:10-12 who were called "noble" because they searched the Scriptures to determine if what Paul taught them was true.​

7) The rule of UNITY:

The parts of Scripture being interpreted must be construed with reference to the significance of the whole. An interpretation must be consistent with the rest of Scripture. An excellent example of this is the doctrine of the Trinity. No single passage teaches it, but it is consistent with the teaching of the whole of Scripture (e.g. the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are referred to individually as God; yet the Scriptures elsewhere teach there is only one God).​

8) The rule of INFERENCE:

An inference is a fact reasonably implied from another fact. It is a logical consequence. It derives a conclusion from a given fact or premise. It is the deduction of one proposition from another proposition. Such inferential facts or propositions are sufficiently binding when their truth is established by competent and satisfactory evidence. Competent evidence means such evidence as the nature of the thing to be proved admits. Satisfactory evidence means that amount of proof which would ordinarily satisfy an unprejudiced mind beyond a reasonable doubt. Jesus used this rule when he proved the resurrection of the dead to the unbelieving Sadducees in Matt. 22:23-33.​

Learning these eight rules and properly applying them will help keep any interpreter from making errors and will hopefully alleviate many of the disagreements unfortunately present in Christianity today. However, these eight principles are no substitute for the Holy Spirit which will, if you let Him, guide you in the truth [John 14:26]. If you receive Christ into your heart, God will give you the Holy Spirit freely as a gift [Acts 2:38]. I urge you, if you have not already done so, to examine the claims and the work of Jesus Christ and to receive Him as your Savior.

 

[flyfishing]

Having participated in this forum for several weeks now, I am growing more and more convinced that a vast number of the misunderstandings that we are having are rooted in how we approach and interpret scriptures. Approaches seem to range from the if-it-don’t-fit-force-it approach to interpreting the Bible, making every scripture a proof-text to validate a preferred position, to those who seem to ignore the Bible altogether in favor of some bexperience they have had.

So, in an effort to provide some unity to our discussion I would like to offer the following article I found in several places on the Internet. Many of you who attended Bible college may recognize these from your herneneutics course …

The Eight Rules of Bible Interpretation​

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." 2 Peter 1:20

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation." Prov. 1:5,6

"And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation." 2 Peter 1:19,20 NAS​

We can't have a "sure word" about the meaning of Scripture (or anything else) unless we have a sure method to interpret the words. The following eight rules are the center of all grammatical interpretation. They have been accepted and used by scholars from Socrates to the present. While my hope is that they will be used to "rightly divide the word of truth" of the Holy Bible, they are equally applicable to legal, historical, and other such language.

Since the Bible teaches that God is not the author of confusion [1 Cor. 14:33], how can the many disagreements today between Christians and the proliferation of the cults be explained since all, or nearly all, claim to use the Bible as the basis of their doctrines? Nearly all false doctrines taught today by Christians and cultists alike can be traced to the distortion of the meaning of Biblical words. These eight rules are prayerfully offered in the hope that they may help many come to the truth of what God says in His Word. The Rev. Guy Duty said in his book Divorce & Remarriage:

"When two interpretations are claimed for a Scripture, the construction most in agreement with all the facts of the case should be adopted. When all the facts of an interpretation are in agreement they sound together in harmony, like notes in a chord. Biblical interpretation is more than knowing a set of rules, but it cannot be done without the rules. So, learn the rules, and rightly apply them...."​

(Divorce & Remarriage, Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1967)

Here are the eight rules:

1) The rule of DEFINITION:

What does the word mean? Any study of Scripture must begin with a study of words. Define your terms and then keep to the terms defined. The interpreter should conscientiously abide by the plain meaning of the words. This quite often may require using a Hebrew/English or Greek/English lexicon in order to make sure that the sense of the English translation is understood. A couple of good examples of this are the Greek words "allos" and "heteros". Both are usually translated as "another" in English - yet "allos" literally means "another of the same type" and "heteros" means "another of a different type."​

2) The rule of USAGE:

It must be remembered that the Old Testament was written originally by, to and for Jews. The words and idioms must have been intelligible to them - just as the words of Christ when talking to them must have been. The majority of the New Testament likewise was written in a milieu of Greco-Roman (and to a lesser extent Jewish) culture and it is important to not impose our modern usage into our interpretation. It is not worth much to interpret a great many phrases and histories if one's interpretations are shaded by pre-conceived notions and cultural biases, thereby rendering an inaccurate and ineffectual lesson.​

3) The rule of CONTEXT:

The meaning must be gathered from the context. Every word you read must be understood in the light of the words that come before and after it. Many passages will not be understood at all, or understood incorrectly, without the help afforded by the context. A good example of this is the Mormon practice of using 1 Cor. 8:5b: "...for there be gods many and lords many..." as a "proof text" of their doctrine of polytheism. However, a simple reading of the whole verse in the context of the whole chapter (e.g. where Paul calls these gods "so-called"), plainly demonstrates that Paul is not teaching polytheism.​

4) The rule of HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

The interpreter must have some awareness of the life and society of the times in which the Scripture was written. The spiritual principle will be timeless but often can't be properly appreciated without some knowledge of the background. If the interpreter can have in his mind what the writer had in his mind when he wrote - without adding any excess baggage from the interpreter's own culture or society - then the true thought of the Scripture can be captured resulting in an accurate interpretation. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Our only interest in the past is for the light it throws upon the present."​

5) The rule of LOGIC:

Interpretation is merely logical reasoning. When interpreting Scripture, the use of reason is everywhere to be assumed. Does the interpretation make sense? The Bible was given to us in the form of human language and therefore appeals to human reason - it invites investigation. It is to be interpreted as we would any other volume: applying the laws of language and grammatical analysis. As Bernard Ramm said: "What is the control we use to weed out false theological speculation? Certainly the control is logic and evidence... interpreters who have not had the sharpening experience of logic...may have improper notions of implication and evidence. Too frequently such a person uses a basis of appeal that is a notorious violation of the laws of logic and evidence." (Protestant Biblical Interpretation, Boston: W. A. Wilde, 1956)​

6) The rule of PRECEDENT:

We must not violate the known usage of a word and invent another for which there is no precedent. Just as a judge's chief occupation is the study of previous cases, so must the interpreter use precedents in order to determine whether they really support an alleged doctrine. Consider the Bereans in Acts 17:10-12 who were called "noble" because they searched the Scriptures to determine if what Paul taught them was true.​

7) The rule of UNITY:

The parts of Scripture being interpreted must be construed with reference to the significance of the whole. An interpretation must be consistent with the rest of Scripture. An excellent example of this is the doctrine of the Trinity. No single passage teaches it, but it is consistent with the teaching of the whole of Scripture (e.g. the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are referred to individually as God; yet the Scriptures elsewhere teach there is only one God).​

8) The rule of INFERENCE:

An inference is a fact reasonably implied from another fact. It is a logical consequence. It derives a conclusion from a given fact or premise. It is the deduction of one proposition from another proposition. Such inferential facts or propositions are sufficiently binding when their truth is established by competent and satisfactory evidence. Competent evidence means such evidence as the nature of the thing to be proved admits. Satisfactory evidence means that amount of proof which would ordinarily satisfy an unprejudiced mind beyond a reasonable doubt. Jesus used this rule when he proved the resurrection of the dead to the unbelieving Sadducees in Matt. 22:23-33.​

Learning these eight rules and properly applying them will help keep any interpreter from making errors and will hopefully alleviate many of the disagreements unfortunately present in Christianity today. However, these eight principles are no substitute for the Holy Spirit which will, if you let Him, guide you in the truth [John 14:26]. If you receive Christ into your heart, God will give you the Holy Spirit freely as a gift [Acts 2:38]. I urge you, if you have not already done so, to examine the claims and the work of Jesus Christ and to receive Him as your Savior.

jim I agree that article covers much of what true Bible study consists of.. I guess perhaps that something should be mentioned that all 8 parts have to work in conjunction and are not independent of each other,by that i mean that some use logic without context and true definition.. Thanks for posting it.Have been considering a bible study on this subject and may use some of the material..

 

[enoch son]

Rule 6 I'm glad Luther did follow that one.
Rule 8 God calls Himself the Godhead in the book so someone change the word.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I am with you all the way with a clarification to rule 3 regarding "Context".
There are some (many) places in the scritpure where NT speakers, authors do not adhere to the concept of "strict contextualism". If you read through the NT looking for passages quoted from the OT, you will find that in many cases the quote from the OT appears to be taken out of context. My point is this, the HS may take an event or even what looks like a random event in the OT, and make it into a type or shadow of a deeper truth.
Many Jewish people object to this process of interpretation used by NT students and say that we are taking OT passages "out of context".
Just a comment.

 

[Svt4Him]

I am with you all the way with a clarification to rule 3 regarding "Context".
There are some (many) places in the scritpure where NT speakers, authors do not adhere to the concept of "strict contextualism". If you read through the NT looking for passages quoted from the OT, you will find that in many cases the quote from the OT appears to be taken out of context. My point is this, the HS may take an evenT or even what looks like a random event in the OT, and make it into a type or shadow of a deeper truth.
Many Jewish people object to this process of interpretation used by NT students and say that we are taking OT passages "out of context".
Just a comment.

But could this be because we don't understand the culture?

 

[flyfishing]

I am with you all the way with a clarification to rule 3 regarding "Context".
There are some (many) places in the scritpure where NT speakers, authors do not adhere to the concept of "strict contextualism". If you read through the NT looking for passages quoted from the OT, you will find that in many cases the quote from the OT appears to be taken out of context. My point is this, the HS may take an event or even what looks like a random event in the OT, and make it into a type or shadow of a deeper truth.
Many Jewish people object to this process of interpretation used by NT students and say that we are taking OT passages "out of context".
Just a comment.

Lets see the scriptures were given by inspiration of God, so god is being accused of writing his own words out of context..

 

[Godz Marine]

Perhaps I am reading things crooked but I think I know what Didy is trying to say.

Here is my spin on it. We can see many times where no t only the NT writers and speakers did not adhere to rules #3. Jesus Himself was one of those people.

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

First I apologize for posting the entire chapter but it is necessary to show that it (and scripture before and after this chapter) are all part of the same contextual passage. Now we see Jesus and read His words;

Luke 4

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

We can clearly see where Jesus only spoke, or apparently taking out of context as applied by rule #3, this portion of scripture from Isaiah 61. However what He spoke was true for it applied to Him up to that point. He even stooped in mid-sentence (verse) for the rest of the scriptures were yet to be fulfilled. Much of what we can find in the NT that appear to be out of OT context many times, just as this passage, are prophetic in basis. Jesus was fully aware of this thus stopping mid-context.

 

[Perceivence]

What about the Holy Spirit's guidance?

 

[Terri]

What about the Holy Spirit's guidance?

I've found that relying totally on God to lead me into all understanding makes a set of rules unnecessary.

 

[flyfishing]

I've found that relying totally on God to lead me into all understanding makes a set of rules unnecessary.

And then they criticize Jesus...

 

[Godz Marine]

I've found that relying totally on God to lead me into all understanding makes a set of rules unnecessary.

God is the God of order and He has "rules", so how can you avoid rules and deem them unnecessary? I am not saying I fully agree with the 8 rules posted but we are told to study to show ourselves approved, a workman who needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God. We are to study. We have a part to fulfill. Yes, God will lead us into His truth by the Holy Spirit, that is His part but we must do our part which is to study. If simply reading the Word and waiting was all that is needed then why were we told to study?

 

[Terri]

Godz Marine could you please list God's rules for me. I seem to have misplaced my list!

"Study" is not the only interpretation of the Bible verse you mentioned.

2TI 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

2TI 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)

2TI 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. (NASB)

2TI 2:15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. (American Standard)

And just in case you want to argue about the word "study" please remember:

2TI 2:14 Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

 

[Godz Marine]

Terri,

And just in case you want to argue about the word "study" please remember:

2TI 2:14 Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

My intentions are not to argue but simply to say that God has rules. Not only should one look to various translation of the Bible so as to get different interpretations but one should also look to the original writings. Using a Strong's concordance is very useful for doing this. For the "study" in II Timothy 2:15 Strong's gives us this:

# 4704 spoudazo spoo-dad'-zo; from 4710; to use speed, i.e. to make effort, be prompt or earnest;- do (give) dillengence, be dilligent (forward), endeavor, labour, study.

So in what are we to be dilligent in? The Word. How do we dilligently present ourselves? By applying the Word to our lives and living it. How do we apply the Word to our lives? By hearing it? What is one of the ways of hearing the Word? By studying it!

What does it mean to study?.......

Websters defines "study" as 1. n. (a) An act of examining carefully to learen more about it. (b) room in which s/o works/studies.
2. v. (a) to examine (sth)in detail to learn more about it.
studied, adj. done very carefull; done on purpose.

As for rules, well, Romans 10:9 is a very important one. Deuteronomy 28:1,13 and 15, 45-47 are some other important "rules" that God has given us. Israel was considered to be a rebellious nation because of rebellion and disobedience. They didn't like rules either.

 

[flyfishing]

Terri in all fairness those guidelines are "safeguards" that keep us on the narrow path. is that list complete? No not by any means...

I have pondered why the bible was written in the manner it was..This is my conclusion. God wants our free wills to discover his truths,to search for them. There are those who feel the search for knowledge is the search for God,ot so!!! There are those who are halfhearted and always will be so the scripture is hidden from them because we dont throw pearls before swine. that free will thing comes up again because if people choose to twist the truth the Lord lets them believe a lie. It would be much easier if the bible was written like a book of rules but then true worship would not exist..

 

[Terri]

Well, I don't really like the idea of making knowing the Lord some set of rules. Knowing the Lord is not complex and I think anyone does a great disservice to people by making it complex.

How do you think people came to know the Lord before they had all of our modern "study" tools.

I believe they trusted in Him to lead them into all understanding the way that the Bible says to do.

I will not spend my time studying the list of rules on how to interpret the bible.
This is all I will do-- trust in God -- and it works surprisingly well for me.

Now, I have no problem with people having rules if they feel they need them. All things are permissible. But, to say that having rules is the only way that works is an error.

 

[Jim B]

Well, I don't really like the idea of making knowing the Lord some set of rules. Knowing the Lord is not complex and I think anyone does a great disservice to people by making it complex.

How do you think people came to know the Lord before they had all of our modern "study" tools.

I believe they trusted in Him to lead them into all understanding the way that the Bible says to do.

I will not spend my time studying the list of rules on how to interpret the bible.
This is all I will do-- trust in God -- and it works surprisingly well for me.

Now, I have no problem with people having rules if they feel they need them. All things are permissible. But, to say that having rules is the only way that works is an error.

Hi Terri.

Thanx for your input.

I do not think anyone on this thread is saying rules are the "only way that works."

Leaning to our own understanding and discounted the “tools” provided us by teachers that Lord has set in the church (Eph. 4.11) may be what Peter had in mind, at least in part, when he said that “no scripture is of private interpretation” (2 Peter 1.20). The Amplified and CEV make this even clearer.

While depending on the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth is the ideal, human (could I say, carnal) application of that scripture has led to many bizarre and even heretical teachings, even among Charismatics. (see the "Often Misused Scriptures" thread)

One of the attractions of this forum for many of us is that it help us have a better understanding of the Bible. I hope it serves that purpose and is not just a way of getting our own points across.

Granted the “8 rules” are not perfect, but they are, I believe, solid guidelines to help us all “speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you” (1 Cor. 1.10). Maybe, it’s the best we can do in this life.

\o/

 

[enoch son]

LET"S THROW THEM ALL OUT WITH 1 JOHN 2-27. "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." That alot more then I can say about alot of preacher and bible school teacher's. I WILL TRUST JESUS. Amen Terri.

 

[Jim B]

Hi e.

If spiritual guidance works as foolproof as you and Terri are wanting us to believe, then why aren’t we all speaking and believing the same thing?

\o/

 

[flyfishing]

i believe that the scripture that says of no privateinterpertation implys the rule listed that all scriptures must be in agreement..

And again i stress that for safetys sake these rules are good.

 

[Terri]

Hi e.

If spiritual guidance works as foolproof as you and Terri are wanting us to believe, then why aren’t we all speaking and believing the same thing?

\o/

It is due to a lack of faith.

Until every one has enough faith to actually believe verses like PR 3:5 and 1JN 2:27 (Thanks Enoch--such a great verse) and put their trust totally in the Lord you will have differing beliefs.

God is calling us to trust Him totally, completely, 100%. He deserves no less!!

PR 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

1JN 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him.