I asked this in another thread numerous times, but have yet to get an answer....
Where in the scriptures does it say that the scriptures are the authority for Christians and where does it say that all scripture interprets scripture????
Also, those who believe the Bible to be the authority, how do you explain the fact that people can interpret them differently and can be lead into error?
As others have said Jesus is the authority. Everything else, including the scriptures, derives authority based on that.
If you look in John 17 where Jesus is in prayer with the Father he speaks of things happening so the scripture might be fulfilled (v12) and the message of Jesus to the world so they might have his joy (v13) and this message is the Father's word (v14). So we have the Father's word, which is the message that Jesus proclaims (also see John 7:17).
But later in his prayer Jesus also prays for those that will believe in him through the words of the apostles (v20). So we have a progression so to speak from Father, Son, to apostles in regards to who was given the message and this message is from God.
Scripture is said to be God breathed in many places such as 2 Sam 23:2, 2 Chr 36:22, Prov 30:5,6, Matt 1:21, John 5:39, John 10:35 to name a few.
So then we have passages like 2 Tim 3:15-17 where is says that the scriptures (Old testament) are able to instruct for salvation through faith ion Jesus, inspired of God, and so is good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
If something contradicts the scriptures then it is wrong, not because the scriptures are the authority on their own, but because they come from God, God breathed.
And for the New Testament remember that Jesus is praying for those who believe in the words of the apostles, the words which Jesus has given to them, which he brings from above.
And whether or not one believes that 2 Peter was written by Peter the apostle, one recognizes that early on in the church the letters of Paul were being held as scripture.
So the basis of the New Testament goes in reverse order those that new/traveled with the apostles and received their message, the apostles who new/traveled with Jesus and received his message, and Jesus who comes from above, both God and with God at the same time, is where the message begins and not with man made messages (see Isa 8:19,20).
[Edit: 1 Thess 2:13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as human word, but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.]
The phrase scripture interprets scripture is a phrase which basically takes as its basis scripture will not contradict itself (John 10:35). As an example I'll use the idea of destruction of the ungoldy.
So we start in passages like 2 Pet 3:7 where it talks about the godless facing destruction. And in 2 Pet 2:6 it speaks of the destruction (extinction) of the godless in Sodom and Gomorrah as an example or type of what is coming to the ungodly. So some people argue for total annihilation of the wicked.
Then we come to passages like 2 Thess 1:9 where it describes destruction as seperated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. Another passage Rev 14:9-11 where their is no rest day or night for those who drink God's wrath. So destruction is not total annihilation.
Now some may disagree with that, in which case they would need to show how those last two verses do not contradict total annihilation (good luck). But you get the point of scripture interpreting scripture.
You can also see the same thing when Jesus answers questions using scripture such as in Matt 22:29-33. He first says that they are wrong because they do not know the scriptures nor the power of God (the two do not contradict each other) by pointing out a simple use of present tense he showed them God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. What they were saying contradicted scripture.
Interpreting differently can stem from many things. Meanings of words, some words from old Hebrew we are not quite sure what they mean, very difficult subjects like free will (backed up by verses) versus God's sovereignty (also can be backed up by verses) and they stem from people who genuinly want to know.
But then there is "twisting" of scripture which 2 Pet 3:16 speaks about. And there are many examples of this such as the gnostics who focused on knowledge, Marcion who denied the God of the OT was even God so refused to use it and concentrated on a heavily redacted Luke and some of Paul's letters, Valentinius who by "reading spiritually" could basically read whatever he wanted into the text, and we see the same things today.
So there is a difference of interpretation to be sure, but twisting is a very different beast and it leads to destruction. Where the line between the two is can be hard to tell as a bad teaching invades the whole view point, like Jesus speaking of the yeast of the Pharisees (Matt 16:5-12).
