K
You have indicated that you are a sola scripturists. You have stated that the Bible is the ultimate and final authority for faith and practice. The Holy Spirit does not give individuals revelation. He does guide man to Himself which is His Church. He also guides believers in understanding the application of scripture which is what I Tim 3:15 is all about. But Scripture is not the ONLY thing one can use. It also implies that one actually understand what the Bible means before one can apply it. What most Protestants are doing is determining what it means, then making the application upon what they determiined it meant.
The problem with that is that the meaning has existed for 2000 years. You see, the scriptures were derived from the Oral Tradition which included the meaning. The Holy Spriit did not just hand out Bibles to the early Church and left them to determine what it might mean.
There is a few scriptures that says all we have to do is ask God in prayer and He will give us the understanding by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 7:7, 21:22, James 1:6-8, and others for example.
The problem with that is that the meaning has existed for 2000 years. You see, the scriptures were derived from the Oral Tradition which included the meaning. The Holy Spriit did not just hand out Bibles to the early Church and left them to determine what it might mean.
There is a few scriptures that says all we have to do is ask God in prayer and He will give us the understanding by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 7:7, 21:22, James 1:6-8, and others for example.
The Holy Spirit is NOT repeating the revelation He gave to the Aposltes separately to each individual today. Which is why we end up with the Bible meaning hundreds of different things including the false teaching of dispensational premillennialism.
The reason there are multiple interpretations is because people seek out understanding by other routes instead of putting God and His Holy Spirit first. [/quote] Now that is the first thing that you have stated correctly. Basicly, it is man putting himself as the infallible interpreter of the Bible.
The Catholic Church is no ifferent that you doing what you and all sola scripturists do. The difference is a Pope usually, but sometines with the ascent of the Magisterium making arbitrary dogmas for the Church. Sola scripturist have made it the perogative of each individual to interpret scripture and then declare that their interpretation is what means. Thus right out of the gate you have Martin Luther, and only 15 years later a wholly new and different gospel, both based on scripture and supposedly of the Holy Spirit.
The Catholic church has a number of teachings that do not align with the Word of God, yet claim others are wrong !!![/QUOTE] Any Church does this and denominations are created on this very premise.[/QUOTE]
The Catholic church is not sola scripturist and the Protestant church still follows a number of things the Catholic church started that does not align with scripture.
Protestant reformation movement left the Catholic church and ended up following other apostate teachers such as John Calvin.
The Holy Spirit can only lead and teach others what has already been given by the Lord Jesus and the Apostles who carried His teachings out. To teach other than what was already given from Christ is a false doctrine and gospel.
If you believe scripture has no importance then you can just follow whatever anybody says which is clearly warned of in the Word of God.