The key to remember for all of us. One's interpretation of Scripture is not equal to Scripture itself in authority.

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TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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#1
The key to remember for all of us. One's interpretation of Scripture is not equal to Scripture itself in authority.

Can you all think of examples?
 
Mar 4, 2020
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#3
The key to remember for all of us. One's interpretation of Scripture is not equal to Scripture itself in authority.

Can you all think of examples?
Many people seem to hold opposing views on nearly everything while being fully convinced in their own mind that they are right. That's a clue that most people probably don't hold a perfect interpretation of scriptures.
 
M

MoonCresta

Guest
#4
The key to remember for all of us. One's interpretation of Scripture is not equal to Scripture itself in authority.

Can you all think of examples?
Good topic!

I mean, we all believe our personal interpretation is correct. I would never tell anyone their interpretation is wrong - how do I know for a certainty that mine is correct? Plus I don't want to be rude.

I just try to walk as closely with the Lord as I can, and I assume all other Christians are doing the same.
 

Deuteronomy

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Jun 11, 2018
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#5
I stand in perfect harmony with about 85-90% of the Roman Catholic Church's beliefs, and I am in 95+% agreement with all of the various Protestant denominational beliefs (within the pale of Christian orthodoxy, that is). It's true that where we differ from one another, we REALLY differ at times, but it's a shame that we rarely, if ever, celebrate the areas of the faith where we stand as one (which, as I just pointed out, is the majority of the Christian faith/beliefs).

Perhaps a great place to see where our interpretation of the Scriptures meets/upholds the truth that God teaches us through them is to look at the many points of the faith where all of the various branches of the historic church stand in harmony, as one :) .. the Trinity and the Deity of Christ come to mind first, for instance :)

~Deut
p.s. - hello @TheLearner, what kind of "examples" are you looking for :unsure: Thanks!
 

wattie

Senior Member
Feb 24, 2009
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New Zealand
#6
Scripture does interpret itself. Study a passage enough rightly divided and its truth in and of itself.

Who is talking to whom?

What is the subject?

What is the occasion for speaking?

For eg ..If its Jesus talking to Pharisees about their legalism at a synagogue.. are you going to apply it to gentiles in a new testament church?

Personal interpretation can be off beam. Scripture speaks for itself
 

soberxp

Senior Member
May 3, 2018
2,511
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#7
examples?
Love your enemy,
then one said"No,never love Satan, but we can love any human enemy,that meaning we can love human enemy but not Satan."
another answer:"If you can't love Satan, you can't love any enemy."
 

Seeker47

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2018
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#8
A couple come instantly to mind but I have no wish here to hijack your question. Sometimes "Christian" unacceptance of other Christians boggles my mind.
 
D

DWR

Guest
#9
People need to stop with the interpreting of Scripture and just study and UNDERSTAND.
Stop trying to prove what you belief and allow the Scripture to teach you.
Interpreting leads to all kinds of false belief and teaching.
 

Pilgrimshope

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Sep 2, 2020
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#10
Many people seem to hold opposing views on nearly everything while being fully convinced in their own mind that they are right. That's a clue that most people probably don't hold a perfect interpretation of scriptures.
yes and a lesson that we are only accountable for what we are convinced of not what the other person knows and is convinced of we should look for the commonalities and peace because that provides for our understanding to come closer , if we instead use what we know to argue with what the other person knows and turn against each other we can’t help each other and we need each other it all Proposers by brotherly love

“Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way

. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:1-6,

We need to remove our jidgement hats and become those being judged according to our own beliefs and deeds and look to the others as those who are accountable for their beliefs and actions it’s not about the rules and details but about walking by faith and each has his own measure
 
Apr 26, 2021
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#11
Scripture does interpret itself. Study a passage enough rightly divided and its truth in and of itself.

Who is talking to whom?

What is the subject?

What is the occasion for speaking?

For eg ..If its Jesus talking to Pharisees about their legalism at a synagogue.. are you going to apply it to gentiles in a new testament church?

Personal interpretation can be off beam. Scripture speaks for itself
I agree with the Scripture interpreting itself.

However, Jesus talking to the Pharisees is for our benefit. Nothing the Lord said to them saved them or made any difference. In fact, the entire faith is still very much based on their legalisms, if you will.

You can certainly say much the same thing of our churches. They come up with creeds and doctrines (all based on scripture of course) and some churches write a lot of governing laws and observances based on the scriptures. And of course, theologians and apologists write tirelessly on interpretations of which they teach.

God talks about "religious activity" in Micah Chapter 7 which may well hint a bit about the verses cited below.

I love robust spiritual discussion and never expect everyone to agree about anything. Jesus never said he brought peace to the world.

Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.


Not only do I expect division of opinion, but sharp acrimony as well as this subject brings out the best or worst of all of us.
 
M

MoonCresta

Guest
#12
A couple come instantly to mind but I have no wish here to hijack your question. Sometimes "Christian" unacceptance of other Christians boggles my mind.
Right - you couldn't be more right!
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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Brighton, MI
#13
Good topic!

I mean, we all believe our personal interpretation is correct. I would never tell anyone their interpretation is wrong - how do I know for a certainty that mine is correct? Plus I don't want to be rude.

I just try to walk as closely with the Lord as I can, and I assume all other Christians are doing the same.
I start with the idea that we all could be wrong on minor doctrines.

Major doctrines has church history and theologians supporting them.
Major doctrines relate to Who Jesus is and What he did for us --- I cor 15, Trinity, Salvation by Grace, Good works are natural to our spiritual nature, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus as fully God and fully Man. The first half dozen major church councils.

Minor doctrines are usually those that divide Christians --- spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, second coming theories and so on.

We know what is true by studying church history including the early church fathers who were taught by the Apostles.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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#14
I stand in perfect harmony with about 85-90% of the Roman Catholic Church's beliefs, and I am in 95+% agreement with all of the various Protestant denominational beliefs (within the pale of Christian orthodoxy, that is). It's true that where we differ from one another, we REALLY differ at times, but it's a shame that we rarely, if ever, celebrate the areas of the faith where we stand as one (which, as I just pointed out, is the majority of the Christian faith/beliefs).

Perhaps a great place to see where our interpretation of the Scriptures meets/upholds the truth that God teaches us through them is to look at the many points of the faith where all of the various branches of the historic church stand in harmony, as one :) .. the Trinity and the Deity of Christ come to mind first, for instance :)

~Deut
p.s. - hello @TheLearner, what kind of "examples" are you looking for :unsure: Thanks!
I do not remember, this thread was prompted by a discussion of Noah's Flood and other YEC modern novelties.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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Brighton, MI
#15
Scripture does interpret itself. Study a passage enough rightly divided and its truth in and of itself.

Who is talking to whom?

What is the subject?

What is the occasion for speaking?

For eg ..If its Jesus talking to Pharisees about their legalism at a synagogue.. are you going to apply it to gentiles in a new testament church?

Personal interpretation can be off beam. Scripture speaks for itself
Scripture often needs to be enhanced by studying culture, history and customs of the times each book was written.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
8,183
1,574
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Brighton, MI
#16
People need to stop with the interpreting of Scripture and just study and UNDERSTAND.
Stop trying to prove what you belief and allow the Scripture to teach you.
Interpreting leads to all kinds of false belief and teaching.
"Writers often tell us what they think or how they feel, but they don't always give us the facts. It's important to be able to interpret what the writer is saying so you can form opinions of your own. As you read an author's views, you should ask yourself if the author is presenting you with an established fact or with a personal opinion. Since the two may appear close together, even in the same sentence, you have to be able to distinguish between them. " https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/study_guides/reading_comp/309_read_interpret.html

interpret
[ in-tur-prit ]SHOW IPA


See synonyms for: interpret / interpreted / interpreting on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to give or provide the meaning of; explain; explicate; elucidate:to interpret the hidden meaning of a parable.
to construe or understand in a particular way:to interpret a reply as favorable.
to bring out the meaning of (a dramatic work, music, etc.) by performance or execution.
to perform or render (a song, role in a play, etc.) according to one's own understanding or sensitivity:The actor interpreted Lear as a weak, pitiful old man.
SEE MORE
verb (used without object)
to translate what is said in a foreign language.
to explain something; give an explanation.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/interpret

"Reading interpretation skills are important for success in academics, business and personal life. It's not enough to simply understand the words on the page. Interpretation skills allow the reader to understand main ideas, discern facts from opinions and make inferences and predictions. " https://classroom.synonym.com/reading-interpretation-skills-15185.html

"Reading is the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message. Reading is to interpret and make sense of a language that is written or printed. The reading process is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning. Reading is a means of language acquisition, communication, and the sharing of information and ideas. Reading Comprehension is understanding a mental representation of the meaning or the significance of something. "

https://www.basicknowledge101.com/subjects/reading.html
 

Deuteronomy

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2018
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#18
I do not remember, this thread was prompted by a discussion of Noah's Flood and other YEC modern novelties.
Hello again @TheLearner, what does Noah's Flood have to do with the beliefs of YEC :unsure:

Also, why did you refer to both of them as "MODERN novelties" :unsure:

Thanks :)

~Deut
 
Apr 26, 2021
495
151
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#19
"Writers often tell us what they think or how they feel, but they don't always give us the facts. It's important to be able to interpret what the writer is saying so you can form opinions of your own. As you read an author's views, you should ask yourself if the author is presenting you with an established fact or with a personal opinion. Since the two may appear close together, even in the same sentence, you have to be able to distinguish between them. " https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/study_guides/reading_comp/309_read_interpret.html

interpret
[ in-tur-prit ]SHOW IPA


See synonyms for: interpret / interpreted / interpreting on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to give or provide the meaning of; explain; explicate; elucidate:to interpret the hidden meaning of a parable.
to construe or understand in a particular way:to interpret a reply as favorable.
to bring out the meaning of (a dramatic work, music, etc.) by performance or execution.
to perform or render (a song, role in a play, etc.) according to one's own understanding or sensitivity:The actor interpreted Lear as a weak, pitiful old man.
SEE MORE
verb (used without object)
to translate what is said in a foreign language.
to explain something; give an explanation.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/interpret

"Reading interpretation skills are important for success in academics, business and personal life. It's not enough to simply understand the words on the page. Interpretation skills allow the reader to understand main ideas, discern facts from opinions and make inferences and predictions. " https://classroom.synonym.com/reading-interpretation-skills-15185.html

"Reading is the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message. Reading is to interpret and make sense of a language that is written or printed. The reading process is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning. Reading is a means of language acquisition, communication, and the sharing of information and ideas. Reading Comprehension is understanding a mental representation of the meaning or the significance of something. "

https://www.basicknowledge101.com/subjects/reading.html
It seem you're under the impression the scriptures are written by multiple authors. That's a nice added challenge when you're interpreting what you think are multiple authors. Good luck.
 

phil36

Senior Member
Feb 12, 2009
8,345
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#20
Scripture often needs to be enhanced by studying culture, history and customs of the times each book was written.

Hi TheLearner,

I'm not sure what you have wrote is what you mean?

Do you mean that our understanding of scripture is enhanced by knowing the cultural/Historical backgrounds etc rather than scripture itself being enhanced?

If so then I would agree with your statement. As this stops us from reading our own modern culture into the text. With many and varied authors over a wide timeline it is helpful to understand the background to Scripture.

An example would be God ''cutting'' a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 - the Suzerain treaties of contemporary society's help us understand this even more. And possibly in the question posed by the Pharisees to Jesus regarding ''Any Matter/cause'' divorce in Matthew 19 (relating to the early 1st century rabbinical intra debate between the Hillelites and shammaites)