Hermeneutics: Interpreting Scripture

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Y'all, the two Scriptures related to the first point of the summary of GRFS that I cited previously (1TM 2:3-4 teaching that God wanting all people to be saved and 2THS 1:6a teaching that God is just) lead me to conclude that even the wrath of God is an expression of His love and justice. The writer of Hebrews (12:4-11) indicates that divine wrath is intended as discipline or for the purpose of teaching people to repent of their hatefulness and faithlessness (PR 3:12, IS 33:14-15 RV 3:19).

Thus, if a righteous explanation cannot be found for a passage of Scripture purporting to describe God’s will, then it should be considered as historical or descriptive of what people perceived rather than as pedagogical or prescriptive of God’s nature, because unrighteous rage should be attributed to Satan, NOT God. The justice of God is a source of comfort and joy to those who have decided to accept His loving Lordship, but it is experienced as judgment or wrath by those who rebel against Him, beginning with Satan (IS 13:13, RM 1:18, RV 19:11). The fire that warms (purifies) also burns (punishes). Just consequences teach good behavior.

Do we agree on this?

"Hebrews (12:4-11) indicates that divine wrath is intended as discipline..."

I'm not sure I would say it is "wrath". Discipline is far better. A switch for the hind end. As my dad used to say, "Children often have a hard time hearing. It's because of wax build up in their ears. But if you heat up their hind end a few degrees, the wax melts out and they start hearing again. The discipline of God is for those who are not self-correcting any longer. Ad, as the Hebrews passage says, if you choose to misbehave, all His kids will see that discipline. If you don't see it you aren't His kid.


1Co 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Those who are true Christians receive their discipline here. Even if it is a sin resulting in physical death, it's merely the taking of a disobedient son home because he was embarrassing his Father in public. It's not a wrathful process. It's a correction. It's discipline. Even in the case of where a man was sleeping with his father's wife, there is no "wrath", just, enough is enough. it's time to take you home.

1Co 5:5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
 
If we miss the truth on the topic of saving faith, which is guaranteed if we make the wrong choice in 2Th. 2:10 we will perish and cannot even see the truth even if it is presented perfectly to us. 2Co. 4:3-4 We are guaranteed, with god's reinforcement, to believe lies are truth and the truth is lies. 2Th. 2:11 Everyone gets "Faith" from God. How's that one for a mind bender?

What beliefs will get us "From" erroneous beliefs "To" truth, and what beliefs will harden us into whatever beliefs we have right now, closing our eyes and ears to ever seriously considering, let alone objectively examining evidence to the contrary? It is those beliefs that result in an ongoing never ceasing process "Proving all things over and over again, "accurately dissecting" every passage that "might" apply to each topic, with a willingness to alter any/all of our beliefs to fit what is being proven good / true that is the one and ONLY "path" leading to that exceedingly narrow "Gate" or "Faith" leading to life.

These "Beliefs" result in the ongoing "Fruits" that differentiate those who have received a love of the truth from those who love their beliefs. Jesus warns true Christians to evaluate salvation based on these "Fruits", not on beliefs. Mat. 7:15-20 and the "Fruits" of having received a love of the truth are many. You found another Heb. 11:6 You can't come to God unless you believe He rewards those who keep on continuously seeking Him and never stop. And if you believe it, your "Fruits" prove it. if you don't, your "fruits" prove that as well. Good job by the way.

Interestingly, the humblest person who ever lived was Jesus. The same one who made knotted cords and whipped all the people buying and selling out of the temple. The same one who called His religious leaders and experts, "You brood of vipers, you sons of your father the devil." Humility before God and God's word is key. Jesus boldly stood up for truth ... and they killed Him for it. I gladly reach out for anything that "might" disprove ANY of my beliefs. I hunger for those things. I lavish those moments. I have an opportunity to exchange a lie for a truth. Anyone willing to do so I love for their willingness to share. Does that mean I won't study it through and conclude they distorted the meaning of scriptures, or outright ignored it, or completely changed it's meaning to hold fast to their beliefs? No. How I have the beliefs I have right now is because I did those exact same things.

I am no better and no worse than every other human being on this planet. I am just as prone to being deceived and believing lies are truth and the truth is lies as anyone else. What separates me from most is I really don't care about my beliefs. I only care for truth, and I recognize my current beliefs for what they are ... stepping stones to the truth to be left behind as I continue my life walking towards it. I WILL HAVE IT! None, including myself, will stand in my way. I believe I have found a kindred spirit.

"Fruits" and the "Path". If you have the right "Fruits" and stay on the right "Path" truth is just around the bend. I'll race you to it!

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Joh 14:6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

There are more, but as far as God and His word are concerned, they are one in the same... unless Jesus doesn't have God's authority ... oh wait ...

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
The main point I got from your post is the importance and priority of loving truth so much that a person is free from being enslaved by previous knowledge and willing to amend his beliefs in accordance with new learning.

The Pharisees who opposed Jesus would be a negative example, and Paul would be a positive example,
except that he cheated by getting a miraculous experience on the Damascus Road.

I had the advantage of a father who was a mathemetician and engineer, so he had a logical approach to faith and said he was a Christian because it was "the best belief".
 
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"Hebrews (12:4-11) indicates that divine wrath is intended as discipline..."

I'm not sure I would say it is "wrath". Discipline is far better. A switch for the hind end. As my dad used to say, "Children often have a hard time hearing. It's because of wax build up in their ears. But if you heat up their hind end a few degrees, the wax melts out and they start hearing again. The discipline of God is for those who are not self-correcting any longer. Ad, as the Hebrews passage says, if you choose to misbehave, all His kids will see that discipline. If you don't see it you aren't His kid.


1Co 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Those who are true Christians receive their discipline here. Even if it is a sin resulting in physical death, it's merely the taking of a disobedient son home because he was embarrassing his Father in public. It's not a wrathful process. It's a correction. It's discipline. Even in the case of where a man was sleeping with his father's wife, there is no "wrath", just, enough is enough. it's time to take you home.

1Co 5:5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Again, wrath as discipline is easy for me, because on the few occasions my dad thought I deserved a whipping,
he always explained the lesson I should learn and said that it hurt him worse than it did me. Thus, I know that
God is grieved by our sins. IOW, NT wrath is loving justice rather than unloving rage. (Tulipists may have had
unloving fathers.)
 
NLIC, I agree that we should have a true view or interpretation of Scripture, which teaches in places such as 2TM 3:14 that God leads us to a better understanding as we learn more Scripture, not only for our own edification but also to witness by our agreement and unity as we share our insights with fellow Christians—which is what I hope we accomplish and do on this thread. LIC
Hmm. I assume you mean all the people who choose to receive a love of the truth, as those that didn't get a "different" "leading" from God. 2Th. 2:10-11
 
Hmm. I assume you mean all the people who choose to receive a love of the truth, as those that didn't get a "different" "leading" from God. 2Th. 2:10-11

Yes, and I am still confounded by your disagreement with the 6th point of the creed that you prompted
by citing 2Thes. 2:10-13:

6. This creed summarizes revelation of the NT Gospel/Truth (Matt. 26:13, John 14:6, Rom. 1:18&25, 2Thes. 2:10-13), which fulfilled the OT revelation (Matt. 5:17, John 19:13, Heb. 7:11-10:1) and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-16, Matt. 7:12). Repenting of sin and seeking salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7) begins with love of Truth, which is the Way to the Door of eternal life, who is the Lord Jesus (2Thes. 2:10, John 14:6, 1:1-18).

Ironic!
 
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Joh 14:6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

There are more, but as far as God and His word are concerned, they are one in the same... unless Jesus doesn't have God's authority ... oh wait ...

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Hello TruthTruth. It seems as though you have become a victim of a logical fallacy. It goes something like this: Jesus is the Word and The Bible is the Word, therefore Jesus is the Bible and the Bible is Jesus. And since Jesus is God, the Bible is also God.
 
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Hello TruthTruth. It seems as though you have become a victim of a logical fallacy. It goes something like this: Jesus is the Word and The Bible is the Word, therefore Jesus is the Bible and the Bible is Jesus. And since Jesus is God, the Bible is also God.

May I suggest that critique be constructive by sharing what you believe regarding John 1:1-14, 14:6 & 17:17?
 
Again, wrath as discipline is easy for me, because on the few occasions my dad thought I deserved a whipping,
he always explained the lesson I should learn and said that it hurt him worse than it did me. Thus, I know that
God is grieved by our sins. IOW, NT wrath is loving justice rather than unloving rage. (Tulipists may have had
unloving fathers.)
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1Th 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

From what I see, those who truly are Christians will never see the "wrath" of God. Discipline ... definitely. They are different words both in Greek and English.
 
Hello TruthTruth. It seems as though you have become a victim of a logical fallacy. It goes something like this: Jesus is the Word and The Bible is the Word, therefore Jesus is the Bible and the Bible is Jesus. And since Jesus is God, the Bible is also God.
Oddly, we can't come to salvation apart from Jesus. We can't come to salvation apart from the word of God. Both are referred to as being perfect, and the overlaps continue. Here's a commonly quoted passage that makes Jesus' judgment and the judgment of the word of God one and the same. While the "word of God" is normally neuter in gender, here it is masculine making both the same.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
The question is, without God's "Word" can anyone know God? Can anyone come to God. Noone can come to God apart from either one. There is one source of salvation. Jesus/ the Word. Since Jesus, the Spirit and the Father are "separate" and "one" at the same time, this is a characteristic of the God Head. And scripturally it is also extended to the written Word of God as well.
 
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1Th 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

From what I see, those who truly are Christians will never see the "wrath" of God. Discipline ... definitely. They are different words both in Greek and English.

While it is true that Christians will not experience divine wrath defined as just consequences for evil-doers in hell,
because on earth saints sin, they will experience divine discipline, which may seem akin to wrath but actually manifests
God's love for righteousness/loving behavior and guides those who stray back to the right Way (aka divine discipline
that is akin to discipling).
 
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Yes, and I am still confounded by your disagreement with the 6th point of the creed that you prompted
by citing 2Thes. 2:10-13:

6. This creed summarizes revelation of the NT Gospel/Truth (Matt. 26:13, John 14:6, Rom. 1:18&25, 2Thes. 2:10-13), which fulfilled the OT revelation (Matt. 5:17, John 19:13, Heb. 7:11-10:1) and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-16, Matt. 7:12). Repenting of sin and seeking salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7) begins with love of Truth, which is the Way to the Door of eternal life, who is the Lord Jesus (2Thes. 2:10, John 14:6, 1:1-18).

Ironic!

Hmm. how did I disagree? Why did you include this in the point though?

Mat 26:13 "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her."​

And while Rom. 1:18-32 does cover God's revelation to all men, and all men starting out, because of HIs global seeking of men, "Knowing God", the specifics refer to those who choose to no are Atheists who choose to no longer retain any knowledge of God at all Rom 1:28 .... Sometimes condensing things too much, leaves out too much and leads to confusion. Putting those first passages together without further explanation makes it hard to agree or disagree with this part.

And what does

Joh 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.​

have to do with the fulfilment of the O.T. by Jesus? I am not making the connection without some further help in the explanation.

The fulfillment of O.T. revelation is indeed confirmed by Mat. 5:17. And while I agree Heb. 7:11-10:1 does link O.T. concepts with the New linking the two Old Testament priesthoods with Jesus' fulfillment as our Great High Priest, explaining which specific verses prove the point and why would be helpful.

"and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-16, Matt. 7:12)"

This might be a bit clearer, (But since what you shared isn't all that clear to me in the first place, odds are what I am sharing will miss the key points you wanted to focus on.):

"While God does seek all men and all men start out "Knowing God" and have no excuse for not continuing to seek Him Rom 1: 19-21(20) it is the ongoing pursuit of truth 2Th. 2:10-13 that results in God's continuing seeking Joh. 4:23-24 and eventual salvation."

Personally, I never "sought" salvation. I never sought God. I only sought truth and found God as a result. Besides, Rom. 3:11 might become a problem with your chosen wording.

What does Rom. 2:14-16 have to do with men seeking salvation? It has to do with men having general revelation concluding God would probably want them to be/do certain things and not be/do others, and thus keeping God's law even without the specific revelation of O.T. biblical law. And if they have received such a "Love of the truth", they will eventually, like Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch, will get to hear the specific revelation eventually as a result of God's continued seeking Joh. 4:23-24

The context of Mat. 7:12 is all about having the correct responses to those who are sharing differences in their beliefs and views from scripture, i.e. being willing to apply 1Th. 5:21, Act. 17:11, 2Ti. 2:15, ... to whatever others share with you with the ongoing "Seeking" of "Truth", Mat. 7:7-11 not necessarily "seeking salvation". Mat. 7:7-12 / Luk. 11:9-13(13) being the key to eventually receiving the Holy Spirit / salvation. Eph. 1:13-14, 2Th. 2:13

Mat. 7:12
, from the context, focuses specifically on responding to what others share exactly the same way you want others to respond to what you share. Not like those in Mat. 7:6. Mat. 7:12 not a stand-alone verse, i.e. a break in the discussion. It's not that people don't know that they "should" respond to what others share the same way you want them to respond your pearls of wisdom, or what you consider Holy, it's that most love what they believe so much their natural responses are to ignore anything contrary to their current beliefs.

If your core beliefs are "Unquestionably true", all opposing, or different beliefs are, just as "unquestionably", lies. No one seriously considers, let alone objectively applying 1Th. 5:21, Act. 17:11, 2Ti. 2:15, ... with a willingness to alter their beliefs as is commanded in that Mat. 7:12 verse you quoted. If you share with them that these are the "Fruits" of the "Many" on the broad path discussed in Mat. 7:22-23, and they are disobeying that command failing Mat. 7:21, 26-27 as well. But pointing this out pretty much guarantees the first part of Mat. 7:6 will also be true of them.

"Repenting of sin and seeking salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7) begins with love of Truth, which is the Way to the Door of eternal life, who is the Lord Jesus (2Thes. 2:10, John 14:6, 1:1-18)."

Hmmm... ok. I'd probably put the horse before the cart in your wording for clarity. The ongoing love of truth, results in the ongoing pursuit of it, and applying 1Th. 5:21 will result in God's ongoing seeking of us Joh. 4:23-24 and thus our eventual salvation. Salvation results from eventually coming to the "knowledge" of our sinfulness, the penalty we deserved for our sins, and Jesus taking the beatings, lashes, ... culminating in the most horrible death ever dreamt up by men taking our place.

"Believing" these things, the tremendous penalty we owed, and that Jesus took our place on the cross, suffering the death we deserve because of His great love for us, while we were yet sinners and were still hostile to God is what results in Godly sorrow and repentance, and then doing everything in our power to correct anything, and everything that might be off from His will. 2Co. 7:9-11 "If you love Me you will ..." If you don't you won't.

Yes, loving truth, not what we believe to be truth, always resulting in ongoing seeking, knocking, asking, and never responding like those in Mat. 7:6 when others share differences in beliefs, but always like Mat. 7:7-11 or, to summarize our ongoing responses: Mat. 7:12, is the "Path" or "way" to the exceedingly narrow set of beliefs resulting in "Life" i.e. "saving faith". Mat. 7:14

Yes, if we miss the truth, which is guaranteed by the wrong response in 2Th. 2:10, and God responding to their wrong choice in 2Th. 2:11, we missed Jesus as well. Joh. 14:6

I am not sure how Joh. 1:1-18 fits in with the "door" Mat. 7:14 of "saving faith in the truth" from the limited text either.

All in all, I see less "disagreement" with what you shared than not understanding how the verses you selected illustrate the point you linked them to. Does that make sense? Is there anything you disagree with in this post?
 
Thanks for the feedback re point #6: 6. This creed summarizes revelation of the NT Gospel/Truth (Matt. 26:13, John 14:6, Rom. 1:18&25, 2Thes. 2:10-13), which fulfilled the OT revelation (Matt. 5:17, John 19:13, Heb. 7:11-10:1) and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-16, Matt. 7:12). Repenting of sin and seeking salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7) begins with love of Truth, which is the Way to the Door of eternal life, who is the Lord Jesus (2Thes. 2:10, John 14:6, 1:1-18).


I inferred disagreement because of apparent apathy about the point.

Matt. 26:13 is cited as an example of Jesus referring to the gospel being preached to the world.

Rom. 1:18&25 is cited because of perceiving it to be parallel with 2Thes. 2:10-13, the verse prompting the insight.

John 19:13 was a typo. I meant to type John 19:30. Good catch!

Heb. 7:11-10:1 could be extended to 10:10.

Re "and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation":
This indicates that the ultimate destination of the path trod by truth lovers who lack the benefit of NT revelation
will be the same as those who have that benefit of knowing the NT. I will consider whether John 4:23-24 applies.

Re your testimony, I always knew God, so I find it significant how our different paths merged. I sought to know whether atheism was true because of its claim to be scientific and objective, which I learned not to be true.

Romans 3:11 means that all souls are sinners, not that all never repent of ignoring the truth.

Yes, Rom. 2:14-16 means that sinful souls may repent of not seeking truth because of having a guilty conscience
when they break the Golden Rule, so as you said, they will get to hear the specific revelation eventually as a result of God's continued seeking per John 4:23-24.

The fact of death will prompt those who love and seek the truth to realize their need of divine salvation.

Why truth does not prompt some souls to believe and behave as they should but choose to be swine is a mystery cited by Jesus in Matt. 13:14-15. For them "ignorance" is a double entendre. The original sin was choosing to believe a lie rather than question God.

I agree that TSers defined as willingness to alter beliefs seem to be few in number, although presumably they altered beliefs in order to become Christians. Discerning how to apply Mat. 7:22-23 and Mat. 7:6 is problematic.

Re "Repenting of sin and seeking salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7) begins with love of Truth, which is the Way to the Door of eternal life, who is the Lord Jesus (2Thes. 2:10, John 14:6, 1:1-18).": I will consider rewording it in accordance with your comments:

{{{"put the horse before the cart in your wording for clarity. The ongoing love of truth, results in the ongoing pursuit of it, and applying 1Th. 5:21 will result in God's ongoing seeking of us Joh. 4:23-24 and thus our eventual salvation. Salvation results from eventually coming to the "knowledge" of our sinfulness, the penalty we deserved for our sins, and Jesus taking the beatings, lashes, ... culminating in the most horrible death ever dreamt up by men taking our place. "Believing" these things, the tremendous penalty we owed, and that Jesus took our place on the cross, suffering the death we deserve because of His great love for us, while we were yet sinners and were still hostile to God is what results in Godly sorrow and repentance, and then doing everything in our power to correct anything, and everything that might be off from His will. 2Co. 7:9-11 "If you love Me you will ..." If you don't you won't.
Yes, loving truth, not what we believe to be truth, always resulting in ongoing seeking, knocking, asking, and never responding like those in Mat. 7:6 when others share differences in beliefs, but always like Mat. 7:7-11 or, to summarize our ongoing responses: Mat. 7:12, is the "Path" or "way" to the exceedingly narrow set of beliefs resulting in "Life" i.e. "saving faith". Mat. 7:14
Yes, if we miss the truth, which is guaranteed by the wrong response in 2Th. 2:10, and God responding to their wrong choice in 2Th. 2:11, we missed Jesus as well. Joh. 14:6. I am not sure how Joh. 1:1-18 fits in with the "door" Mat. 7:14 of "saving faith in the truth" from the limited text either.}}}

I am glad greater understanding has resulted in less disagreement, and I will get back to you with my rewording based on your comments tomorrow.
 
First draft of point #6: 6. This creed summarizes revelation of the NT Gospel/Truth (Matt. 26:13, John 14:6, Rom. 1:18&25, 2Thes. 2:10-13), which fulfilled the OT revelation (Matt. 5:17, John 19:13, Heb. 7:11-10:1) and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-16, Matt. 7:12). Repenting of sin and seeking salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7) begins with love of Truth, which is the Way to the Door of eternal life, who is the Lord Jesus (2Thes. 2:10, John 14:6, 1:1-18).

Second draft: 6. This creed summarizes revelation of the NT Gospel/Truth (Matt. 26:13, John 14:6,), which fulfilled the OT revelation (Matt. 5:17, John 19:30, Heb. 7:11-10:10) and culminates the search for salvation by souls who know only general revelation (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-16, Matt. 7:12). Seeking begins when souls love truth/repent of false beliefs (2Thes. 2:10&13, Matt. 4:17, 7:7), which is the Way to eternal life God wills, who is the Lord Jesus (Matt. 7:14, John 1:14, 4:24, 14:6). Lacking this love leads to believing lies and debauchery (Matt. 7:6, Rom. 1:18&25-26, 2Thes. 2:11-12)

Better?
 
My goal in this thread is to discuss how we can answer Christ's prayer for spiritual unity among his followers that is found in John 17:20-23.
It seems to me that a lot of chat by Christians tends to ignore Jesus' concern, but for those who share it the question is how to achieve it, and the answer involves agreeing on one interpretation of Scripture.

Thus, I would like to begin by sharing a way of interpreting Scripture that is based on the instruction of Paul in 1THS 5:21 to “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” As I have been seeking ultimate truth and testing what I have learned, I have come to value two NT teachings as key points from which to triangulate or use to guide my interpretation of the Bible, especially problematic statements, but before I share them I would like to ask y'all to tell which two most guide your thinking and chatting.

Thanks and love in Christ (LIC)
I am very very late in this thread but here is my reply to the original Post no. 1. probably it was discussed already.

Thank you for raising the subject of unity, because it was clearly important to our Lord. But when I read John 17:20-23, I notice that Jesus did not pray that His followers would become one by first agreeing on every difficult passage or by finding one perfect interpretation method. He prayed that they would be one in Him and in the Father.

Jesus Himself gave the foundation for that unity:
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you..." (John 15:7 ASV)
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me..." (John 14:21 ASV)
"If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 ASV)
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46 ASV)

Therefore, if we are looking for spiritual unity, should we not begin with the words of Christ Himself? After all, Jesus said:
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35 ASV)

I certainly agree that everything should be tested. But before choosing principles from later writers to guide our interpretation, should we not first ask what the Lord Himself taught? The disciples also continually pointed believers back to His words:
"And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John 3:22 ASV)
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked." (1 John 2:6 ASV)

In my view, the greatest cause of division among Christians is not that Scripture is unclear, but that different authorities have been placed above or alongside the teachings of Jesus. Men have built systems, traditions, and doctrines around various parts of Scripture, often interpreting Christ through those systems instead of interpreting everything else through Christ.

If our Lord is truly the Master and Teacher, then His words should be the highest reference point. Unity does not begin with finding the perfect method of interpretation; it begins with all of us sitting at the feet of the same Teacher and obeying what He says. That is why Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount by comparing the wise man to the one who hears His words and does them (Matthew 7:24-27 ASV).

Perhaps the first question should not be, "Which two teachings guide our interpretation?" but rather, "Are we all willing to let the teachings of Jesus guide everything else?"
 
Oddly, we can't come to salvation apart from Jesus. We can't come to salvation apart from the word of God. Both are referred to as being perfect, and the overlaps continue. Here's a commonly quoted passage that makes Jesus' judgment and the judgment of the word of God one and the same. While the "word of God" is normally neuter in gender, here it is masculine making both the same.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
The question is, without God's "Word" can anyone know God? Can anyone come to God. Noone can come to God apart from either one. There is one source of salvation. Jesus/ the Word. Since Jesus, the Spirit and the Father are "separate" and "one" at the same time, this is a characteristic of the God Head. And scripturally it is also extended to the written Word of God as well.
The Bible is not the 4th member of the trinity.
 
I am very very late in this thread but here is my reply to the original Post no. 1. probably it was discussed already.

Thank you for raising the subject of unity, because it was clearly important to our Lord. But when I read John 17:20-23, I notice that Jesus did not pray that His followers would become one by first agreeing on every difficult passage or by finding one perfect interpretation method. He prayed that they would be one in Him and in the Father.

Jesus Himself gave the foundation for that unity:
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you..." (John 15:7 ASV)
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me..." (John 14:21 ASV)
"If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 ASV)
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46 ASV)

Therefore, if we are looking for spiritual unity, should we not begin with the words of Christ Himself? After all, Jesus said:
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35 ASV)

I certainly agree that everything should be tested. But before choosing principles from later writers to guide our interpretation, should we not first ask what the Lord Himself taught? The disciples also continually pointed believers back to His words:
"And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John 3:22 ASV)
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked." (1 John 2:6 ASV)

In my view, the greatest cause of division among Christians is not that Scripture is unclear, but that different authorities have been placed above or alongside the teachings of Jesus. Men have built systems, traditions, and doctrines around various parts of Scripture, often interpreting Christ through those systems instead of interpreting everything else through Christ.

If our Lord is truly the Master and Teacher, then His words should be the highest reference point. Unity does not begin with finding the perfect method of interpretation; it begins with all of us sitting at the feet of the same Teacher and obeying what He says. That is why Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount by comparing the wise man to the one who hears His words and does them (Matthew 7:24-27 ASV).

Perhaps the first question should not be, "Which two teachings guide our interpretation?" but rather, "Are we all willing to let the teachings of Jesus guide everything else?"

Better late than never; just don't be late to the pearly gate!

Yes, unity is spiritual rather than political or kerygmatic before it becomes didachaic, meaning that it begins with agreement regarding God's requirement for salvation and then strives for consensus about secondary doctrines. This distinction is discussed in the thread, The Kerygma: the Christian Creed, so you may want to go there too.

The normative way of stating GRFS is something like "Love Jesus as Lord/Believe Jesus is Messiah" (Acts 16:31, Col. 2:6).
Assuming love of truth that motivates willingness to repent/amend prior false beliefs, a cause of disunity is wrong interpretation due to proof-texting instead of harmonizing Scripture. A notable man-built false doctrine is known as TULIP.

The prior question is, "Do we love truth?" If so, then the HS will guide our understanding of The Teachings of Jesus--which is another thread you might want to peruse at your leisure. :love:
 
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Better late than never; just don't be late to the pearly gate!

Yes, unity is spiritual rather than political or kerygmatic before it becomes didachaic, meaning that it begins with agreement regarding God's requirement for salvation and then strives for consensus about secondary doctrines. This distinction is discussed in the thread, The Kerygma: the Christian Creed, so you may want to go there too.

The normative way of stating GRFS is something like "Love Jesus as Lord/Believe Jesus is Messiah" (Acts 16:31, Col. 2:6).
Assuming love of truth that motivates willingness to repent/amend prior false beliefs, a cause of disunity is wrong interpretation due to proof-texting instead of harmonizing Scripture. A notable man-built false doctrine is known as TULIP.

The prior question is, "Do we love truth?" If so, then the HS will guide our understanding of The Teachings of Jesus--which is another thread you might want to peruse at your leisure. :love:
Yes I do love truth and hate lies and false doctrine certainly. You are correct it is the Holy Spirit that guides us to the truth, without it we remain in darkness.
 
Paul indicated (in 2Tim. 3:15-17) that Scripture is useful for sinners to learn how to be saved and for saints to learn how to become completely sanctified, righteous or godly, and Paul said (in 1Thes. 5:21) to test everything (including the interpretations of GW) and hold on to the good.

The GTs seem very good. The first GT indicates that God loves sinful humanity and His enemy Satan (1Tim. 2:3-4, Matt. 5:44&48, Rom. 5:6-8), who was created good (per Gen. 1:31), and the second GT means that God should not be blamed for the sin of those who choose to ignore or oppose GW (2Thes. 1:6a, Joel 2:13, John 3:16, Psa. 145:17).

Triangulation from these GTs about divine omnilove and justness can help interpret problematic Scriptures such as the OT story of the Flood (Gen. 6:17). Keeping them in mind enables one to see that natural disasters occur every day somewhere in the world for the divine purpose of teaching humans their need of His salvation (Heb. 12:7-11), and everyone who seeks Him will be saved (Matt. 7:7, Heb. 11:6), 12:4-11, cf. Gen. 4:7, Pro. 3:12, Rev. 3:19).

The wrath of God is intended as discipline for the purpose of teaching people to repent of their hatefulness and faithlessness (Heb. 12:4-11, cf. Gen. 4:7, Pro. 3:12, Rev. 3:19). This realization should steer us away from the problematic opinion (a la Augustine via John Calvin) that God predestines most people for hell and lead us to affirm MFW (Deut. 30:19, Matt. 23:37). This view is paradoxical, because it affirms both that God is sovereign and that God chooses not to control moral thinking, because doing so would nullify human responsibility for sin, making the biblical revelation of salvation based on repentance irrelevant and absurd. God does not tempt, trick, confuse or otherwise contribute to anyone’s sinfulness. On the contrary, God must be doing all that He can do without abrogating justice or MFW to influence people not to be deceived and become self-condemned (Jam. 1:13-17, Tit. 3:11, Isa. 45:19).

It is evident that the testing commanded by Paul involves harmonizing GW in light of the GTs. When the devil tempted Jesus to perform a miracle by saying “it is written” (in Psa. 91:11-12) that God would protect Messiah from harm, Jesus illustrated harmonizing by replying “it is also written” (in Deut. 6:13) that God should not be tested. Paul also practiced harmonizing by viewing the purpose of OT law as that of leading sinners to the Gospel of Christ’s atonement (Rom. 3:20-22, 5:20-21, 7:6, 9:6-8, Gal. 3:19-25, Heb. 7:11-10:1).

Jesus applied hermeneutics (in John 3:39-40&46) when he told the Pharisees that the Scriptures they studied diligently testify about him, and if they believed Moses, they would believe him to be Messiah, because Moses wrote about him. And Paul applied hermeneutics (in Acts 26:22b-23) when he said the prophets and Moses foretold that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, thereby bringing the message of light (Gospel) to both Jews and Gentiles.

The hermeneutic of Hebrews also interprets the OT in light of the NT (Heb. 7:11-10:1), saying the Gospel of salvation via faith in Christ has superseded salvation via obeying the Levitical laws of Moses. Peter (in 2Pet. 3:15-16) alluded to those who apply a distorted hermeneutic to Paul's letters as well as to “other” Scriptures.
 
If you view Satan as sin/evil, okay, but Scripture personifies him. However, I am glad you posted this.

The purpose of this thread is to discuss where our agreement about the meaning of Scripture begins upstream of where it diverges, which is covered on other threads about various topics. Have you ever thought about what Scriptures you build your understandings of GW (such as regarding Satan as a thing rather than a person) on?

What Scriptures primarily inform your understanding of who God is?
I'm pretty sure like Jesus Emmanuel diet curds & honey always great to always reflect on that you'll have to seek it out but like you say many things are looked over Jesus whole life was that diet actually that diet was used in the wilderness temp by The Satan