Why do religious leaders interpret the scriptures for us?

Question

The Old and New Testament were written by saints with inspiration and direct help from God. Obviously He intended them for ordinary people, to undestand them and observe them. They should be crystal clear, because He is perfect.

But it is obvious from the anwers we see to religious question here, that hardly any two people agree and priests with theological degrees spend most of their time interpreting and re-interpreting the scriptures for us. The books of the bible were not writen for university graduates. Why this situation so?

Christ told his apostles " go and spread the good news (the gospel), not "go and interprete the OT and what I meant when I was speaking". Would be grateful for your views.

Answer 1

Yes, Christ told us to go and spread the good news. But God has also commanded annointed teachers to teach us the Word.

Christ didn't say "Okay, now stop teaching this other stuff and go do this only." It was an added task to do.

Further, everyone is called to evangelize. Only certain ones are gifted to teach.

Answer 2

I think a quote by Susan B. Anthony sums up the way I see it: "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

Some parts of the Bible need interpretation because they make references to other aspects of religion that most people aren't familiar with. (If there's a reference to a saint that I've never heard of, I need a clarification.) However, most of the time, interpretation is used for rationalization. People interpret the Bible to match their beliefs. One example of this would be a ban on masturbation. The biblical quote that "bans" the practice says something along the lines of "Joshua moved his hand down." Obviously the quote has little to do with the subject and there's no indication that such an action is bad. Another instance of misinterpretation is with abortion. One quote says something along the lines of "If men fight and hurt a woman, causing her to miscarry, the men are to pay a fine to the woman." This quote just says that if a woman's pregnancy is aborted against her will, she is to receive restitution. However, the clergy I talk to claim that it refers to voluntary abortions too. I could continue giving examples, but the quote basically said it all. (Since the quote said it all, I probably shouldn't have wasted your time by writing the rest.)

Answer 3

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said in response: "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things form the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes."

Read about the 7 symbolic (Christian/Spiritual Jews) churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Many had false teachings.

Luke 18:8b Nevertheless, when the Son of Man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth.

Luke 12:47-48 Then that slave that understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do in line with his will will be beaten with many strokes. But the one that did not understand and do did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few. Indeed, everyone to whom much was given, much will be demanded of him; and the one whom people put in charge of much,they will demand more than usual of him.

Philippians 1:15 True, some are preaching the Christ through envy and rivalry, but others also through goodwill..18) What then? Nothing except that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being publicized...

Answer 4

The Bible is full of metaphors, so each person could interpret it their own way. We never will know what it truly means because the authors are no longer alive to ask, and the language which it was originally written has been modified time and time again. For this reason, we must use a degree of common sense when trying to decipher its true meaning.

Answer 5

You said it yourself, you can't get two people to agree on anything scriptural, so who's fault is that? Mans?

If a man wrote a book that was supposed to be a manual for everyone but they all took it different, who would you blame, the readers or the author??

If it was really a book from a divine source, it would be much clearer and everyone would interpret it the same way. That would be a sign of an inspired book.

Answer 6

i believe interpretation started because the mass could not read and write. the different slants on personal interpretations led to different religions being founded by some of those individuals.

much of the bible was written by people that knew Jesus with the exception of Paul. he didn't know Jesus, never saw him, and never heard him speak. different individuals with different interpretations?

it is a shame that all of what Jesus wrote is kept from us. he could speak Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. surely, there is much that was written by him and is hidden.

maybe the bible is written in such away as to make us question and seek personal validation for our beliefs.

i don't think the bible is perfect, it has been changed too many times in history but it is about all we have. you must do your own due diligence.

Answer 7

you could actually pass to the fanciest college and get the terrific grades and the utmost honors to be a criminal expert, yet that doesn't make him the terrific criminal expert. Why? via fact he has no adventure interior the very own end of the sphere. coping with human beings. in basic terms via fact some one reads a mag and analyze 5 pages a e book a week with the readings of incredibly few scriptures in contact , does not make on a biblical student or a individual who has a private relationship with G_d the two. So in basic terms via fact one would belong to an prepared faith does not make it the only or one faith that teaches fact.

Answer 8

"They should be crystal clear, because He is perfect." <----false assumption

The scriptures are not the dummies guide to Heaven. Anything worth of value is worth working for. God wants to reveal truth to everyone and its locked up in the complexity of scripture and our prayer lives.
After studying the Bible after a while, you'll see that God has a way of speaking for himself through Jesus and the scriptures. Many things can be twisted and misunderstood because that is the evil nature of humanity.
It is all our jobs to choose our teachers wisely. Are they speaking the truth or are they presenting a false Gospel? Jesus warned us about them many times!
You also have to be on guard from dogmatists like the ones you spoke of. The Catholic Church especially has a history of telling people that the preists know best and to blindly follow them. A person seeking the Kingdom with all his heart, untrained in his Biblical theology, is worth more than 1000 learned preists whose hearts arent right with God.

Answer 9

To understand many of the Scriptures properly a person has to be able to apply the proper principles of exegisis. This includes being aware of the historical and political and social context of various passages in the Bible as well as knowledge of what the original Greek and Hebrew words meant and knowing how to read verses not only in their immediate context but also in the context of the whole counsel of God's Word to mankind.

That's one reason why James gave this cautionary admonition to the new Christians of his day.

"My brothers, let not many become teachers, knowing that we shall receive greater judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a mature man, able also to bridle the whole body. James 3:1-2

One of the gifts of the Spirit is the gift of teaching.

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all arrive to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we may no longer be infants, being tossed as by waves, and being carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in regard to deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ; Ephesians 4:11-15

Hope that helps!

Answer 10

Because the people let them.
People let the religious interpret for them.
They don't read it for themselves.
They say that The king James version is too hard for them.
There are other versions that are for today.
What is their excuse then?
If you are a real Christian, you will read the Bible.
Why, because you know it is the Truth.
You know it is God.
You will never see two exactly alike.
Doesn't say too much for us growing up to the full stature of Christ does it?