There are at least four major Christian denominations and about 10,000 smaller Protestant sub-denoiminations according to an article I read. They all claim to have the correct interpretation of the Bible. Who should I believe?
2007-02-07 22:27:54 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
All of this wrangling on who has the correct interpretation of the Bible gets us nowhere if there is no way to know with infallible certitude that one's interpretation is the right one. The teaching authority of the Catholic Church comes directly from Christ and is, therefore, infallible.
Matthew 16,18-20
"And so I tell you, Peter, you are a rock and on this rock foundation I will build my Church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven and what your permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."
Luke 10,16
"Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Christ sent the Holy Spirit to the Church to protect and guide it.
John 14,16
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, who WILL STAY WITH YOU FOREVER."
John 16,13
"When, however, the Spirit comes who reveals the truth about God, he will LEAD YOU INTO ALL TRUTH."
The Catholic Church is the Church of the living God and the pillar and foundation of truth.
1 Timothy 3,15
"But if I delay, this letter will let you know how we should conduct ourselves in God's household, which is the Church of the Living God, THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF TRUTH."
Need I say more?
Have a blessed and peaceful day!
2007-02-07 23:39:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In Peter it says: 2 Peter 1:20 "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." This clearly says that no one has the right to their own personal interpretation of the Bible. The Bible is has only one interpretation to it and the holder of the interpretation is the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus left this world He promised to send the Holy Spirit who wuld be the "teacher and would guide us into the truth." The Bible read without the Holy Spirit will always be misinterpreted. So it is not what version of the Bible you use that makes it correct, but the interaction with the Holy Spirit in your study. The Bible gives three rules for getting the correct understanding out of the Bible. If you do not follow them (and Most don't) you will not and can not get the correct understanding. The first is "ask God for wisdom". (James 1:3 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.) The second is be willing to do what God teaches you. This is where most fail. Most are simply not willing to follow God's commandments so God does not give them an understanding of what it is. (John 7:17 "...if anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching,) Third is that we stay in the Bible for understanding. Let the Bible interpret the Bible. When we turn to men to interpret the Bible we will be misled into their interpretation, not God's. (John 8:31-32 "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.")
2007-02-08 06:45:28 · answer #2 · answered by oldguy63 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No Scripture is of private interpretation---that's in the Bible (2Peter 1:20---all Scripture is prophesy.). The only correct interpretation is God's interpretation via the Holy Spirit. The problem is that the Holy Spirit must go through the minds of men in order that men receive correct interpretation, and the minds of men fluctuate from time to time according to the sin that they live in. If you get a dozen Christian theologians together in a room,m representing 12 different denominations, a mixture of male and female, and ask each one of them to write down his/her interpretation of 2 Timothy 2:11-13, you will get twelve very different interpretations and probably none of them will be acceptable to God. Sin is a great influence on church doctrine because sin determines the personal agenda of the church's pastor. None of us can act in perfection because the pressures of this world are too great for any one man to handle. We can only hope to get it right most of the time and avoid faltering on the major doctrinal issues. Thank you for your question. You have brought up a good question for discussion.
2007-02-08 06:53:13 · answer #3 · answered by Preacher 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The King James bible is the authorized bible for English speaking people today and has God's seal on it. The modern versions of the bible can be used to support every thing that has come against the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the attack on his divinity, the virgin birth, even salvation through the sacrifice he made on the cross. But the King James bible even though it's in a language that we don't hear today doesn't leave any room for debate about the doctrine of Jesus Christ as the son of God and savior of man.
2007-02-08 06:46:57 · answer #4 · answered by hisgloryisgreat 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The one who gave birth to it, the Holy Catholic Church. The first Bible was the Latin Vulgate. The first English translation was the Douy-Rheims. Catholic Bibles contain 73 Books, not 66. They are annotated so that they can be understood by the reader and not left subject to a million different interpretations which lead to dissension and division (which is not of God).
H
2007-02-08 06:36:32 · answer #5 · answered by H 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Most only vary in a non-material way.
The differences are ok, since it leads to a variety of choices for people with different needs to have a different church to attend. If you can't stand it in one, you can always find another. In this fallen world, that's the best we can hope for. That is what the Tower of Babel was about.
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Even in church, healty competition is healthy.
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2007-02-08 07:47:05 · answer #6 · answered by Jimmy Dean 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no matter what church you belong to, you must form your own interpretation of the bible. stop worrying what everyone else says they believe, and read it and figure out what YOU believe.
2007-02-08 06:42:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No church has correct interpretation,No man has ,I study my Bible and discern for myself.
2007-02-08 06:37:37 · answer #8 · answered by gwhiz1052 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I suggest you ought to believe whatever seems to be the most reasonable and logical.... If you follow this advice, you will arrive at atheism as the best choice and you will certainly not join a church.
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2007-02-08 06:41:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
'tis the message in the Book that is important, and agree they all will. Thee alone must decide thy beliefs. Mine own belief is that there is no god, and 'tis a valid belief!
Ye must seeketh the answers from the churches. Ask ye questions and decidest ye.
2007-02-08 06:31:35 · answer #10 · answered by Mawkish 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋