how does my pastor know the real interpretation of Bible verses, did he speak to God?

Question

for example, Jesus said in the Bible 'whatever you pray for you will receive'', its plain and simple, but it never happens, my pastor explained what jesus really mean is that your have to have full faith, but thats not what this verses said, did my pastor speak to God to find out the extra requirement and meaning? If there are extra requirement why didn't Jesus say so????

Answer 1

First I would hope that your pastor has going to seminary to learn these things. If he hasn't then we just have the blind leading the blind.

Answer 2

Sometimes our prayers are answered in ways that we can't comprehend or appreciate at the time. Just as an example, when I was twenty-one, I was madly in love with this guy, and we talked about getting married. Then suddenly he broke up with me, and I was broken hearted. So I cried and prayed and prayed and cried. I didn't understand then why God didn't answer my prayers.

I saw him fifteen years later, and he was unsuccessful, fat and bald already, and had been married three times. I, incidentally, was happily married by then and still am 25 years later. I was so grateful that God knew better than I did what was good for me.

Most ministers are graduates of some kind of Bible college. A great many have a Doctor of Divinity degree, the equivalent of a PhD. You know how in school your English teacher had you pick that poem apart and look for deeper meaning, etc. Well, ministers do the same thing with the Bible. That is why your pastor sees more in the scriptures that do you. He sees each passage as part of a larger context.

No, your pastor doesn't have a direct line to God, but he is an expert on the Bible and Christian philosophy. So listen to him. Have faith that he is intent on guiding his flock and is doing his best to help you walk a Christlike path.

Answer 3

Well, just because he wears the cloth of a Pastor does not necessarily mean he knows the Scriptures. That said, He may know them if he works from the manuscripts, thats how I know them. The problem is, he would have to have a pretty good handle on the languages to do that.
Another thought for you is when you read a verse, always make sure that you back up, and be sure to capture the subject and the object of what is being discussed, so that you are sure you have the entire understanding of it.
When prayer isn't answered, it could be just that whatever it is you are praying for isn't a good thing for you right now; remember that we are all his children, and what you request of Him may affect the prayer of another. He will answer you in due time,
and thats where I think your Pastor is telling. you that you have to have the faith. That is, the faith to know that God knows whats best for you, and when its best for you.
If you had a small child who wished and wished for a rattlesnake, would you give it to him? Of course not. Well, your Father in Heaven is the same way. He will give to you what you are able to handle, if its good for you, and when its the right time for you.
Be patient; Your prayers are so important to him, that he keeps them "bottled".

Answer 4

If you have a good pastor, then yes, he spoke to God in the form of prayer before he preached the sermon. Pastors are supposed to give you the actually meaning of the verse, and this means that he should take everything into proper context. Sometimes this is very easy because some verses stand on their own and say what they mean. However, some concepts are extremely complex and require a larger context. Many other verses need to be used to explain what is being said.

Keep in mind that man made the division of "verses". They are artificially divided. What God intends to get across to us may require no divisions. Sometimes Jesus quoted only phrases, not even the entire verse was needed (of course there were no "verses" in Jesus' time).

In a way, you do bring about an interesting point. Sometimes a pastor does seem to add or substract from the Word of God what is actually being said, and sometimes this is very clear, even to the casual observer. That is why we are not to be lazy, why we should try to know and understand the Word of God ourselves, at least to the best of our abilities.

We are required by God to take everything we learn and test it, using the Word of God, to see if it is contrary or not to the Word of God. If it is contrary, it is a false teaching. You cannot test the teachings of man against the Word of God if you do not know it. Learning the Word of God is a time consuming process, and each one of us learn differently and at different rates.

Pastors are there to help us keep on the right track, they are NOT there to pull us down that track (they might do that, but it is not their job). Each one of us will be held responsible before God, giving an account as to what we did with what we were given. If you have the ability to understand God's Word, then you will be held accountable, otherwise it could be the pastor who is held accountable for his teachings to you. Rest assured that your pastor will in turn be held responsible for what he preached.

Answer 5

If your pastor is giving the impression that all the answers from God to your requests are going to be a resounding "YES", then your pastor is an idiot.

Check and see what education he has and the ratings of the schools he attended. Determine if he is actually a theologian and a scholar, or just a man preaching as he sees fit using his own uneducated interpretation of The Bible.

I believe all prayers are answered, but the answer is usually NO, just like it is for your children who ask for a thousand things a day they don't need or that won't be good for them. If you truly live by faith, then you can accept that God knows more than you do.

Unbelievers call this a cop out, perhaps true. But also true that if God exists, he would have to say NO to most requests, and often would have other plans for you than you have for yourself.

Answer 6

The only time one needs to have the Bible interpreted, is when it isn't yet in the language they speak. God knows how to say what he means, & who he wants to have undertand it, & when. If it is a future prophecy --such as the Revelation-- he has oft used pictorial descriptions, which details only fit at the time of fulfillment. (Though they can oft also be recognized as the time approaches for that.)

God speaks to everyone when he records what he wants for us to know in his word, not just a clergy class ...

"All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." -- 2 Timothy 3:16,17

"The Be·roe'ans were ... noble-minded ... , for they received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so." Acts 17:10,11

"All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope." -- Romans 15:4

Jesus lived God's principles. Everything we are to do is covered by just two commands that he gave ...
When asked which of all the commandments was most important, Jesus replied, "The one saying,

'Hear O Israel! Jehovah our God is the one and only God. You must love Jehovah your God with your whole: heart, soul, mind, and strength.' The second is: You must love others as much as yourself.' No other commandments are greater than these." Mark 12:28-32

The details of God's principles are to be found throughout the Bible, especially in Proverbs. The specifics regarding prayer Jesus also expounded, in Matthew ch 6 ...

The Lord's Prayer Its Meaning for You
- What Is God's Name?
- God's Will to Take Place on Earth
- Prayer and Our Physical Needs
- Our Prayers and Forgiveness
- Help to Pursue a Righteous Course
- Faith in God Essential
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2004/9/15/article_02.htm

It is fairly obvious that Christ did not mean that we can ask for anything & expect to receive it. First, he was speaking to those who were God fearing folk with a knowledge of the Scriptures, and second, what they asked would presumably be in harmony with God's will, as well. So, Christ can reasonably be understood to mean that whatever we ask for that is in harmony with God's will ...

The Power of Prayer
- - Not All Requests Are Granted
- - A Time for Spiritual Healing
- God Does Answer Prayers
- - Modernday Examples
- - What If You Feel Unworthy to Pray?
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20000301/article_01.htm

Caution: When anyone says that Scripture means something other than what it says, that is twisting ... Not interpreting!

Also ... Several who have attended various seminary schools have admitted that it is Church Doctrine & business management that is taught there, rather than the Bible itself ...

If they only have partial knowledge, how can it be expected that they will teach with full understanding? Oft times they simply don't know ...

Advanced On-site Search
(For more info, or, when a URL is modified.) http://www.watchtower.org/search/search_e.htm

Answer 7

Your pastor is just following the standard Protestant tradition - read the Bible, decide what you think it means, and then preach that idea as the truth. Which is why there are hundreds of conflicting, contradicting denominations in Protestantism. But what else can they do, having cut themselves off from true authoritative biblical interpretation, as found in the one Church Jesus Christ founded for all mankind?
.

Answer 8

Anyone who gets behind the pulpit and tells others what God does or doesn't do is full of it. Once they get behind the pulpit they become all knowing with an attitude that is so superior they make me want to vomit. I have heard so many bs stories over the years, I am thinking of writing a book. The "You must have faith" answer is one of the biggest bs answers of all time. I once heard a preacher answer the question as to why Jesus called Lazerus 3 times. The boy felt that Jesus didn't need to call anybody but ONCE. The preacher's answer, "Waaal, son, he wanted to make sure that all the other dead people thar knew who he was calling." Preachers, eeeeeewww, eeeeeeew, screaming just won't do it for me. I believe very strongly in God and the only way I can stay sane is to study and do my own interpretations when needed.

Answer 9

Hopefully your pastor speaks to God quite often. Most likely though, he learned the interpretation of such verses from seminary or reading theology or by listening to other pastors. That doesn't mean the interpretation is wrong, just that it is not the result of direct revelation. Why not ask your pastor how he knows? If you ask with curiosity and not attitude, he will likely explain whether it was education, reasoning, intuition or an audible voice or whatever.

Answer 10

On the human level, to lessen the errors that come in our interpretations, we need to look at some basic biblical interpretive methods.

1 Who wrote/spoke the passage and to whom was it addressed?

2 What does the passage say?

3 Are there any words or phrases in the passage that need to be examined?

4 What is the immediate context?

5 What is the broader context in the chapter and book?

6 What are the related verses to the passage’s subject and how do they affect the understanding of this passage?

7 What is the historical and cultural background?

8 What do I conclude about the passage?

9 Do my conclusions agree or disagree with related areas of scripture and others who have studied the passage?

10 What have I learned and what must I apply to my life?

Answer 11

Jesus tells us that He knows our every need, even before we ask, so instead of asking for the things he already knows, we need, thank Him for it, and hold fast to believing and you will receive, Just because things don't happen right then, don't mean it want, He is always on time with our needs, we just give the credit where credit is not deserved, because of how we receive it, In His words he tells one to pay the taxes that he owed and the one told the Lord I have no money to pay the taxes The Lord told him to go fishing, he listened to the Lord and done just as he said the first fish he caught had 2 gold coins in its mouth Just enough to pay his taxes, The lord tells us to be patient for what we ask of Him and why is because, Their are others in worse shape then us, BUT Jesus tells you when you, question why things never happen is because, your Faith is Factual Faith, you have to see to believe,But Jesus tells you That if you come together with 2 or 3 or 8 even more I am in your presence, and It will be done right then, BUT you have to ask forgiveness of all your sins and forgive all that trespass against you, And it will Be DONE..He says so if you will read all you need to read, You are blinded to the true meanings of His words and you have no wisdom own His words, Your pastor is right because if you knew all you needed to know about Gods wisdom of His words you would no that all you need is own its way, All He ask of us is to be patient, keep faith in all we ask of him and to Thank Him and give him Praise for all He has allowed us to have And to know right from wrong and to keep our spirit as close to a Child's spirit as we can, Each one has a different interpretation of the words of God that is how you no where your spirit is with God, By how you interpretate His words of such great wisdom, and knowledge,Who is leading your spirit, God or the Anti- Christ, God bless the USA and Israel and all