Christians, How do you know that your interpretation of the Bible is correct?

Question

So Jereme - you say by studying. But Joe across the street studies just as much and he has a different interpretation. And Mary over yonder, she has another interpretation. How do you tell who is correct?

Maurice - thousands claim that the Spirit confirms their interpretations. How do you explain that?

loveChrist - I ask you the same - how can the Spirit 'confirm' 20+ thousand interpretations?

Jereme - thanks for expounding, but that is not correct. There are thousands of different interpretations today, all different. Most do NOT have the same interpretation.

BINGO, Midge and James. Christ established and left a teaching Church, which is the pillar and bulwark of truth.

Jereme - that is your answer, friend.

Dear Jereme - insult me all you like - it doesn't mean anything. And you never answered the question - how can the Spirit be giving 20+ thousand denominations different interpreations and NOT be a Spirit of confusion? Like it or not, Christ left a teaching Church, which was here LONG before the Bible.

Dear Jereme - insult me all you like - it doesn't mean anything. And you never answered the question - how can the Spirit be giving 20+ thousand denominations different interpreations and NOT be a Spirit of confusion? Like it or not, Christ left a teaching Church, which was here LONG before the Bible.

Answer 1

Protestants, following Luther, imagine themselves with the authority to interpret scriptures for themselves, despite no knowledge of the original languages, historical meanings, or contemporary Christian understandings.

When I don't understand a New Testament scripture (and there are many ambiguities), I look to early commentators in the catholic-orthodox Church. After all, these men asked questions of the Apostles, who asked questions of Jesus himself.

As an example, consider John 3:5: Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." What does that mean? Jesus' teaching is ambiguous to the modern reader.

But the near contemporaries of Jesus have a unanimous interpretation.

Justin Martyr
"Then they are brought by us where there is water and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father . . . and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit [Matt. 28:19], they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Unless you are born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’" (First Apology 61, A.D. 151).

Irenaeus
"For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions, being spiritually regenerated as newborn babes, even as the Lord has declared: ‘Except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’" (Fragment 34, A.D. 190).

Tertullian
"No one can attain salvation without baptism, especially in view of the declaration of the Lord, who says, ‘Unless a man shall be born of water, he shall not have life’" (Baptism 12:1, A.D. 203).

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 2

Is private interpretation of the Bible condoned in the Bible Itself? No, it is not (2 Peter 1:20). Was individual interpretation of Scripture practiced by the early Christians or the Jews? Again, "NO" (Acts 8:29-35). The assertion that individuals can correctly interpret Scripture is false. Even the "founder" of Sola Scriptura (Martin Luther), near the end of his life, was afraid that "any milkmaid who could read" would found a new Christian denomination based on his or her "interpretation" of the Bible. Luther opened a "Pandora's Box" when he insisted that the Bible could be interpreted by individuals and that It is the sole authority of Christianity. Why do we have over 33,000 different non-Catholic Christian denominations? The reason is individuals' "different" interpretations of the Bible.


Can there be more than one interpretation of the Bible? No. The word "truth" is used several times in the New Testament. However, the plural version of the word "truth" never appears in Scripture. Therefore, there can only be one Truth. So how can there be over 33,000 non-Catholic Christian denominations all claiming to have the "Truth" (i.e., the correct interpretation of the Bible)? For that matter, aren't ALL non-Catholic Christians as individuals claiming "infallibility" when it comes to interpreting the Bible? Catholics only believe in the infallibility of the Papacy as an office. Which is more believable - one office holding infallibility or 400 million non-Catholic Christians who can't agree on the interpretation of Scripture all claiming "infallibility?" When it comes to interpreting Scripture, individual non-Catholic Christians claim the same infallibility as the Papacy. If one were to put two persons of the "same" non-Catholic Christian denomination (i.e., two Presybterians, two Lutherans, two Baptists, etc.) in separate rooms with a Bible and a notepad and ask them to write down their "interpretation" of the Bible, passage for passage, shouldn't they then produce the exact same interpretation? If guided by the Holy Spirit as Scripture states, the answer should be "Yes." But would that really happen? History has shown that the answer is "No." Now, in the case of Catholics, the Church which Christ founded and is with forever (Matthew 28:20) interprets the Bible, as guided by the Holy Spirit, (Mark 13:11) for the "sheep" (the faithful). The Church (not individuals) interpret Scripture. In Catholicism, Scripture is there for meditation, prayer and inspiration, not for individual interpretation to formulate doctrine or dogma.

Answer 3

Bible-fundamentalists can’t answer this question and are showing that they don’t understand bible even the simplest part of the bible that God did not write the bible, but the followers are ones who wrote the bible and his teachings. Obviously they don’t want to admit that there is a chance for misinterpretation of the Bible and they are not sure what is true. For sure they admit that man is not perfect. For sure that show they don’t have the fullness of the truth on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Don’t you get it question is do you have fullness of the truths without a misinterpretation. Catholics understand God want every one to be save and have much in common but again sure you have the fullness. We only teach Jesus teaching and we don’t interpret like you do because God is perfect, and man is not. Plus, we are not saying you are not christens or not save. I say to you wake up! Catholic wrote the bible (cannon scripture) for our own use and to teach Jesus teachings to the world. The bible does not say, "go interpret the bible and teach the world." Plus, he is not cold God who just left a bible so that we can interpret by our selfs but a God understands men needs for salvation therefore left church (one body and one flock) so that we would not get lost.


Yes, word of the lord speaks to use too. There is no difference between you and your pastor only thing is that he is doing is guiding you, and he interprets the bible like you do, therefore he has the chance of misinterpretation.


See scripture is like a sun that can blind because it strong light. Man tries to see the sun without sun glass (church teachings) he will be blind. Than this blind man guiding other blind man and learning and experimenting from their mistakes. Auch bad way to learn. lol

Answer 4

God isn't an "unknowable" being. He made human beings to be in relationship with Him, to "comprehend" Him. The Bible helps us to renowned God, and God helps us to comprehend the Bible. the final option interpretation of the notice of God is proportional to the interpreter's intimacy with Christ. As i comprehend Christ extra desirable, the which potential of scripture is becoming to be extra sparkling. i'm no longer there yet however. there are various things the place i don't have God's solutions yet.

Answer 5

Because the interpretation is not mine but that of the Catholic Church ,founded by Christ, and set in the Apostolic Tradition from which the New Testament came and by which the Old Testament reveals Christ and because the interpretation holds up to the analysis of Reason/Natural Law.

Answer 6

By sticking to the most ancient interpretations of scripture as written in scripture itself, there is more reason to be confident. Scripture should interpret scripture. That is what Jesus and the apostles did. They quoted prophecies from the Hebrew scriptures and said what the application was. Those interpretations are sound because they are not OUR interpretations!

We only need to be sure of what brings salvation. If we get that right, the rest will follow. We believe the promises of God (again, as stated clearly in scripture). We put our faith in Jesus Christ alone. We love, trust and obey him. That means loving God totally, and our neighbor, and proclaiming the gospel of salvation in Christ to a needy world. Get those basics right and only then can we hope to understand the deeper things of God. Blessings to you.

Answer 7

sadly they believe they are their own pope. in reality without the magisterium they are lost, well intentioned for the better part but blinded by their own pride and ignorance. ignorance of the catolic church and its teaching is ignorance of jesus christ and the church he established. it is the catholic church that is the pillar and bulwark of the faith, it is the catholic church that gave us the bible and whether our seperated brothers and sisters know it or not they are forever indebted to christs church,the catholic church.

these people need to realize that being well versed in scripture is not knowing scripture and studying without the teaching and guidance of the church gets you no where, jesus gave his church the holy spirit to protect and to lead until the consummation of the world, unless you are roman catholic you may want to test the spirit you claim is helping you interpret scripture, i for one know that the holy spirit is not the author of confusion that is why the catholic church is the same yesterday today and forever, 2000 years of consistency in doctrine and truth attests to this reality.

Answer 8

There is but one real authentic and authoritative interpreter of Sacred Scripture which has the guarantee of the Holy Spirit to be infallible to insure witness of the truth who is God. We as individuals do not have that guarantee

Answer 9

By letting the Bible interpret itself. For instance: immortality of the soul. Is that true?

What is a soul? Gen. 2:7

Can it die? Ezekiel 18:4

Are any without sin? Romans 5:12

So we see all souls die due to our being descendants of Adam. That is how you let the Bible interpret itself.

Answer 10

Nobody will know the answer of these things until they die. If a Muslim guy is correct in his interpretation after he blows himself to kingdom come in Pakistan, then he'll have his 73 virgins. If not, then he'll just be a soulless pile of rubble.