The Right of Christians to Interpret the Scriptures

[Rainbow Mage]

What do you think? Does the Bible in the NT suggest that individual Christians have the right and authority to interpret the Bible? I think it does.

 

[fallingblood]

Can you support that thought? I don't think the Bible suggests that anyone really has the authority to interpret the Bible. Mainly because none of the books that are included in the Bible were initially intended to be in any Bible. The Gospels are already an interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. I don't think the writers ever intended to interpret their books in any other way. They certainly do not suggest that they should be interpreted in any other way.

The Epistles are just letters written to different groups telling those groups specifically what was wrong and write. They were giving definite answers to questions and problems arising. I doubt they would have been open to interpretation.

Maybe Revelation would be open to interpretation to a point. However, I think that would be somewhat hard to even argue if that would be true.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

What do you think? Does the Bible in the NT suggest that individual Christians have the right and authority to interpret the Bible? I think it does.

What do you mean by interpret?

 

[ChristineES]

The thing I have noticed a lot of Bible studies doing is skipping from one quote in one book and going next to another one. I believe that we should read each book in the NT as a whole. We should study the OT with a grain of salt, as some of them may be symbolic or may not pertain to us but only to those who they were originally written for. I always pray before I read any book in the bible, too.

 

[LyricalDutchess]

The bible says we are to read and study for ourselves. And if we study with a prayerful mind and an open heart to hear what GOD is saying about it, then we'd be just gravy. It should be God the one intrepreting. Not us.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

What do you think? Does the Bible in the NT suggest that individual Christians have the right and authority to interpret the Bible? I think it does.

What scriptures have you found to suggest that the bible supports individual interpretation?

I am not speaking from a point of knowing, cause I know jack about the Bible. I am just curious.

I put down my Bible of the Adversary the other day, because I got a wild hair out of left field inspiration to read the bible from cover to cover and perform my usual dissection of any religious/spiritual book I read.

I will keep this thought in mind as I go. Once I am finished there will be a very long thread with quotations and my thoughts throughout the whole book.

 

[LyricalDutchess]

What scriptures have you found to suggest that the bible supports individual interpretation?

I am not speaking from a point of knowing, cause I know jack about the Bible. I am just curious.

I put down my Bible of the Adversary the other day, because I got a wild hair out of left field inspiration to read the bible from cover to cover and perform my usual dissection of any religious/spiritual book I read.

I will keep this thought in mind as I go. Once I am finished there will be a very long thread with quotations and my thoughts throughout the whole book.

I look forward to reading that.
Im not one to read holy texts other than the bible. But i do like to learn about different faiths, as well as hearing others take on christianity.

 

[Zadok]

What do you think? Does the Bible in the NT suggest that individual Christians have the right and authority to interpret the Bible? I think it does.

I think the question is asked incorrectly - Since Christianity is divided in doctrine there must be a cause. When one sect says that they are right in their understanding of doctrine and others are wrong - they all claim it is because of the Bible. It does not take a genius to figure out something is wrong with that approach.

Zadok

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Well the Bible for example says, you need no man to teach you, because the spirit teaches you. It says to every believer is given a measure of the truth. It says some need the milk, and some need the meat. Just to name a few. It says to study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the word.

 

[fallingblood]

Well the Bible for example says, you need no man to teach you, because the spirit teaches you. It says to every believer is given a measure of the truth. It says some need the milk, and some need the meat. Just to name a few. It says to study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the word.

The spirit being the Holy Spirit. So no, you aren't interpreting the Bible, God is showing what the message truly is.

Basically, what you are quoting is that God will reveal what the Bible says. It does not say that one should interpret the Bible itself. And even then, the Bible did not exist when these books were being written. The writers were not writing to have their books/letters included in a collection that would some day be consider the Bible. At the time of the writings, there were many different books/letters considered scripture.

Because of that, I would have to say that none of the writers were saying that one has the right to interpret the Bible themselves as the Bible simply did not exist. More so though, much of what was being said was definite answers to problems and questions that were arising in different communities. They would not have been open to interpretation for the simple reason that they were solving problems and questions.

 

[Zadok]

Well the Bible for example says, you need no man to teach you, because the spirit teaches you. It says to every believer is given a measure of the truth. It says some need the milk, and some need the meat. Just to name a few. It says to study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the word.

I find it interesting that you claim the spirit teaches but you have nothing to say from what you have learned from the spirit, instead you reference the Bible as the authority.

Zadok

 

[ChristineES]

I don't know about anyone else, but reading about one idea, whether in The Bible or somewhere else, will make new ideas come into my mind. Jesus talks about planting seeds in a parable. Maybe it has something to do with that. My mind is always searching for new ways to look at the same things.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Zadok I don't reference the Bible as my authority. I hardly reference the Bible for anything in comparison with some other Christians. I also don't believe the Bible to be the only inspired book. I also believe the Buddhist scriptures, the Tao te Ching, the Analects, the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Baghavat Gita are equally scripture with the Bible.

 

[no-body]

Unfortunately if a traditional Christian doesn't like your esoteric view of scripture they just use the old "even the devil can quote scripture" line. The truly brainwashed ones won't even put it into their minds to debate it with you why you're wrong since asking too many questions is a sin.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Exactly no-body

 

[fallingblood]

The spirit being the Holy Spirit. So no, you aren't interpreting the Bible, God is showing what the message truly is.

Basically, what you are quoting is that God will reveal what the Bible says. It does not say that one should interpret the Bible itself. And even then, the Bible did not exist when these books were being written. The writers were not writing to have their books/letters included in a collection that would some day be consider the Bible. At the time of the writings, there were many different books/letters considered scripture.

Because of that, I would have to say that none of the writers were saying that one has the right to interpret the Bible themselves as the Bible simply did not exist. More so though, much of what was being said was definite answers to problems and questions that were arising in different communities. They would not have been open to interpretation for the simple reason that they were solving problems and questions.

I think this is a good point that has never been refuted here.