The act of reading words on a page is interpretive. To read is to interpret the written words and their context. And we have to do this with our own minds, and through our own understanding of things. So that every interpreter (reader) is unique, and thereby so will be their interpretation.
No one has the authority to determine what we believe, but ourselves. Even those who allow others to determine this, for them, are still choosing to do so, and could choose not to at any time. So that the idea of there being these 'external authorities' is somewhat misleading, as we are still choosing to believe their proclamations, or not to.
'Perfect sense' according to whom? We cannot read the author's mind to know if our interpretation of what he wrote is accurate to what he was thinking. And we never will. So that's out. Does it make 'perfect sense' according to the 'truth of reality'? Again, we humans are limited in both experience and intellect, so we will never fully know the truth of reality. All we can know is what appears to be the truth of reality, to us, at the present time. But that's only a relative truth, that's constantly changing, so there's not much chance of 'perfection', there.
I believe that honesty is crucial to good mental and spiritual health. So I have to live with the idea that I can be wrong about anything, any time, and change accordingly when I can see it.
One way: literal, historical-grammatical.
From God. God spoke through the superintendence of the Holy Spirit through the writers. Scripture is very Word of God in the words of men as the words of God.
The One interpreter is infallible. The other, man, is not.
The literal translation is the one that means exactly what it was intended to mean and be so understood thereby. "Literal" does not mean wooden, for literal considers the writer's intent by focusing upon his words in their plain, most obvious sense, e.g., genre, figures of speech, the symbols, the types, the allegories, etc.
Interpretation is done in community, as per Scripture, in the admonishment to follow the patterns of sound speech. That community is the saints, who in community declare "We confess..." Scripture knows nothing of Lone Ranger, Just Me and My Bible believers.
Yes, unless it is the correct translation.
Scripture defines that entity: the church.
The church that received (not declared as per Romanism) the canon so delivered unto it by God.
There is but one correct interpretation of Scripture, said correct interpretation inclusive of what that particular verse intended. None of which means the analogy of faith found by good and necessary consequence of the full counsel of Scripture is contradicted.
Scripture is innately perspicuous. This does not mean there are "hard sayings" therein. But it does mean that it is perspicuous in and of itself and that its teachings are not beyond the grasp of the believer who is willing to commit him or her selves to its study. That mystery is admitted of Scripture, as in the Incarnation or the Trinity, is no warrant to claim Scripture is not innately perspicuous. What is revealed is within our grasp to apprehend in varying degrees of measure, great to some, less to others, but to each according to his or her gifts and abilities.
As we are instructed from Scripture, we are to search out the Scripture to determine if that which we hear from another is contained therein. The "we" in this admonishment is not the isolated Lone Ranger, but the corporate "we" of the church.
No. 2 Cor. 10:5
All should feed their faith and starve their doubts by not neglecting daily Scripture study, rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12), fellowship with other believers, keeping good stewardship of the secular and spiritual gifts God has given them—including how and where their time is being spent—and with regular assembly with others to worship God, receive instruction, access the ordinary means of grace, and be subject to discipline (see also here, and Genesis 15:1-6; Prov. 3:5-8; Romans 5:1-11; Eph. 6, 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Hebrews 10:19-25, 35-39; Hebrews 11:1,6).
"Other". Sigh.
One way: literal, historical-grammatical.
From God. God spoke through the superintendence of the Holy Spirit through the writers. Scripture is very Word of God in the words of men as the words of God.
The One interpreter is infallible. The other, man, is not.
The literal translation is the one that means exactly what it was intended to mean and be so understood thereby. "Literal" does not mean wooden, for literal considers the writer's intent by focusing upon his words in their plain, most obvious sense, e.g., genre, figures of speech, the symbols, the types, the allegories, etc.
Interpretation is done in community, as per Scripture, in the admonishment to follow the patterns of sound speech. That community is the saints, who in community declare "We confess..." Scripture knows nothing of Lone Ranger, Just Me and My Bible believers.
Yes, unless it is the correct translation.
Scripture defines that entity: the church.
The church that received (not declared as per Romanism) the canon so delivered unto it by God.
There is but one correct interpretation of Scripture, said correct interpretation inclusive of what that particular verse intended. None of which means the analogy of faith found by good and necessary consequence of the full counsel of Scripture is contradicted.
Scripture is innately perspicuous. This does not mean there are "hard sayings" therein. But it does mean that it is perspicuous in and of itself and that its teachings are not beyond the grasp of the believer who is willing to commit him or her selves to its study. That mystery is admitted of Scripture, as in the Incarnation or the Trinity, is no warrant to claim Scripture is not innately perspicuous. What is revealed is within our grasp to apprehend in varying degrees of measure, great to some, less to others, but to each according to his or her gifts and abilities.
As we are instructed from Scripture, we are to search out the Scripture to determine if that which we hear from another is contained therein. The "we" in this admonishment is not the isolated Lone Ranger, but the corporate "we" of the church.
No. 2 Cor. 10:5
All should feed their faith and starve their doubts by not neglecting daily Scripture study, rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12), fellowship with other believers, keeping good stewardship of the secular and spiritual gifts God has given them—including how and where their time is being spent—and with regular assembly with others to worship God, receive instruction, access the ordinary means of grace, and be subject to discipline (see also here, and Genesis 15:1-6; Prov. 3:5-8; Romans 5:1-11; Eph. 6, 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Hebrews 10:19-25, 35-39; Hebrews 11:1,6).
AMR