Basic principles:
1. Believe what you read without any spin.
2. Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth.
3. Never go where the Holy Spirit tells you not to go.
4. Once the Holy Spirit has taught you something do not leave that understanding to please anyone.
5. Scripture can be believed and trusted in spite of the assaults on it by men.
6. Never depend on Un-Godly men for Godly truth and understanding.
7. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day of not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.
My basic principle is believing what I read without running it by a denomination or getting the approval of others to believe what scripture says. Try it it will free you up to "see" what God actually wants you to see, and you don't have to make scripture fit into a preconceived idea , creed, or set of approved man made ideas or notions.
Danoh, I know what you are saying I took "3" college English level courses that I passed. Fortunately or for some UN-fortunately scripture does not fit the normal study practices as folks without the Holy Spirit teaching them the understanding of scripture will never gain what could have been received simply by believing what they read,and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach them.
What many see as beginning with Paul can be clearly seen being taught by Jesus and Peter.Now like others I could turn the bible into a puzzle for me to try to figure out for myself, but what is clearly there should be accepted for what it says and is.
lol - you just don't get where this brother is coming from...
Believing a passage and having properly understood it, are not...the same thing.
No matter how much you and or others might assert otherwise.
But you are set in your error on this simple fact, bro.
So set in this error of yours that you can no longer see it for what it is; no matter how many examples one might give you from Scripture itself, of individuals in Scripture itself, who had believed the Scripture but, had obviously misunderstood it.
Another example of people in Scripture who had believed the Scripture, but had obviously misunderstood it...
2 Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
No thanks, bro.
You keep your wood and earth mysticism.
I'll stick to the gold and silver of comparing verse with verse, over your reading of your ideas into one verse (like John 1:17) which you then conclude "oh the Spirit led me to my understanding of this verse..."
That is not how The Spirit gives one understanding; no matter how much your kind assert otherwise.
No, thanks, I'll stick to His three-part approach.
Which is...
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they (1) received the word with all readiness of mind, and (2) searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (3) Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few." - Acts 17:11-12.
Still waiting for you to break down EVERY part of John 1:17.
Without Google's help :chuckle:
Rom. 5:8
Prov. 27:17