Individual
Interpretation
Of
The
Bible
Is
Prohibited
In
Holy
Scripture...
It was a sad day when I read
that the internet was being used with avid interest by those who are scrambling
to form their own churches. These people comb the internet searching for
the beliefs of these various sects, just so they can find a nitch to make
theirs different from all the others. They completely disregard the teaching
of Our Lord when He said, "...and there
shall be ONE FOLD and ONE SHEPHERD."
John 10:16
There are over 28,000 individual Protestant churches in the world now,
with more being added every day. With the advent of millions of potential
'customers' who are easily reached on-line, that number is expected to
increase at an accelerated rate. This hurts the Christian cause, as it
is satan's way to divide and conquer, and it is GOD's way to unite into
one Church with one Shepherd. It is making Protestantism even more and
more impotent.
The primary root cause of this is the false belief of individual interpretation
of the Bible. Protestant churches cannot teach that they are the 'One True
Church' which Jesus Christ founded because none of them can trace their
founding back to Jesus Christ when He founded His Church in Matt 16:18.
If all Protestantism was united in the Holy Spirit, then how can you explain
that Calvinists believe Baptism is a Sacrament, but Baptists do not? How
do you explain that Lutherans say that Mary is the Mother of GOD, but Evangelicals
say she is not? How do you explain that Episcopalians believe man has free
will, yet Presbyterians deny it? You can go on and on through all 28,000
plus protestant sects and see differences as presented in this sampling.
If all Christian Churches taught the same thing then there would be only
one Church, as there was for the first 1500 years of Christianity.
In all of the above examples, the
one side interprets the Bible this way, and the other side interprets it
that way. "The simple fact of the matter is, that it is not possible
to put together any selection of words in which some ingenious person may
not find a meaning not meant by the writer of the verse." Frank Sheed.
"Only a public authority, divinely guided, can
spell out without error, a public message divinely revealed." Fr.
Pere Benoit...
The Pope, in accordance with the Magisterium
of the Catholic Church, is the public authority of which Fr. Benoit refers.
There are many
Bible verses which tell us that individual interpretation of the Bible
simply cannot be done without divine assistance...
Luke 24:45, "Then He opened their minds,
that they might understand the Scriptures."
So it took Jesus Christ to open the minds
of the Apostles so that they could teach others in the truth.
Do you believe likewise that Jesus Christ opened the minds of each of the
leaders of all those 28,000 protestant churches? If so, why is there so
much disagreement between them?
Acts 8:27-40, the eunuch was trying to read Isaiah when Philip asked him,
"Do you understand what you are
reading?" But he said, "Why, how can I, unless someone
shows me?"
Since Philip had been filled by the Holy Spirit
in Acts 2:4, he was able to explain the truth of Isaiah to the eunuch.
2Pet 1:20, St. Peter said, "This
then you must understand first of all, that NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE IS
MADE BY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION." I
do not see how Peter could have said it any plainer than he did here. Why
do Protestants ignore verses such as this one?
2Pet 3:16-17, St. Peter said, "...In
these Epistles there are certain things difficult to understand,
WHICH THE UNLEARNED AND UNSTABLE DISTORT, JUST AS THEY DO THE REST
OF THE SCRIPTURES ALSO, TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION. YOU THEREFORE,
BRETHREN, SINCE YOU KNOW THIS BEFOREHAND, BE ON YOUR GUARD LEST,
CARRIED AWAY BY THE ERROR OF THE FOOLISH, YOU FALL AWAY FROM YOUR
STEADFASTNESS."
Here is a very clear warning that it is easy
to fall into error by private interpretation of Scripture.
Who would you prefer to believe...
A group of learned men with impeccable qualifications, and the Holy Spirit
to guide them?
Or some individuals interpretation of the Bible, who has questionable qualifications,
and who does not have the truth of the Holy Spirit to guide him?
Written by Bob Stanley, January 21,
1998
Updated March 26, 2001
Back
To Home Page...