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Doggg
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It has been explained on this forum that it is wrong to interpret the bible on our own. Why is that wrong? What is the correct way to interpret the bible?
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Carlan
Guest
Doggg, we lean not on our own understanding.
We in the Church are so blessed to have a teaching authority concerning Truth and Christ’s full revelation. You have heard it called The Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Apostolic Church. The Vicar of Christ, Benedict, all the Bishops and clergy,
Peace, Carlan
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Its wrong because without proper guidance, we may not fully understand what is actually being said in the Bible and may come to a wrong conclusion. So the danger is we deviate from what is actually being taught by Scripture.
The correct way of course is to listen to one who has received the true teaching. Our clergy and religious are the ones who are trained for this, but there are also well trained lay persons who will teach this. Even in Scripture you will see that we always have this “master-apprentice” relationship when it comes to passing on the faith. We cannot figure out the faith by ourselves, that is why God had to come down and become man Himself to give us the proper teaching.
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Doggg
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How did you come to know that the Magisterium should be trusted and authoritative for helping people to understand the written word?Doggg, we lean not on our own understanding. We in the Church are so blessed to have a teaching authority concerning Truth and Christ’s full revelation. You have heard it called The Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Apostolic Church. The Vicar of Christ, Benedict, all the Bishops and clergy,
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Doggg
Guest
I agree. Without proper guidance wrong conclusions are possible. We could end up believing things that are contrary to what Scripture is really teaching.
Wouldn’t every religion say this? What is it specifically that made you trust the Catholic Church for your teaching?
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Aside from history that the Church existed from the time of Christ and has an unbroken line of succession of Bishops from then, testing also the teaching, contemplating on them. To me the entrance was how high the standards of the Church are with regards to morality. You know they must be of God if they only expect the best in us. Many other denominations cater to what the people want and just tell them, “God loves you no matter what.” The Catholic Church tells us that God loves us, but we must also love God back, and it is by genuine repentance and desire to do what is good.
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Doggg
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Are you referring to the theory of an “unbroken succession of Bishops” which goes all the way back to the apostle Peter? If so, how does that historical theory logically and necessarily have to lead to the RCC?
I didn’t understand this part about the church having such high standards. It seems to me that even after genuine repentance and the desire to do what is good, forgiven sinners will still sin. Are you saying that God only loves us if and when we’re not sinning? You seem to be saying that a religion that worships a God who only loves perfectly righteous people has higher standards than a religion that worships a God who loves sinners enough to send His own beloved Son to suffer and die for our sins.
I hope I’m not asking dumb questions!
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DavidFilmer
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It’s not wrong. Anyone is free (and encouraged) to read the Bible, and we naturally draw our own conclusions about the meaning of what we have read.
What we may not do is to interpret the text in a way that is contrary to the teaching of the Church. For example, we ought not read Romans 5:1 (“we are justified by faith”) and suppose that this means “faith alone” (as Martin Luther did). We cannot consider our personal interpretation of Biblical texts to be superior to the teaching of the Church.
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Mark01
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Doggg
For me it is a faith based on a foundation of a belief in the fact that Jesus was who He claimed to be and as such left in place a means to know the truth. Why does this lead me to believe it is the Catholic Church? Why would I choose otherwise if Jesus promised the means and historically that means has existed from the time of Christ? It is because of Jesus’ words that I believe.
John Chapter 17 gives a very good example of what Jesus wished and provided for in The Church. In verses 1-5 Jesus ask the Father to give Him glory. That glory being that His sacrifice be acceptable to God for the salvation of mankind.
In verses 6-19 Jesus specifically prays for His chosen Apostles, often times people forget that there is a distinction between Jesus’ disciples( those who chose to follow Christ) and The Apostles( those who were chosen by Christ). God chose these men to receive the full revelation of His Word and made them Holy (consecrated them) in His name in truth so that they may proclaim the Word of God to the world in unity and truth.
Verses 20-26 Jesus prays for the ones who will believe in Him because they have received the teaching from the Apostles. He prays that we may be as one as He and the Father are one so that the world may come to know Christ as savior and share in His Glory.
It is only in the Catholic Church that I have found the truth of Jesus.
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abaptist
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It would be of greater benefit to you to study baptist theology. The pope does not have the correct understanding concerning the scripures. Visit www.danvillebaptistky.com
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
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skeyes
Guest
How do you know this? Has someone told you how the Catholic Church arrived at its understanding of Sacred Scripture? Are you presuming that the whole of the Catholic Church has been for naught? You boldly post that our Pope does not have correct understanding. By whose authority do you make this sweeping statement? I see you are relatively new to this forum, however I am not able to overlook your negative comments with no substantiation.
In His service,
Stan
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fhansen
Guest
The bible can speak to us individually because it’s God’s word, and, if we’re open to hearing it, the word can have it’s effect on us. But to understand the entire gospel, Gods’ plan of salvation/will for man correctly, is very problematical. God established a Church to proclaim and explain the gospel and all of the NT was written after that Church was established. Protestant churches, with their varying understandings, stand as living proof that scripture can all too easily be misinterpreted.
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GreggAlvarez
Guest
The misunderstanding here is that it is fine that we use the Bible for our own personal relationship with Christ. To light our paths… so to speak. We all have our own views of different Scriptural texts and how they relate to our own lives and situations and such… This is not the problem.
The problem is when people use their own understanding/interpretation of the Bible to create doctrines. When they are contradictory, something is certainly wrong. Christ wanted us to be one as He and His Father are one. How is all Christendom supposed to be His Body when His Body contains contradictory Truths? He IS the Truth. His Body cannot be Truth AND untruth. This is the problem of interpreting the bible on our own.
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GreggAlvarez
Guest
How convenient of you and my fellow Kenuckian to say we are wrong and not say WHY we are wrong. For one topic, all he used were 10 Bible passages without considering what the Church says. All I need is one to contradict what he says. Actually, for each topic, all I need is one verse to shutdown what he said to make his interpretation contradict his own Bible.
This will help you more Doggg. I am not being bias in saying the Church is right. (Although, I certainly believe it but that point is irrelevant right now.) I am just saying that this site that abaptist gave does not give the Church a fair representation in the arguments (except for one sentence a pope gave about popes, but even that is misrepresented). I am just saying that I will just show one verse from his Bible for each topic that contradicts what this man says.
Interpretations for eternal Truths are not to be done personally.
God bless
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GreggAlvarez
Guest
Constantine was only saying that our relationship with God is not one-sided; that is, it is not just God loves us to send His only Son and let that be the end of it. It is that we must also love God with all our hearts and mind. And the Catholic Church is hardly full of “perfectly righteous people”. Quite the contrary… The Church is justified because it is full of sinners. That bolded part is exactly what we believe, but Constantine’s point was that we must return that love with charity to our neighbor. Loving our neighbor is loving God and vice-versa. I embellished Constantine’s point but I hope you get it.
Certainly not! The only person that asks dumb questions is this guy right here.
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Doggg
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How did you come to know that the “church” is the RCC?
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Doggg
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Which specific truths of Jesus are found only in the CC and not any other churches? How did you come to know that the CC is the one with the correct truths?
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Doggg
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If you are suggesting that Catholics are in complete unity on all matters discussed in the written word, you might be shocked at how many conflicting answers to doctrine can be found by Catholics right here at CAF.
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Doggg
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I agree that teaching and believing contradictory doctrines is a dangerous thing for the church. Our own personal interpretation of Scripture can lead to error. Has the RCC solved this problem?
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Mark01
Guest
For me it is not a search of specific truths. I chose to believe what the Catholic Church teaches is true based on the promise of Christ and the faith in His words. I was raised in the Catholic faith and at times I have suffered the spiritual flaw of wandering away from what the Church teaches, justifying in my own mind that the path I was taking was what God really means or wants or worst yet God would not hold it against me. As I have gotten older and for various reasons I have taken the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about many(not all because I’m still studying) of the Church’s doctrines.
What I have found thus far in any question I have had, is that there is a vast amount of logical insight/teaching provided by the Church to fully answer my question in the moral and spiritual sense. Now to be honest I am biased because of my faith as a cradle Catholic, but I have looked for answers outside of Catholic teaching and I have yet found any that satisfy me.
I have had difficulty at times accepting some of the History of the Church, but even the scandals that have gone on down through the ages does not tarnish the promise of Christ to protect the Church. I can not accept the view that the Church failed at anytime through history because that would mean that Jesus was a liar.
You are correct in stating that there are those in the Catholic Church who do not show unity, but because the Church is the divine protector of the faith there is a unified teaching. It is the individual who choses to embrace those teachings or reject them, just because individuals within the whole do not agree does not make the whole untrue.
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