What do Protestants think about 2Peter 1:20-21

[Generic_Man]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

 

[Auriel]

A loaded question…LOL

There are people of all faiths who will twist and pervert the scriptures to justify their actions. However I do not see a person receiving a “light bulb above the head” moment…insight to a scripture as it pertains to them, as their own interpretation.

People seem to forget that Aramaic was the native language of Jesus although he did speak Greek and Hebrew as well. Many books of the Bible, including several in the old testament were originally in Aramaic language. The language, like Arabic and Hebrew, is multi-layered and multi-leveled in its meaning. It was meant to be that way, it may pertain to the existential and eschatological, at times you will receive from it a level of meaning you need and are able to comprehend at that time. I suppose it could be looked at in other ways as well, like a scholar …as one matures they may dive deeper and receive a deeper level of understanding.

Have you ever worried over one of life’s little problems and then you see something that jumps out at you from right out of the blue and speaks to your spirit? And your like…“WOW! That was meant for me!” That does not necessarily mean you re-interpreted anything.

 

[teachccd]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

My guess would be that they personally interpret it. How can they not when most are not subject to the authority of any visible institution?? See Acts Chapter 8 versus 30-35. When one pulls the bible out of its resting place it basically falls apart…30,000 different denominations attests to that…teachccd

 

[allischalmers]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

It means that just as the Holy Spirit moved men to write the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is needed to move man to understand the Word of God.
I beleive that it is in 1st John that John tells fellow Christains that we do not need man to teach us because they had the Holy Spirit.

 

[Singinbeauty]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

You know, I never thought about this before but if you look at the verses you just quoted it says personal interpretation of PROPHECY of scripture. Not scripture itself but the prophecy of it. I guess this begs the question… what is considered prophecy of scripture?

Also, something I have been thinking a bit about… Do you think that God left SOME things in the bible (and for that matter out of the bible all together) kind of vague so that it can mean many things to many people in different situations? Take, for example, the story of the prodigal son. This story has so many situations that it can apply to. The son or daughter ( ) who comes home to God after a life of being without him, someone who has left the church but has returned, or a lesson on forgiveness for those who have wronged us. It’s not necessarily our own PERSONAL interpretation but the interpretation the Holy Spirit gives us so that we may learn what God wants us to learn… Something to think about. As we all know, there are many different things in the bible that seem to have double and even triple meanings and interpretations and fit MANY areas in our lives.

 

[StacieAdy]

It means that just as the Holy Spirit moved men to write the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is needed to move man to understand the Word of God.

Well said!

 

[Antwill]

 

[allischalmers]

 

[SPH1]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

Protestants will just use their personal, private interpretation to spin it however works for them. Each individual Protestant; each of the numerous Protestant sects.

 

[StacieAdy]

Protestants will just use their personal, private interpretation to spin it however works for them. Each individual Protestant; each of the numerous Protestant sects.

Oh good grief.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

If you read the text IN CONTEXT, it is simply saying that God inspired prophecy and that that prophecy ( scripture ) came from God, not from man. The text in context does not address the issue of “private interpretation” of the scriptures as you misread it.

For example, if you read the book of Daniel the message is illustrated nicely. The king had a dream and then forgot the dream. Daniel asked God to reveal to him what the dream was and what its interpretation is. God supplied that information to Daniel. The whole point being, it was God who gave the dream and its interpretation, not some man like the false wisemen.

2 Peter 1

1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the** knowledge **of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Making One’s Calling and Election Sure

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

12So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 2

False Teachers and Their Destruction

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

When we read the scriptures in context, the catholic misinterpretation of this text disappears and frankly, you push us protestants away from you when you take scripture out of context and misapply it.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

2 Peter 3
The Day of the Lord

1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2**I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. **

15Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, **which ignorant and unstable people distort, **as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Therefore, dear friends, since **you already know this, be **on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

In short, we are told to grow in knowledge, that growth happens from studying scriptures and following listening to the apostles.

I Peter 1

10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Looks like the prophets engaged in private interpretations.

22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For,
“All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord stands forever.”[c] And this is the word that was preached to you.

We learn truth by listening to and reading what the apostles taught by word or written form.

I Peter 4
7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Paul plainly teaches that those in the church should test the prophets, to make sure their words are inline with God’s revealed word. That testing involves personal judgement.

 

[StacieAdy]

2 Peter 3
The Day of the Lord

1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2**I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. **

15Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, **which ignorant and unstable people distort, **as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Therefore, dear friends, since **you already know this, be **on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

In short, we are told to grow in knowledge, that growth happens from studying scriptures and following listening to the apostles.

I Peter 1

10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Looks like the prophets engaged in private interpretations.

22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For,
“All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord stands forever.”[c] And this is the word that was preached to you.

We learn truth by listening to and reading what the apostles taught by word or written form.

I Peter 4
7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Paul plainly teaches that those in the church should test the prophets, to make sure their words are inline with God’s revealed word. That testing involves personal judgement.

Stands up and cheers

 

[a_priori]

It means that just as the Holy Spirit moved men to write the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is needed to move man to understand the Word of God.

Did the Holy Spirit “move” John Calvin and James Arminius? If so, apparently one of them wasn’t paying attention.

How do we know just who does hold the proper interpretation?

 

[Sabda]

Stands up and cheers

I fail to see that there is anything to stand up and cheer about. When you read the Bible outside of an authority you will come up with any number of different things. After all atheist read the Bible. I guess that means they have the right interpretation? Daniel talks about reading in context. However, when I read his post it appears that he is implying a few things that I don’t see when reading those passages.

 

[Sabda]

2 Peter 3
The Day of the Lord

1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2**I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. **

.

Right, spoken not written. Jesus did not write anything down and the first of the New Testament did not come out until quite some time after His Ascension.

15Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, **which ignorant and unstable people distort, **as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

If his letters are hard to understand and easy to distort then how do you know you have the right interpretation of them? Secondly, how do you know a person is ignorant and unstable? It’s not always that easy to see. Many, many a person has been deceived.

I Peter 1

10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Looks like the prophets engaged in private interpretations.

Are you trying to say that they engaged in private interpretation of Scripture? I’m just trying to be clear here because I don’t see anywere in that passage were it refers to Scripture. God is not bound by only the Scriptures.

22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For,
“All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord stands forever.”[c] And this is the word that was preached to you.

We learn truth by listening to and reading what the apostles taught by word or written form.

Is the Word of God a person or a thing?

 

[StacieAdy]

I fail to see that there is anything to stand up and cheer about. From my viewpoint Daniel has added his own interpretation to those passages. When you read the Bible outside of an authority you will come up with any number of different things. After all atheist read the Bible. I guess that means they have the right interpretation?

First off, an atheist would not ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit while reading the Bible. Right? Right.

Secondly, I am not saying that everyone’s personal interpretation of the Bible is correct. But the Holy Spirit does and will aid us in interpreting the Bible, and we should take full advantage of that, especially in our private devotions.

 

[justasking4]

My guess would be that they personally interpret it. How can they not when most are not subject to the authority of any visible institution?? See Acts Chapter 8 versus 30-35. When one pulls the bible out of its resting place it basically falls apart…30,000 different denominations attests to that…teachccd

i’m confused. i see this kind of reasoning used against protestants but when i look for an infallible interpretation of the scriptures from the catholic church i find none. Catholics are in the same boat as protestants when it comes to interpreting the Bible.

 

[pmoo]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

My Protestant parents regulary attended a Bible study group, in which they all read, discussed, and interpreted the Bible. In fact, our ministers also did so. It wasn’t until I attended RCIA that I learned we are not supposed to put our own interpretation on the Bible.

 

[Salamander]

(20) Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, (21) for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

It attacks private interpretation of the Bible. If I’m correct isn’t private interpretation often used in Protestantism?

Sorry if I’m sounding polemical here. It struck me as surprising when I saw it.

“When early Christians received a new Scripture from one of the eight writers, they would make copies to send on to other Christians in other localities, who in turn would do the same. In fact, they were told to follow this procedure (see COLOSSIANS 4:16; I THESSALONIANS 5:27 for examples). These writings were already being circulated and accepted as Scripture when early Christians decided to gather them all into one compilation. This compilation came to be known as the canon of Scripture. While it is true that some tried to get other writings included, and a few others complained that they did not want some included that were, the issue of what belonged in the Bible had already been settled. Writings were refused a place that were not written by either an apostle or someone approved by an apostle, since Jesus had promised to reveal all His truth through these apostles. It was rather easy to tell forgeries from the genuine, due to glaring mistakes and inconsistencies.”

“The history of the Bible certainly shows the care, on both God’s part as well as the parts of faithful and courageous men and women, that went into its formation and preservation. “…we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men , but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you.” (I THESSALONIANS 2:13).”

“By Jon W. Quinn
From Expository Files 10.4; April 2003”

bible.ca/ef/topical-how-the-writings-became-scripture.htm

I believe that taking scripture out of context is a mistake.

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If you eat a seed, do you truly know its origin? If you see the whole, the seeds are its parts and life grows from it. - Me