Private interpretation of Scripture.

[B-A-C]

2Pet 1:20; But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
2Pet 1:21; for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

King James puts it this way...

2Pet 1:20; Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pet 1:21; For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

It's interesting, the Bible says we should not try to interpret scripture privately. I don't know how many people over the years have said Jesus came to them and told them this or told them that.
...and yet, Jesus says when He comes back it won't be in some secret, private, clandestine place.

Matt 24:24; For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matt 24:25; Behold, I have told you before.
Matt 24:26; Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

I can't help but think of Joseph Smith ( the originator of the Mormon church ) who says he secretly met with an angel out in the woods, who gave him the book of Mormon.
It seems every time someone says he received some private message from God about how to interpret the Bible... it's usually blasphemy.

Prov 27:17; Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

We should openly discuss scripture between us. Not act like we have a monopoly on truth, or some secret revelation from God that nobody else has.

Acts 17:10; The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Acts 17:11; Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

The Bible school I attended, was called the Berean Institute, they have since been absorbed into another theological school some years back. But it wasn't in Berea, it was in the USA, it was just called
that because of this verse. The point being, we should study scripture, and see if what we are told lines up with it.

We aren't all Bible scholars. But I believe we all could be. You have to start somewhere.

Isa 28:9; "To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?
Isa 28:10; "For He says, 'Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'"
Isa 28:11; Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
Isa 28:12; He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen.
Isa 28:13; So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.

Almost every preacher, teacher, chaplain, minister, bishop, ...etc, that I have ever met, claims that the interpretation and message of how of particular scripture should be interpreted, claims to be told this by the Holy Spirit.
.. and yet, almost everyone interprets it differently. Why are there so many denominations, so many different ways to view and interpret scripture? The obvious answer is... the Holy Spirit didn't really tell all these people
different interpretations, they just "thought" he did. Which is a dangerous thing. The world is full of denominations wanting to push their beliefs and agendas on people.

The Holy Spirit IS indeed our teacher.

John 14:26; "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

But we need to make sure that what we are hearing, how we are being taught... really is... the Holy Spirit.

1Jn 4:1; Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1Tim 4:1; But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

I hate to say it, but the fact is.. we have many of those doctrines here right now. Many of them are right here on TalkJesus.
So my advice is.. ask God to reveal the truth to you. He will.

Jas 1:5; But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Don't pray that God will reveal your truth to people. Pray that He will reveal His truth to people.
Study the Bible and make sure you are on the same page as God. Have conversations about it and keep an open mind.
Don't keep scripture to yourself and try to interpret it yourself.

2Tim 2:14; Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
2Tim 2:15; Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2Tim 2:16; But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,

 

[B-A-C]

2Tim 2:23; But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
2Tim 2:24; The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
2Tim 2:25; with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
2Tim 2:26; and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

1Tim 1:3; As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
1Tim 1:4; nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
1Tim 1:5; But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1Tim 1:6; For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,

I see threads about AI, Polycarp, taters and gravy, and many other things... I'm not sure what any of this has to do with God. It seems we have a lot of
speculation and fruitless discussions sometimes.

 

[Brad Huber]

Although I agree in principle with what you are saying. Perhaps the ones inspired by the Holy Spirit to write things down were told the same thing, almost definitely. It was only when a larger group of ppl who were supposed to be Holy men (in action, not just word) that were supposedly filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, or miracles were attributed to them and they got together decided what was inspired by God and what was not, and even they did not contradict the accuracy or historical tradition of some literature, just that it was not inspired by God, and it wasnt unanimous at the outset either, but took alot of people a lot of time to finally agree. More people down throughout history have kept trying to have some books changed into not inspired. And dont get me started on the different meanings of different translations that people use to simply back up their speech on a specific subject. Do you know what first century christians did when it came to writing and authenticating... ? They either wrote a history of what happened first hand, a historical viewpoint, like the gospels and Acts. Or ppl who were seen as pilars of the early church, that overflowing spirit they had, that made their letters to specific groups held in higher awe.

Now, ppl think you must have a degree, speak and write hebrew and greek, take multiple courses on languages, nuances of the time period, but God doesnt make everyone into a Paul, and Paul hated how some said they were "his" followers. What was common, more common back then was being led by the Holy Spirit. Now ppl think that can only happen while deep into the intellectual study of scriptures. Let me tell you what scriptures are to me, and many that value the leading of the Holy Spirit.... they see scriptures as the Word, Jesus in written form. Those words often mean little to many non believers, its the leading of the Holy Spirit that brings the truth of those words real life to some. And those words in scripture were put there according to the will of the Holy Spirit, to keep people from sliding to far into deception through lying spirits or emotional slants. But Jesus never taught that you must study God's word and value that alone over everything else. He never wrote a single thing, but left that to others.

All this being said, there is alot of wrong thinking out there about whats important and whats not in the christian life. And trying to correct them "in LOVE" is a good thing. And if you think all these other things people talk about here arent important... if those unimportant things were taken out, not able to be printed here.... this site would probably have little traffic, and become little help to many people that wonder if they are right about some subject that isnt spoken of in scripture or dont know its location if it is .... you know... those things that you must do a deep study of scripture with a variety of other books (naves topical bible and a concordance for me) and take months to come to a conclusion... or just accept whatever someone tells you is right, which could sure lead to a lot of heresy. I imagine God could have found a better way to get His msg across better... oh wait... He did. Its the combination of scripture and the Holy Spirit, and spending time in fellowship with other christians, talking about everything in life that comes our way.

But as I said, I do agree that a lot of foolish talk happens here, many arguments that should be ended a lot quicker with a simple agreement to disagree. Likewise there should be less people talking about their extensive knowledge that makes thier words more important supposedly than anothers. The one time Paul did it was accompanied by the statement that it was foolish that he would be expected to do it. My eyes are weak and too much reading can get my eyes very teary to where I cant see much at all. God makes it easier for me by alot of leading by the Holy Spirit. I dont really care if others dont agree with me on something and demand better backing for what I say. If what I say was meant for their ears, or eyes in this case, God would use the Holy Spirit to make it more true to them. Sometimes its not important enough that God instructs others to believe what someone says through the Holy Spirit, and other times peoples hearts harden against the truth, much like many of the pharisees, saducees, and teachers of the law did. And I am not saying this is the case with you, just that it happens.

 

[Beetow]

The KJV's obsolete language and grammar is sometimes misleading. Here's that
same passage in updated vernacular.

● 2Pet 1:20-21 . . Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture
came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin
in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.

That passage isn't talking about one's own personal understanding of prophecy,
rather, the origin of prophecy. In other words: the writings of the prophets didn't
arise from human reasoning and a fertile imagination. No, they got their
information directly from God.
_

 

[B-A-C]

The KJV's obsolete language and grammar is sometimes misleading. Here's that
same passage in updated vernacular.

● 2Pet 1:20-21 . . Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture
came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin
in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.

That passage isn't talking about one's own personal understanding of prophecy,

That's why I also posted the NASB. But I think it's both.
No man wrote down a Bible passage that wasn't inspired by God ( Holy Spirit )
But also, no one understands what they've read without the Holy Spirit.

 

[Brad Huber]

The KJV's obsolete language and grammar is sometimes misleading. Here's that
same passage in updated vernacular.

● 2Pet 1:20-21 . . Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture
came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin
in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.

That passage isn't talking about one's own personal understanding of prophecy,
rather, the origin of prophecy. In other words: the writings of the prophets didn't
arise from human reasoning and a fertile imagination. No, they got their
information directly from God.
_

It was very very rare that the educated religious ppl of the same time period of said prophet agreed that what he said under the influence of the Holy Spirit was from God, usually it was the more common people that might believe it, and the educated religious people were afraid of upsetting the people by openly disagreeing with the prophet. It was usually after quite some time (often after his death) before it was accepted that the words were indeed from God, and that they unlike their fathers wouldnt have opposed them. Jesus spoke to that.

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

perhaps if we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, we might see His Way and example of how He handled that which His Father gave him to speak?

We might find, also, that we are [ought to be] fellow heirs with Him and sons, whereby we call ABBA Father, and therefore [if we walk in/by the Spirit] be obedient unto death with the handling of His Word and that includes Scripture.

Righteousness has something to do with it. And reciprocating His mercy and grace, Forgiveness and .... in case we forgot, the fruit of the Spirit. [instead of regurgitating filth and hatred etc]

@B-A-C
definitely spot on regarding being able to engage in sensible, open discussion without barriers and division.
We, who claim to be His.... hmmmm.... so easily forget some very basic principles [found in Scripture for those who want or need reminding] of 'love one another'... of being Members of the Body, His Body... remembering Who is the Head.

Sharpen me up.


Bless you ....><>

 

[Beetow]

When my son first started reading the Bible, he became very discouraged. When
I asked him why; my son said he was unable to discern its hidden messages. So I
told him to stop looking for hidden messages and just read the Bible like you'd read
a novel or an encyclopedia. He was greatly relieved and from then on did alright.

How many interested folk out there haven't even so much as tried to read the Bible
because some armchair expert has given them the impression that the whole
thing, cover to cover, is cryptic? As a result, the only knowledge they have of the Bible
comes from Xmas cards, children's plays, Broadway plays, Hollywood movies, hearsay,
folklore, and television specials. In other words; they end up getting their knowledge of
the Bible from the world instead of from its own pages.
_

 

[lentz]

Peter was pointing out that NO scripture is of private interpretation.
Meaning,you cant,or shouldnt, take one verse of scripture and build a doctrine. There musr be ofther verses to back your claim. Usually there will be at least three verses to back your claim and hopefully at times a whole chapter given to it.
......also understanding that at the time of Peters writing,there were no chapter and verses

 

[Soyeong]

2Pet 1:20; But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
2Pet 1:21; for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

King James puts it this way...

2Pet 1:20; Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pet 1:21; For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

It's interesting, the Bible says we should not try to interpret scripture privately. I don't know how many people over the years have said Jesus came to them and told them this or told them that.
...and yet, Jesus says when He comes back it won't be in some secret, private, clandestine place.

Matt 24:24; For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matt 24:25; Behold, I have told you before.
Matt 24:26; Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

I can't help but think of Joseph Smith ( the originator of the Mormon church ) who says he secretly met with an angel out in the woods, who gave him the book of Mormon.
It seems every time someone says he received some private message from God about how to interpret the Bible... it's usually blasphemy.

Prov 27:17; Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

We should openly discuss scripture between us. Not act like we have a monopoly on truth, or some secret revelation from God that nobody else has.

Acts 17:10; The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Acts 17:11; Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

The Bible school I attended, was called the Berean Institute, they have since been absorbed into another theological school some years back. But it wasn't in Berea, it was in the USA, it was just called
that because of this verse. The point being, we should study scripture, and see if what we are told lines up with it.

We aren't all Bible scholars. But I believe we all could be. You have to start somewhere.

Isa 28:9; "To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?
Isa 28:10; "For He says, 'Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'"
Isa 28:11; Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
Isa 28:12; He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen.
Isa 28:13; So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.

Almost every preacher, teacher, chaplain, minister, bishop, ...etc, that I have ever met, claims that the interpretation and message of how of particular scripture should be interpreted, claims to be told this by the Holy Spirit.
.. and yet, almost everyone interprets it differently. Why are there so many denominations, so many different ways to view and interpret scripture? The obvious answer is... the Holy Spirit didn't really tell all these people
different interpretations, they just "thought" he did. Which is a dangerous thing. The world is full of denominations wanting to push their beliefs and agendas on people.

The Holy Spirit IS indeed our teacher.

John 14:26; "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

But we need to make sure that what we are hearing, how we are being taught... really is... the Holy Spirit.

1Jn 4:1; Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1Tim 4:1; But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

I hate to say it, but the fact is.. we have many of those doctrines here right now. Many of them are right here on TalkJesus.
So my advice is.. ask God to reveal the truth to you. He will.

Jas 1:5; But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Don't pray that God will reveal your truth to people. Pray that He will reveal His truth to people.
Study the Bible and make sure you are on the same page as God. Have conversations about it and keep an open mind.
Don't keep scripture to yourself and try to interpret it yourself.

2Tim 2:14; Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
2Tim 2:15; Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2Tim 2:16; But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,

It should be noted that 2 Peter 1:20-21 does not speak against trying to interpret Scripture privately in general, but only speaks against prophecy coming as the result of private interpretation.

 

[lentz]

When my son first started reading the Bible, he became very discouraged. When
I asked him why; my son said he was unable to discern its hidden messages. So I
told him to stop looking for hidden messages and just read the Bible like you'd read
a novel or an encyclopedia. He was greatly relieved and from then on did alright.

How many interested folk out there haven't even so much as tried to read the Bible
because some armchair expert has given them the impression that the whole
thing, cover to cover, is cryptic? As a result, the only knowledge they have of the Bible
comes from Xmas cards, children's plays, Broadway plays, Hollywood movies, hearsay,
folklore, and television specials. In other words; they end up getting their knowledge of
the Bible from the world instead of from its own pages.
_

Bingo!

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

It should be noted that 2 Peter 1:20-21 does not speak against trying to interpret Scripture privately in general, but only speaks against prophecy coming as the result of private interpretation.

perhaps more that Prophecy of/from the LORD is not a result of private interpretation of 'what's going on and what's going to happen and what God is going to do etc.'

There is a Body and each has need of the other members and one part of that need is for such things as determining what the Scripture says, if it is difficult to understand. That, of course, is no sure way to keep from error, but it sure can help.
A Christian has the Helper to remind and teach.

What the OP was trying to convey is perhaps, that our personal private interpretations of what is written can lead to error and for many it does.
Scripture can speak for itself, so to speak, that is, if we let it and do not try to make something fit an idea or notion that we think is the best way to fit the whole of Scripture.
This is where joining with others who are members of the Body can be of great help.

Are we open to be wrong if the Scripture states such?
Pride can get in the way of Truth [actually, pride does get in the way!!! ] and arrogance and boasting also render our walk crippled.

It is worth noting that we read that when we come together we ought bring a song... i wonder why?


Bless you ....><>

Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.
Psalm 95:2

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Ephesians 5:19

Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song
His praise in the assembly of the godly.
Psalm 149:1

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Revelation 5:9-10