How can you understand the Bible without a human to teach you?
In talking to many people over the years, people keep telling me that all you need is the Bible and to ask the holy spirit to help you understand the Bible. Nothing else.
Couple of problematic questions with this line of reasoning:
If you were to rely on your own understanding, would you not have many different sects teaching tons of different understandings of the Bible?
If everybody had the holy spirit guiding them, would they not all have come to the same conclusions regarding what the Bible actually teaches?
Everybody who is searching for truth of the Bible are all sincere in their search. Why do they not all believe the same thing if they all asked the holy spirit to guide them?
So, can you understand the Bible without a human to teach you?
If you treat others as you want to be treated why does anyone need a bible?
It’s called the golden rule I learned that in grade school, it’s the most important thing I have ever learned.
The golden rule never molested deaf kids, or covered up the molestation of deaf kids.
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April 19 2010 02:43 pm | Bible
xsdrcfgh567y8ui98iujh on 19 Apr 2010 at 8:14 pm #
use common sense
despite stories of an imaginary white guy telling a man to kill his own sun for no reason and a man supposedly living inside a whale for days, the bible has some good life lesson to teach about greed and how to treat people
use common sense
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Yobnoj on 19 Apr 2010 at 8:53 pm #
If you treat others as you want to be treated why does anyone need a bible?
It’s called the golden rule I learned that in grade school, it’s the most important thing I have ever learned.
The golden rule never molested deaf kids, or covered up the molestation of deaf kids.
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s D on 19 Apr 2010 at 9:33 pm #
Your question is a very intelligent one. First the Bible says that the natural man can’t comprehend the Word of God, or the Bible that is meaning you must first confess and accept Jesus Christ into your life and receive the Holy Spirit. You can understand the Bible it just takes time to study the scriptures many years that is. Now, the Bible does say that God does gift certain people to be teachers of the Word of God which are a gift to the church but in general any Christian with sincere study and time in the Bible can understand the scriptures.
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Bianca on 19 Apr 2010 at 10:07 pm #
Yes, I understand the Bible without reliance on another human.
There are many who claim the Bible to be a metaphor and thereby leave it up to interpretation, I believe it to be literally true and needs no interpretation.
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PaulCyp on 19 Apr 2010 at 10:47 pm #
Obviously you can’t, or there wouldn’t be thousands of conflicting denominations of Protestantism. The only thing they have in common is that they all criticize the Catholic Church for following the guidance of the Church’s teaching authority rather than going directly to the Bible on your own – the very system that has caused the widespread doctrinal chaos in their own unauthorized manmade tradition. The Catholic Church has taught the fullness of truth in unity, without fragmenting into denominations, for 2,000 years. The Church the Bible calls "the pillar and foundation of truth". The Church to which Jesus christ promised "the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth", and " whatsoever you bind upon earth is bound in heaven", and "he who hears you hears Me". Truth can exist only in unity. Conflicting beliefs necessarily mean false beliefs, for truth cannot conflict with truth. Which is why Jesus Christ said there was to be ONE Church, the holy Catholic Church that He founded for all mankind.
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Ectypal on 19 Apr 2010 at 11:13 pm #
"If you were to rely on your own understanding, would you not have many different sects teaching tons of different understandings of the Bible?"
Whose understanding should we rely on then?
"If everybody had the holy spirit guiding them, would they not all have come to the same conclusions regarding what the Bible actually teaches?"
Yes. But not everyone is guided by the Holy Spirit are they?
"Everybody who is searching for truth of the Bible are all sincere in their search."
How do we know that they are all sincere? I personally know a lot of atheists who study the Bible only so that they can mock it, their search isn’t sincere. Some people may be self-deceived about their sincerity, they read the Bible just so that they can proof-text their own preconceived theology.
"Why do they not all believe the same thing if they all asked the holy spirit to guide them?"
Because they aren’t all under the Holy Spirit to guide them, or the Holy Spirit hasn’t decided to guide them into the truth in certain particular areas. (Recall that Jesus told parables that he didn’t intend for certain people to understand.)
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crewsaid on 19 Apr 2010 at 11:44 pm #
For the best understanding of the essence of Bible can you please read ‘The Holy Science’ by Sri Sri Swami Yukteswar Giri who was probably the best knower of Bible ever born on this earth. Although he was a Hindu, he was eminently fitted to discern the underlying unity_ placing the holy texts on the spotless table of his mind, he was able to dissect them with the scalpel of intuitive reasoning and to separate interpolations and wrong interpretations of scholars from truths as originally given by the prophets. It is small booklet that contains vast knowledge of the Bible.
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the Christian on 20 Apr 2010 at 12:27 am #
The holy spirit can speak the truth of Gods word thru humans…..some of those spirit aren’t quite holy, and could even be evil spirits….only the devils seeks to cause confusing not God.
God loves you…..God bless
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Rallie Florencio C on 20 Apr 2010 at 1:10 am #
With different humans, you will also have different interpretations unless they come from the same institution with one teachings to hold.
You need human teachings but you also need your mind and heart to know and you should keep asking. Human understanding may differ mostly because of his orientations in life and even some personal experiences may also help develop your own conclusion. Each may have his way of understanding the teachings but the beauty of diversity in knowledge may served fruitful for universal use. Who knows your understanding may serve as an inspiration to many.
So try not to be burdened so much by what you will learn,
Our finger prints have never had any match ever discovered and it is ours alone, I hope by that, you would know that each has his own road to walk through in the spiritual path and with or without the Bible you will find the way if you keep looking.
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http://www.thename.ph
TheUrbanPagan on 20 Apr 2010 at 1:51 am #
Q: If you were to rely on your own understanding, would you not have many different sects teaching tons of different understandings of the Bible?
A: Yes, and in fact you do.
Q: If everybody had the holy spirit guiding them, would they not all have come to the same conclusions regarding what the Bible actually teaches?
A: No, because each person is influenced by their own life experiences, and thus interprets the inspiration of the holy spirit in their own way.
Q: Everybody who is searching for truth of the Bible are all sincere in their search. Why do they not all believe the same thing if they all asked the holy spirit to guide them?
A: Again, each person is influenced by their own life experience. "Is the Glass half empty or half full?" They’re both right.
Q: So, can you understand the Bible without a human to teach you?
A: Yes, in as much as anyone can understand such a massive work. Even those people who study the bible most may not agree on how to interpret it – it’s not just black and white, after all. How literally do you interpret it? Is a day 24 hours? Was the Flood truly global, or did it occur only in the holy lands? For that matter, did it actually occur at all, or is it a symbolic tale of redemption?
These questions only cover two tiny parts of the first few portions of Genesis – This is why there are so many different Churches, and why conflicting beliefs can be supported by the same source document.
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XAndrewX Pray for our Priests! on 20 Apr 2010 at 2:40 am #
The bible wasnt written that way and you are right to ask for help.
The Eunuch needed help from Phillip because he didnt understand.
Acts 8:30 And Philip running thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he said: Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest?
31 Who said: And how can I, unless some man shew me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
2 Peter 1:20
Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation.
Peace be with you
<<<Devout Catholic>>>
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Nathan H on 20 Apr 2010 at 3:02 am #
When the Bible mentions unicorns it’s talking about the one-horned rhinoceros:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BNsjsbJLaM
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Platinum D on 20 Apr 2010 at 3:12 am #
The bible is full of shit
And anyone that actually believes that shit is dumber then abag of rocks
which is why this world is so fucked up now
too many religious idiots believing in what a 2000 year old books says that has been changed numerous times over the centuries
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Thagen on 20 Apr 2010 at 3:52 am #
If you actually read the Bible for what it is, yeah you can learn the Bible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible isn’t this "mystical spiritual" book that takes some special knowledge to understand. It is rather straight forward. Yes there are area’s where Jesus teaches in parables, as well as prophecy. But everything in these more confusing subjects are explained or represented in the Bible.
The reason we have the different sects of Christianity today is because people like to twist the meaning of the scriptures to fit what they want it to mean, or to fit a preconceived idea of what they think it should mean. Or, as is very often the case, they simply take a verse out of context so you don’t get the whole picture.
When people do that, it is like grabbing a tapestry and cutting a piece of the corner off and claiming that that piece is what the tapestry is trying to convey.
Oh by the way, if you understood that previous sentence, you just translated a parable. So really, you should read the Bible no different than you just read this message.
Hope that helps, God bless.
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