As I had posted my post below on another topic ("The Warning Second Coming Website"
http://discussions.godandscience.org/vi ... 4&start=45), and as there was no response,
I realized it would be more appropriately posted under this topic, concerning questions about Catholic Church teachings.
Re-posted here:
Bippy wrote:
Most of our differences stem from interpretation.
Agreed!
Who has been given the authority to interpret scripture? The church or every person on earth. This is why we have so many differences today between different churches. This is also why we are separated on Sunday when we worship our lord and savior.
EVERY Christian has the ABILITY to interpret Scripture. But as all Christians are men, there will always be sincere differences of opinion over various interpretations, and there will always be faulty interpretations. That does not mean that there are multiple correct/contradicting interpretations - there is God's truth and no other. And despite the RCC's official stance, do not for a moment assert that Catholics are monolithic in their beliefs and practices. God's truths never change, and yet RCC doctrine has unquestionably changed over the centuries, and it has added to Scripture. Catholics themselves vary in belief much as Protestants. A sampling:
http://cara.georgetown.edu/sacramentsesum.pdf
Who did Christ give the power to bind and loose?
A more accurate question would also include the question of WHAT did Jesus give the power to bind (His ALREADY established truths).
From Ankerberg: "First, does this verse really say anything unique to Peter that must be restricted to him alone? Jesus said, “On this rock, I will build my church.” He did not say PETER would build His Church; He said He
would build it. It makes more sense to conclude that the “rock” upon which Christ will build His Church is men’s confession of faith in Christ as the true Messiah—something Peter had just spoken. Personal confessions in so profound a truth as Jesus’ Messiahship—with all its personal and doctrinal implications—may certainly be described as something foundational, or rock (boulder)-like. So, this interpretation not only fits the context of the passage, it fits the facts of history and Scripture as a whole. If so, then verse 19 would also not be restricted to Peter alone, who first used these “keys” to open the “kingdom of heaven” to both Jew and Gentile alike in his preaching of the gospel (Acts 2, 10—something possible for every Christian believer. Regardless, if indeed Jesus was establishing Peter as the first pope, it is incredible that neither Peter himself, nor Paul, nor any other apostle—and NOT ONE of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament—affirms the doctrine of papalism anywhere. Indeed, it is the absence of such a doctrine that is striking."
What is the example in Scripture of how to interpret other Scripture spoken by God's chosen Apostles? Were people to accept it MERELY upon the AUTHORITY conveyed upon them by God? No! The apostles didn't appeal to their own authority, but to God's Word/God's authority found in Scripture as well as their own personal testimonies. But, very significantly, they constantly appealed to the Authority found within Scripture to buttress their contentions.
Acts 17: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Even Jesus, God in the flesh, appealed to Scripture for others to correctly understand and interpret exactly Who He was (from Luke 24): "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."
"Dear friends, 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." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
And what of Peter and the Judaizers? Did Paul appeal to his own authority to rebuke Peter? No! And if Peter was Head of the Church, how is it that Paul is able to rebuke him? How is it that Peter sinned in his "hipocrisy?" Paul used SCRIPTURE as the basis of determining the truth of the matter, and used "the truth of the Gospel" to rebuke Peter "in front of them all."
"When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting
in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?"
There cannot be multiple/contradicting truths. God does not change. He does not one day say evil is bad and another say it is good. He does not say murder is suddenly okay. And yet, Popes have contradicted Scripture, themselves and each other - but how could this be if they have the ability to speak for God Himself? Did God truths, supposedly given to them, CHANGE? Or did humans attempt to add to or change what God had already bound in His Word?
Here's a good method for interpreting and applying Scripture:
1. Find the meaning intended by the HUMAN author (remember, God divinely inspired and guided the human authors in what to write).
a. Base the study on the historical, physical, and cultural setting
b. Research each clear and important word.
c. Analyze the sentence structure.
d. Examine the grammatical context.
e. Identify and decode figurative language.
f. Interpret the passage in light of it's genre (narrative, wisdom lit, poetry, prophecy, didactic.
2. Find the meaning intended by the DIVINE Author (God!).
a. Compare scripture with scripture.
b. Establish a harmonious whole.
c. Seek explanations for apparent discrepancies.
d. Use biblical guidelines for understanding predictive prophecy.
3. Apply it to your life.
a. Receive every teaching of Scripture for yourself unless the Bible limits the audience, either in the context of the passage itself or in other Biblical teaching.
b. Respond in faith and obedience to both the direct teachings and the principles of Scripture.
Consider also the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding Believers into the truth of Scripture:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)
And that God's truths are not a matter of interpretation:
“… knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (1 Peter 1:20)
"All Scripture is breathed out BY God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)
No man has the authority to CHANGE Scripture that has already been given as an eternal truth - notice that what was preached by the Apostles is the "word of the Lord" that remains "FOREVER":
"... but the word of the Lord remains FOREVER.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:25)
And from the end of Revelation 22: "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll."
