Author's intent hermeneutic

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Is understanding the author's intent the key to interpreting the Bible?

  • Yes. Whatever the author intended, that is what we should read out of the Bible.

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • No. We should interpret what the Holy Spirit is saying, and not the author.

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Some mixture of the two (please post and explain)

    Votes: 5 50.0%

  • I don't understand the question?

    Votes: 1 10.0%
  • Total voters
    10
MyrtleTrees said:
That's right! Those who are guided by God's Spirit will be protected from making seriously wrong interpretations of the BIble! THe seriously wrong doctrine is any doctrines that fail to reveal a correct understanding on the way of salvation as being through accepting Jesus as Lord (God) and Savior of one's life. Christians often sincerely differ on less important doctrines of the Bible, but that doesn't damn them, like a wrong salvation doctrine will. But one's should always do their best to prayerfully interpret all scripture as correctly as they know how, with the Spirit's leading. And when one has a close relationship with God, that helps a lot in understanding the scriptures well. While those who don't have the Spirit's guiding, are prone to doctrinal error and study the scriptures only in their own strength.
1 Cor 2:14

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
KJV
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While I don't disagree with your opening statement in principle, I think your conclusion is faulty. People who are genuine Christians and have the Holy Spirit within are not guaranteed to be free from doctrinal error, and conversely, holding to a doctrinal error is not any proof that the person does not have the Holy Spirit; we are quite capable of going astray. It's better and more consistent with Scripture to say that "the Holy Spirit will not lead people into error."

Misunderstanding of this issue causes a lot of finger pointing, condemnation, and judgment. It leads people to think that others who differ on secondary issues must be unsaved. I've seen it frequently on this board, and I think it's arrogant, self-righteous, and sick.
 
Dave-L said:
How did the OT Prophetss know John the Baptist would Elijah? How did they in Hosea 1:11 know Jesus IS Israel according to Matthew? How did they know the kingdom was spiritual only and not physical. To the point many missed it and still look for it, never to show?
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Forgive me, typos, I don't understand. John the Baptist was not Elijah. People thought he might be, they asked, and he was not.
 
Dino246 said:
Revelation 1:1 is relevant to Revelation, not to the entire Bible. Revelation is not a parable, but a vision. Even so, though most of Revelation is symbolic, some parts are not.
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This statement is part and parcel to this thread.

A different hermeneutic is applied to Revelation depending on whether it is a parable, versus a vision, versus John literally being snatched up to Heaven.
 
acts5_29 said:
Forgive me, typos, I don't understand. John the Baptist was not Elijah. People thought he might be, they asked, and he was not.
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Jesus said he was. But the literalists were baffled by it. Matthew said Jesus IS Israel and they still can't understand how.
 
Dave-L said:
Jesus said he was. But the literalists were baffled by it. Matthew said Jesus IS Israel and they still can't understand how.
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In light of that, I guess the answer to your question would be that the OT prophets knew through the Holy Spirit. Since that's what your passage in I Peter said.
 
acts5_29 said:
In light of that, I guess the answer to your question would be that the OT prophets knew through the Holy Spirit. Since that's what your passage in I Peter said.
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They didn't know and fulfilled prophecy bears this out. Only 11 of 90+ prophecies came to pass as written. Which means literalists are wrong 88% of the time. (Robert Whitelaw) The gospel millennium and obedience to scripture. https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Millennium-Obedience-Scripture-Whitelaw/dp/0873771044
 
oyster67 said:
The Holy Spirit is key to understanding the Bible, and each verse should be studied in the context of the rest of God's Word.

I believe that the Spirit will not reveal opposing ideas to true seekers.

I believe that readers will always differ in their opinions about what the writers audience, etc. was, but the Holy Spirit will give what God intends for us to get as a unified body in Christ.
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How do we distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from our own human spirit or the evil spirit?
 
CS1 said:
1. an evil spirit does not associate with the Holy Spirit. Light and darkness cannot exist together. 2. The Holy Spirit is a witness to our spirit we are the children of God.
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Not that I disagree but
too many Christians claim to have the Holy Spirit but don't agree about the faith for that to be relied on as a safeguard from error.
It's obvious that there are many who are mistaking another voice for the Holy Spirit.
 
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acts5_29 said:
Forgive me, typos, I don't understand. John the Baptist was not Elijah. People thought he might be, they asked, and he was not.
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John was used to represent the unseen power of the Spirit of prophecy. Elijah the foundation of prophets (the law of faith, justifier ) Moses was used to represent the letter (death the just) Together the law and the prophets (sola scriptura) the perfect law made of two ..
 
CS1 said:
1. an evil spirit does not associate with the Holy Spirit. Light and darkness cannot exist together. 2. The Holy Spirit is a witness to our spirit we are the children of God.
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might disagree now.
2 cor 12
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
 
Benadam said:
How do we distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from our own human spirit or the evil spirit?
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Jesus the prophet/ apostle, as the Son of man provided a perfect example in Mathew 4.

He did not do the will of the flesh but rather waited for instruction of the the unseen father as lord and the lord gave Jesus words to rebuke the spirit of error .Three times the prophet Jesus declared. . as it is written. It is the one source of Christian faith . The it in as it is written does represent the faith of God it made the devil flee.

Not the oral traditions of corrupted mankind. They can ( not all) make the power of the gospel as it is written without effect (power )

Search for the tools needed to rightly divide. .
 
Benadam said:
Not that I disagree but
too many Christians claim to have the Holy Spirit but don't agree about the faith for that to be relied on as a safeguard from error.
It's obvious that there are many who are mistaking another voice for the Holy Spirit.
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The context is the Holy Spirit not one who claims to have the Holy Spirit. The point is in the question asked

"How do we distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from our own human spirit or the evil spirit?

The Holy Spirit does not associate with darkness of evil spirit or evil men .
 
CS1 said:
The context is the Holy Spirit not one who claims to have the Holy Spirit. The point is in the question asked

"How do we distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from our own human spirit or the evil spirit?

The Holy Spirit does not associate with darkness of evil spirit or evil men .
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What do you make of this?

2 Cor. 12
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
 
Benadam said:
might disagree now.
2 cor 12
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Click to expand...
CS1 said:
The context is the Holy Spirit not one who claims to have the Holy Spirit. The point is in the question asked

"How do we distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from our own human spirit or the evil spirit?

The Holy Spirit does not associate with darkness of evil spirit or evil men .
Click to expand...
I would offer as informed in 1 John. To try the spirits to see if they are of God or the witness of men.

God is no longer bring any new revelations hat elimnates 99 percent of the false prophets as false apstle

Lof men.
 
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Benadam said:
What do you make of this?

2 Cor. 12
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
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Paul here is saying that God allowed the suffering The devil planned for Paul to keep him humble. Why? Paul says why. Pau; had received great revelation. Read verses before this and after this statement. start verse 5

Paul says:

5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,
7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul's thorn in the flesh is weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions in difficulties. Do we all not suffer the same things?
 
CS1 said:
Paul's thorn in the flesh is weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions in difficulties. Do we all not suffer the same things?
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Paul said it was a messenger of Satan. Paul wouldn't ask God to take away his sufferings. He knew that was Christ living in Him. He would ask for an evil spirit to be taken away.
 
Benadam said:
Paul said it was a messenger of Satan. Paul wouldn't ask God to take away his sufferings. He knew that was Christ living in Him. He would ask for an evil spirit to be taken away.
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remember the MO of the devil Steals. kill, and destroy.
Paul did ask God three times, for what was happening to stop. Did paul see a devil? no, The word of God did not say that. Did Paul describe what this messenger of Satan was doing? Yes. Paul understood and discerned the devil was doing and God knew full well and Gods Grace would get Paul through it. This evil spirit was not inside Paul it was affecting those around Paul.

Read in Acts how the women with a spirit followed Paul. read how Paul was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, and a whole host of other trials, persecution. None of that which happen to Paul was because he an evil spirit in him or both HS & evil one
 
The Holy Spirit cannot put in our minds something we haven't fed it. If we have never read the Lord's Prayer the Holy Spirit cannot put it in our minds. The Holy Spirit can tell us if it is of God or not.

Without learning the authors intent we really don't know what the author is saying. As an example when Christ celebrated Passover, Christ said do this in remembrance of me. So this has been interpreted as the "this" is done with our communion service. Others believe the "this" is the Passover. What was the authors intent?

Again, what does the author mean when we are told we are not under law but under grace, for Christ fulfilled the law? To understand we need study of lots of scripture and a study of what words meant to the writers at the time they put down what God spoke to them in language they understood. Does this truth cancel the law? The Holy Spirit is not telling all Christians the same thing to understand this.
 
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