II Peter 1:20-21
20. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
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.
Last week we talked about the need for Christians to be Spirit-led. This week's subject goes hand-in-hand with that concept.
Is it just me, or does it seem like everybody has their own interpretations of Scripture these days? I can't count how many times I've heard people say something to the effect of, "Well, I think that this verse means this......" Arguments have been started and fellowship has been broken over what people think that Scripture means- or what they want it to mean. People do this all the time in order to try and justify what they're doing or want to do. As you can see, pride truly is a destructive force.
Our text tell us that the Holy Spirit moved the writers of Scripture to write what they did. He is the author, and His interpretation is the correct one. That's the danger of these "private interpretations"- they're not seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance as they read Scripture. As a result, they're not getting His meaning.
Let me challenge you to do something. As you read and study your Bible (and I hope that this is something you do on a daily basis), take the time to honestly pray and ask God to clear your mind and heart of any preconceived notions or ideas and to reveal to you His meaning behind the words. Your heart should be a clean slate upon which the Holy Spirit can write. Let's be Spirit-led as we read and study Scripture.
My Mama is the young adult Sunday School teacher at our church and she taught a lesson Sunday that goes hand in hand with this, Chadster....it was sooo good and so true.
Absolutely, Chad. I was thinking today of different instances where people have added stuff to the Word that is just culture or custom or tradition, and it made me realize again how necessary it is to have that "clean slate" when we study the Word, as you were saying. Thanks for that!