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NASB | 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God's will, both publicly and privately--behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; |
Bible Question:
Risen: We still have the problem, however, when two Christians, both indwelt by the Holy Spirit, disagree on the meaning of a particular text. Being a believer in Jesus Christ does not guarantee doctrinal infallibility. So how do we determine who is listening to the Holy Spirit and who is not in such a situation? --Joe! |
Bible Answer: Dear Joe! Greetings in the name of Jesus! Perhaps (just perhaps) 'doctrinal infallibility' is not a absolute as some may think? :-) Perhaps (again) there is a certain amount of 'gracious leeway' built in by the sovereignty of God. Certainly there are numerous examples in the Bible that portray God forgiving instances of 'doctrinal infraction.' Please understand that I am fully aware that God has warned us many times of 'loose' interpretation and outright false teaching. But some interpretations of falsity could be stricter than God's interpretation, i.e. two somewhat different doctrines may both be led by the Spirit. On the other hand, a pet theory of mine is that BOTH seemingly opposite doctrines are not 'spot on,' but equidistant from God's perfect will. To answer your question, maybe it is not for us to judge, in an absolute sense, which is hearing the Spirit on a passage-by-passage basis. If we WERE to start judging things in this manner, it would certainly lead to some interesting logistics problems! (something like counting up money and property at the end of a Monopoly game :-)) From what I can see of the church overall, most people think that they hold a superior understanding of the Holy Spirit's leading, and would not even give ONE point to someone with a 'different' stance. Indeed, we DO have a problem. I guess that we must ask for the Spirit to give us a holy balance of discrimination, love, wisdom, and tolerance. In addition, release from the trap of 'perceived truth' (aka self-righteousness) would definitely remove some of the tension between nominally different parties. Peace and joy in Christ Jesus, charis |