Scripture is unclear at times and at other times seems to be contradictory. With that in mind, there are many different interpretations from many different sources. So, my question is this; If what the Bible says is true, not according to personal interpretation, who or what organization is the true scriptural authority? It seems a simple question, but one that will be difficult for anyone without that true authority to answer truthfully.<\/p>\n\t
Let me restate your claim in the form of logic:<\/p>\n
P1: Scripture is unclear at times and at other times seems to be contradictory.<\/p>\n
P2: There are many different interpretations from many different sources.<\/p>\n
P3: The truth is not for personal interpretation.<\/p>\n
C: Someone or some organization has to determine what is true authority.<\/p>\n
From this, it is easy to conclude that you are a Roman Catholic who wishes to assert that the Roman Catholic church has the sole authority to determine what is truth.<\/p>\n
The first premise is true only in part. “As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures<\/em>” (I Peter 3:15-16).\u00a0Some<\/strong>\u00a0sections of the Bible are difficult, but that doesn’t mean all or even most of it is hard. God expects His word to be understood. “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is<\/em>” (Ephesians 5:17). Nor did Peter say that it was impossible to understand Paul, only that some of his writings take more effort to understand than others.<\/p>\n “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit<\/em>” (II Peter 1:19-21).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Notice that the reason Peter says prophecy of Scriptures is not for private interpretation is that the prophecies originate from God and not man. It is not for man to declare what God meant to say. Thus, this passage contradicts your conclusion that someone man or organization of man must decide. Prophets did not give their private views on what God told them. They spoke as God directed.<\/p>\n That there are differing views about a passage does not change the simple fact that there is only one correct view and it is up to each person to learn the truth. Learning the Scriptures is a personal obligation. The church is involved in teaching, but each person is to delve into the teachings of God for himself. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth<\/em>” (II Timothy 2:15). The single source of truth is the Scriptures, not an organization of men or a single man. Therefore the second premise does not change the fact that there is one truth that is understood one way.<\/p>\n Therefore, your goal was not reached.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: Scripture is unclear at times and at other times seems to be contradictory. With that in mind, there are many different interpretations from many different sources. So, my question is this; If what the Bible says is true, not according to personal interpretation, who or what organization is the true scriptural authority? It seems…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[38,1599,964],"class_list":["post-38272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-morality","tag-roman-catholic-church","tag-understanding-the-bible"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59963,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/thats-just-your-interpretation\/","url_meta":{"origin":38272,"position":0},"title":"That’s Just Your Interpretation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mark Larson via The Elgin Hills Examiner, Vol. 1, No. 5, May 2006. That's just your interpretation! How many times has someone said that to you when you attempted to teach him the truth from the Scriptures? Rather than take the message of truth to heart, it is quickly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86267,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/lets-not-be-narrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":38272,"position":1},"title":"Let’s Not Be Narrow","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Roy E. Cogdill via Gospel Guardian, June 9, 1955 One of the most dreadful things many people can imagine is that they will be accused of \"narrow-mindedness\" in religion. That scares them to death; the very thought that they might be considered narrow drives them completely away from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-think-the-bible-treats-homosexuals-worse-than-other-so-called-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":38272,"position":2},"title":"I think the Bible treats homosexuals worse than other so-called sins","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am in utter shock. Being homosexual is not a choice, no one wants to be different if it was not meant to be. The Bible says we should stone children who disobey their parents, same as homosexuals. I only see the concept being applied to homosexuals. The Bible\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40429,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-know-which-way-is-right-when-i-can-logically-prove-sin-isnt-always-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":38272,"position":3},"title":"How can I know which way is right when I can logically prove sin isn’t always wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I continue to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and lived then died for the sins of the world and then was resurrected. However, recently I've become confused by all the different interpretations of the Bible and all of these people claiming to be right and inspired\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12755,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-warnings-about-believing-you-are-the-only-denomination-going-to-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":38272,"position":4},"title":"Are there warnings about believing you are the only denomination going to heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Some church denominations say, \"We are right and all other churches are wrong\" (concerning Bible interpretations). Or they say, \"We are going to Heaven. All other denominations are not.\" Do the Scriptures give any warnings or guidelines about this \"attitude\" held by certain groups? Thank you! Answer: Behind this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51351,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-about-other-cultures-that-have-different-creation-and-flood-accounts\/","url_meta":{"origin":38272,"position":5},"title":"What about other cultures that have different creation and flood accounts?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey Jeffrey, I have a question: I just started a daily Bible reading program and went back over the history of mankind, creation, and the generations. I am wondering: Are these the only people who were living on the Earth at this time? How would you compare Genesis with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}