the church

[Synergos]

And how, in your view, are we to determine that?

In my view, at least, for all I know, if a man look to the Lord God Jesus Christ, who is the "Truth", and thus the Light, and shun evils as sins against Him, it is the beginning, but there is also a need to have the loyalty to the truth itself to be higher than the position of the church of one's birth or family, tradition, etc. For otherwise, would not a mean merely try to argue in favor of his own tradition, not being interested what is the actual truth?

Very rarely he can be given, I think, more immediate light from the Word to see what is the true, but more realistically, most people, apart from the explanation by other men, can hard see the truth immediately in such light. However, if they are interested in the truth, being in the affection for the truth itself and good, then they can see in the writings of other men, whether their explanation of the Word is more sound, rational, correct.

 

[Right Divider]

In my view, at least, for all I know, if a man look to the Lord God Jesus Christ, who is the "Truth", and thus the Light, and shun evils as sins against Him, it is the beginning, but there is also a need to have the loyalty to the truth itself to be higher than the position of the church of one's birth or family, tradition, etc. For otherwise, would not a mean merely try to argue in favor of his own tradition, not being interested what is the actual truth?

Very rarely he can be given, I think, more immediate light from the Word to see what is the true, but more realistically, most people, apart from the explanation by other men, can hard see the truth immediately in such light. However, if they are interested in the truth, being in the affection for the truth itself and good, then they can see in the writings of other men, whether their explanation of the Word is more sound, rational, correct.

And when it comes to understanding the scripture, how do we determine what is true?

 

[Synergos]

And when it comes to understanding the scripture, how do we determine what is true?

Ideally, which is exteremely rare, it is the truth that Lord opens to man in enlightening his mind when he reads or hears the Word (provided a man looks to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the truth that he sees agrees with the essentials of the Word, and thus is not some phantasy). How otherwise could Peter recognize the Lord for the Son of Man? Most men, though, at best, acknowledge this heaving heard from others. But most of the most is accepting the opinion on the basis of the trust to authority. So, the Roman-Catholic, the Orthodox and even not a few Protestants accept the views which they are taught in schools, but do they really see from the Word from the Lord, whether the teaching of their church is aligned with the Word or not?

Here is an opinion about the role of the doctrine in explaining the Word:

"76. VIII

THE CHURCH IS FROM THE WORD, AND IS SUCH AS IS ITS UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD

That the church is from the Word does not admit of doubt, for the Word is Divine truth itself (n. 1-4); the doctrine of the church is from the Word (n. 50-61) and through the Word there is conjunction with the Lord (n. 62-69). But doubt may arise as to whether the understanding of the Word is what makes the church, for there are those who believe that they are of the church because they have the Word, read it or hear it from a preacher, and know something of its sense of the letter, yet how this or that in the Word is to be understood they do not know, and some of them little care. It shall therefore be proved that it is not the Word that makes the church, but the understanding of it, and that such as is the understanding of the Word among those who are in the church, such is the church itself. The proof of this is as follows.

77. The Word is the Word according to the understanding of it in a man, that is, as it is understood. If it is not understood, the Word is indeed called the Word, but it is not the Word with the man. The Word is the truth according to the understanding of it, for it may not be the truth, because it may be falsified. The Word is spirit and life according to the understanding of it, for its letter if not understood is dead. And as a man has truth and life according to his understanding of the Word, so has he faith and love according thereto, for truth is of faith, and love is of life. Now as the church exists by means of faith and love, and according to them, it follows that the church is the church through the understanding of the Word and according thereto; a noble church if in genuine truths, an ignoble church if not in genuine truths, and a destroyed church if in falsified truths.

78. Further, it is through the Word that the Lord is present with a man and is conjoined with him, for the Lord is the Word, and as it were speaks with the man in it. The Lord is also Divine truth itself, as likewise is the Word. From this it is evident that the Lord is present with a man and is at the same time conjoined with him, according to his understanding of the Word, for according to this the man has truth and the derivative faith, and also love and the derivative life. The Lord is indeed present with a man through the reading of the Word, but he is conjoined with him through the understanding of truth from the Word, and according thereto; and in proportion as the Lord has been conjoined with a man, in the same proportion the church is in him. The church is within man; the church that is outside of him is the church with a number of men who have the church within them. This is meant by the Lord's words to the Pharisees who asked when the kingdom of God would come:
The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21).
Here the "kingdom of God" means the Lord, and from him, the church."

So, if I understand the whole case correctly, the genuine doctrine has to be procured, provided it is seens from the Lord in the Word, that this doctrine is true, and correctly and soundly and even rationally explains the Word. And then the Word can be seen as to its various aspecs in the light of that genuine doctrine.

 

[Right Divider]

Ideally, which is exteremely rare, it is the truth that Lord opens to man in enlightening his mind when he reads or hears the Word (provided a man looks to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the truth that he sees agrees with the essentials of the Word, and thus is not some phantasy).

So, if two different men make the claim that they are correct and enlightened, and yet their opinions conflict... then what do we do?

 

[Synergos]

So, if two different men make the claim that they are correct and enlightened, and yet their opinions conflict... then what do we do?

Sound question. In my view, they have to appeal to the point which interpretation better explains the Word

"... 245. It is known that the church is in accordance with its doctrine, and that doctrine is from the Word; nevertheless it is not doctrine but soundness and purity of doctrine, consequently the understanding of the Word, that establishes the church."

The point is not to win the overall applaus, because for those who are interested in the truth, it is truth that is important, even if it is not accepted by many.

 

[Right Divider]

Sound question. In my view, they have to appeal to the point which interpretation better explains the Word

And... how do we determine "which interpretation better explains the Word"?

 

[Synergos]

And... how do we determine "which interpretation better explains the Word"?

A man has to be to able to determine it for himself, though not from his own self-intelligence or wilful passions.

"Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."

If it is according to the dogmatics of some church, that nobody can actually understand the truth to be the truth, but has to only believe what the church teaches on certain point, that, of course, discourages men to look for the understanding the things for themselves, be it the Word, or doctrines explaining it, but my point that the Word was given to a man, with all the challenges that a man has, yet with the goal that it may be understood. Some of course may understand it more accurately, some less, some not understand at all, but yet it is possible.