Agree, NO ONE can infallibly interpret scripture.. but we can use the gifts God has given us to compare scripture with scripture to draw out the meanings ..
I heard Mother Angela say that none of us can understand scripture until we die.. How sad ... God left a witness of Himself.. He left the outline for His new church, He left prophecy to assure us of His continual presence and this woman is waiting til she dies to understand it. God did not inspire the word of God to be a puzzle, He left it so that we can know Him and draw into a closer relationship with Him
We may not fully understand some things.. BUT the scriptures are clear to one that studies and prays and meditates on Gods word..
The inability to have complete understanding is not an excuse not to trust the indwelling Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and pick up our Bibles and read
OK ... for the sake of discussion, we'll leave out the Pope ... he's not on this forum anyway. Benny?? Dat you??? So, while we may be able to draw out meanings ... none of us can be absolutely certain that our meaning that we think we've drawn out is correct.
I heard Mother Angela say that none of us can understand scripture until we die
Since, as you agree, none of us on this forum can infallibly interpret Scripture, it follows that none of us will truly understand it in this life. Yes, that's sad ... it's a direct and inescapable result of The Fall.
We may not fully understand some things.. BUT the scriptures are clear to one that studies and prays and meditates on Gods word..
That appears to be a contradiction. Given that we will not fully understand some things in Scripture, and that none of us interpret infallibly, to say that the Sciptures are clear to anyone is absurd. I believe that, for the one who studies and prays, Scripture at times can seem very clear (But never perfectly so. Beware.), and at times very far from clear.
The inability to have complete understanding is not an excuse not to trust the indwelling Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and pick up our Bibles and read
It's also not an excuse to reject the visible, universal Church which God gave us.
I heard Mother Angela say that none of us can understand scripture until we die..
I suspect you misrepresent what Mother Angela actually said, or at least meant. I doubt she was suggesting that it is impossible for humans to understand Scripture until they die; rather, I think you and she probably agree on such matters as the use of the gifts of God to discern the meaning of Scripture; even if not fully, at least with increased understanding over time.
BUT the scriptures are clear to one that studies and prays and meditates on Gods word.
The evidence does not support this assertion. There are a lot of folks who disagree on various passages, despite the fact that their differing views on Scripture were formed honestly, through study, prayer, and meditation on God's word. As an example, even such Protestant giants as Luther and Calvin strongly disagreed on the matter of the Real Presence in the Lord's Supper.
In any case, your assertion that Scripture is "clear" to those who study and pray, is directly at odds with your statement that "NO ONE can infallibly interpret scripture."
The inability to have complete understanding is not an excuse not to trust the indwelling Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and pick up our Bibles and read
But by the same token, that same inability to have complete understanding brings to light the danger of trying to define on an individual basis what constitutes Christian truth. It is simply not adequate for each of us to pick up our Bibles and come up with our own answers, hoping for the best.
There still needs to be a way to resolve the disputes that inevitably arise; and as to that, ArrogantBustard put it so much better than I could.....