btoks:
2peter1.20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.

you took that scripture out of Context,read the next few verses.
Peter was referring to the Source of the Prophecies,how the prophecy was given by the Spirit of God.

Private interpretation in that context means,None of the Prophecy was from any private source.

Let me add that after seeking the assistance of a leader etc, you still have the responsibility of personal study to confirm if the explanations are according to what is written. The following refs are notable:

Galatians 1:8,9

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

(The highlighted shows NO MAN is given the ability to add to, change, or deduct from what is written; not even the apostle that was inspired)


and

Isaiah 8:20
20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.


Ultimately, we do well to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit because:
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinth 2:10

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;
John 16:13a

Scholar8200:
Let me add that after seeking the assistance of a leader etc, you still have the responsibility of personal study to confirm if the explanations are according to what is written. The following refs are notable:

Galatians 1:8,9

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

(The highlighted shows NO MAN is given the ability to add to, change, or deduct from what is written; not even the apostle that was inspired)


and

Isaiah 8:20
20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.


Ultimately, we do well to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit because:
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinth 2:10

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;
John 16:13a

you're looking at this through 21st Century eyes.what percentage of the population in early christianity(first 1000 years) was literate?
not saying people shouldnt study scriptures but you can't come up with any interpretation especially when a teaching is defined by the church.

sportsmaster:

you took that scripture out of Context,read the next few verses.
Peter was referring to the Source of the Prophecies,how the prophecy was given by the Spirit of God.

Private interpretation in that context means,None of the Prophecy was from any private source.

ok, Remember the book was originally written without chapters or verses. Carry on reading through the next 2 chapters to get a fuller context/conclusion.

Especially 2peter3:15》》 also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,16 speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures>>>>

frosbel:


But what if what I heard from God is different to what you heard and we then go off on two different tangents with respect to a particular doctrine , how do we know which one is the right one ?

So, God talks to you literally ?

frosbel:


Well said !

But my question to the religious is this : can one take a contrary position to the pastor of a church and still be correct or is the church/pastor the final authority on all doctrinal matters ?

As long as there is no contrary evidence from the Bible to what you have, you stick with the Bible.

No man or pastor can reward himself with eternal life, let alone reward another person.

As long you keep on seeking, knocking and there is no contrary evidence, why should one leave the msg from God the giver of life to accept the one from a Man, be it a pastor or Pope ?

"If a blind man leads a blind man, they both will fall into a pit", the Bible says.

The only source of light is the word of God. it should not be left for any other thing. any other thing aside the Bible, the written word of God will mean grouping in darkness.

italo:

How can you obey God by disobeying his Church?

Do these verses mean anything to you or are they not in your bible:

Matt 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Acts 5:4 "You did not lie to us[a] but to God!"

Acts15:28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials:

1Tim3:15 the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth

Please give one example of a Christian who held a doctrine contrary to Church doctrine in the Bible. Just one.



It means humans are causing confusion. It was precisely because of the circumcision issue that the Church held its first Council in Jerusalem in Acts15 to define the truth on that. After then, which Christian opposed the Church teaching?

Mention his name!

You mean if the church were to say any woman who puts on trouser will end up in hell OR that owning and watching TV is a sin, I have to find someone, Christian opposed the Church teaching after the first Council meeting held in Jerusalem in Acts15, in order to be able to take my personal stance?
.
Sorry,I can't find anyone. I give up. I'll take the church's stance.