I converse most days with christians who have various christian beliefs, and who purport to support those beliefs by quoting scriptures they think establish what they claim to be true. It is quite common to have more than one christian in a conversation, and for them each to disagree with each other, and both to have scriptures they think support their contentions.
But, in the end, with disagreements over doctrines, either one side is right and the other is wrong, or they are both wrong. But, how could either side be wrong if they both have scripture that supposedly bolsters their beliefs?
If one says that someone can be saved, but then lose his salvation, and the other says that salvation cannot be lost, and they both have scriptures that seem to agree with their assertions, isn’t it scripture, then, that contains error, for there is no way for them both to be right?
If one contends that the bride will be on the earth during the tribulation, and the other says that the bride will be removed from the earth before the tribulation, and both show passages of scripture that appear to state exactly what they are claiming, isn’t the problem with the scriptures? How could scripture support two opposing sides of an argument when there is no possible way for both to be correct?
There are currently over 41,000 christian denominations that all purport to believe and teach the same bible, and yet, they all disagree with one another to some extent, otherwise they wouldn’t be separate denominations. So, is merely teaching the words of scripture enough to establish truth?
In Luke 24:45, we see why christian denominations can all disagree about the meanings of scripture, and can hold to opposing doctrines they claim are taught in the scriptures. The disciples knew the physical words of scripture very well, for they were Jews and the Torah was a bedrock of their culture—the entire Tanakh (OT) was written in their native tongue.
But, it wasn’t until that verse in Luke that we see something happening to them—their spiritual eyes were opened so that they could understand the actual meanings of the scriptures. See, just knowing the words of scripture doesn’t mean that one sees their spiritual meanings. Much of scripture takes on vastly different meanings when the passages are seen through the prism of the Father’s traditions.
The earliest believers in the New Testament were fully immersed in those traditions, so their understandings of the scriptures were filtered through those traditions. And, it was the Holy Spirit who provided their understanding into how those traditions provide the details of the spiritual real substances that had been revealed to them.
It is a spiritual tragedy that, when christianity was invented, those traditions were abolished, and over the centuries, knowledge of those things has become wholly foreign in the minds of christians, most of whom not only do not understand how they provide details into truth, but are sometimes even hostile toward them, claiming they are totally irrelevant today.
Paul told the Gentile converts to “hold fast” and keep those traditions because they provide the foundations of doctrinal understanding (1 Cor. 11:2, 2 Thess. 2:15). Without them, it is more likely that one will stray into false teachings—like all those christianese denominations.
The Holy Spirit’s truths are singular. He does not give varying versions of His truths to different people. And, His truths always align perfectly with ALL of scripture (in its original languages and contexts), and with ALL of the Father’s traditions. Sadly, most christians are completely ignorant of the Father’s traditions, so they lack that compass of discernment.
Thus, they think they understand the scriptures because they know the physical meanings of its words (most actually just know man’s translations of those Hebrew and Greek words, and that is already at least one step of separation from His literal words), but they are clueless about the Holy Spirit’s meanings in His words.
So, when a christian claims to “teach” doctrine, but knows little to nothing about the Father’s traditions, and can provide no evidence that he has actually been told he is a child of Yah, or is even being led directly by the Holy Spirit, then he doesn’t possess the necessary qualifications to speak for the Holy Spirit, or what His words actually mean.
The words of scripture without the illumination of the Holy Spirit might as well be a phone book. They are just words. There is no power in physical words. Words are not alive. But, the words of scripture, when instructed by the Holy Spirit, are able to instruct men into doctrinal purity and agreement with Him—and, in His truths, there are no denominations, there are no religions, there are no opposing factions. It is a binary construct—one either agrees with the Holy Spirit, or one is in error.
The reason there are so many flavors of christianity is that christianity is a counterfeit of the true faith. Christianity stripped away the foundations of the faith, which left it devoid of the Holy Spirit, and administered completely by human thought, which is why there are so many competing doctrines—they are all traditions of men. Yes, there is some truth in christianity, as there is in every religion. That’s how Satan deceives people into believing his lies.
So, if you claim to be a “teacher,” but are ignorant of the traditions, and cannot provide evidence that the Holy Spirit is directly leading you, then nothing you “teach” is to be regarded as His truth. You are to be exposed, rebuked, and corrected. But, most christians want no part in that. When their false teachings are exposed, they would typically rather fight than yield to the Holy Spirit’s truths. We see a group of them in Matthew 7:21-23.
For more information: Christianity’s Holy Spirit–Some Water and a Book