Reflections
No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (2 Pet 1:20)
This verse has been made to mean by Roman Catholics that the church has the right of interpretation for the individual. But that is not the meaning. Peter is simply saying that I cannot adjust the Truth to fit myself personally. Rather, I must be adjusted to fit the Truth. And the fact is, we are ultimately going to do one or the other.
All of us have fallen into the trap of accepting whatever feeds us – if something feeds me, then this must be the Truth. No. Error feeds the flesh. The Truth will often be an offense to our flesh. Thus, only God can convict a person of the Truth.
There are many examples of cults and false movements that are built upon the violation of this one verse: Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), Joseph Smith (The Mormons), Charles Taze Russell (Jehovah’s Witnesses), and many others. All of them said that God has revealed the Truth through only THEM. No. Anyone who makes such claims is a heretic. Some of them claimed special visitations from angels, or even Jesus Himself. Yet despite the fact that each of these people claim special revelation from God, what they teach is from out of themselves, or the evil one. They are deceived by the their own unbelief and have deceived others.
The doctrines that emerge from these deluded men are differ as to error. But each of them in some way deny the identity of Jesus Christ as God Incarnate, the only Savior of the world. They have taken the Truth and adjusted it to fit themselves. There is no end to the possibilities of spiritual disaster once we do this.
Truth cannot come from out of man. Truth comes through revelation from God. I have no right to interpret scripture according to myself — if I do so I create God in MY own image. No. Truth is a Person. I must allow God to adjust and change ME so that I might manifest and be one with Him