Replies

>>Where does the Bible say this<<

John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit -- just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 Corinthians 2:9-14 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" -- but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

metmom's statement was The Holy Spirit guides individual believers through His word as He enlightens them to the truth found in it. was in response to my statement but the trust is in the Holy Spirit to guide us through the Church.

My question was where does the bible say this and only this is the mechanism through which the Holy Spirit Guides us. The question was not where does the Bible say this, but where does the bible say this and only this. So the first question is what did I mean when I wrote this? The word this in the sentence referred to metmom's statement that The Holy Spirit guides individual believers through His word as He enlightens them to the truth found in it. How I interpreted this is that metmom claimed that the only way one could arrive at the Truth is to study/meditate on Scripture and have the Holy Spirit enlighten them. If my interpretation of metmom's statement was wrong, please correct me. My disagreement is not with the claim that one can be enlightened through this, but that one is only enlightened through this.

Concerning John 16:13, nothing in this (or the surrounding passages) says anything about Scripture. My claim is that the Holy Spirit will act through the Church (but not only through the Church). 1 Jn 2:20 (which appears to reference Catholic Confirmation) does not appear to actually have the statement and you do not need anyone to teach you. I checked NIV and RSV2CE; which version has the above statement. In addition the context of the passage is referring to someone denying Jesus is Christ. I am unaware of where in all dogmas, doctrines, pious beliefs and other things the Catholic Church teaches, where the Catholic Church denies that Jesus is Christ. 1 Cor 2 references Scripture (Isaiah) but does not appear to state one must be reading/thinking about Scripture to have them enlightened by the Holy Spirit.