Well of course...But there is a standard bearer...The scrptures...
the passage from St. Peter's second epistle warns us that without proper instruction, without proper "education", the Scripture can be (and are) "twisted" to be unreadable. The point is of course that this re-enforces the message of 2 Pet 3:16.
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
This is a warning to people who follow Jesus and Peter is warning about other people who don't get it about Paul's revealed mystery of the church...And it is not a warning to get a proper seminary education...
This is a warning about Paul's epistles...It deals with a future new heavens and a new earth which some religions don't beleve in, as well as many other things Paul taught, which some religions don't put much stock in...
It pertains to unlearned and unstable people 'in the knowledge of the scriptues'...
That is, how His revelation was "hidden" there but "now" revealed.
My point exactly...You and I and scholars can read something all day long but it may be meaningless, or we apply it's meaning incorrectly until and unless it is revealed to us from Jesus...
I think we’re missing the forest through the trees here. First of all, if I may mention in passing, the order in which you quoted my thoughts is out of order. For example, when I said, “The point is of course that THIS re-enforces the message of 2 Pet 3:16”, the “this” is referring to the passage in Luke you posted (Luke 22:45). Also, you didn’t address the main point raised by my statement, “In closing I’d say this:”. For the record also, that should have read “If it’s impossible to believe that the Holy Spirit uses other people...”, that is, the word “doesn’t” should be stricken.
The complete thought (which is relevant to this discussion which is why I’m repeating it) is: If it’s impossible to believe that the Holy Spirit uses other people to teach us (educate us) about His Word, then what one has done by saying such is stated, “I don’t believe the Holy Spirit inhabits anyone for the purposes of education other than me”. In other words, such a person is saying, “No one else has been taught by the Holy Spirit other than me, unless that person agrees with me.” IOW, it’s setting oneself up as a sort of “mini-Pope”.
I’d suggest you think about that previous paragraph carefully. It’s right on point if one suggests, “education is irrelevant to reading the Scriptures; all we need is Jesus. We don’t need any man”.
As a side note, In the passage from 2 Peter chapter 3, starting from verse 11, I do not see St. Peter discussing the larger revelation of Christ, but rather he is urging the more (relatively) narrow point that we should always be ready for Christ’s return.
Again though, this doesn’t matter to the point in question. Verse 16 is rather confusing when written in the KJV style, I think the NAB has it better (starting from verse 15):
“15 And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, 16 speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.”
Whatever one believes the overall context of chapter 3 is, verse 16 (starting from “In them...”) is clear: It’s warning against the “ignorant” and “unstable” who “distort” scripture. Now why, or how, do you think they are distorting scripture? Because they are “ignorant” and “unstable” and Scripture is “hard to understand”! Now, do you think an “ignorant” person could understand Scripture that is, by its own description, “hard to understand”?
The relevant portion for our discussion is the word “ignorant”. Ignorant is the lack of knowledge; how is one *not* “ignorant”? If one is educated! Thus it’s clear: To shrug off education by others as unimportant is not only dangerous, but contrary to the essence of 2 Pet 3:16.
Again, certainly it’s possible that one could learn from the Holy Spirit directly, but why is it so difficult (or unacceptable) to believe that the *way* the Holy Spirit teaches us about God’s Word is not only through direct, one on one interaction, but also through a 3rd party, a person with more education and experience than us? Why is that so heretical, especially given Eph 4:11 which specifically *tells us* that “some” will be given to be “teachers”!