I agree it would be ideal if we could all agree on the meaning of scripture. In heaven, I believe that will be the case, when all is revealed.
But I belive the text you quote is about belonging to cults of personalities (Ciaphus, whatever teacher of the day), and forgetting it is all about the gospel.
I would like to be a participant in a middle-of-the-harbor Bible study here on F.R.
There is much to learn that we all can agree on, regardless of denomination of Christianity.
The rules:
1. No one says what denomination they are from.
2. No one says “well my church teaches ABCDEF.”
3. Someone has the job of posting questions, from whatever source.
4. Everyone does their homework.
5. We answer the best we can, utiiling the Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and whatever outside aids we can use (e.g., from the Catechism to the footnotes in your NIV).
6. Only sinners are invited. Perfect people can go play somewhere else so we don’t feel bad.
Anyone game?
I agree that there is much to agree upon, but isn’t it like “the Sun set in the West today AGAIN” type of exercise?
Your premise is Protestant: that people can figure out the more difficult passages of the scripture by themselves, without patristic study. The Protestant disunity shows the futility of the exercise. Before there was the Holy Scripture there was the Church that kept and obeyed the Word in her bosom. That is what needs to be studied, not what a middle class American can think up from reading the Bible.