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If that is so why are there multiple and often contradictory interpretations of so many of the key Scriptures upon which primary Christian doctrines are based?
A couple of answers for that...
Most Christians don't spend a lot of time in the Bible...They generally know plenty of key scripture but they are not teachers of the scripture but those who follow the teachers...
In my experience I find that many teachers of the scriptures either don't believe everything they read or they don't like what they read and they change it to suit them...This results in church splits and sometimes new denominations are formed...
We do not have the capacity to understand the scriptures...They are spiritually discerned...God provides the understanding as long as we supply the belief...No one gets the deep things of scripture until they get the basics, the milk...If God gives you some milk and you don't like it, you're done...God will show you no more...And when that happens the man will go on relying on his own interpretation and another denomination is formed...
But the final answer is that one has to reconcile ALL of the scriptures...If you fine a scripture that shows salvation is by faith alone and another that shows works are involved, you can't pick one over another...You have to believe them both and trust that God will show you how they are different...
And then, there are scriptures that are meant for none of us...They are time sensitive...And people sensitive...They are not written to the church or for the church...This is true for so much of the Old Testament...And yet, some will use those scriptures to create doctrine for this age and there goes another denomination...
Well stated. ... Elsie, catch that last paragraph. It is stated so much clearer than my freepmail to you.