Let’s say a few words about the Scriptures, specifically how to properly read and interpret them. But first, let us tell a humorous story. A sectarian preacher with a Bible in hand once entered an Orthodox church. The service had just ended. The sectarian approached the presbyter and said, “Give me 20 minutes, and I’ll prove from the Bible that you shouldn’t venerate icons because they are idols, and in general, you are doing everything wrong here!” The presbyter said, “Well, go ahead…” And the “preacher” began quoting Scriptures on various Orthodox “wrongdoings.” Fifteen minutes, 20, 30… The presbyter stopped him and said, “You know, people worked all day and then stood in the service for two hours… Basically, everyone understands what you wanted to say. But would you like me to prove from the Scriptures that you should hang yourself?” “What?! How?! Hang myself?!” – the sectarian was confused, – “and where is that written?” The presbyter took the Bible, opened it, pointed to the text, and said, “Read what it says,” – and it was written: “…he (Judas) went out and hanged himself” (Matt. 27:5). Then he turned a few pages and read: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37)…
Funny? But unfortunately, this is how all “Christians” (“Orthodox,” Catholics, and not just Protestants) read and interpret the Scriptures! We have already proven (see Parts I, II, III) that any text (“letter”) can be filled with any content (the texts of the Holy Scriptures can be filled with heretical, satanic content-spirit, and vice versa). All heretics justify their heresies by the Holy Scriptures (and say: “It is written there,” although even by the letter it speaks of the opposite!). Every reader reads himself into each text! Therefore, the Lord did not establish a printing house (to print and distribute books and brochures “to the ends of the earth”), but sent living people, living witnesses of the coming Kingdom of God (who are everything to everyone: for the Jews, like Jews, for the Gentiles – like Gentiles, for atheists – like atheists), full of the Holy Spirit! So be careful how you read and listen! Do not deceive yourself and seek direct, living communication-advice from people more experienced than you in spiritual life (you may not find such people, but for the humble thought, the Lord will protect you; just be sincere and truthful to the end!), and do not arrogantly, self-confidently say that you can learn to pray from books (if you think so – you are already halfway in delusion).
The Apostle says: “All Scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Tim. 3:16). What is the God-breathed nature of the Church’s Scriptures is clearly demonstrated in the Gospel of Luke. No one denies that this book is the result of divine inspiration, yet Luke begins it with the assertion that it is the result of the most diligent research: “…it seemed good to me also, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly account…” (see Luke 1:1-4). Divine inspiration does not descend on a person who sits with folded hands and empty thoughts, waiting for something unknown, but on a person who thinks, seeks, and investigates. True inspiration comes when the seeking, inquisitive mind of a person connects with the hidden Truth of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. The Word of God is given (the Truth is given, gifted), but it is absorbed only by those who seek it: “Seek and you will find” (Matt. 7:7).
We said that only the author (and those to whom the author has told) knows what is written in his book! Who is the author of the Holy Scriptures? Considering the book to be God-breathed, we must consider its primary Author to be God Himself (the Holy Spirit, who “spoke through the prophets” (see Acts 28:25, Rom. 1:2, Heb. 1:1, and others)), and the Christian – His prophet. But the prophet is not a mindless tool of God, but a person with their free will (which the Loving God respects and preserves), with all their human traits, including their peculiarities as a writer and theologian. Christian Holy Scripture always has two authors: God and man (the prophet, the Christian); (“…it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” – see Acts 15:28). The Word of God is simultaneously both divine and human, just as the Word of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, is simultaneously both God and Man. (Since a human being is a co-author of Scripture, there can be errors, inaccuracies. For example, the evangelist Mark writes that the Lord will rise after three days, that is, on Monday (see Mark 10:34), while it should be: on the third day, as in the other evangelists (see, for example, Matt. 8:31, Luke 18:33)).
The author of the content, the Spirit of Scripture – is the Holy Spirit, and the author of the form, genre, style of presentation-transmission of theology, that is, the “letter” of Scripture (various forms of transmission (words, music, sounds, colors, architecture, ranks, etc.), in which they transmit the knowledge of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God) – is man (the Spirit-bearer, the Christian, the prophet). (Every Christian is a prophet of God!). It would not be superfluous to put a copyright symbol (©) in every book of the Holy Scriptures, so that every reader could know who to contact to find out what (or Whom) is written about here (for only the Author(!) and those who have learned directly from the Author know what is written in the book, – those who are in the tradition of the knowledge of the Spirit of Scripture):