If you are an Iglesia Ni Cristo, I’m sure, you already heard many of your Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers saying that you cannot privately interpret the Scriptures. At ang sasabihin pa nila ay kailangan mo ng isang magpapaliwanag sa iyo, at sila ay wala nang iba kundi ang mga Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers din. Sa katunayan ay hindi lamang sila ang nagbabawal sa mga miyembro nila na unawain ang Bible sa kanilang sariling pag-aaral. Maraming pang iba na tulad ng mga Saksi Ni Jehovah na pawang ginagabayan ng kanilang magasing Ang Bantayan: Naghahayag ng Kaharian Ni Jehovah (The Watchtower: Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom) at Gumising! (Awake!) magazines. Ang mga miyembro ng Members Church of God International (MCGI) or mas popular sa tawag na Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) ay gayun din ang ginagawa. Sasabihin ng mga miyembro ni Mr. Eliseo Soriano na sila daw ay pinapayagang magbasa. Tama, puwede silang magbasa pero gamit ang worldview lens ng kanilang founder. Oo nga naman. Pinapayagan silang magbasa, pero ang magpapaliwanag at ang iintindi pa rin ay hindi sila, kundi ang kanilang pinaka-lider. Kaya malimit pag may nakausap ako na miyembro ng kanilang grupo ay sasabihin nila palaging, dumalo ka sa Pamamahayag, Bible Exposition, or pag-aaral sa mga Kingdom Halls. Bakit nila ito ginagawa? Para ma-centralize nila or ma-monopolize nila ang Bible interpretation at hindi magkaroon ng pagkakataon ang mga tao na kuwestiyunin ang mga turo nila. Oo, puwede silang magtanong. Oo puwede silang magdala ng Bible at magbasa. Pero ang magpaliwanag sa kanilang sarili? HIndi! Their members will never do that because they leave everything to the so-called “messenger” of this generation. Ganitong-ganito din ang ginagawa ng leader ng Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ, na kilala sa pangalang 4th Watch led by Mr. Arsenio Ferriol. Nakaalis na nga tayo sa ganitong klase ng gawain ng mga religious leaders ng Roman Catholic Church for more than five hundred years dahil sa mga Reformers na tulad nina Martin Luther, John Huss, John Wycliffe, at iba pa, ay babalik pa ba naman tayo uli sa ganitong espirituwal na pagkakulong or bondage?

Maaaring ang mga Iglesia Ni Cristo members ay mahihirapang sundin ang mga ginagawa ng mga Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers na may patalon-talon at pabago-bago ng mga versions sa kanilang pagpapaliwanag. Actually, ang totoo nito ay style nila ito upang hindi mabasa at maintindihan ng mga tao ang konteksto ng verse na kanilang binabasa. Usually ay kukuha sila ng mga passages sa ibang versions na alam nilang medyo sumu-support sa kanilang tinuturo. Wala namang problema kung kumuha ka ng ibang versions to clarify kaso ang problema ay pinaglalaban nila ang mga version translations na dapat ay hindi. Hayaan mong bigyan kita ng halimbawa sa kanilang paliwanag sa kanilang magasin. Sabi nila ang tinutukoy ng Romans 16:25 ay ang “Salita ng Diyos” na naitago sa katahimikan. According to their statement in the Pasugo magazine, 

“Have the words of God really been kept hidden? And are they really mysterious? Apostle Paul, himself learned in the law, answered affirmatively to both questions. In his letter to the Christians in Rome, he said:

“Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past.” (Rom. 16:25, New International Version)

“Therefore, there are many parts of the Bible that are not only mysterious but also hidden, providing a double level of inscrutability. In fact, the attempt to interpret the Bible through one’s understanding and personal opinions is futile indeed, because God’s word cannot be privately interpreted (II Pt. 1:20). Those who attempt to do so would find themselves ‘always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth” (II Tim. 3:7, New King James Version).” 

Pasugo, April 2001, Volume 53, Number 4

Pag-aralan natin kung tama itong kanilang mga paliwanag. Sa katunayan, kung hindi ka magiging observant dito sa sinulat nilang ito ay tatanggapin mo na lang ito wholeheartedly without any question. Let’s study this one. May napansin lang ako dito sa statement nilang ito. A number of things needs lang ang napansin ko below:

1. Ang pinapakita nila dito sa Romans 16:25 ay “Words of God” daw ang tinutukoy dito na “hidden” pero ang totoo ay hindi. Never itong nagre-refer sa “Word of God” na “hidden” daw but actually the prophecies that were hidden in the Old Testament now revealed in the New Testament as explained in verse 27. Basahin natin ang verse 27 kung saan ang sabi ay “but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings” which points to the Messiah. Dati ay hidden, ngayon ay revealed na. Kaya nga ang sabi sa verse 26 ay “the proclamation of Jesus Christ” na kung pag-aaralan mo ay pinrophecy Siya sa Old Testament pero hindi pa Siya totally niri-reveal. Actually, the Trinitarian Christian scholars who worked on God’s Word Translation translated Romans 16:25-26 very clearly for us saying,

²⁵ Let us give glory to God! He is able to make you stand firm in your faith, according to the Good News I preach about Jesus Christ and according to the revelation of the secret truth which was hidden for long ages in the past. ²⁶ Now, however, that truth has been brought out into the open through the writings of the prophets; and by the command of the eternal God it is made known to all nations, so that all may believe and obey. – Romans 16:25-26

Napansin mo ba kung paanong magkarugtong yung dalawang verses na hindi talaga ito tumutukoy sa “Word of God” rather sa prophecied Messiah na si Jesus Christ? I hope you see this. 

2. Nilagyan ng Iglesia Ni Cristo writer ng “period” ang statement sa Romans 16:25 ng NIV na kung observant ka ay “comma” talaga iyan after the words “ages past,” kasi may karugtong pa siya sa verse 26 to 27. Although sa ibang version this was translated in one sentence katulad ng ginawa sa Good News Bible sa itaas. Pero, madali mo namang mapapansin na ang statement ng verse 26 ay talagang konektado sa sinasabi ng verse 25. Kasi ang words agad na sinabi ay sa verse 27 ay, “Now, however…” na alam mong may nilatag muna bago sabihin ito. Please read it below,

²⁵ Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, ²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him– ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. 

Romans 16:25-27, NIV

3. The Pasugo writer also cited the 2 Peter 1:20 na gusto nilang ipakita ay “God’s word cannot be privately interpreted” as if hindi ka talaga puwedeng magbasa ng Bible at i-interpret mo sa sarili mo. Kaso, hindi tungkol sa pag-aaral ng Bible using private interpretation ang gustong sabihin ng verse na ito. So ano ba talaga ang sinasabi ng verse na ito sa ibaba? 

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.”

2 Peter 3:20, NIV

Ibig sabihin nito ang prophecy ng Old Testament ay hindi nanggaling sa private interpretation nina Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Moses, at ng mga iba pang manunulat ng Old Testament kundi galing ito sa Holy Spirit na nag-guide sa kanila. Kaya nga ang sabi sa verse 21 ay ganito,

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 3:21, NIV

So kung iyong mapapansin ay napakalayo ng interpretation ng Iglesia Ni Cristo writer sa nasabing verse. Ang problema kasi ay hinuhugot lang nila out of context ang mga pet verses nila ng hindi kino-consider ang context. Sana ay nakikita ninyo ito. 

4. Meron ding binanggit ang Iglesia Ni Cristo writer dito na galing sa 2 Timothy 3:7 na para bang ang tinutukoy nito ay private interpretation of God’s word through studying the Bible. Again, malalaman mo na naman na ito ay hinugot ng Iglesia Ni Cristo writer out of context para lamang ipakita yung gusto nilang ituro sa mga tao. At kung hindi ka matututong magbasa ay siguradong ililigaw ka ng kanilang mga paliwanag. According to the above Pasugo explanation,   

Those who attempt to do so would find themselves ‘always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth” (II Tim. 3:7, New King James Version).” 

Ito ba talaga ang gustong sabihin ni Paul kay Timothy?

This is not what Paul was telling Timothy. Rather, he was giving him a warning that there are some false teachers who were spreading false teachings by going to every household. And women who were gullible enough to believed their lies entertain and embrace their teachings (see 2 Tim. 3:1-6). This is why Paul explained, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7, NKJV). Wala itong kinalaman sa pag-aaral ng Bible na hindi mo masusumpungan daw ang katotohanan kahit na ito ay iyong pag-aralan. Actually, si Paul pa nga ang nag-e-encourage, hindi lamang kay Timothy, kundi sa lahat ng mananampalataya na magbasa at mag-aral ng Salita ng Diyos.

¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, ¹⁷ so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Huwag tayong magpapadala sa kahit na kaninong mga tao or religious groups na nagsasabing hindi daw natin dapat na ipaliwanag ang Salita ng Diyos. Walang masama kung may mga taong nais na tumulong sa iyo on how to understand the Scriptures. Ganiyan ang nangyari sa Ethiopian eunuch kung saan tinanong siya ni Philip kung naiintindihan ba niya ang binabasa niya. Naging honest naman itong official ng Candace kaya pinasakay niya si Philip sa chariot niya at doon siya tinuruan.

³⁰ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”

Acts 8:30-31, ESV

The Iglesia Ni Cristo loves to use this passage to prove to the people that you need somebody to interpret the Bible for you. But this is not always the case because in Acts 17:11, you will also notice that the Jews in Berea were listening to Paul intently. The writer and historian Luke took note of their eagerness to examine, scrutinize, search, and investigate the Scripture if what Paul says were true.

¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Acts 17:10-11, ESV

I hope we will be like the Berean Jews who were commended by Paul searching the Scriptures to see if what the Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers or any other religious teachers are saying is truly aligned with the truth of the Scriptures. Kung hindi sila faithful sa katotohanan, then I hope you will have the courage to also say, “I will not receive this doctrine but I will be faithful to the Holy Spirit’s teaching.” Tandaan natin na walang taong napapaniwala sa mga turo ng mga Iglesia Ni Cristo, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Ang Dating Daan, Oneness Pentecostalism, PMCC 4th Watch, Kingdom of Jesus Christ ni Mr. Apollo C. Quiboloy, Seventh-day Adventist, Jesus Miracle Crusade International ni Wilde E. Almeda, Lord’s Recovery ni Witness Lee, at kung ano-ano pang kulto na naririnig mo sa paligid nang hindi dinudoktrinahan. All of them goes through the indoctrination process for many days to make sure their teachings are embedded in the minds of their followers. However, ibang-iba naman sa mga Kristiyano. Bigyan mo lamang ang isang tao ng Bibliya at hayaan mong ito’y basahin niya ng taimtim at may kaseryosohan ay masisiguro nating masusumpungan niya ang katotohanan tungkol kay Hesus at sa kaniyang kaligtasan. Ito ang nangyari sa maraming mga dating taga-Iglesia Ni Cristo, taga-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), at taga-Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witness), kung saan matapos nilang basahin ang Bibliya, sila ay na-born again sa kanilang espiritu at nakalaya sa legalismo. Bakit hindi mo subukan?

At the end of the day, naniniwala akong kung hihingi ka lamang ng tulong sa Banal na Espiritu ay masisiguro ko sa iyong tutulungan ka Niya. Siya ang iyong magiging gabay, taga-pagturo, at magiging iyong Mangangaral or Teacher. At ang Kaniyang mga turo ay siguradong hindi sasalungat sa identity ni Jesus sapagka’t siguradong dadakilain ng Banal na Espiritu ang Anak ng Diyos sa iyong pagbabasa ng Salita ng Diyos.

¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 16:13-14, ESV