Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/5552

5552 Interpretation of the words of Christ.... feeding the pure gospel....

December 11, 1952: Book 61

Christ's words, which He spoke on earth, can be interpreted in many ways and must be recognized as eternal truth despite different interpretations. For this reason, however, the interpretations must also correspond to the spiritual meaning which Jesus placed in His words, otherwise they are to be described as erroneous and contribute to the pure gospel being distorted in its meaning. And therefore there is a certain responsibility in wanting to interpret the scriptures according to one's own intellectual thinking when the spirit of God cannot work and enlighten the human being's intellect. But the working of the divine spirit is the result of a life according to God's will.... And so the person who feels called to interpret scripture must ask himself before his conscience to what extent he is fulfilling the will of God.... The interpretation of the gospel, of the words of Christ, must be carried out by the spirit of God Himself, then they will also correspond to the truth, for the word of God, the teaching of Jesus Christ, is a teaching of the spirit, it is a teaching which only concerns the spiritual kingdom and is intended to promote the human being's spiritual development. Consequently, worldly intellect alone cannot grasp God’s word in its profound spiritual meaning but the spirit in the human being must be active, which now directs all thoughts spiritually and leads the human being to the true understanding of Jesus' words.... If the word is only interpreted in a purely literal way, then contradictions can often be found, which, however, immediately disappear with a spiritual interpretation. But if they are wrongly interpreted they endanger the teaching of Christ, i.e. they often give cause for rejection, because again only the intellect judges and contradictions create a will to defend oneself. And thus it can be explained that Christ's teaching is often rejected because the teachers themselves could not be instructed by the spirit within themselves, because they themselves accepted and passed on a wrong interpretation which sooner or later had to lead to rejection, because only truth gives light but error always increases the darkness people suffer from. And once again the whole of christianity is in danger, the recognition and acknowledgement of Christ as redeemer of the world is weakened to the same extent as the truth is weakened, because only through truth does man become light and because only through truth does the courage to confess the saviour and redeemer strengthen, Whose work of love and mercy is so immensely significant that people would also fully confess Him if presented and explained correctly. People walk in darkness due to their sinful state and are not led out of darkness. They cannot find the way themselves because everything is dark but the right light can only be brought by God Himself through His spirit. Where His spirit works, there is light, and there is also a deep faith in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption. But where teaching activities are carried out without the working of the spirit, only error is presented to people and darkness cannot depart from them....

And thus it will now be understandable to you humans why God directs the gospel to earth again in its purest form.... They are His words which never change, which always and forever remain but have not been explained in their meaning by human wisdom.... Now God Himself gives the explanation of His word; in a comprehensible and most loving way He seeks to introduce people to the truth. He speaks the same words to people again and enlightens the spirit of those who listen to Him.... He wants light to shine because deep night is spread across the earth; He wants you humans to recognize what you lack; He wants you to be instructed in truth and now also recognize and acknowledge Jesus Christ, the son of God and redeemer of the world, because you can only become blessed through Him, because His gospel has to be accepted by you as He Himself proclaimed it to you....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers