Self-reliance is a snare. It's a trap.
As a signifier of quite how horrid and treacherous that route is, one need only consider that The Satanic Temple touts moral autonomy and personal responsibility as the core tenets of their ideology. And knowledge as a core component of ardent practical pursuit.
I don't recommend doing the research on those things--we aren't to fill our minds with them, because that literally invites havoc by fixating on evil rather than on the Lord. Prior living made those things a lamentable port of call, is all. And the Lord has turned even that evil to good, in terms of allowing shared insight...per having been delivered, into grace, now clinging to Christ.
Moreover, the point is that...wandering into those sorts of ideologies seems utterly harmless. Except that such things are in direct opposition to God's sovereign grace.
What we accomplish by attempting to rely on our own strength, whether Christian or not, is resistance against God. The flesh is opposed to the Spirit. The carnal mind is enmity against God.
Not slightly. Totally. And it'll be that way until we're delivered into the presence of Christ, in full. Transformed, completely.
Again and again, turning to one's own understanding will only yield confusion, pain, false confidence, arrogance, and rebellion against God. He's been merciful to deliver from all these, and His keeping power is all which restrains any given individual from falling prey to them, ever.
The bondage there is very real. And it's very sneaky. Creeps up, slowly, for having such an appearance of goodness. Appearance of goodness being the key consideration...
It's a fruit which looks good for food. Self-reliance looks really good, really upright.
But it only indicates and comprises a resistance against God perhaps most largely founded in distrust of His willingness and desire to direct and keep our steps in order.
The best way to know if you know the Lord is to be able to look back on life, after the fact of believing oneself saved, and be able to see / receive witness from the Holy Spirit...that life conforms to descriptions in Scripture. Not before the fact. Can't do it before the fact, in a lot of ways.
That's the part which is perhaps most confounding to the human mind--being unable to comprehend prophecy until it's come to pass. And even then only once direct revelation is received, precisely.
As an example of this, consider Jewish reception of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. Some followed Him. Few believed He was Messiah. Some did. Not many. But the most authoritative legal/religious figures...seemingly, for the most part...were totally blind to His identity. Full of knowledge, full of a sense of morality (far exceeding that of surrounding nations: keep in mind they attempted to base moral code on God's revealed will, which is the standard of morality), completely focused on the strict adherence to what constituted their version of personal responsibilities (per Scripture). Completely self-reliant, though, in interpretation.
To such extent that so many completely failed to interpret prophecy regarding Messiah correctly that Paul has forever been recorded as lamenting the blindness of his brethren, longing for them to come to a knowledge of truth.
So, it's not about knowing Scripture. It's not about piecing things together. It's not about taking a retrospective look at one's life in light of Scripture and just doing a comparative analysis.
If those things worked, effective in their own right, then all of Israel would have come to salvation 2,000 years ago. Because those in positions such as Saul's...made it a life-work to precisely know and study and interpret Scripture. Even through commentary of revered forefathers, of some.
But God didn't then open their eyes to see. He is now. But He didn't, then.
Point being, though--the foremost experts on matters Scriptural completely and totally missed something which seems utterly obvious to many people today. Those who know Christ tend to take it for granted that things which seem "simple" are simple to understand. That's a major point of contention, even, amongst us.
But these things we consider simple aren't--they're only "simple" on one of two fronts: either we think we understand them, according to human reasoning and understanding, because they superficially have an appearance of utmost straightforwardness...
...or the Lord has so cleanly and explicitly revealed meaning to us that we are totally unaware of His active revelation, as to have never even considered there could be alternate interpretations.
Not to say that all things in Scripture are as such, no. Not at all.
But even there...no one would argue that everyone in the world agrees on the basic truths of Scripture. Because there are many who are deluded, unable to recognize truth.
So what seems false, egregious, offensive, or even nonsensical to those who are continuing to rebel against God's truths...is actually very clear truth, when plainly revealed by the Holy Spirit.
The "problem" you run into there...as far as the attempt to interpret goes...is that if you are attempting a "one size fits all" interpretation, for the sake of "clarifying" for others what Scripture means?...when you consider the basic truth that the world cannot know or comprehend truth, as it does not have and refuses to receive the Spirit of truth...it can be known with utmost certainty that even the most explicit commentator, the most diligent information analyst, or the most thorough scholar of Biblical languages...is still limited by awareness of their own interpretations, and thus inherently incapable of interpreting in a way which will change what's rejected into something accepted.
Unless the very image of what's written is changed, that is. And, at that point, the Spirit of truth will prevent those reading from accepting the altered image. Because He is truth. And all truth comes through Him.
Or not at all.
So, if we try to set up a checklist, we're only as thorough as our ability to know all the potential interpretations. And potential implications. And this, even regarding that which we intend to "hold up against Scripture" as to compare.
Take two dishrags into a room completely devoid of light and compare the colors, compare patterns. What do you see?
You'll feel texture, especially if it's varied...but you won't be able to compare visible patterns. Unless there's light.
We have to have light to see.
And that's where mercy comes in, very drastically, in terms of instances where the Lord allows knowledge of His truths to come despite our self-reliance....in spite of our unwillingness to submit to His guidance, entirely.
Insisting upon our own abilities to interpret and understand. And to know and prepare. To discern and distinguish.
He is soooooo merciful on that count, to all of us. Period.
Because we're all defiant. We all tend toward self-reliance, reliance upon our own understanding. All of us. He came to save us, though, to deliver us. From punishment due such rampant rebellion. Save us from wretched rebellion unto wrath, into loving obedience through grace.
His love prevails.
The point is that we are completely lost, blind, and incapable of knowing truth, except that He reveal it. Even in terms of self-examination using Scripture.
But the good news...is that, despairing of self, realizing it's inherent incapability...we can simultaneously realize that He is both willing and fully capable of leading us into all truth and righteousness. Nothing wavering.
Just means having to surrender. Having to trust.
He did all the work necessary. Jesus gave His life to save us from sin, from wrath. We just have to turn from relying upon ourselves, even crying out to Him in despair at inability to turn from that course...knowing He will help...He will help us turn from sin! For reals. Even by helping us want to turn from sin and want to turn toward Him--toward total reliance upon Him. He'll help on all counts, all we have to do is...begin to just:
Ask Him.
And continue asking.
All hope and power is in Christ Jesus, God of all which exists. Turn to Him, He will help.
He paid the highest price to redeem us. He is willing.
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