I am just a layman.  I have no special training in understanding the Lord’s Word.  What I have learned has come by reading the Scriptures, then reading what those I consider to be Spirit-Lead teachers have to say about the Scriptures and then looking to see if those teachers match with Scripture — not the other way around.  The Lord has equipped me rather uniquely for this task, though I did not realize it until just recently.  I have formal training in philosophy and logic, and a very acute sense for catching discrepancies and contradictions.  This equipped me to sort ‘wheat from chaff’ when comparing the teachings of others against Scripture.  In addition to this, I am a former Marine, and we all tend to hold rather fast to our orders.  So, when I read my orders (i.e. the Scriptures), I defend them and will not budge from…