Remember, the Bible was not written to you. It was written to specific people, at a specific time in history, for a specific purpose. By seeking the author’s intent, we avoid reading modern assumptions into the text and instead discover its true meaning. So, grab your Bible, take your time, and dig deep—God’s Word is worth it!

There’s one thing you can do as a Christian that’s more important than anything else. Study the Bible. But sometimes it can feel overwhelming. With so many different authors, genres, and cultural contexts, how can we be sure we’re interpreting it correctly? That’s where hermeneutics comes in—a fancy word that simply means the method of interpreting the Bible properly.

Here are three key principles of interpretation to help you study the Bible with confidence.

First, Scripture Interprets Scripture

The Bible is the best interpreter of itself. Since all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), we can trust that it is consistent. When we come across a difficult passage, we should look at other parts of the Bible for clarity.

For example, James 2:24 says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” At first glance, this seems to contradict Paul’s teaching in Romans 3:28, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” But when we examine Scripture as a whole, we see that James and Paul are addressing different issues. Paul is refuting legalism, the belief that we can earn salvation by adhering to the Moral Law. James is addressing those who claim to have faith but show no evidence of it. Together, these passages reveal that a true Christian will produce good works.

When faced with difficult passages, start with clear teachings before tackling difficult ones. Also, use well-established doctrines like the Trinity and salvation by grace as a guide. Remember, don’t build your theology on isolated or obscure verses. The Bible is a unified whole, and no single verse should be interpreted in a way that contradicts the rest of Scripture.

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