As we have seen, the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture, and supernaturally preserved (and continues to preserve) Scripture. Likewise, the Holy Spirit illuminates the regenerate to understand the scripture. That the Holy Spirit illuminates does not preclude the necessity of we who study the Bible to work diligently to interpret the Bible accurately. Let’s face it, there many cults and isms whose existence is based on misinterpreting the Bible. It is with that in mind that we will now consider eight principles of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation). These are also found in our GBC discipleship materials in Book Three.
Here are the first two:
1. The importance of context. No passage of Scripture can be correctly interpreted by itself. Each needs to be understood within the context that it is found. There is an immediate and a general context. The immediate context is made up of the verses just before and just after the one in question. The general context refers to what the Bible as a whole says about the subject matter. If our interpretation of any passage is in contradiction to any other passage, we have erred. For example: Look at Mark 11:24.
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
If this was all a person knew about prayer, he would think prayer was a way to get “whatever” he might want, simply by believing. If he looked at the immediate context, he would learn from verse twenty-two that his faith must be in God. That helps a little more, but it still doesn’t tell the whole story. The general context of the Bible tells us that we are to pray according to God’s will.
John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
This is a classic example of the importance of context.
2. Allow the clear, simple, and explicit to interpret the unclear, complex, and implicit. There are passages that are more clear and passages that are less clear. We need to understand the complex in light of the simple, not the other way around. If we have to stretch the interpretation of an otherwise clear passage to accommodate our interpretation of a less clear passage, we are likely mistaken.
For example: In some cases the Bible interprets itself clearly (e.g., the lampstands and stars in Revelation 1:12 & 16 are clearly interpreted in v.20). Other passages, though not directly interpreted, are obvious (e.g., the Lamb in Revelation 5, though not named, is clearly the Lord Jesus). When studying portions that are not as clear (especially prophecy), care must be taken that they are not interpreted in a way that challenges or changes the interpretation of the passages that are clear.