Proper guidelines for biblical interpretation

Why it is important

Day-to-day Christians often overlooks hermeneutics- the art and science of

interpreting the bible. It challenges our minds in considering the correct way in which

to process and understand the scriptures of the bible. However, for this reason some

will disregard it for their own preference of what the bible should be saying.

It is the duty of every Christian to carry out good interpretation principles, being

mindful and analytical in our thinking. We meditate upon the scriptures, taking into

consideration principles of observation.

Observation is the first step in interpreting the bible- how can you interpret what it is

saying without first understanding what is going on. We consider the context, what

was the time, the culture, the setting and reoccurring themes in the scriptures.

Assumptions can be very problematic when interpreting the bible, we fool ourselves

into thinking the scriptures lack meaning, inserting our own- tampering with the word

of God.

Another risky factor, we overlook parts of scripture that apply, this happens when we

think we have observed everything in the text- but have neglected to observe what

lead to the situation in the text and what happened after!

Full observation is the key to proper interpretation, drawing out a scriptural truth

about the text, if you understand what it is you have observed.

Lack of understanding is yet another factor that can lead us astray. If you try to speak

about things, you do not understand or do not have a full grasp on, you risk saying or

doing what is unintended originally.

In this case it is better to go back and re-evaluate what you know to find where your

understanding is lacking and start again from there, sometimes we need our more

spiritually mature Christians to also come along side us and help us gain the

understanding.

With proper understanding and full gathering of information, we can now try to

interpret the meaning. What now are we going to do with this answer? Application is

just as important; you could have the right interpretation but then give a wrong

application. This can be a trend with lukewarm believers and the like, leading to

traditions and habits that are non-biblical.

That is why it is so important to have a full grasp on Hermeneutics, to avoid

misinterpretations and how else will we be able to become more Christ like if we

cannot understand the Word given to teach us?