The need for proper Biblical interpretation keeps coming up in my studies so I am going to expand upon my previous teachings on this subject.

There is a serious need for “objectively” studying the Bible. If you become too emotionally attached to a subject you can make it what you want it to be versus what it really is. When that happens it becomes “subjective” and not “objective”. The two can be one but must be after you objectively do your research and stick to the facts, which we call “reality”. Then and only then can it become “subjective” and emotionally attached to. A good example is the divinity of Jesus. Once you consider the “facts” “objectively” you will find an emotional attachment to the reality that Jesus is God. The “facts” are there and can be found “objectively”. Then it becomes “subjective” to that “reality”. I do not have the time or space to delve into that subject but there are a couple of movies that cover this quite well. They are; “God’s Not Dead” and “The Case For Christ”.
If you cannot start out your study with “objectivity”, you will find yourself becoming faulty and leading yourself astray. It is really hard to take yourself, the “self”, out of the way because we are human. The best way to handle this is to be aware of that fact and be willing to try to be “objective”. Look up the “facts” first. Then put those facts together and see if it matches what you believe “subjectively”. If not then you need to reconsider your belief and look for more facts. Incidentally, this is what they did in “The Case For Christ”.

Now let me put forth my “rules for biblical interpretation, the short version.

1. Read the Bible in “context”. Study the who, what, when, where, why and how of the verse and chapter and book you are reading. Who wrote it. Under what conditions did they write it. When was it written. Where was it written. Why was it written. How was it written and under what circumstances was it written. I call this the “reason the quill was put to the papyrus, skin or rock”. This also is called the “original purpose”. This also applies to the entire Bible as a whole, which brings me to…

2. Take the Word in “concert”, “symphony”, “as a whole”. The reason for this is that the 66 book cannon is the “inerrant Word of God” as to doctrinal content. Also, this refers to the original writing, not the “interpreted” writing. When you read an “interpretation” you are also getting the interpreters self choice of what that word means. It can be helpful to go to the original language to see if you agree with the interpreters choices. If you can’t find the original language version I would recommend looking at as many versions as you can and compare them. The most important thing to know is that the real author of these 66 books in our Bible is the Holy Spirit. There is no way all 40 some odd writers could all be in agreement over 1,500 years without a singular influence, the Holy Spirit.

3. Read it literally first. If it works with number one and two above, then that is what it means. If it doesn’t fit with “context” and “concert” then search for the real meaning. It might be poetry or allegory etc. God did not write the Bible to try to trick us who know Him. It is for us to know it and others who do not know God to search for Him until they find Him. So, if there is a seaming disagreement look at the original language and pray the Holy Spirit give you the understanding.
It is also helpful to have a good understanding of our language, English. There might be secondary reasons for the writing and third too, but they are more “subjective”.

4. Know how the Bible was put together and what languages it was written in originally. The original language of the Old Testament was Hebrew with some Aramaic, Daniel 2:4 through chapter 7. The New Testament was written in Greek. All other languages are translations subject to translators “self”. Also note the difference between a “translation” a “transliteration” and a “paraphrase”. A “transliteration” is a direct literal crossover from one language to another. Young’s Literal Translation, YLT, is a “transliteration”. The most prolific type is “translation”. This is where a translator does their best to pick the correct words using the first language to translate the meaning to another without embellishment. King James Version, KJV, is a “translation”. A “paraphrase” is where the translator claims to understand the original and wants to express it to the reader in an easier manner and writes it and embellishes upon it in whatever way they wish. The Living Bible, TLB, is a “paraphrase”.
The Bible is a collection of smaller books put together due to their singular purpose. The “Torah” is the first five books of the Bible purportedly written by Moses and also called “The Law”. The real meaning of “Torah” is “Instructions”. Then there is books of history, poetry and prophesy that make up the rest of the 34 books of the Old Testament for a total of 66. There are multiple make ups of the Old Testament too. The Catholics have a version called the “Apocrypha”. This adds a number of books to the Old Testament such as the book of Enoch.
The New Testament is 27 letters written by people who were considered the most credible and close to Jesus the Christ. None of them were written during Jesus’ life. All were written after His death and resurrection between 40 and 100 AD. They were all written in Greek with some use of Aramaic words mixed in. The use of the Aramaic word “abba” is an example.
The “cannon” of the Old Testament was determined by priests and elders of the Hebrew peoples before the time of Jesus the Christ. The ‘cannon” of the New Testament was not settled until around 300 AD. The “cannons” were partially determined by their agreement with each other which is considered “God Inspired” or “God Breathed”. Thus we say the Bible is the God Breathed Inspired Inerrant Word of God, Jesus the Christ. Just in case you ever wonder about that statement remember, it is all about Jesus the Christ. Every word in some way shape or form is about Jesus the “Word” that became flesh and dwelt among us.

There are more “rules” but the above is the most important. Always ask the Holy Spirit to give you “understanding” and “wisdom” when reading the Bible as they are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Use the above rules and it will help you curb the “self” which often misleads people to misinterpret the Bible. Also, be careful when a person claims to be using their understanding of the original language. Check it out for yourself, they still have “self” involved.

Come and eat of the Bread of Life, the manna that came down from heaven to feed us. The Word created all things. All life comes from Him, Jesus the Christ. Let Him nourish you and make you alive. He holds all things, every atom, together by the power of his Word and will.