Bible Interpretation: It Depends on How You Look at It

because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. -Hebrews 4:12 (CEB)

Interpreting the Bible correctly should be a matter of the utmost concern to Christians. The problem is there are often conflicting interpretations of important passages of Scripture. How do people reach such contradictory conclusions? How can I know whether my interpretation of a passage is correct? Our task is to discover what a text really means, and to settle for less than the correct meaning is to settle for something other than the very Word of God. We have to make the assumption that there is one correct interpretation for each passage of Scripture. The author meant something specific when he wrote it. 

There are several important factors to consider in coming to a correct interpretation of a passage of the Bible and in judging between competing interpretations. They include: 

• Grammatical-Historical Interpretation
• The Original Languages
• Meaning and Use of Words in Context
• Grammar and Syntax of the Biblical Languages
• The Historical-Cultural Settings of the Bible
• Historical Background
• Cultural Background
• The Literary Genres of the Bible

I have listed below some of the basic resources that I have found invaluable in determining the correct interpretation of any passage of Scripture: