Understand You Have Presuppositions.

To have a presupposition means to believe or suppose in advance. Thus, when you come to study the Bible, you bring with you things you already believe and suppose to be true. They may or may not be true, which means your work will be to not let your presuppositions taint your interpretation. This is easier said than done. In fact, it is almost impossible to not let what you believe color what you are reading. We all do it. We all look through the lenses of our presuppositions.

The help this provides in Bible interpretation is it will put you on guard to test your conclusions and not accept them readily. This is essential to proper biblical interpretation.

 

Allow the Context of a Passage to Drive Interpretation.

Someone coined the phrase, “context is king.” In Bible study it is definitely the primary tool. Many factors, but none as important as context, determine the meaning of a sentence. The context includes the parts of the passage of Scripture that surround a word or sentence and sheds light on its meaning. The context is a “frame” through which you view the message.

There are two contexts that one verse or passage will have.