Bibliology Class Notes

February 19, 2026

Interpreting Scripture -A Proper Hermeneutical System

• Context

  • A word must be understood in terms of its relation to the sentence and the sentence to its relation to the paragraph and the paragraph to its relationship to the chapter and the chapter to its relationship to the book and the book to its relationship to the whole Bible

  • All interpretations must be taken literally

    • This includes taking metaphors as metaphors and idioms as idioms, etc

    • Properly applying all mannerisms of speech

  • All aspects of context are to be taken into consideration

  • Who is the passage addressed to?

    • The application of any given scripture is confined to whom the passage is written to.

    • A passage that is addressed to a certain people group cannot be applied to another people group.

  • How does the passage relate to the meaning around it?

    • How does it relate to the rest of the book?

    • How does it relate to the rest of the bible as a whole?

    • How does it relate to the progression of revelation?

    • How does the text relate to the culture and background in which it was written?

    • Ask the following questions.

      • What does the passage say?

      • What did it mean to the author?

      • What did it mean to the reader?

      • What does it mean to me in light of the consistent application of the principle of literal interpretation?

      • What was the experience or occasion that gave rise to the message

    • When the Scripture is Unclear

      • Do not take a part of a passage to prove a point.

      • The whole context must be taken into consideration.

      • Caution must be taken to not add more to the scripture than is actually there.

    • The Bible does not contradict itself when translated literally

    • Key Words

      • Are to be studied in light of their usage in the time the text was written

      • Scripture often gives new meaning to words. These must be taken into consideration

    • Scripture is Not to be Interpreted in Light of Personal Feelings or Experiences

      • The scriptures are objective, not based on what we feel

      • Experiences are subjective

    • You Can Not Use a Person as an Example for the Christian Unless the Scripture Specifically States that the Christian is to Use this Person as an Example

      • David, Daniel, Saul, Jesus during His earthly ministry, etc. cannot be used as a life example for the grace believer. (Old Testament persons)

      • When no example is given for the grace believer, he is free to do anything that is not prohibited by the Scriptures

    • Everything that is Essential for the Christian’s Practice is Revealed in Scripture

    • Use of Figures

      • When an inanimate object is used to describe an animate object, it must be taken as figurative

      • When the expression is not in the character of the thing describes, it must be taken figuratively

    • Interpretation Can be Carefully Considered in Light of Other Disciplines

      • Linguistic work

      • History

      • Science

      • Archeology

      • Rhetoric

      • Sociology

      • Logic

    • The Distinctions in Scripture must be Observed

      • Chronological relationships

      • Dispensational relationships

      • Word meaning

      • Word usage

      • Time

        • What God has done in the past cannot be read into what He is doing today

        • What God is doing now cannot be read into the past

        • What God will do cannot be read into the present

    • Interpretation of Parables

      • The interpretation that is in the text is to be accepted without adding anything to it.

      • Parables are designed to hide truth, not reveal it. This must be taken into consideration when dealing with Parables.

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