Evening School of the Bible

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation.
As stated in 2 Peter 1:20, “First, knowing this: that all prophecy of Scripture does not come to be of one’s own interpretation.”

Prerequisites for Proper Interpretation

1. One must be born again (1 Peter 1:3, 23).
Only those who are saved have the capacity to receive the things from the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). To properly understand Scripture, one must not only be saved but also spiritual.

2. One must be spiritual—emanating things from the Spirit.
The spiritual believer is able to receive the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13).
A carnal Christian, by contrast, cannot receive the things from the Spirit (Romans 8:5–8; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:1–3; Hebrews 5:12–13).

Spirituality begins with a proper frame of mind (Romans 8:5–6; Colossians 3:1–4).
A proper mindset leads to a proper walk.
We are not to conduct our lives like the Gentiles, who walk in the futility of their minds (Ephesians 4:17).
Rather, God has enabled us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
When we walk by the Spirit, we fulfill the law of the Spirit (Romans 8:4).
We walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), and when doing so, we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16–17).
We are thus able to walk in the good works which God has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

The Original Text of the Bible Is the Inerrant Word of God

We must presuppose the verbal plenary inspiration of the text (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16).
Every word of Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16).