Seven Rules of Biblical Interpretation

by Kenny Pearce


In order to ensure that one's beliefs are being affected by the reading of Scripture, rather than the reading of Scripture being affected by one's pre-conceived beliefs, it is necessary to have written rules of interpretation, followed consistently throughout the entirety of the Bible. To this end, I have composed the following rules, which I will strive to apply in my personal study and belief, as well as public preaching and teaching ministries.

  1. The entire canon of Scripture, as originally set down by the original authors in the original languages, is the infallible Word of God. It is perfect and without error. It is "given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

  2. God has, by His sovereign power, ensured that there exists today sufficient evidence for the modern Spirit-led believer to determine what was, in fact, set down by the original authors.

  3. It is impossible to interpret the Scriptures correctly without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, for "the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

  4. The books of the Bible were written at specific times to specific audiences. They were intended to be read as entire books, not as individual verses. As such, the correct interpretation is the one which, in the context of the entire book, would have been most obvious to the originally intended readers.

  5. Cultural differences ought to be realistically taken into account in the application of Scripture to the modern day, but it should be noted that the culture of the Roman empire in New Testament times was in many ways almost identical to the culture of modern America. Any book of the Bible must first be applied to it's originally intended audience, and then, after accounting for historical and cultural differences, applied to the modern reader.

  6. That said, any instruction given or other statement made in Scripture ought to be assumed to be universally applicable unless the application of rules 4 and 5 or cross-reference to other Scripture can prove conclusively that the instruction or statement was situation-specific.

  7. Narratives found in Scripture ought to be assumed to be accounts of historical events which literally occurred, unless the application of rule 4 or cross-reference to other Scripture shows that this is not the case. Nothing ought to be considered a higher authority on truth than the words of Scripture, and as such, scientific, archaeological or other proofs cannot be considered sufficient in and of themselves to validate a figurative interpretation of any Scriptural account.