Bible Rules

As a college pastor I was once told I should not allow a particular group of students to read and interpret the Bible together; rather, they should read it, but not interpret it, for that was my job. While I think I understood his intentions, asking someone to not interpret the Bible is asking them to do the impossible. When anyone reads the Bible, he or she is spontaneously making conclusions about what it means, for the “rules by which we interpret meaning occur automatically and unconsciously” (Virkler 2007, 18). The question is, do the rules we use help us understand the meaning of Scripture?

Knowing we all spontaneously interpret the Bible according to rules, tools, and methods we may be unaware of, a class on how to rightly interpret the Bible raises important questions. Are there rules by which we can all read the Scriptures and understand what they mean? If so, how do we know what those rules are? Are the rules I am currently using, know it or not, helping me understand the

I have contributed to the problem, and answering the above questions proves invaluable for understanding, preaching, and communicating God’s Word.

A study in hermeneutics also raises in many Christian mind’s what role the Holy Spirit plays in understanding the Bible (Virkler 2007, 27-29). If the Holy Spirit resides in Christians, can we not merely trust Him to guide us into truth? One may quote John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” (English Standard Version) as biblical warrant against hermeneutical principles. Although, interestingly enough, one must use hermeneutical principles in interpreting John 16:13 to mean that hermeneutical principles are not all that