Part II: Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics. Chapter 1: Preliminary

It goes without saying that the world is filled with interpreters of the Bible. And it often asked why there exists such a wide variety of interpretation. Some would answer that it is because people are not being guided by some earthly prophet or infallible governing authority. Others have taken aim at the Scripture itself. Yet, God has communicated His Word to His people. If there is any reasonable explanation for the varied interpretations of Holy Scripture we can be certain the fault lies with the interpreter and not the pure Word of God. The principles of biblical hermeneutics provide tremendous help to the student of Scripture to draw from the Scripture itself the meaning of the author. While the Scriptures certainly contain hard and difficult sayings, the Lord gave His Word so that it may make even a child wise unto salvation.

These governing laws and methods help the interpreter determine the meaning of the Scripture. Hermeneutical principles should become to the exegete what axioms are to a mathematician. They are applied with uniformity and consistency throughout the entire exegetical process. Sound hermeneutical principles are not something to be disregarded as unspiritual. Rather, they are safe guidelines to the student of Scripture and keep us from straying into fanciful and sometimes even fanatical interpretations.

We should also consider how someone can determine which principles to use. In order to discover these principles we must turn to the Scriptures themselves. We must follow the hermeneutic of the Apostles and Prophets. There are sufficient examples from the Scriptures establish sound principles. We can observe the interpretation of dreams given in Scripture, visions, types, parables, and symbols and follow one author to another their own hermeneutic. The Bible is not like the pagan babblings of sorcerers filled with riddles and double meanings. God communicated to the world in times past by His prophets and in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. When the Holy Scriptures are taken as a whole and permitted to speak for itself, then the chief hermeneutic appears plainly. The Bible is its own best interpreter.