How do you interpret a Bible passage?

Answer 1

When your trying to interpret a passage in the bible we must first consider the the theme, purpose and structure of the book. We must also take into account historical and cultural context of the passage that we are reading. The way each of us would go about interpreting the text in the bible is largely influenced by our cultural background and expectations, We also have to determine what the author of each passage is trying trying to covey. Once we figure out the purpose of the passage we must also understand how the author uses language.Some passages are straight forward some are filled with figurative language when we can differentiate the two we must determine the cultural significance of the passage.

We must also remember that most Christians believe that the bible is divinely inspired and is not a work of literature its a faith and belief system that is deeply cherished by millions of people around the world and will always have contradictory interpretations.