How to Study the Bible Accurately: Six Rules for Interpretation Every Church Leader Should Know (Part 6 of 10)
Quick experiment - watch 30–60 seconds of these interviews with Australian rugby player Nick Cummins. Any clue what he’s talking about?
As you can see, he’s speaking perfect English, yet it’s a struggle to understand him because his accent, idioms, and cultural references feel so foreign to most folks around the world.. This illustrates a critical truth about Bible study: history and culture clarify meaning, but they do not determine meaning. To get to the bottom of a matter, context is king! Think of culture as a condiment and context as the main course.
Across the globe, millions of pastors and church leaders face similar challenges when studying Scripture—they're separated by thousands of years, different cultures, and ancient languages from the original biblical context.
The Global Need for Accurate Bible Study Methods
Every day, untrained pastors worldwide stand before their congregations without the tools to accurately interpret Scripture. They may lack access to expensive seminary training, but they don’t lack passion for God’s Word or commitment to their people. What they need are simple, reliable principles to bridge the gap between ancient text and modern application without falling into interpretive errors.
The six rules outlined in this article provide that framework. These aren’t complex theological concepts requiring years of academic study—they’re practical tools any motivated church leader can learn and apply. Whether you’re a seasoned pastor or a new believer called to leadership, these principles will help you handle God’s Word accurately and confidently.
Rule #1: Avoid Allegorization - Interpret Literally
The first crucial rule is to avoid the dangerous practice of allegorization. Allegorization means spiritualizing the text—reading between the lines to find secret, hidden meanings that don't actually exist in the passage.
Throughout church history, well-meaning interpreters have fallen into this trap. They take a straightforward historical account and turn it into a complex allegory where every detail represents something else entirely. The problem? They're creating meaning rather than discovering it.
Instead, we must interpret literally—seeking the plain, normal meaning of the text. This doesn't mean ignoring figures of speech like metaphors, similes, or hyperbole. When Peter says "a day is like a thousand years," he's using a figure of speech, not adding spiritual meaning to the word "day."
The Bible contains legitimate allegory (very little of it), parables (which have one central meaning), and various figures of speech. But these are clearly indicated by the text itself. We don't impose allegorical meaning where none is intended.
Rule #2: Context Determines Meaning
Context remains the single most important factor in correct interpretation. This means looking further out at the surrounding verses and paragraphs. As you grow in your skills, it is helpful to expand your context to the entire chapter, book, and even to the whole Bible!
For example, when studying Jeremiah's prophecy about the New Covenant, the original audience wouldn't have understood the full implications of God putting on flesh and dying a substitutionary death. But they would have grasped that God promised a new relationship with His people. Our job is to understand both the original meaning and its fuller revelation through Scripture.
We must never let historical speculation override the clear meaning of the text. Too often, pastors spend more time preaching about historical context than the actual text itself. While background information enriches our understanding, it should never supersede what the passage clearly states.
Rule #3: Interpret Each Passage in Its Historical and Cultural Setting
Take 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, the passage about head coverings. The cultural context reveals that Paul was addressing the problem of Christian women appearing like prostitutes in worship. In ancient Corinth—a city famous for both great art and great prostitution—uncovered heads signaled sexual availability.
The cultural analog today might be wearing a wedding ring to show you're spoken for. The principle transcends culture: believers should not dress or behave in ways that suggest they're available for solicitation. But we don't derive this interpretation by ignoring the text in favor of cultural speculation.
Rule #4: Compare Scripture with Scripture
This rule cannot be overstated: always run your interpretation through the filter of what all Scripture teaches. No matter how clear a passage seems, check it against the broader biblical witness. When encountering unclear passages, always default to clearer ones. If you find two passages that seem to conflict, interpret the unclear in light of the clear. This principle protects us from building entire doctrines on isolated verses while ignoring the broader biblical witness.
Here's a practical example: Someone might argue from Acts 16:1-3 that circumcision is required for ministry because Paul circumcised Timothy before taking him on missionary journeys. But when we compare Scripture with Scripture, we find:
Acts 15 (immediately before the chapter in which Timothy is circumcised) records the Jerusalem Council's decision that circumcision is not required
Galatians 2:3 tells us Titus was not required to be circumcised
1 Corinthians 7:18-19 explicitly states that circumcision doesn't matter
The entire book of Galatians argues against the circumcision requirements
The clear passages interpret the unclear ones. Paul's decision to circumcise Timothy was a practical choice for ministry effectiveness among Jews who knew his father was Greek, not a theological requirement.
Rule #5: Recognize Different Literary Forms
Scripture contains various genres: narrative, discourse, poetry, prophecy, parables, and proverbs. Each requires different interpretive approaches.
Narrative vs. Discourse: Just because something happened in biblical history doesn't mean it's a command for us. When we read about David's census or Solomon's many wives, we're reading descriptions, not prescriptions.
Parables: Look for the one central meaning, not allegorical significance in every detail. The parable of the prodigal son teaches about God's joy over repentance—we shouldn't assign meaning to every symbol like the fattened calf or the father's robe.
Proverbs: These are general principles for wise living, not promises that always come true in every situation.
*For more information on this rule, please read our article “Literary Forms in Scripture: Why Genre Changes Everything.”
Rule #6: Test Interpretations for Theological Consistency
Here's a crucial principle: If it's new, it's untrue. The church has been studying Scripture for 2,000 years. Any interpretation that is genuinely novel—that was never held by faithful Christians at the inauguration of the church is certainly wrong. God hasn’t left the church ignorant of His expectations for 2,000 years until someone today “cracked the code.” God speaks to be understood so it is reasonable to believe the believers who were closer to the time, life, and testimony of Jesus and the Apostles would have a more accurate interpretation of Scripture than we do.
This doesn't mean your interpretation must be found in every generation, but if you've discovered something completely alien to the historic Christian faith, you should be deeply suspicious of your findings.
The closer your interpretation aligns with apostolic teaching and the early church, the more confidence you can have in its accuracy. Innovation in Bible interpretation is not a virtue—fidelity to the text and historic Christian understanding is.
Using Your Study Tools Effectively
Your study Bible provides remarkable resources for applying these six rules accurately:
Cross-references: Those little letters next to words connect you to parallel passages. Use them to compare Scripture with Scripture systematically.
Concordances: The back of your Bible lists every occurrence of key words, allowing you to see how concepts develop throughout Scripture.
Text notes: These explain manuscript variations and translation decisions, helping you understand why certain verses might differ between Bible versions.
Study notes: While not authoritative like Scripture itself, these provide historical and cultural background from credible theologians.
These tools make it possible for any motivated believer to study Scripture accurately, regardless of formal theological training.
Avoiding Common Interpretation Errors
The Cultural Cop-Out: Never dismiss difficult passages by simply saying "that was just cultural" without doing the hard work of explanation. Instead, identify the principle behind the cultural expression and find appropriate modern applications.
The Tail Wagging the Dog: Don't let historical speculation override clear textual meaning. Background information serves the text, not vice versa.
Building Doctrine on Isolated Verses: Always examine the full biblical witness on any topic before drawing theological conclusions.
Practical Application for Church Leaders
As pastors and ministry leaders, accurate Bible interpretation isn't just an academic exercise—it's essential for faithful teaching and church health. When someone in your congregation promotes questionable doctrine based on isolated verses, these six rules provide a framework for loving correction.
Remember the scenario we explored: someone claiming circumcision is required for ministry based solely on Acts 16:3. Using these interpretive rules, we discovered this position contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and misunderstands Paul's practical decision regarding Timothy. The best interpreter of Scripture is more Scripture!
The same approach works for any interpretive challenge you might face, whether it's questions about dietary laws, gender roles, spiritual gifts, or end-times prophecy.
Making Bible Study Accessible Worldwide
These six rules for interpretation form the foundation of Bible Training Centre for Pastors' approach to affordable pastor training and streamlined pastor training. We believe every church leader worldwide deserves access to easy pastor training that emphasizes accuracy over academic complexity.
Our low cost seminary approach recognizes that most pastors globally lack access to expensive theological education. That's why we've developed fun Bible study methods that any motivated believer can learn and apply. Through our global bible training initiatives, we're building a church leadership pipeline that emphasizes faithful interpretation over costly credentials.
Whether you're involved in training for poor pastors or pastor training for missions, these interpretive principles remain constant across cultures and economic situations. The goal is always the same: faithful handling of God's Word that honors the text and serves the global church.
By mastering these six rules, church leaders can confidently teach Scripture, correct false doctrine, and build healthy congregations grounded in biblical truth rather than human speculation. The Word of God is sufficient—we just need to handle it accurately.
This article is part of Bible Training Centre for Pastors' commitment to providing accessible, high-quality biblical education to church leaders worldwide. Learn more about our global ministry and training resources at bibletraining.com.