1. Drawing conclusions at the price of proper interpretation (Do no make the Bible say what you want it to say, but rather let it say what God intended it to say when He wrote it)
2. Avoid Superficial interpretation. When interpreting the Bible there are four main points to consider: language, culture, geography, and history.
3. Do not spiritualize the passage. Interpret and understand the passage in its normal, literal, historical, grammatical sense.
When we seek to interpret the scripture, we must keep in mind 4 basic principles:
1. Scripture should be understood in its literal, normal, and natural sense. The Bible does contain figures of speech and symbols that are intended to convey literal truth. In general, however, the Bible speaks in literal terms, and we must allow it to speak for itself.
2. We need to interpret scripture in its historical context. We must ask what the text meant to the people to whom it was first written. In this way we can develop a proper contextual understanding of the original intent of scripture.
3. We need to understand the basic grammatical structure of each sentence in the original language. Asking to whom was the passage written, what tense the verbs are written will help to make the meaning of the text become clear.
4. The Bible does not contradict itself. If we arrive at an interpretation of a passage that contradicts a truth taught elsewhere in the scriptures, our interpretation cannot be correct. Scripture must be compared to scripture to discover its full meaning.
As an aside, also read Bible introductions, commentaries, and background books which will enrich your thinking through the illumination which God has given to other men and to you through their books.
Then: Believe it (John 6:68,69), Honor it (Job 23:12), Love it (Psalm 119:97), Obey it (1 John 2:5), Guard it (1 Timothy 6:20), Fight for it (Jude 3), Preach it (2 Timothy 4:2), Study it (Ezra 7:10)
It is not enough to study the Bible. We must meditate upon it. In a very real sense we are giving our brain a bath; we are washing it in the purifying solution of God's Word.
Be one who accepts the truth of God's Word even though it may cause you to change what you always have believed, or cause you to alter your life pattern.
(taken from the MaCarthur Study Bible)
