Simple Scripture Interpretation Process
Step 1: IDENTIFY THE GENRE of the biblical passage. (see Genres for more info)
Step 2: State your initial understanding of the “GENERIC OR INTRINSIC CONCEPTION” of your passage.
- This is the statement of the controlling idea of the passage. In other words, this is the conception of the whole that gives meaning to every part of the passage.
Step 3: MAKE OBSERVATIONS about the literary, grammatical, historical, and cultural contexts of your passage. (see Making Observations for more info)
Step 4: Now INTERPRET the meaning of the passage as you MEDITATE upon the passage itself and upon your observations about the passage.
- Your goal is twofold: 1) to discover the meaning of the passage (a public thing) and 2) to get that meaning into your soul.
Step 5: - Finally, APPLY the passage to your life and to those around you. (see Application for more info)
See Daily Scripture Interpretations: An Interpretive Methodology for a more in-depth explanation. Or check out Revelation 3:14-22 for a specific example.