How Should I Interpret the Bible?

The fear behind this question is a good one: how do I read the Bible without simply bending it to fit what I already wanted it to say? Lutherans have a handful of settled principles that guard against exactly that.

First, read the text in its plain, natural sense—what the words actually meant in their context—rather than hunting for hidden codes. God spoke to be understood. Second, let Scripture interpret Scripture: clear passages govern the reading of obscure ones, not the other way around. If a single murky verse seems to overturn a truth taught plainly in a dozen places, the murky verse is being misread. Third, distinguish Law from Gospel—is this passage making a demand of me, or delivering a gift to me? Confusing the two is the most common way sound texts get twisted into either despair or false comfort.

But the deepest principle is this: the whole Bible is about Christ, and He is the key that unlocks it. On the road to Emmaus, the risen Jesus “interpreted… in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27); He told His opponents the Scriptures “bear witness about me” (John 5:39). So the question to bring to any passage is not only “what does this command?” but “how does this point me to Christ?” A reading that misses Christ has missed the point, however clever it is.

Notice that these rules are guardrails against your private preferences, not license for them. Peter warns that Scripture is not a matter of one’s “own interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20)—it is not a mirror for your opinions. That is also why we do not read alone: we read within the Church, checking our understanding against the creeds, the confessions, and faithful teachers, so that our reading is held accountable to how the Spirit has taught the Church to read all along.