Why Proper Bible Interpretation Matters More Than Our Opinions

I really don’t mind when someone disagrees with me on secondary or even tertiary doctrinal issues—eschatology is a great example. We’re not all going to land in the same spot on those things, and that’s fine. But when I—or any Christian—quote a verse in its proper context, and a self-proclaimed “Christian” gets snippy because their “interpretation” doesn’t line up with what the verse is actually saying… well, that’s not my problem. That’s theirs.

Somewhere along the way, people got the idea that we can read a Bible verse and twist it into whatever we want it to mean. The issue? Scripture never gives us permission to interpret it according to our personal opinions or feelings. Not once.

And I get it—most of us didn’t exactly love grammar class. Diagramming sentences, identifying parts of speech, figuring out verb tenses…it wasn't exactly everyone’s favorite activity. Same goes for English class reading assignments. Anytime the teacher asked, “What was the author trying to say here?” the room turned into one big awkward silence.

But here’s the thing: that’s exactly what we have to do when we read the Bible.

We can’t make Scripture say what we think it means. We have to understand what the Author meant—and the ultimate Author is God. “All Scripture is inspired (breathed out) by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Yes, human writers penned the words, but the Holy Spirit guided them in what to write.  So, when we force our own opinions onto the text, we’re essentially rewriting what God already said.

Proper interpretation—hermeneutics—means setting aside our feelings and personal biases and actually using those grammar skills we learned in school. And honestly, it goes even deeper than that. Studying the original languages can be a huge help because Hebrew and Greek play by different grammar rules than English. Sometimes the meaning becomes much clearer when you see how the original words functioned.

How someone treats Scripture reveals a LOT about how they view God. A person with a high view of God digs into the Bible carefully, consistently, wanting to know what God actually said. Someone with a low view of God cracks the Bible open only when they feel like it—and usually interprets based on opinion, emotion, or whatever their favorite online “teacher” told them. That’s how false teachers gain followers: they appeal to feelings, not truth.

This is one big reason Christianity looks the way it does today. We have countless denominations and sects because people refused to study the Bible properly and instead built doctrines on personal opinions. Proper biblical interpretation matters—feelings and opinions don't.