There are tons of reasons people misinterpret the scriptures. I get it, it’s a living, breathing, active text that is thousands of years old, written in a language that most people don’t speak, and to a people that most modern readers would find it challenging to connect with. 

Sometimes people misinterpret scriptures for nefarious purposes. They may want to exploit the text for their own ideological and agenda-driven purposes. This happens all too often, especially when scripture is interpreted in a setting with no real regard for its true meaning, but only regard for how the scriptures can be exploited. 

I’ve seen it before, a social media post espousing some unbiblical statement with a distortion of God’s Word. When this happens, there’s usually at least one person calling out the problem with four words: “This is bad theology.” But to determine whether or not something is bad theology, a person must understand and practice good hermeneutics. 

Hermeneutics is the discipline of understanding what God has spoken. The word hermeneutics comes from the Greek hermēneuō, meaning “to interpret” or “to explain.” In the biblical sense, hermeneutics is not merely an academic pursuit; it’s at the heart of devotional reading. Sound hermeneutics begins with the mind, and interpreting Scripture intellectually involves attending to historical context, literary form, and the author’s intent. When I was in seminary, there was an analogy often used for this process – it was called “crossing the theological bridge.” It was a memorable analogy meant to linger with us long after our time at seminary. 

Studying the Bible was akin to an interpretive journey. The first step was grasping the text in the geography of the original audience. The second step was measuring the width of the river to cross that bridge. It meant really scrutinizing the differences between the biblical audience and us. As we stood on the bridge, the next step was to ask, “What is the theological principle in this text and how does it fit with the rest of the Bible?” These steps keep us safe from projecting our modern assumptions onto ancient revelation. Most theologians understand that “a text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his readers.”¹

The apostle Paul models this discipline of good hermeneutics when he tells Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved… rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, ESV). The phrase “rightly handling” (orthotomounta) carries the sense of someone studying the Word with careful precision. It demands study of the languages, context, and structure.

However, scripture shouldn’t just be read with the head; it must also be read with the heart. While the “head” grasps meaning, the “heart” receives truth. This is why the Holy Spirit is so vital to the illumination of the text. We need God to reveal to us truths that are beyond the reach of hermeneutics alone. 

When the disciples met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they later exclaimed, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32). As Jesus opened the scriptures, there was an engagement of both the head and the heart. Jesus opened the Scriptures (the head), and their hearts burned (the heart). On that road, biblical interpretation became a personal encounter with the Logos Himself. 

Hermeneutics is an expression of both reason and devotion. When we read Scripture prayerfully, humbly, and contextually, we unite the head and the heart. The ultimate goal is to read the Word accurately so that we may live it authentically.

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1. Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993, p. 64.