Preconceived ideas on Biblical doctrine will have an influence as to how one interprets Bible passages with similar meaning. “Actually, none of us comes to the Bible with a truly open mind.”1 Even the most schooled Christians will find they have a bias toward ideas and ideology from childhood experiences, thus influencing their interpretation and understanding of God’s Word. The goal of the Christian is to achieve a close relationship with God and understanding His will through His Word. To achieve this goal, one must try to remove preconceived ideas while interpreting God’s Word.
First, one must acknowledge that they may have a bias and then open one’s mind to God’s Word. Refusing to acknowledge one’s preconceived ideas, will subconsciously cause the reader to read looking only for ways to support those ideas. To avoid this closed-mindedness, one should read Bible passages in their entirety and within the entire book or chapter.2 Additionally, research into other books within the Bible and in other translations of the Bible on the same topics gives insight into God’s intent.3
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Investigating one’s interpretation by contrasting and comparing it to others strengthens one’s understanding. It is important to include those that may not agree with one’s own attempt to interpret a given passage.4 One still may not agree with those researched thoughts, but considering those thoughts should open one’s eyes to varying points of view. Most may feel that researching differing views is not being faithful to their own beliefs. “Yet a faith that cannot stand up to challenges or cope with empirical evidence hardly seems worth having.”5 Questioning varying views will broaden one’s knowledge of their