When studying the Bible, interpretation is often tougher than the background check on a passage. And the Bible is clear, I’m not allowed to just make something up that might seem to fit. "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Pet 1:20-21.

This means that we can't conjure up our own interpretation, but we must seek what the Holy Spirit intended when He wrote the verse.

Understanding that there is only one interpretation to Scripture that is accurate prepares us to do the right kind of homework on the passage and draw the best conclusions as to meaning.

The Bible teaches that God is not the author of confusion, according to 1 Corinthians 14:33. Therefore, the Bible can be interpreted by us. The general rule of biblical interpretation is that a passage should be interpreted literally unless there is some reason in the context we should interpret it otherwise.

A familiar verse to all Christians is: John 3:16 (NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This verse literally means that:

• God’s love for us is real

• Jesus was a historical reality and truly the one and only Son of God

• Eternal life is real and goes on after this one ends

• Not everyone gets to go to Heaven and Jesus is the Way

Sometimes there is a clue in the context or even a definition as to how literally we are expected to interpret the passage. For example, Revelation 12:9 (NIV) says, "The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray." The verse defines what the dragon is in the text for the reader. Also, one will note that after chapter 3 in the book of Revelation, there is much intentional symbolism and allegory.

The Bible also uses different types of figurative language:

• A parable or story to illustrate the simple truths such as the Parable of the Sower, Luke 8: 4-15.

• A metaphor. Often you’ll see a comparison without the phrase "such and such is like so and so" as in John 15:1 where Jesus says, "I am the true vine." Jesus is not a vine but compares Himself to a vine.

• A hyperbole. Sometimes there is exaggeration for emphasis. In John 21:25 (NIV), Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

• Anthropomorphism, that is, attributing to God human characteristics or experiences, even though the Bible is clear in its teaching that God is Spirit. "The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His". (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB).

Interpreting the Bible correctly, we must discover what the passage meant in the time and language of the author. Knowing the culture, the historical setting of the passage, the geography, traditions and rules can help us interpret the Bible more clearly.