I strongly believe that one of the most important skills for any Christian, whether pastor or layperson, is to be able to correctly interpret the Bible. It is in interpretation that we often stumble.
A great resource that I have come across is Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays. This is a tremendous book from an evangelical perspective that is accessible to all.
The method they use is called the Interpretive Journey and it includes:
- Grasp the text in their town. What did the text mean to the original audience?
- Measure the width of the river to cross. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
- Cross the principlizing bridge. What is theological principle in this text?
- Consult the biblical map. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of the Bible?
- Grasp the text in our town. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principles?
The goal is to interpret correctly. That does not mean that we will all reach the same interpretation. It does mean that some interpretations are more fitting with the text than others. We must avoid unhealthy means of interpretation.
This book is written as a textbook but it has uses outside of a classroom. A pastor could lead a Christian education class using this book or an individual could use it for personal growth.
I would say that it is aimed at a first year undergrad and would be accessible even for a high school student. Those who want to go deeper can find plenty of recommendations for further reading.
If you are looking for a good introduction to biblical interpretation, I recommend Grasping God’s Word.
Please note that links in this post and on this site are Amazon affiliate links.
