Explanation: Literal Principle. The Literal Principle of Biblical interpretation is defined as 'the rule to draw from scripture the exact meaning God intended.' Literal in this sense means 'true meaning of God.' We are called on to exegete the scripture and not to eisegete the scripture. Exegete means to draw from scripture literally what God has put in scripture. Eisegete means to add meaning to scripture that God never intended. When applying the Literal Principle we must recognize the use of the metaphor, figure of speech, hyperbole, anthropomorphism, idiom, parable, etc. to get the proper meaning God intended. We must also apply the remaining principles of hermeneutics together as we interpret the scripture.

Explanation: Illumination Principle. The Illumination Principle is where the Holy Spirit opens (illuminates) our eyes in discernment and understanding as to what scripture is saying. While the Bible is a book, The Holy Spirit is a Person who gives us the special ability to receive both general and special revelation directly from Him.

Explanation: Grammatical Principle. The Grammatical Principle once again focuses on us identifying the metaphor, figure of speech, hyperbole, anthropomorphism, idiom, parable, symbol, etc. An example of an anthropomorphism is where God is described as having human body-parts. The scripture may say God has hands and nostrils, etc., but this is only language used to communicate certain ideas to human beings. God does not have a physical body, but the use of the anthropomorphism teaches us many things about the nature of God.

Explanation: Historical Principle. Jesus said it was easier for a camel to get through an eye of a needle than it was for a rich man to get to heaven. This is clearly a historical figure of speech. The eye of a needle was a metaphor describing the smallest doorway in a house. The Grammatical Principal comes into play here also because this is a recognizable metaphor. In Bible times people greeted one another with a holy kiss. Today the modern handshake has taken the place of the historic kiss in many places. Jesus's disciples raised the dead and did many supernatural miracles in their historic setting that are no longer feasible today. The sacrificial system and church service are 2 more examples of where the Historic customs of that day have changed and are no longer seen the exact same way as first reported in scripture.

Explanation: Teaching Principle. It has been said that when you stand on the shoulders of giants, you can see much farther. Giants are exactly what we have in men like the Apostles, Athanasius, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, etc. The Apostles were martyred one-by-one for refusing to deny Essential Christian Truths, and because of their writings and their lives we have an open door to the faith and the luxuary of history to assist us in our search for truth today. We should test all things we hear and learn direcly with the Bible and legitimate ministries can help us get answers to our pressing questions. One cannot rightly divide the Word of God overnight. It takes time and hard work and the Church helps us gather with those of like-mind in our endeavor to understand the mysteries of the Christian Faith. Becoming a teacher comes with many hours of learning and practice and grace from God. We are not proclaiming a New Gospel! Our story is an old story that has been passed down to us from great men of God. From the creation of the universe in the Book of Genesis, we are taught by Moses, until today, we still can learn from teachers who have not strayed from Christian orthodoxy.

Explanation: Scripture Harmony Principle. The Scripture Harmony Principle also known as The 'Analogy of Faith' is our final rule of interpretation and one of the most used safeguards in Biblical exegeses. Scripture interprets Scripture! The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years, by 40 different authors, on different continents, in 3 different languages, and on hundreds of subjects, yet totally without contradiction, and with such flawless harmony that all other literature of antiquity and modernity pales in comparison, including the writings of Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Ceasar, and Tacitus. The Bible is Inspired (Greek word Theoneustos), which means God-Breathed, and it is verbally inerrant in the original copies. Some verses in the Bible can be a harder to interpret and in those cases we take verses that seem cloudy and difficult and we interpret them using other verses of scripture that speak clearly to the issue. This is the Harmony Principle which helps us as we let scripture interpret itself.