1. The Principle Defined: Scripture Is Its Own Interpreter
The apostle Peter writes that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. This means that no passage should be interpreted in isolation from the rest of Scripture. The Holy Spirit is the author of all Scripture, and He does not contradict Himself. Therefore, when a passage seems unclear, the interpreter must search the rest of Scripture for clarity. The clearer passages explain the darker passages. The more explicit verses govern the interpretation of the more implicit verses. This principle is called the analogy of faith, meaning that all interpretations must be consistent with the total teaching of the Bible.
2. The Holy Spirit Is the Author of All Scripture
Peter declares that holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Paul writes that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, the same Spirit who moved the prophets and apostles. Since the Spirit is the author of every book of the Bible, there can be no genuine contradiction between one part of Scripture and another. The Spirit does not speak against Himself. Therefore, when interpreting a passage, the interpreter must assume that it harmonizes with every other passage on the same subject. Any interpretation that sets one part of Scripture against another is a misinterpretation.
3. The Clear Passages Interpret the Unclear Passages
Peter acknowledges that some things in Paul's letters are hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction. Peter does not say that these hard passages should be ignored or that they contradict other Scripture. He says they are hard to understand, but they can be understood when compared with the rest of Scripture. The clear passages of Scripture—such as the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the gospel summaries—serve as the lens through which difficult passages must be viewed. An interpretation that contradicts a clear command or a plain teaching of Jesus cannot be correct.
4. No Prophecy Is of Private Interpretation
Peter writes, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation." The phrase "private interpretation" means that no prophet spoke on his own authority, and no interpreter should interpret a passage in isolation from the rest of Scripture. The context of the whole Bible must govern the interpretation of any part. The Reformers summarized this principle as "Scripture interprets Scripture." Individual verses do not stand alone. They are part of a larger, unified revelation. To interpret a verse without considering its place in the whole is to invite error.
5. The Whole Counsel of God Must Be Considered
Paul declared to the Ephesian elders that he had not shunned to declare to them the whole counsel of God. This implies that any true interpretation must take into account the entirety of God's revelation. No doctrine should be built on a single isolated verse if that verse seems to contradict the general tenor of Scripture. The Bereans were called noble because they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things preached by Paul were true. They did not accept a teaching based on a single proof-text; they examined the whole of Scripture.
6. The Harmony of the Testaments
Jesus taught His disciples that the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms spoke of Him. He opened their understanding to comprehend the Scriptures. The Old and New Testaments are not two contradictory revelations but one unified revelation. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Therefore, when interpreting the Old Testament, the interpreter must consider how the New Testament authors understood and applied it. The New Testament provides the definitive interpretation of the Old.
7. Precept Upon Precept, Line Upon Line
Isaiah describes the way of understanding: "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." This indicates that biblical understanding comes from comparing Scripture with Scripture. One passage sheds light on another. A truth found in one place is confirmed and expanded in another. The interpreter must gather all the passages on a subject, compare them, and draw conclusions based on the whole, not on a single verse taken out of context.
8. How to Apply the Analogy of Faith in Study
When studying a difficult passage, first examine the immediate context—the verses before and after. Then examine the book in which the passage is found. Then consider how the same author treats the subject in his other writings. Then search the rest of Scripture for passages that address the same topic. If a proposed interpretation contradicts a clear command of Jesus or an explicit teaching of an apostle, that interpretation must be rejected. No passage can mean what it never meant to the original author, and no interpretation can stand that contradicts the clear teaching of the whole Bible.
9. The Danger of Isolating Verses from Their Context
The devil quoted Scripture to Jesus, saying, "He shall give His angels charge over you." But he quoted only a portion of the verse, omitting the words "to keep you in all your ways." Jesus responded by quoting another Scripture: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." The devil's error was isolating a verse from its context and from the rest of Scripture. This is a common method of false teachers. They take verses out of context and build doctrines on them that contradict the clear teaching of the Bible. The analogy of faith protects against this error by demanding that every interpretation be consistent with the whole of Scripture.
10. The Promise of Understanding to Those Who Compare Scripture with Scripture
Paul writes, "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." The Holy Spirit enables believers to understand Scripture by comparing one passage with another. The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. But the spiritual man judges all things. The promise is that those who diligently compare Scripture with Scripture, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will come to the knowledge of the truth. The analogy of faith is not a human method but a Spirit-enabled discipline of reading the Bible as a unified, coherent revelation from God.
Conclusion
Scripture is its own interpreter. The analogy of faith teaches that no passage can be interpreted in isolation from the rest of the Bible. The Holy Spirit, who inspired all Scripture, does not contradict Himself. Therefore, the clearer passages explain the less clear, and the whole counsel of God must be considered when interpreting any single verse. Let every student of the Word compare spiritual things with spiritual, precept upon precept, line upon line, knowing that God's Word is true and harmonious.