Principle 6

PRINCIPLE SIX: ALWAYS COMPARE SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Scripture always holds its own interpretation (II Peter 1:20). A word, phrase, or concept should first be studied in the book that in which it is recorded, and then in its use in other passages. When a text is not explicit about a truth, no conclusion should be drawn about it until all relevant passages have been studied. Doctrinal statements should be made based not on a single text, but doctrinal statements should summarize what ALL Scripture says on the topic.

The Scripture will explain itself as Bible verses are compared to each other. One Scripture will help to interpret another Scripture. The Bible instructs us to compare spiritual things with spiritual things (I Cor. 2:13). By comparing verses with each other the Bible will be better understood. The Word of God will fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. One Scripture will interpret another Scripture. The Bible is in complete harmony with itself. There are no contradictions in the Bible. What God has written in Genesis will be in agreement with what God has written in Revelation.

Compare Scripture texts on the same subject

Comparing Scripture texts on the same subject will help you to better understand that subject. A concordance is a book that lists the words in The Bible and shows were they are located in the Bible. You can use it to find Scriptures on the same subject. This will give you a better understanding of the subject being studied. For example, if the subject of fasting has been chosen; you would look up Scriptures that contain the word fasting, fast, or fasted and read these Scriptures which will explain about fasting. This will give the preacher a Biblical understanding on the subject and give him a source of material to use in the pulpit.

Compare how the same word is used in different Scriptures

A good way to understand the meaning of a word is to see how that word is used in the context of different Scripture passages. Looking at a word in context of various passages will help you to understand the meaning of the word. For example, see how “the Word” is used in John 1:1 and 1:14 and you will understand “the Word” refers to Jesus.

Example: Ephesians 1:22–23 explains that the church is the body of Christ; also, by comparing these verses with I Corinthians 12:13, we understand that the “body” is referring to the “church” in both of these verses.

You want to make sure you are comparing the same original language word in one verse to that same original language word in another verse. Also keep in mind the comparison of Old Testament words to New Testament words. It can be very helpful to compare the OT with the NT, but you must remember that you are dealing with different languages, so an exact original word comparison is not possible.