On Facebook, and other social media sites, it is not uncommon to see various pictures of people sitting in a comfortable chair, legs elevated, a cup of coffee in hand, and an open Bible in their lap. In part, this is encouraging to see. We must have an interest in God’s word! However, it is often that the description of the text studied, and what was gleaned, is purely subjective. Questions come to mind: Was the author talking about that? Did God mean for that verse to be taken in that way? In other words, is this person studying the scripture using eisegesis, or exegesis?

When approaching Bible text we can take one of two angles. We can approach the text in an eisegetical way, or an exegetical way. Eisegesis is a biased interpretation of scripture that is influenced by subjective thoughts, and ideas. Exegesis is an objective interpretation of scripture that is influenced by context, and the author’s purpose in writing. One is the correct way to study scripture, and the other is incorrect, and unwise.

Peter wrote, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Scripture is God-breathed (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16). Ergo, each and every verse contains only the meaning God intended. Scripture is objective, and must be approached with that in mind. Instead of reading into the passage what we want it to mean, we should flesh out what the passage is intended to mean. This is accomplished by taking context into consideration. We must handle God’s word correctly (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15). How do you study the Bible?

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