There are easy passages to interpret in the Bible, and
there are difficult passages to interpret.
The really difficult passages are difficult for everyone:
even self-proclaimed scholars.
When these passages are misinterpreted very strange
and dangerous doctrines are created. Follow this rule:
An easier passage overrules a more difficult one.
For some reason it is common for Bible students to
reinterpret the easy passages to match their strained
interpretation of a much harder one. This leads to error.
Avoid this.
I know a sister who was stuck for years in a Pentecostal
environment. This simple rule saved her from ruin. She
did not understand the teaching of tongues and Spirit
filling, but she understood the clear teaching of Col 2:10.
This kept her from falling off the deep end; now, she
can rightly divide.
Right division makes some difficult passages easier,
but there are still difficult passages. Do not start with
these passages. Start with the easy ones; study them
deep and long.
Mastering the easy passages will profit you more in the
long run. Make them your foundation. They will protect
you from wandering into the dangers of misinterpretation.
Master Rom 5:8-10; Eph 2:8-10; Col 2:8-10.
For His glory,
Justin “Easy Verse” Johnson