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We believe that anybody who makes a statement of fact, bears the burden of proof. This includes The Bus Stop Street Ministry. We believe in providing the evidence for what we say and/or claim that others teach and or promote; Not for the purpose of being mean-spirited or winning the argument, but for the purpose of being factual.

You can expect that we will view all Scripture in the context that the original author(s) intended it should be received. We will hold all those we engage to this very important principle.

It is Important To Study Bible Passages And Stories Within Their Context. Taking Verses Out Of Context Leads To All Kinds Of Error And Misunderstanding. Understanding Context Begins With Four Principles: Literal Meaning (What It Says), Historical Setting (The Events Of The Story, To Whom Is It Addressed, And How It Was Understood At That Time), Grammar (The Immediate Sentence And Paragraph Within Which A Word Or Phrase Is Found) And Synthesis (Comparing It With Other Parts Of Scripture For A Fuller Meaning). Context Is Crucial To Biblical Exegesis In That It Is One Of Its Most Important Fundamentals. After We Account For The Literal, Historical, And Grammatical Nature Of A Passage, We Must Then Focus On The Outline And Structure Of The Book, Then The Chapter, Then The Paragraph. All Of These Things Refer To "Context."

You can expect that we practice exegesis when reading and engaging others on the text of Scripture.

Exegesis And Eisegesis Are Two Conflicting Approaches In Bible Study. Exegesis Is The Exposition Or Explanation Of A Text Based On A Careful, Objective Analysis. The Word Exegesis Literally Means “To Lead Out Of.” That Means That The Interpreter Is Led To His Conclusions By Following The Text. Exegesis Is Concerned With Discovering The True Meaning Of The Text, Respecting Its Grammar, Syntax, And Setting.

The Opposite Approach To Scripture Is Eisegesis, Which Is The Interpretation Of A Passage Based On A Subjective, Non-Analytical Reading. The Word Eisegesis Literally Means “To Lead Into,” Which Means The Interpreter Injects His Own Ideas Into The Text, Making It Mean Whatever He Wants. Eisegesis Is Concerned Only With Making A Point, Even At The Expense Of The Meaning Of Words. Eisegesis Is A Mishandling Of The Text And Often Leads To A Misinterpretation.

You can expect that we pray and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that we undertake to teach and/or expose, and will practice following aHermeneutics method of approach. We will hold all those we engage to this very important principle.

Hermeneutics Is The Art And Science Of Determining The Correct Rules To Follow When Interpreting The Bible.

Correctly Followed, We Will Not Distort Or Twist The Scriptures To Support Our Biases. It Will Help Us To Overcome Barriers In Our Understanding. Three Steps That Should Be Followed When Studying The Bible: Observation, Interpretation, Application.

Hermeneutics Rules To Follow:

Reading For The Main Ideal Of The Paragraph. Identify The Author’s Literary Style Consider The Flow Of The Biblical Content Understanding The Meaning Of Key Words. Follow The Force Of Grammar.

View From Historical Perspective. Integrate With Other Biblical Teaching On The Subject. Look For The Five “W”S And A “H”. Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How?

The following eight rules are the center of all grammatical interpretation.:

1. The Rule Of DEFINITION: What Does The Word Mean? Any Study Of Scripture Must Begin With A Study Of Words. Define Your Terms And Then Keep To The Terms Defined. The Interpreter Should Conscientiously Abide By The Plain Meaning Of The Words. This Quite Often May Require Using A Hebrew/English Or Greek/English Lexicon In Order To Make Sure That The Sense Of The English Translation Is Understood. A Couple Of Good Examples Of This Are The Greek Words "Allos" And "Heteros". Both Are Usually Translated As "Another" In English – Yet "Allos" Literally Means "Another Of The Same Type" And "Heteros" Means "Another Of A Different Type."

2. The Rule Of USAGE: It Must Be Remembered That The Old Testament Was Written Originally By, To And For Jews. The Words And Idioms Must Have Been Intelligible To Them – Just As The Words Of Christ When Talking To Them Must Have Been. The Majority Of The New Testament Likewise Was Written In A Milieu Of Greco-Roman (And To A Lesser Extent Jewish) Culture And It Is Important To Not Impose Our Modern Usage Into Our Interpretation. It Is Not Worth Much To Interpret A Great Many Phrases And Histories If One’s Interpretations Are Shaded By Pre-Conceived Notions And Cultural Biases, Thereby Rendering An Inaccurate And Ineffectual Lesson.

3. The Rule Of CONTEXT: The Meaning Must Be Gathered From The Context. Every Word You Read Must Be Understood In The Light Of The Words That Come Before And After It. Many Passages Will Not Be Understood At All, Or Understood Incorrectly, Without The Help Afforded By The Context. A Good Example Of This Is The Mormon Practice Of Using 1 Cor. 8:5b: "…For There Be Gods Many And Lords Many…" As A "Proof Text" Of Their Doctrine Of Polytheism. However, A Simple Reading Of The Whole Verse In The Context Of The Whole Chapter (E.G. Where Paul Calls These Gods "So-Called"), Plainly Demonstrates That Paul Is Not Teaching Polytheism.

4. The Rule Of HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The Interpreter Must Have Some Awareness Of The Life And Society Of The Times In Which The Scripture Was Written. The Spiritual Principle Will Be Timeless But Often Can’t Be Properly Appreciated Without Some Knowledge Of The Background. If The Interpreter Can Have In His Mind What The Writer Had In His Mind When He Wrote – Without Adding Any Excess Baggage From The Interpreter’s Own Culture Or Society – Then The True Thought Of The Scripture Can Be Captured Resulting In An Accurate Interpretation.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Said, "Our Only Interest In The Past Is For The Light It Throws Upon The Present."

5. The Rule Of LOGIC: Interpretation Is Merely Logical Reasoning. When Interpreting Scripture, The Use Of Reason Is Everywhere To Be

Assumed. Does The Interpretation Make Sense? The Bible Was Given To Us In The Form Of Human Language And Therefore Appeals To Human Reason – It Invites Investigation. It Is To Be Interpreted As We Would Any Other Volume: Applying The Laws Of Language And Grammatical Analysis.

As Bernard Ramm Said:

"What Is The Control We Use To Weed Out False Theological Speculation? Certainly The Control Is Logic And Evidence… Interpreters Who Have Not Had The Sharpening Experience Of Logic…May Have Improper Notions Of Implication And Evidence. Too Frequently Such A Person Uses A Basis Of Appeal That Is A Notorious Violation Of The Laws Of Logic And Evidence." (Protestant Biblical Interpretation, Boston: W. A. Wilde, 1956)

6. The Rule Of PRECEDENT: We Must Not Violate The Known Usage Of A Word And Invent Another For Which There Is No Precedent. Just As A Judge’s Chief Occupation Is The Study Of Previous Cases, So Must The Interpreter Use Precedents In Order To Determine Whether They Really Support An Alleged Doctrine. Consider The Bereans In Acts 17:10-12 Who Were Called "Noble" Because They Searched The Scriptures To Determine If What Paul Taught Them Was True.

7. The Rule Of UNITY: The Parts Of Scripture Being Interpreted Must Be Construed With Reference To The Significance Of The Whole. An Interpretation Must Be Consistent With The Rest Of Scripture. An Excellent Example Of This Is The Doctrine Of The Trinity. No Single Passage Teaches It, But It Is Consistent With The Teaching Of The Whole Of Scripture (E.G. The Father, Jesus, And The Holy Spirit Are Referred To Individually As God; Yet The Scriptures Elsewhere Teach There Is Only One God).

8. The Rule Of INFERENCE: An Inference Is A Fact Reasonably Implied From Another Fact. It Is A Logical Consequence. It Derives A Conclusion From A Given Fact Or Premise. It Is The Deduction Of One Proposition From Another Proposition. Such Inferential Facts Or Propositions Are Sufficiently Binding When Their Truth Is Established By Competent And Satisfactory Evidence. Competent Evidence Means Such Evidence As The Nature Of The Thing To Be Proved Admits. Satisfactory Evidence Means That Amount Of Proof Which Would Ordinarily Satisfy An Unprejudiced Mind Beyond A Reasonable Doubt. Jesus Used This Rule When He Proved The Resurrection Of The Dead To The Unbelieving Sadducees In Matt. 22:23-33.

Learning These Eight Rules And Properly Applying Them Will Help Keep Any Interpreter From Making Errors And Will Hopefully Alleviate Many Of The Disagreements Unfortunately Present In Christianity Today. However, These Eight Principles Are No Substitute For The Holy Spirit Which Will, If You Let Him, Guide You In The Truth [John 14:26]. Http://Www.Apologeticsindex.Org/5846-Biblical-Interpretation-Rules