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Recognizing and Challenging Personal Biases in Biblical Interpretation

Personal biases can significantly influence biblical interpretation, often leading individuals to read their own preconceptions into the text rather than deriving meaning from it. Recognizing and challenging these biases is crucial for a more accurate and humble engagement with Scripture.

One common bias is presumption, which Torrey's Topical Textbook describes as a characteristic of the wicked, exemplified in opposing God, willful sin, self-righteousness, and spiritual pride [1]. This can manifest in biblical interpretation when individuals assume they already understand a passage or that their existing beliefs are infallible, leading them to dismiss alternative readings or deeper study. The psalmist prays to be kept from sins of presumption, and saints are noted to avoid it [1]. Similarly, self-will and stubbornness, which proceed from unbelief and pride, can prevent individuals from hearkening to God or His messengers [3]. This stubbornness can lead interpreters to cling to their own interpretations despite evidence to the contrary, refusing correction [3].

Selfishness also plays a role in biased interpretation. Torrey's Topical Textbook defines selfishness as contrary to God's law and inconsistent with Christian love, manifesting as pleasing oneself, seeking one's own interests, or serving God for reward [2]. When interpreting the Bible, selfishness might lead someone to prioritize readings that benefit them personally, affirm their lifestyle, or support their pre-existing desires, rather than seeking God's truth. This can involve seeking undue precedence or neglecting the needs of others in favor of one's own understanding [2].

Hypocrisy, characterized by willful blindness, self-righteousness, and regarding tradition more than the word of God, also distorts interpretation [6]. Hypocrites may appear outwardly religious but neglect important duties, seeking only outward purity [6]. Such individuals might interpret Scripture in a way that maintains their outward appearance of godliness while ignoring its deeper ethical or spiritual demands. The prophet Isaiah notes that God knows and detects hypocrites [6].

The challenge of understanding complex biblical truths is acknowledged in Scripture itself. The psalmist reflects on the difficulty of comprehending certain matters, stating, "When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight" [4]. Moses also expresses the burden of bearing the troubles and disputes of the people alone [5]. These passages highlight that interpretation is not always straightforward and can be a weighty task, requiring humility and reliance on divine guidance.

The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10:15 emphasizes the responsibility of individuals to "judge" for themselves, not as an argument against its use, but against its abuse [7]. This implies that while personal judgment is necessary, it must be exercised carefully and without bias. The commentary on 2 Peter 1:20 further cautions that "no prophecy is found to be the result of 'private (the mere individual writer's uninspired) interpretation'" [8]. This suggests that understanding Scripture requires more than individual conjecture; it necessitates an awareness of the text's divine origin and intended meaning, rather than imposing one's own "solution" upon it [8].

Adam Clarke, in his commentary on Revelation 22:19, issues a strong warning against lessening the meaning, curtailing the sense, or explaining away the spirit and design of prophecies [9]. one tradition notes that this warning profoundly influenced him, preventing him from indulging his own conjectures or adopting those of others [9]. This underscores the danger of allowing personal biases or speculative interpretations to diminish the authoritative message of Scripture.

The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary on Philippians 3:13 encourages believers to forget "those things . . . behind" and press forward, noting that looking back can lead to going back [10]. This can be applied to interpretation, suggesting that clinging to past, potentially biased understandings can hinder spiritual progress and a fresh encounter with God's word. The commentary on Ephesians 3:4 also states that understanding the "mystery of Christ" comes through reading and perceiving the apostle's understanding, implying that careful attention to the text and its intended meaning is paramount [11].

Sources

  1. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Presumption — A characteristic of the wicked -- 2Pe 2:10. A characteristic of Antichrist -- 2Th 2:4. Exhibited in Opposing God. -- Job 15:25,26. Wilful commission of sin. -- Ro 1:32. Self-righteousness. -- Ho 12:8; Re 3:17. Spiritual pride. -- Isa 65:5; Lu 18:11. Esteeming our own ways right. -- Pr 12:15. Seeking precedence. -- Lu 14:7-11. Planning for the future. -- Lu 12:18; Jas 4:13. Pretending to prophecy. -- De 18:22. Pray to be kept from sins of -- Ps 19:13. Saints avoid -- Ps 131:1. Punishment for -- Nu 15:30; Re 18:7,8. Exemplified Builders of Babel. -- Ge 11”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Selfishness — Contrary to the law of God -- Le 19:18; Mt 22:39; Jas 2:8. The example of Christ condemns -- Joh 4:34; Ro 15:3; 2Co 8:9. God hates -- Mal 1:10. Exhibited in Being lovers of ourselves. -- 2Ti 3:2. Pleasing ourselves. -- Ro 15:1. Seeking our own. -- 1Co 10:33; Php 2:21. Seeking after gain. -- Isa 56:11. Seeking undue precedence. -- Mt 20:21. Living to ourselves. -- 2Co 5:15. Neglect of the poor. -- 1Jo 3:17. Serving God for reward. -- Mal 1:10. Performing duty for reward. -- Mic 3:11. Inconsistent with Christian love -- 1Co 13:5. Inconsistent with communi”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Self-Will and Stubbornness — Forbidden -- 2Ch 30:8; Ps 75:5; 95:8. Proceed from Unbelief. -- 2Ki 17:14. Pride. -- Ne 9:16,29. An evil heart. -- Jer 7:24. God knows -- Isa 48:4. Exhibited in Refusing to hearken to God. -- Pr 1:24. Refusing to hearken to the messengers of God. -- 1Sa 8:19; Jer 44:16; Zec 7:11. Refusing to walk in the ways of God. -- Ne 9:17; Ps 78:10; Isa 42:24; Jer 6:16. Refusing to hearken to parents. -- De 21:18,19. Refusing to receive correction. -- De 21:18; Jer 5:3; 7:28. Rebelling against God. -- De 31:27; Ps 78:8. Resisting the Holy Spirit. -- ”
  4. Psalms “Psalms 73:16 (BSB) — When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight”
  5. Deuteronomy “Deuteronomy 1:12 (BSB) — But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hypocrites — God knows and detects -- Isa 29:15,16. Christ knew and detected -- Mt 22:18. God has no pleasure in -- Isa 9:17. Shall not come before God -- Job 13:16. Described as Wilfully blind. -- Mt 23:17,19,26. Vile. -- Isa 32:6. Self-righteous. -- Isa 65:5; Lu 18:11. Covetous. -- Eze 33:31; 2Pe 2:3. Ostentatious. -- Mt 5:2,5,16; 23:5. Censorious. -- Mt 7:3-5; Lu 13:14,15. Regarding tradition more than the word of God. -- Mt 15:1-3. Exact in minor, but neglecting important duties. -- Mt 23:23,24. Having but a form of godliness. -- 2Ti 3:5. Seeking only outward pur”
  7. 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 10:15: Appeal to their own powers of judgment to weigh the force of the argument that follows: namely, that as the partaking of the Lord's Supper involves a partaking of the Lord Himself, and the partaking of the Jewish sacrificial meats involved a partaking of the altar of God, and, as the heathens sacrifice to devils, to partake of an idol feast is to have fellowship with devils. We cannot divest ourselves of the responsibility of "judging" for ourselves. The weakness of private judgment is not an argument against its use, but its abuse. We should t”
  8. 2 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 2 Peter 1:20: "Forasmuch as ye know this" (Pe1 1:18). first--the foremost consideration in studying the word of prophecy. Laying it down as a first principle never to be lost sight of. is--Greek, not the simple verb, to be, but to begin to be, "proves to be," "becometh." No prophecy is found to be the result of "private (the mere individual writer's uninspired) interpretation" (solution), and so origination. The Greek noun epilusis, does not mean in itself origination; but that which the sacred writer could not always fully interpret, though being the speaker o”
  9. Revelation (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Revelation 22:19: If any man shall take away - If any man shall lessen this meaning, curtail the sense, explain away the spirit and design, of these prophecies, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, etc. Thus Jesus Christ warns all those who consider this book to beware of indulging their own conjectures concerning it. I confess that this warning has its own powerful influence upon my mind, and has prevented me from indulging my own conjectures concerning its meaning, or of adopting the conjectures of others. These visions and threatenings are too delicate and aw”
  10. Philippians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Philippians 3:13: I--whatever others count as to themselves. He who counts himself perfect, must deceive himself by calling sin infirmity (Jo1 1:8); at the same time, each must aim at perfection, to be a Christian at all (Mat 5:48). forgetting those things . . . behind--Looking back is sure to end in going back (Luk 9:62): So Lot's wife (Luk 17:32). If in stemming a current we cease pulling the oar against it, we are carried back. God's word to us is as it was to Israel, "Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward" (Exo 14:15). The Bible is our landma”
  11. Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 3:4: understand my knowledge--"perceive my understanding" [ALFORD], or "intelligence." "When ye read," implies that, deep as are the mysteries of this Epistle, the way for all to understand them is to read it (Ti2 3:15-16). By perceiving his understanding of the mysteries, they, too, will be enabled to understand. the mystery of Christ--The "mystery" is Christ Himself, once hidden, but now revealed (Col 1:27).”
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