The hermeneutic I like to follow is this:
- Let Scripture exegete Scripture where possible.
- Follow the principle of contextual realism. You accept what the text is saying as real (as opposed to allegorical, symbolic, metaphorical) unless the context or genre clearly either indicates you should not.
- Believe that God's expressed purpose and Will is evident in one consistent and connected thread from OT to NT.
- Note the particular grammatical-historical-cultural dimension of the text.
- Take into account Church tradition and preponderence of teaching.
- Engage in a systematic theology whereby each issue is analyzed across all of Scripture in a rigorous way.
