Recently heard someone re-define the word "fruit" in John 15 as "answered prayer".
I went to my trusty concordance and online dictionaries to see if fruit means "fruit". That made me look at Rules for interpreting Scripture. There are different lists 8 and 16 rules etc.
Here is a list that may or may not help. Try it and see.
1. First ask what does the words mean? Does the grammar change the meaning? What was the common use at the time?
Figure out what the real meaning of the words are. Ex. When the Bible speaks about "dogs" (Rev 22:15) it is not speaking about fourfooted mammals but about perverts.
2. Ask what is the context? Read the whole chapter or book. Ex. The 4th chapter of Ephesians is about the unity of the Body of Christ yet, the 11th verse has been pulled out of context, used to divide and grade the Body of Christ.
3. Ask: Who wrote it? To whom? What is the Historical background? Ex. When Paul writes that women should be silent in church, he was addressing a culteral issue of women making a raccus in meetings by yelling at their husbands because they were not sitting together. 1 Cor 14:34
4. Ask: When is the first time this was written in scripture? Let Scripture explain scripture. Make sure that your intrepetation is consistent with the whole of scripture. Ex. God is love. But the rest of scripture also show His other attributes such as holiness and righteousness.
5. Do not make doctrine/teaching based on one single verse. A minimum of 3 unrelated verses are required. You cannot use the same thing repeated in three of the "Gospels".
Do not make doctrine that contradicts scripture. If it contradicts even one verse, it is out.
Ex. We all know cults that use one obscure verse to justify a practice or doctrine like snake handlers based on Mark 16:18.
6. Ask the Holy Spirit to explain what it means? He is the original author of it all. He is with us to help us. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is our Helper and reminder. John 15:26
