Principles

"The Golden rule"
This principle helps us understand God's Word accurately and completely. It emphasizes the importance of using different parts of the Bible to clarify, explain, and reference one another.

"The Safeguard"
The Bible is a special book that contains both teachings of the truth and the lessons derived from people, stories, and historical events. Having a clear distinction between these two is crucial to ensure we understand and apply God's Word accurately.

"The Lens of Comparison"
This principle is important for understanding the close relationship between the Old and New Testaments. It helps us gain a deeper understanding of God's Word by affirming that the New Testament reveals and explains what was previously revealed in the Old Testament in a more profound and complete way.

The Old Testament lays the foundation for God's story of salvation, such as creation, the fall of man, the history of the Jewish people, and God's covenant with them (the Old Covenant). The New Testament reveals the core event and meaning of salvation: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Complete Unity"
NThis principle affirms that the core message and doctrines conveyed throughout the Bible are entirely unified and never contradict or confuse each other.
However, it is important to note that the Bible was written by various authors over a long period, with different writing styles and contexts. As a result, some apparent differences may exist in certain specific details. Nonetheless, this does not affect the core truths or the unity of the Bible.Instead, these differences can be understood by considering these factors: context,literary genre,perspective,language, etc.

The historical books of the Bible do not merely record events; rather, God uses them to convey theological truths. Therefore:

• Not all recorded events serve as examples to follow.
• It is essential to distinguish between actions approved by God and human sinful behavior.
• One may ask: "What is the theological significance of this story?" or "What does God intend to teach through this event?"
• The interpretation of a story should not be overly detailed to the extent that the main message of the passage is obscured.

The poetic books in the Bible include Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Job, Ecclesiastes, and portions of the prophetic books. Characteristics of biblical poetry include:

• Frequent use of parallelism (where the second line echoes the meaning of the first).
• Many symbolic and hyperbolic images that should be understood figuratively.
• The genres of Psalms include:
  • Lament Psalms – Prayers for deliverance.
  • Thanksgiving Psalms – Expressions of gratitude for God's deliverance.
  • Praise Psalms – Calls to worship and glorify God.
  • Wisdom Psalms – Teachings on God's wisdom.
  • Messianic Psalms – Prophecies concerning Christ.
  • Imprecatory Psalms – Appeals for divine justice.

Proverbs present principles of wise living but are not absolute promises, For example:

• "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6) is not a guarantee that every child will follow God’s ways but rather a general principle.
• The Proverbs should be understood within the overall context of the book, especially the introductory section (Proverbs 1–9).
• Proverbs should be read thematically to gain a more comprehensive understanding.

Old Testament prophets were God's spokesmen, declaring judgment, calling for repentance, and foretelling future events. When interpreting prophecy:

• The historical context should be considered to understand who received the message, at what time, and under what circumstances.
• Many prophecies are symbolic and poetic in nature and should not be interpreted in a rigidly literal manner.
• Some prophecies may have a dual fulfillment—being fulfilled both in history and in Christ.