InterVarsity's Interpretive Commitments on Scripture

We all naturally have a set of ‘lenses’ through which we view and understand the Bible. Since InterVarsity brings together Christians from a broad range of churches, ethnicities, and cultures, a core set of commitments when interpreting Scripture provides unity in the midst of diversity:

Seek God

We come to the Bible with a desire to know and be transformed by God.

• Are we approaching this text with a posture of faith in God’s goodness, willingness to trust God’s Word, and openness to correction or redirection?
• How does this text call me to love God and neighbor?

Focus on the text

We seek to let the Scriptures speak for themselves and welcome them exposing and changing our preconceptions. We wrestle with questions that arise from a close reading of the text.

• What are the questions the text is raising or addressing?
• How open am I to the text challenging my assumptions and life choices?

Honor history and culture

We seek to understand how biblical writers and original audiences saw the world, rather than reading the text through the assumptions of our time and culture.

• What taken-for-granted knowledge do we need in order to understand this text?
• Where might my cultural perspective help or hinder a faithful reading? What other cultural perspectives will help me gain a more faithful reading?

Receive the whole Bible

We read each section of the Old and New Testament within the context of the larger story of God’s creation, the disfigurement of the fall, God’s mission of redemption, and the promise of a new creation.

• How does the larger biblical story shape the meaning and significance of this particular section?
• Is our reading true to the vision, plots, values, and trajectory of the entire Bible?