Author's Intention - 38
Bottom Line: what was the writer trying to say?
In an attempt to bring this chapter to a close, I will simply remind you that authorial intention is our greatest concern when interpreting the Scriptures. You must respect what the writer is trying to say in each book of the Bible you read. (In any book, for that matter.)
It is the reader’s work (your work) to get to the bottom of the things the author is trying to communicate. What is his intention? He has written a message, presumably with words formed into sentences containing: subjects, predicates, direct objects, nouns, verbs, adjectives and the like.
Some writers are clearer than others. They are easier to understand. These are the ones who often make reading more enjoyable. Nevertheless, the reader is never given permission to misinterpret the meaning of the writer. Beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder! The writer needs to be respected. And you do that by interpreting his work objectively, and not according to your subjective whims.
Ultimately, because we believe the Bible to be the Word of God, every interpreter must agree with the biblical writer, for the writer is the one God inspired to write. It is improper, and denies the objectivity of the Word of God, to add our thoughts into the text or ignore the writer’s original intent.