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When believers interpret a passage differently (either within a church or across denominations), how should they relate to each other in a way that promotes unity in the Body of Christ and yet continues to minister God’s Word with conviction?
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1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
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They should be willing to listen to how each other explains his interpretation, instead of reacting emotionally. They should be open-minded like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) to search the Scriptures for themselves to check on the interpretation, even their own. In searching the Scriptures, they should try their best to discern what the original meaning of the author to his readers was. Once they have come to a conclusion, they can share it gently, respecting others’ opinions and patiently understanding that they too may need time to search the Scriptures to check out his interpretation. Just like his own convictions, their convictions cannot come overnight without a process.
#Interpretation
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That’s a good question. Well with the help of the holy spirit we can discern what should be said and not. 1 COR 2:14 ESV
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When a brother or sister construe a passage of scripture differently, it’s important that we discuss the matter. And as others have mention, we do it in a loving, kind, and respectful way, and we do this by allowing the Holy Spirit to be our guide through the word of God. And we can do this by comparing scripture with scripture or even doing a word study to get the proper exegesis of the text.
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It's always important to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in Biblical interpretation and to help you have patience and kindness when discussing interpretations with other believers. I believe that if you lovingly communicate what you believe to be the meaning behind the passage, but are also willing to listen to what someone else’s thoughts are on the meaning, you can have a fruitful discussion without tearing each other down. The goal should be learning, encouragement, and challenging each other to grow closer to Jesus through discussing interpretations of Scripture.