Since the use of good hermeneutics is vital to one's coming to a knowledge of the truth when studying the Bible, it is something to which we all need to give attention. The study below was adapted from material at a sight that I believe contains some serious error.  Nevertheless, much of his material on hermeneutics is good.  I have endeavored to leave out the remarks that were made that I think were not valid and have made some points of my own.  I must give credit, however, by providing the link:

Biblical Hermeneutics

Question for you: How can one know for sure his position

on any issue is the truth?  Think about it? 

If you don't know the answer then you should seriously

consider that your conclusions on some major important

Bible topics may have been reached prematurely.

 [The use of good hermeneutics.] Define hermeneutics.....

Wikipedia:

Biblical hermeneutics: ‘methods of interpretation’,

“methodology of Biblical interpretation”, specifically in

the sense of devising ‘rules’ for ‘correct Biblical interpretation’.

The passage that best speaks to the need to have and apply

good hermeneutics is 2 Timothy 2:15: "Be diligent to

present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not

need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Biblical hermeneutics is the science of knowing how to

properly interpret the various types of literature and the

various passages relating to Bible topics, found in the

Bible. This is the purpose of biblical hermeneutics - to

help us to know how to interpret, understand, and apply

the Bible.

One of he most important laws of biblical hermeneutics is

that the Bible should be interpreted literally, unless there is

reason to consider it as being figurative. Literal Bible

interpretation means you understand the Bible in its

normal/plain meaning. The Bible says what it means and

means what it says. Many make the mistake of trying to

read between the lines and come up with meanings for

Scriptures that are not truly in the text. Biblical

hermeneutics keeps us faithful to the intended meaning

of Scripture and away from symbolizing Bible verses and

passages that should be understood literally.

A second crucial law of biblical hermeneutics is that

a verse or passage must be interpreted historically,

grammatically, and contextually.

Historical interpretation refers to understanding the

culture, background, and situation which prompted the

text.

Grammatical interpretation is recognizing the rules of

grammar and nuances of the Hebrew and Greek languages

and applying those principles to the understanding of a

passage.

Contextual interpretation involves always taking the

surrounding context of a verse/passage into consideration

when trying to determine the meaning.

Some mistakenly view biblical hermeneutics as limiting

our ability to learn new truths from God's Word or stifling

the Holy Spirit's ability to reveal to us the meaning of

God's Word. This is not the case.  The goal of biblical

hermeneutics is to point us to the correct interpretation,

which is truth already written into the text by men inspired

of God. The purpose of biblical hermeneutics is to

protect us from improperly applying a Scripture to a

particular situation. Biblical hermeneutics points us to

the true meaning and application of Scripture.

What is the difference between exegesis and

eisegesis?

Answer: Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting

approaches in Bible study.  Exegesis is the exposition

or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective

analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out

of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions

by following the text as he uses the best hermeneutics he

knows. The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis.

This is where the Bible interpreter tries to "force" the

Bible to mean something that fits their existing belief or

understanding of a particular issue or doctrine.

Although a person may apply good hermeneutics on

some issues, he may not willing to do so when studying

an issue that is emotional or one that would require a

change that would result in difficulties in life, like maybe

a preacher getting fired or not asked to hold meetings etc.

People who interpret the Bible this way are usually not

willing to let the Bible speak for itself and let the chips

fall where they may. They start off with the up-front goal

of trying to prove a point they already believe in, and

everything they read and interpret is filtered through

that paradigm.

The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which

means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text,

making it mean whatever he wants.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text.

Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a

misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering

the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar,

syntax, context and application.

Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even

at the expense of the meaning of words or the true

application.

2 Tim. 2;15 commands us to use exegetical methods:

 “Present yourself to God as one approved, a workman

who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly

handles the word of truth.”

An honest student of the Bible will be an exegete, allowing

the text, and other passages to speak, all of which he will

weight carefully (seeking harmony) in his study of the

meaning of a text or the truth regarding an issue.

Eisegesis easily lends itself to error, as the would-be

interpreter attempts to align the text with his own

preconceived notions.

Exegesis allows us to agree with the Bible; eisegesis

seeks to force the Bible to agree with us.

The process of exegesis involves:

1) observation: what does the passage say?

2) interpretation: what does the passage mean?

3) correlation: how does the passage relate to the rest of

the Bible? and

4) application: how should this passage affect my life?

9. Eisegesis, on the other hand, involves:

1) imagination: what idea do I want to present?

2) exploration: what Scripture passage seems to fit with

my idea? and

3) application: what does my idea mean?

Notice that, in eisegesis, there is no examination of the

words of the text or their relationship to each other, no

cross-referencing with related passages, and no real

desire to understand the actual meaning.

Scripture serves only as a prop to the interpreter’s idea.

To illustrate, let us consider the subject impossibility

of apostasy.  Some who promote this doctrine may use

Eph 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,

whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" as

support. It is also used in the sense of setting a mark on

anything, or a seal, to denote that it is genuine, authentic,

confirmed, or approved--as when a deed, compact, or

agreement is sealed. It is thus made sure; and is confirmed,

or established. Hence it is applied to persons, as denoting

that they are approved.  Joh 6:27, where it is said of the

Saviour, "for him hath God the Father sealed."  

In a similar manner Christians are said to be sealed; to

be sealed by the Holy Spirit, #Eph 1:13 4:30; that is, the

Holy Spirit is given to them to confirm them as belonging

to God. [Barnes]

Those who use Eph 4:30 to teach the impossibility of

apostasy fail to study and apply and/or provide any of

the numerous passages that are clear in teaching that one

may in fact fall away.  This eisegesis.  It is what I'm talking

about when I emphasize the need to follow good

hermeneutics.

An exegesis, on the other hand, realizing that there are

numerous clear passages throughout the Bible that teach

that one may fall away, sees the red flag, rejects the

eisegesis, and proceeds to look at the passage without the

traditional lens that has influenced many on this passage.

Of course, exegesis takes more time than eisegesis.

But if we are to be those unashamed workmen “who

correctly handle the word of truth,” then we must take the

time to truly understand the text. Exegesis is the only way.

LET US NOW LOOK AT SOME SPECIFIC RULES

To Know what parts of the Bible apply to us today

we must use good hermeneutics.

Much misunderstanding of Scripture occurs because we

either assign commands and exhortations we should be

following as "era-specific" commands that only applied

to the original audience, or we take commands and

exhortations that are specific to a particular audience

and make them timeless truths.

How do we go about discerning the difference?

We must be very careful when interpreting the Bible for

today’s Christians. To understand a scripture/passage in

its context we must observe rules of hermeneutics. Someone said:

The top three rules of hermeneutics (the art and

science of biblical interpretation) are 1) context; 2) context;

3) context. Regarding context, to understand fully, start

small and extend outward: verse, passage, chapter, book,

author and testament/covenant. Before we can tell

21st-century Christians how the Bible applies to them,

we must first come to the best possible understanding

of what the Bible meant to its original audience.

If we come up with an application that would have been

foreign to the original audience, there is a very strong

possibility that we did not interpret the passage correctly.

As we study "context" we must note and observe the

differences in language, time, culture, geography, setting

and situation? All of these must be taken into account

before application can be made that will result in a true

confident understand of the passage. Once we see the

commonalities between the original audience and ourselves

we can then find application for ourselves in our time and

situation.

Biblical interpretation is as much an art as it is science.

There are rules and principles, but some of the more

difficult or controversial passages require more effort than

others. We should always be open to changing an

interpretation if the evidence supports.

It's important to study Bible passages and stories within

their context. Taking verses out of context leads to all

kinds of error and misunderstanding. Understanding

context begins with four principles:

1) literal meaning (what it says);

2) historical setting (the events of the story;

3) to whom is it addressed, and how it was understood at

that time,

4) grammar (the immediate sentence and paragraph within

which a word or phrase is found) and synthesis (comparing

it with other parts of Scripture for a fuller meaning -- such

as other gospels).

Context is crucial to biblical exegesis in that it is one of its

most important fundamentals.

Taking phrases and verses out of context always leads to

misunderstanding.

Methods of Bible Study

There are several different methods we can use to

study the Bible in an organized or systematic way.

There are two broad categories:

Book Studies and Topical Studies.

Whatever type of Bible study method we use, it is

important that the study carefully takes into consideration

the context of the subject or verse being studied, both

within the immediate context of the chapter or book itself

and within the overall context of the Bible.

Our first goal must be to understand what the original or

intended meaning of the passage is. In other words, what

was the human author's intended meaning, and how would

his original audience have understood what he wrote?

This principle recognizes that the Bible is an historical

document written at a specific point in history with a

specific audience in mind for a specific purpose.

Once the true meaning of the passage is understood, then

we should seek to understand how it applies to us today.

Topical Studies:

There are many varieties of topical studies that we can do.

Some examples include biographical studies, where we

study all the Bible says about particular person; word

studies, where we study all the Bible says about a

particular word or subject; and geographical studies,

where we learn all we can about a particular town, country,

or nation mentioned in the Bible.

Topical studies are important for understanding all the

Bible teaches on a particular subject or topic.

We must be careful, though, that the conclusions drawn

from a topical study do not come from taking verses out

of their original context in order to imply a meaning that

could not be supported by doing a verse study or book

study. Topical studies are helpful in systematically

organizing and understanding what the Bible teaches on

specific subjects.

Why are there different Christian interpretations?

If all Christians have the same Bible, and the same Holy

Spirit, should not Christians be able to agree?

Answer:

Ask any educator—even the best classroom teacher has his

share of wayward students who seem to resist learning, no

matter what the teacher does. So, one reason different

people have different interpretations of the Bible is simply

that some do not listen to the Teacher—the Holy Spirit.

But there are other reasons:

Lack of training. The apostle Peter warns against those

who misinterpret the Scriptures. He attributes their

spurious teachings in part to the fact that they are

“ignorant” (2 Peter 3:16). 2 Pet 3:16 As also in all his

epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are

some things hard to be understood, which they that are

unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other

scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Timothy is told to “Do your best to present yourself to

God as one approved, a workman who does not need to

be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”

(2 Timothy 2:15).

There is no shortcut to proper biblical interpretation; we

are constrained to study.

          Why are there different Christian interpretations?

Poor hermeneutics.

Much error has been promoted because of a simple

failure to apply good hermeneutics (the science of

interpreting Scripture). Taking a verse out of its

immediate context can do great damage to the intent

of the verse. Ignoring the wider context of the chapter

and book, or failing to understand the historical/cultural

context will also lead to problems.

          Why are there different Christian interpretations?

Ignorance of the whole Word of God.

Apollos was a powerful and eloquent preacher, but he only

knew the baptism of John. He was ignorant of Jesus and

His provision of salvation, so his message was incomplete.

Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and “explained to him

the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:24-28).

Some groups and individuals today have an incomplete

message because they concentrate on certain passages to

the exclusion of others. They fail to compare Scripture

with Scripture.

Selfishness and pride.

Sad to say, many interpretations of the Bible are based on

an individual’s own personal biases and pet doctrines.

Failure to mature.

When Christians are not maturing as they should, their

handling of the Word of God is affected. “I gave you

milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.

Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly”

(1 Corinthians 3:2-3).

An immature Christian is not ready for the “meat” of

God’s Word. Note that the proof of the Corinthians’

carnality is a division in their church (verse 4).

Undue emphasis on tradition.

Some churches claim to believe the Bible, but their

interpretation is always filtered through the established

traditions of their church. Where tradition and the teaching

of the Bible are in conflict, tradition is given precedence.

This effectively negates the authority of the Word and

grants supremacy to the church leadership.

The important thing is to be dogmatic where Scripture is

clear (not just where ONE passage appears to be clear)

and to avoid being dogmatic where Scripture is not so

clear. There was unity in the early church because they

were steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine. There will be

unity in the church again when we get back to the apostles’

doctrine and forego the other doctrines, fads, and gimmicks

that have crept into the church beginning even while the

apostles were preaching among men.