We turn to answer a few questions about biblical interpretation. Right away, I want to assert this fact. When interpreting the Bible, Jesus must be the center of our interpretation. If Jesus is not the center, then we miss the message of the Bible.
Interpreting the Bible with Jesus at the center is a specific statement, not a generalization.
As a case study we could look at the false teaching that infiltrated the Galatian church. Where did the false teachers get their information? They got their information from the Bible. The false teachers came to the Galatian's door or their Sunday school class and said, "open your Bible." But they left Jesus out. The false teachers reduced the cross to a secondary position instead of letting the cross stand central to their confession.
When interpreting the Bible with Jesus at the center, we mean a specific Jesus. There are many false Jesus's out there. There is the Muslim Jesus. He is a perfect prophet but not a crucified Son. There is a Mormon Jesus. He is not co-equal with the Father. There is the Jehovah's Witness Jesus. He is created, not creator. Then there is the religiosity Jesus. He is not sufficient for salvation, so eternal life is given not by faith alone but by faith plus. The plus can be anything, and most would often commend the plus. Don't lie. Don't steal. Don't cheat. Do your best to serve Jesus and go to heaven when you die.
The only problem with each of these versions of Jesus is he is not a Jesus according to Scripture. Since he is not according to Scripture, he is not the subject of divine revelation but a God we have erected according to our imaginations. In other words, he is not real and is thereby impotent and powerless to save.
The Jesus that saves is a Jesus according to Scripture.
If these groups come to our door with a Bible in hand, how can we know who is reading the Bible correctly? The answer is Jesus. Which Jesus? Not the Jesus that suites your imagination but the Jesus that rescues redeems. A Jesus who created, who became incarnate, who bled and died, who on the third day rose, who ascended on high, who is coming again. In other words, a Jesus according to Scripture.
We don't want a Jesus according to our imagination. We want a Jesus who is greater than anything we could ever imagine! This is the Jesus that Paul proclaimed to the Galatians. This is the Jesus that justifies. It is only Jesus. It is not faith in Jesus that saves but a Jesus who saves through faith.