When someone says “that’s just your interpretation,” Christians can respond with patience and confidence. Some biblical questions really are matters of honest disagreement among believers, but the Bible is clear on the essentials of salvation and how to live. Find out what the person means, point to what Scripture plainly says, learn from faithful interpreters, and hold firm on the essentials while giving grace on secondary issues.
Find Out What They Mean
People say “that’s just your interpretation” for different reasons. Sometimes it’s a sincere observation. Believers who love the Bible do disagree on some questions, like Calvinism and Arminianism, the mode of baptism, or the timeline of the end times. Those are real interpretive debates, and it’s fair to acknowledge them.
Other times, the phrase is a way to dodge a clear teaching. Someone may believe in God but want to keep living in a way the Bible plainly calls sin, such as sex outside of marriage, so they file God’s clear command under “just one interpretation.” Paul warned Timothy that this would happen:
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
So before you respond, ask a gentle question: “Which part do you think is unclear?” Their answer will show you whether you’re discussing a genuine interpretive question or a deeper resistance to what God has said.
Affirm the Clarity of Scripture
Not every passage is equally easy to understand. Peter admitted that Paul’s letters “contain some things that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). But the central message of the Bible is not murky. Who Jesus is, how a person is saved, and how God calls us to live are stated plainly and repeatedly. The psalmist celebrates this:
Psalm 19:7-8 The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
God’s Word makes even “the simple” wise. A helpful principle is to let the clear passages guide how we read the less clear ones, rather than using a difficult verse to overturn what Scripture says plainly elsewhere.
Learn from Faithful Interpreters
We aren’t the first people to read the Bible. For two thousand years, faithful Christians across cultures have studied it, and on the core truths they have agreed: the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Jesus, his bodily resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith. Those teachers weren’t infallible, and Scripture always has the final word. But if a “new” interpretation contradicts what the church has understood for centuries, that’s a red flag. Even the apostles’ teaching was tested against Scripture:
Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
The Bereans didn’t accept every claim, and they didn’t dismiss Paul either. They went back to God’s Word. That’s a good pattern for us when someone offers a competing interpretation.
Hold Essentials Firmly and Give Grace on the Rest
Paul recognized that some issues in the early church, like eating certain foods or observing special days, were matters of personal conscience. He told believers how to handle them:
Romans 14:1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
The key is knowing the difference. Stand firm on the essentials: the authority of Scripture, the deity and resurrection of Jesus, salvation by grace through faith alone, and God’s design for sexuality and marriage. Give grace where faithful believers genuinely differ. Don’t let “interpretation” become an excuse to blur either category.
The Takeaway
When someone says “that’s just your interpretation,” don’t panic and don’t get defensive. Find out what they mean, point to what Scripture clearly teaches, learn from faithful interpreters, and hold the essentials firmly while showing grace on secondary matters.
