Hermeneutics 4

4-Affirm the rule of faith (analogia fidei). Since God is truthful, and Scripture is His Word, the core doctrines of that Word provide a framework for properly interpreting it. A verse that affirms Jesus' humanity does not contradict but complements verses that affirm His divinity. The overarching rule of faith affirms both truths about the Son of God: He is fully man and fully God. 

In other words, there is a unified doctrinal framework within the Bible's claims and teachings hold together. Each passage or part of the Bible draws meaning from that framework, just as it feeds back into that framework to make it fuller and more detailed. There is no single worldwide rule of faith agreed on by all churches. But statements such as the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed are widely affirmed as accurate, overarching descriptions of the Bible's teachings. Many churches have confessions and catechisms that summarize their rule of faith. Examples in Reformed churches include the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism (1646). Such statements do not dictate what individual passages say, but they do provide a framework within which to seek Scripture's most likely meaning even as they summarize the teaching of God's Word.