Some Helpful Tips to Properly Interpret God's Word:
#1. Ask God for the understanding of His Word, i.e. "Give us this day our daily bread" (Sometimes this is a repeat process in that we have to keep asking; Especially when it comes to difficult passages).
#2. Context (Looking at the surrounding words, chapters).
#3. Read the most plainest meaning of the words in a text first in the English, unless the context and or other cross references indicate a meaning otherwise. While certain words in the Hebrew and Greek can be helpful, looking at the original language should be a last option (IMHO), and not as a way to read or interpret the Bible normally. The English should not conflict with the original languages. But some think otherwise. They think they know a dead language or that scholars are right, when this is not the case. Jesus said beware of the scribes. The scribes are those who tran-scribed the Scriptures. The scribes of our day would be the scholars. So be careful of what they say.
#4. Cross references (By 2-3 witnesses God's Word is confirmed) (But this is not always the case; For example: Folks can point out the prosperity gospel with Scripture or Eternal Security with several verses, but this does not mean that such beliefs are true if we look at the whole counsel of God's Word; Also the only verse in the Bible that point blank explains the Trinity is
1 John 5:7 in the King James Bible; No other verse really says the same thing like
1 John 5:7).
#5. Interpretation must be in line with basic morality (It disturbs me greatly when folks have an interpretation that ignores basic morality, like "Future Sin is Forgiven Us", or "Unconditional Election," etc.). People never really stop to examine their beliefs in light of whether or not it is morally good or wholesome.
#6. Keyword search studies (This is doing a search on how a particular word appears in the Bible and how it is used elsewhere as a way to determine other difficult passages or verses that are commonly taken out of context by others; I use BlueLetterBible, and PureKingJames software when I look up words to study sometimes).
#7. Realize that some words even in Modern Bibles may sometimes be archaic (older) that were influenced from the King James Bible. It does not mean these words are not correct, it just means that they are not in use anymore or as often. I use KingJamesBibleDictionary.com, Websters 1913, and other English dictionaries. A Defined King James Bible (by BibleForToday), or Archaic words and the Authorized Version by Laurence M. Vance are great tools (even if you may not hold to the view that King James Bible is superior in accuracy (not clarity) to other Bible translations like I do).
#8. Looking at what other believers have to say (I am not talking about the popular Bible commentators; I usually read a ton of Christian articles on a particular verse or passage from Bible Alone Trinitarian believers by scouring the internet and in praying to find the right answer).
#9. One needs to be born again by the Spirit and born by water (i.e. being born by water = being born by the Scriptures in the fact that we received the Word of God not as the words of men, but in fact as the very divine words of God Himself; Meaning, His Word is perfect and without error, and we have been broken and transformed by them with a godly sorrow in accepting Christ as our Savior and in believing in Christ's death and resurrection on our behalf).
#10. We need to agree with true godly living as the Bible describes it, and we need to be walking the talk; 1 Timothy 6:3-4 says that if any man does not agree with the words of Jesus Christ and the doctrine according to godliness, he is proud and he knows nothing. 1 John 2:3 says we can have an assurance in knowing the Lord if we find that we are keeping His commandments. The closer our walk in knowing the Lord, the closer we will be in our understanding of God's Word. For if we are not loving according to God's Word, we cannot have the depth of understanding of the deep things or treasures within God's Word.