Biblical Consistency Checklist App
Public Help — Biblical Consistency Checklist
The Biblical Consistency Checklist is an interactive tool for testing a proposed interpretation of Scripture against a consistent set of interpretive principles.
Its governing premise is straightforward:
Scripture must be allowed to interpret Scripture so that an interpretation remains contextually, progressively, coherently, and consistently intact throughout Scripture without contradiction. The interpretation must likewise remain consistent with God’s perfection—both His natural attributes and His perfect character.
The Checklist is not intended to replace Bible study, nor does checking boxes prove an interpretation to be correct. It is designed to expose areas where an interpretation may require further examination.
How to Use It
Begin with a specific biblical interpretation or theological conclusion that you want to test.
Work through all 21 statements, answering each one TRUE or FALSE.
TRUE means the interpretation passes that particular test.
FALSE means the interpretation is either incomplete or completely wrong and must be reexamined before it can be accepted as a sound interpretation of Scripture.
The Checklist intentionally uses a demanding standard. An interpretation does not pass merely because it succeeds on most questions.
Every statement must receive TRUE for the interpretation to pass the Checklist.
What the Checklist Tests
The 21 questions examine several major areas of interpretation, including:
Definition, Usage, and Language — Are important words being understood according to their actual biblical, grammatical and historical usage?
Context — Does the interpretation fit the immediate passage and the argument of the chapter and book?
Historical and Authorial Setting — Does it account for the author’s purpose, original audience and relevant circumstances?
Logic, Evidence, and Inference — Do the conclusions actually follow from the biblical evidence, or is the interpretation claiming more than its premises establish?
Whole-Scripture Consistency — Can the interpretation remain intact when all relevant biblical passages are considered?
God’s Nature and Character — Is the interpretation consistent with who God reveals Himself to be?
Foundational Premises — Does the interpretation rest upon clearly established biblical premises, or does an ambiguous or disputed assumption carry the weight of the entire system?
The ? Help Buttons
Every Checklist question includes a ? button.
Select it whenever the meaning of a question is unclear. The explanation tells you what that particular test is intended to examine and what TRUE or FALSE means in that context.
These explanations are important because the objective is not simply to find a way to answer TRUE. The objective is to understand what is actually being tested.
Interpretation Best Practices
The sticky summary area includes Interpretation Best Practices.
This is not another scored portion of the Checklist. It provides practical principles for approaching biblical interpretation responsibly, including prayer, humility, awareness of preconceived beliefs, guarding against confirmation bias, considering alternative explanations fairly, and allowing Scripture to correct our conclusions.
One principle summarizes the purpose well:
The objective is not to prove that we were right. It is to arrive as faithfully as possible at what Scripture actually teaches—even when the truth requires us to change our minds.
Results
The summary shows how many questions are:
TRUE • FALSE • Unanswered
Until every question has been answered, the Checklist remains in progress.
If one or more answers are FALSE, the interpretation has not passed and the Checklist identifies which questions require reconsideration.
If all 21 answers are TRUE, the interpretation passes the Checklist.
Passing should not be misunderstood as infallible proof that an interpretation is correct. It means the interpretation has survived the particular consistency tests contained in this tool.
Reset and Print
Reset Checklist clears all answers so another interpretation can be tested.
Print / Save as PDF uses your browser’s normal printing system, allowing you to print the completed Checklist or select your browser’s Save as PDF option.