1. Read the whole passage.
A verse pulled out of context can be made to say almost anything. Read before it, after it, and ask what the author is actually arguing.
2. Let clear verses govern unclear verses.
Do not build a major doctrine on one symbolic phrase when many direct verses teach otherwise.
3. Ask where the apostles preached it.
If a doctrine is essential to salvation, it should be clear in the preaching of Jesus and the apostles.
4. Test the fruit.
Does the teaching produce love, truth, humility, and freedom in Christ, or fear, secrecy, and control?
Do not add ideas between the lines.
The Bible must be read as it is written. When a teacher starts with a doctrine and then hunts for hidden meanings, the text becomes a mirror for the teacher’s imagination instead of God’s Word.
Job 40 describes Behemoth: “Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox ... his strength is in his loins ... his bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.” Some people debate whether this is a hippopotamus, elephant, dinosaur-like creature, symbol, or something else. The lesson is simple: if you read only what you want to see, you can make a passage argue for almost anything, even dinosaurs, aliens, or private mythology.
Sound doctrine does not come from imagination. It comes from the passage, the context, the whole Bible, and the clear Gospel preached by Christ and the apostles.
Do not surrender your Bible to an interpreter.
Teachers can help, but they cannot replace Scripture. If a group tells you that only its teachers can understand the Bible, that is a serious warning sign. Christ gave pastors and teachers to edify the body, not to own the conscience.
Any church can be tested.
Testing doctrine is not rebellion. It is obedience. The Bible commands believers to test spirits, examine fruit, and hold fast to what is good.
Simple conclusion
Truth does not fear examination. If a teaching is biblical, it can survive honest questions.