Truth is never determined by looking at God’s Word and asking, “What does this mean to me?” Whenever I hear someone talk like that, I’m inclined to ask, “What did the Bible mean before you existed? What does God mean by what He says?” Those are the proper questions to be asking. Truth and meaning are not determined by our intuition, experience, or desire. The true meaning of Scripture–or anything else, for that matter–has already been determined and fixed by the mind of God. The task of an interpreter is to discern that meaning. And proper interpretation must proceed application.

– John MacArthur