In English, as I'm sure is the case in other languages, we have a language device called "similes". A simile is a comparison between two things which share a common attribute. If, for example, someone is said to have "eyes like a hawk", it doesn't literally mean their eyes are biologically more similar to a hawk's than a human's, it means they can see well, because hawks can see well. Or you can call someone "as sweet as honey", not because they're pleasant to lick, but because honey is sweet, and so the person being described has a sweet personality.
Similes only work because the things you are comparing have the attribute you are trying to express. You can even use similes to give the opposite effect. If you describe someone as being "as tall as a dwarf", that gives the impression that the person is actually very short, because dwarves are short. If you say "they're as alike as chalk and cheese", the reader immediately knows "they" are not alike, because chalk and cheese are not alike.
One common simile is "I can read you like a book". When it's not being used sarcastically, this simile means you know the person in question very well. This is because books can be read. The more you read them, the better you know them.
But in modern culture, "I can read you like a book" might as well mean "you're a total mystery to me". Why? Because heretics, unbelievers, and even genuine Christians, are all too often dismissive of Scriptures that disagree with them, not because they explicitly disbelieve the Scriptures, but because, in their mind, "the Scriptures are open to interpretation".
In reality, the Bible is a book. In fact, its name literally means "The Book". And it's commonly called "the Good Book". And atheists mock Christians for relying on a book. It's a book, it's a very good book, it's a very important book, you can read it like a book, because it is, in fact, a book. Book, book, book.
Because it is a book, it can, of course, be read like a book. That is, there are some very simple rules of language which, if used, will enable us to decipher the meaning of that book. This means we don't need to bicker about whose interpretation is better, we can study the book and find out.
Sometimes, that involves discussing two or more different interpretations. For example, what is the rock described in Matthew 16:18? There are 5 different main interpretations here:
- Peter is the rock
- The Disciples are the rock
- Jesus is the rock
- Peter's confession of Christ is the rock
- The Pope is the rock
While the 5th interpretation is a non-player in the discussion, the first four all have their strengths and weaknesses. And the discussion can be had, the superior answer can be correctly determined, and the wrong answer (i.e. the papal one) can be discarded.
Other times, however, an alternative interpretation is not even offered. It is dismissed only because it conflicts with a pre-existing belief. I remember, for example, a debate I had with an Arminian regarding predestination. I presented the Scriptures which do speak about predestination, but the Arminian had no come back. The debate spiralled into him accusing me of twisting the Scriptures, and me simply asking how. He could provide no alternative interpretation, nor point out a weakness in mine. All he knew was he was an Arminian, and so I, as a Molinist (or "Mediate", as I identified at the time) had to be twisting the Scriptures somehow.
Personally, I find this state of affairs really awkward. Our commitment to our beliefs isn't a Bible problem, it's a people problem. The Bible says what it means, and means what it says. When we disagree on what it means, it's not because it's somehow unclear, it's because one of us is wrong. The Bible is a book, and we should be content to let it be.
So why aren't we? Well, because we're sinners, of course! Every single one of us "reinterprets" God's word because we want the authority to do so. We don't want His laws, we want ours. I know what it's like to "reinterpret" Scripture to fit my desires. When I converted and found out God didn't want me to be gay, I wanted to stay gay, so I "reinterpreted" His word so I could stay gay and still be a Christian. But the Bible, being a book, stubbornly resisted my efforts to do so, so I surrendered to God. You can do that too. It's called repentance. Stop resisting God and using His word as an excuse to do it. You're the one who is mistaken, not God. Let His book correct your errors.