Applying the Bible
WHAT IS YOUR GOAL OF BIBLE STUDY?
Application is the most neglected yet the most needed stage in the process
Without application, your Bible study is not complete
The goal of Bible study is not simply to determine what it says and what it means, but rather to apply it to one’s life. If we fail to apply the Scriptures, we cut short the entire process and have not finished what God wants us to do.
the ultimate goal of all Bible study is application, not interpretation
God intended that his Word not only convey important information but also accomplish individual transformation.
the single most serious problem people have with the Bible is not with a lack of understanding but with the fact that they understand many things too well! For example, with such a text as “Do everything without grumbling or arguing” (Phil 2:14), the problem is not understanding it but obeying it—putting it into practice.
The goal of Bible study is not simply to determine what it says and what it means, but rather to apply it to one’s life. If we fail to apply the Scriptures, we cut short the entire process and have not finished what God wants us to do.
KEY TERMS
APPLICATION is putting into practice something that is learned or understood
Application is a bridge between the biblical meaning and present-day life situations.
The Devotional Method of Bible Study involves taking a passage of the Bible, large or small, and prayerfully meditating on it until the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply its truth to your own life in a way that is personal, practical, possible, and provable
Application asks, “How does this work?” or “How does
DANGERS OF APPLICATION
Christians tend to make one of two errors in applying the Bible. Either they give too little attention to application or they give too much attention to it
1) Everything Always Applies
On the other hand, there are those who think of the Bible only in terms of its eternal relevance. Because it is the word of God, they tend to think of it only as a collection of propositions to be believed and imperatives to be obeyed
So it’s important to consider the scope of a passage before you move to apply it, not simply to assume that it’s been that way in the past, and it’s in the Bible, so it’s that way forever.
2) Nothing Ever Applies
Bible study without application can be dangerous because knowledge puffs up
Because the Bible is God’s message, it has eternal relevance; it speaks to all humankind, in every age and in every culture.
3) Some Things Are Misapplied
If we do not interpret properly, we may end up applying the Bible wrongly. How you interpret many passages has a direct effect on your conduct and the conduct of other people as well
Be careful of arbitrarily principalizing, especially of ambiguous texts; use only clear passages
TIPS ON APPLICATION
One of the things that you have to watch in thinking about application is, actually determining the scope of a passage—whether it actually applies to the situation you’re thinking about in life that it connects to.
1) Apply it to the original audience
We must be careful not to generalize for today everything that happened in Bible times
We always have to ask the question, “Does the passage that we have in mind have any limitation in terms of how we should think about what it addresses and the way it applies?”
2) Apply it to the universal audience
Although the authors of Scripture were writing for specific people in specific situations, God also intended what they wrote to be for all people of all times and places.
Test of Doctrine: (1) Was it illustrated in the OT?
3) Apply it to the specific audience
Some basic questions to ask every text (this is taken from How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself by Mayhue, p. 64).
1. Are there examples to follow?
2. Are there commands to obey?
3. Are there errors to avoid?
4. Are there sins to forsake?
5. Are there promises to claim?
6. Are there new thoughts about God to analyze?
7. Are there principles by which to live?
PRACTICING APPLICATION
1) How do you apply ?
This applies to an original audience
1) How do you apply ?
This applies to an original audience
2) How do you apply ?
This applies to a universal audience
3) How do you apply ?
This applies to an original and a universal audience
4) How do you apply ?
This applies to an original audience and may apply to a universal audience
5) How do you apply ?
This applies to an original audience and a universal audience
6) How do you apply ?
This applies to a universal audience but may just apply to an original audience
CONCLUSION
Enjoy God’s Word...
To read the Bible thoughtlessly or carelessly or academically or professionally is not to read the Bible as God’s Word. As one reads it as a love letter is read, then one reads it as the Word of God’
Obey God’s Word...
The goal of opening the Scripture and reading it and studying it is not merely to collect information for your head. The goal of interacting with the Bible and doing Bible study and engaging in Bible study is to let God go to work in forming you as a person, in changing the way you think, in transforming who you are, in developing and helping you grow spiritually
The goal of opening the Scripture and reading it and studying it is not merely to collect information for your head. The goal of interacting with the Bible and doing Bible study and engaging in Bible study is to let God go to work in forming you as a person, in changing the way you think, in transforming who you are, in developing and helping you grow spiritually
Live God’s Word...
“The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him.”