Because the “new” and “sensational” is so highly valued by our culture, many have dismissed the Bible as old, outdated, unreliable, and irrelevant to today’s society. Fact is, God’s word lives and abides forever (cf. 1 Pet 1:23-25). His word is always relevant and applicable to our lives (see 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:3; Jude 3; John 17:17). The challenge of Christianity, then, is first to properly interpret what God’s word says (cf. 2 Tim 2:15), and then to properly apply that truth to our lives (cf. James 1:22)!

Many people have a lot of trouble applying truth to their lives. Often, proper application is merely a process of asking the proper questions about a passage in relation to our lives. When trying to find applications, you might consider the following questions:

Is there a(n)….

Sin I need to confess?

Prayer to pray?

Attitude to change?

Command to obey?

Example to follow?

Praise that should be given?

Evil to avoid?

Truth I must embrace?

Something to thank God for?

This is by no means an exhaustive list of questions for finding applications, but it is a good place to start. After answering these questions, we need to determine that we will become “doers” of God’s word. Think of it in these terms: we are focusing upon a goal (to be like Christ), and we are designing “projects” to help us draw nearer to that goal. Applications are, in essence, projects: they give direction and purpose to our attitudes, motives, and actions. A five-part check can help make our applications effective:

1) Is it personal? (Is this an application that I can use?) 2) Is it practical? (Not vague: “I’m going to be more loving” vs. “I’m going to resolve to use kinder words when my wife / husband burns the toast”) 3) Is it provable? (How will I know when I have applied this truth to my life?) 4) Is it possible? (Am I biting off more than I can chew? Growth takes patience and persistence... it does not happen overnight.) 5) Have I been prayerful? (Ask God’s help in trying to apply His will to your life.)

A word of caution: let us always be sure we understand what a given passage means before we attempt to apply it. The Bible says that if you truly seek God’s will, He will bless you in whatever you do (cf. Prov. 3:6).

John Baker