How to Apply the Bible, Part 2: How

[Note: This is part 2 of a two-part post. You can find part 1 here.]

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”—Matthew 7:24, 25

In my last post, I talked about why applying Scripture is important. But how do we do this?

What has helped me is to remember that application is a response. God’s Word is not merely a book to be studied and approached like an academic text that we will be graded on. It is how the invisible God speaks to us.

And because we are in relationship with Him, we respond by speaking back to Him. When viewed this way, there are several things I do as I prepare to apply God’s Word.

Pray First

Sometimes I go into the conversation distracted, unprepared, or just plain hard of heart. Prayer paves the way by orienting and re-focusing my heart to Him.

Before beginning, pray that He will open our hearts to receive, our ears to hear, and our eyes to see. Ask Him to help us be humble and teachable.

Now there may be times when, despite opening in prayer, your feelings do not follow. This does not mean you should not proceed. Take heart! We are not at the mercy of our feelings. If this is where you’re at, then your prayer may be to ask the Lord to wake up and rouse your spirit from its lethargy.

Study Next

If we view Bible study as conversation, then it is important that we understand what the other person is saying before we respond in application. Just as it is foolish to speak before we hear (Prov. 18:13), so it is vital that we understand what God is saying in context before thinking about how to apply.

This means that if we are doing a study of a book of the Bible, we aim to understand its meaning to the original readers. This is an act of humility if we think about it, for as David Powlison notes, we’re really reading someone else’s mail. When we do this, we approach the Bible with the courtesy we need to understand—and then apply—accurately. (John Piper)

Likewise, when doing a topical study, we also want to not just go near and wide, but go long. This allows us to see the topic in context of the entire counsel of Scripture.

In either case, we need to make sure we don’t skimp on the essential steps of observation, interpretation and integration with the larger Story of Scripture. Otherwise, we open ourselves up to many possible errors in understanding and therefore, misapplications.

Personalize Last

All this study is not the end—yet here is where I am tempted to stop. Or I mistake my intensive study for the end goal. But this is not the case. God’s intention is that after we immerse ourselves in the Word, we would live differently.

Like I mentioned in my last post, this doesn’t always mean another new project or task. Application can also include a change in thought, worship, or prayer. It could be expressed in confession and repentance when the Word shines light on an area of sin, where we have strayed off the path. It could mean setting our sights on goals that are more closely aligned to His purposes. Or it could simply be pausing to bow down and worship at the throne of grace.

These may not be visible, but they do begin to shape us to become, think and love in ways that are more closely aligned to Christ. They help us to become a certain kind of person. When the moment strikes, we are prepared to respond in a godly way because we have trained ourselves to apply His truth. It will also help us stand firm when trial comes, like a house on rock.

Foundations take time to build. Skimping or aborting this stage may seem easier but it will be to our detriment. However, if you are willing to pause, reflect, and connect the dots, we will discover that when the storm rages, we will stand firm, planted in the solid dependability of Scripture.