Roy Zuck mentions two errors in applying the Bible.
1. The error of believing that interpretation is enough. This view sees the Bible as only an academic source of information rather than a spiritual source of transformation. While information is necessary for spiritual growth, we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.” We must also be doers of God’s Word and not hearers only (James 1:22). All Scripture was not written to you and me, but all Scripture was written for us (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 4:23, 24).
2. The error of applying Scripture before accurately interpreting the Word of God. We cannot apply God’s Word properly until we have interpreted it correctly. Eliphaz had knowledge of God’s Word, but he wrongly applied what he knew (Job 4:7).
Guidelines for Relevance-and-Response Application
1. Build Application on Interpretation
First, we must answer the question, “What did this passage mean to the original audience to whom it was written?” before we ask, “What does this text mean for me?” For preachers and teachers, the first question provides the exegetical idea and the last gives the homiletic idea.
2. Determine What Was Expected of the Original Audience
Direct applications are found in commands, and prohibitions, exhortations (“let us”), wishes (2 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2), permissions (1 Corinthians 7:15). Most of these examples provided by Zuck can be directly applied to our lives.
Indirect applications are found in examples (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1), narratives (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11), parables and themes. These examples have to be indirectly applied. For example, Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1 says to follow his example. We cannot emulate all that Paul did as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He raised the dead. We cannot. We will say more shortly about narratives.
3. Base Applications on Elements Present-day Readers Share with the Original Audience
The command in Colossians 3:9, “Lie not one to another” applies directly to us because of our commonality with the Colossians. But the command for Israel to cut branches off the trees in their front yard does not directly relate to the church today (Nehemiah 8). Here is an example of a passage not written to us but for us (2 Timothy 3:16). Just as Israel was blessed for obeying this command to observe the Feast of Tabernacle, so will we today be blessed if we obey God’s Word, say, in observing the Lord’s Supper or witnessing to the unsaved.
4. Recognize How God’s Working Varies in Different Ages
Some commands are trans-dispensational because they are repeated in the New Testament. “Love your neighbor” is first stated in Leviticus 19:18 and then repeated in Matthew 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; and James 2:8.
However, the prohibition to eat pork in Leviticus 11 has been annulled in Acts 10:9-16; (1 Timothy 4:4). That means we can eat Bojangles country ham biscuits without a tinge of guilt.
5. Determine What is Normative for Today
The apostolic gift of healing is not normative for today because “the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22). God is not dealing with Israel as a nation today therefore the sign gifts are not operative now. This statement by Paul was not a compliment. Instead of obeying God’s Word by faith, Israel had to have “sign miracles” by sight in order to obey.
6. See the Principle Inherent in the Text
Zuck makes three important statements about principles:
1) The first is a definition: “The principle is a generalized statement deduced from the specific original situation then and applicable to different though specific, similar situations now.”
2) The second is clarification: “Principles, to be valid, must be affirmed elsewhere in Scripture.”
3) The third is a warning: “We must exercise caution in drawing principles from narratives of Scriptures.” Narratives are descriptive and not prescriptive. For example, God commanded Abraham in Genesis 22:1-2 to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Is this command descriptive of God’s will or prescriptive for us today? Because this story is descriptive “the principle is that, like Abraham, believers ought to obey the Lord even when His commands call for personal sacrifice.” Paul in Romans 12:1-2 provides the timeless principle of presenting our bodies to Christ as “living sacrifices.”
7. Think of the Principle as Implication (or Extrapolation) of the Text, and as a Bridge to Application
“When Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist, Mary went to see her. ‘When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb’ (Luke 1:41). We may extrapolate from this statement the principle or implication that the unborn have life and that therefore abortion is wrong. This verse, however, does not prove that sinners are regenerated before they are converted as Wayne Grudem suggests.
8. Write Out Specific Action-Responses
Zuck breaks this step into specifics.
“Think of application in terms of relationships: your relationship to God, to Satan, to others (at home, church, work, school), to the world, and to yourself. These relationship are true for all people in all ages.
Make your application personal. Use the words, I, me, my, mine, not we, us, our. In Nehemiah 1:6, Nehemiah prayed: “Both I and my father’s house have sinned.”
Also be specific. Rather than saying, ‘I will love my wife more,’ be specific, by saying something like this: ‘On the way home from work Thursday, I will buy my wife some flowers.’
It is also important to be selective.” Too many applications make your Christian life burdensome.
9. Rely on the Holy Spirit
We will need God’s help in applying the Scriptures as revealed in Philippians 2:12, 13: “Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out you own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
It is so easy to get caught up in the academic part of Biblical interpretation and forget its Eternal spiritual source. Praise be to Christ for his sacrifice for our shortcomings.
First, we must answer the question, “What did this passage mean to the original audience to whom it was written?” before we ask, “What does this text mean for me?” For preachers and teachers, the first question provides the exegetical idea and the last gives the homiletic idea.
I believe that this step is VERY important. I believe that many people skip this step while trying to evaluate scripture.
Great post and most useful to the expositor of the Word to really grasp the attention of the congregation! However these are very simple and easy steps that would help spiritual growth of any believer both young and old.
It is imperative to look at the context of Scripture and not to read into the text more than what it says. Many times people try to find a sermon behind every word and in doing so they take the scripture completely out of context. However, God can use his word to encourage us or challenge us in an area in our lives while we are reading and studying the scripture. This is why it is called the Living Word of God. It is alive and is always apt for every area of our lives.
Thanks to the Lord for letting me read this post. I think we fall in this error of trying to apply the Scriptures without a deep and correct interpretation. Yes, today’s problem within christians is the problem of the interpretation of God’s Word. Wrong interpretation means wrong application. Let’s rely on the Holy Spirit to help us get a correct interpretation to apply well the Scriptures.
First I want to thank you for your profound statement, “However, the prohibition to eat pork in Leviticus 11 has been annulled in Acts 10:9-16; (1 Timothy 4:4). That means we can eat Bojangles country ham biscuits without a tinge of guilt.” haha and Amen.
I think taking scripture out of context is a big problem for a lot of people.
The endless theological debates can, and do, become very tiresome. But the application of the word of God to the believers life never does.
Alright! It’s Bo-time! I love some country ham biscuits. And I agree completely about being specific. In fact, my wife probably has been long over-due on flowers!
Here is an example of a passage not written to us but for us (2 Timothy 3:16)
I appreciate these principles of interpretation. I like the above comment that says that even though the passage may not have been written to us, it was written for us. I also find interesting that even though we don’t have to follow all the dietary laws of the OT, we can still benefit by applying some of those today. I love Pork, but would I benefit from eating scaly fish as part of my diet instead?
We do not have to live under the Law but we do need to glen from the concepts of the law. The ten commandments still hold true today; we shall have only One God etc. but as stated above we are forgiven and to not need to hole on to the tradition of the OT; we can have pork and for that too I am grateful as I enjoyed the bacon for breakfast this morning.
I think many times people fall into the error of applying Scriptures in the wrong way is because they are first not lead by the Holy Spirit when they are looking over the Scripture. First we must let the Holy Spirit guide us through His Word so that we can interpret it the way it was intended
When I was younger I just wanted to know what the application was. I did not understand why we needed to concentrate so much on the details. But these days I see that kind of thinking as a major problem. I really like the statement that all scripture is written for us but not to us. God wants us to get in deep and study his word in order to understand him better.
First we must properly interpret a passage, then we can draw application from it. Thanks for this post!
I love how we finally got to the part where we apply things to our life. I think it should be the goal of every theologian and Bible scholar out there to ultimately get to this step.
It is very easy to jump to an application without taking the time to fully understand the text. I know I have been guilty of that, especially when I was younger. These are very helpful guidelines.