This post is part of the “How to Study the Bible” series.
Perhaps, after reading a biblical text, you may wonder if or how the text applies to you today. For example, Exodus 23:4 says, “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.” The command is in the Old Testament and, as far as you know, your enemy has neither a ox or a donkey, so you may think, “Umm. That’s interesting, but I don’t see how it applies me.”
Before you dismiss the verse as “not applicable,” …
Pray:
- Pray earnestly for the Spirit’s help in applying God’s truth and submitting to the authority of God’s word.
- Pray for God to search your heart and help you do an honest, humble self-assessment of your heart in light of his word.
- Pray for God’s Spirit to transform your thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors through your study of the text.
- Pray for God to help you connect his truth to your own specific situations.
For a more indepth discussion of prayer as it is related to Bible study, see "Appropriating the Meaning" in Fuhr, R.A., Jr., Köstenberger, A. J., Inductive Bible Study, B&H Academic: Nashville,2016.
Ask Yourself:
- Am I supposed to know something or do something because of this text?
- How did the author expect his original audience to apply the text?
- What general principle or truth do I see in the text that I can apply?
- When and where can I apply this text in a way that is consistent with the original intended application?
- What can’t the text mean to me?
Use the following IF-THEN statements to help you think through the questions above.
| IF | THEN |
| a command, instruction, example, expectation, promise, or warning is repeated in a variety of settings and addressed to a universal audience, | the text, as it stands, probably applies to you. |
| a command, instruction, example, expectation, promise, or warning is found in a unique circumstance, | the text may be limited to the original audience in the unique circumstance, but look for underlying principles that may apply to you. |
| Old Testament laws, promises, or curses in the text are specifically associated with earlier covenants in biblical history (See “More About Covenants” below for further explanation.), | do not expect promises or curses associated with laws from earlier covenants (that haven’t been renewed or restated in subsequent texts) to apply to you apart from their fulfillment in Christ, but do look for underlying principles in the text that may apply to you. |
| the text contains laws that regulate a practice that is less than God’s ideal (for example slavery or polygamy), | consider God’s ideal practice, and decide how the text applies to you. |
| the text contains a promise or warning | don’t expect the promise or warning to apply to you apart from the constraints or parameters of the context. |
| a cultural command, or a specific instruction, example, or expectation in the text means the same things today that it originally meant, | the text, as is, probably applies to you. |
| a cultural command (for example, the holy kiss), cultural instruction, cultural example, or cultural expectation in the text does not mean the same thing today that it meant to the original audience, | look for cultural equivalents or underlying principles and apply them to yourself. |
| the text is about a believer’s behavior in a New Testament text that occurs before Pentecost, | do not automatically assume that specific behaviors are examples that you should model, but do look for underlying principles that may apply to you. |
| the text is a narrative, | do not automatically assume that a character’s behavior should be modeled nor break down the narrative and dig for nuggets of application, but consider the narrative as a whole unit, and do look for general truths about God, about people, or about God’s relationship to people. |
| the text is found in wisdom literature, | apply the text to yourself as general truth with a probable outcome. |
| the text is a prophecy, | expect an ultimate fulfillment of it that exceeds the immediate historical setting, look for the underlying message, and apply it to yourself. |
| the text is a command, instruction, a promise, a warning, or a prophecy that is part of a letter (an epistle) to the early church, | the text, as is, probably applies to you. |
| the text is a genealogy, | do not search for underlying principles or dig for nuggets of application, but do look for general truths about God, about people, or about God’s relationship to people. |
More About Covenants:
| Covenant | Applies to … | Current Status |
| Pactum Salutis – Eternal Covenant of Redemption (Ephesians 1:4) | All believers | Ongoing |
| Universal Covenant – God is Lord & King (Psalm 74) | All creation | Ongoing |
| Cultural Mandate (Genesis 1:28) portion of the Edenic Covenant – Covenant of Works or Covenant of Life (Genesis 1-2, restated in Genesis 9:1, 7; Matthew 28:18-20) | Adam & Eve & all people | Ongoing |
| Covenant of Grace (Genesis 3:14-19) | Adam & Eve and all believers | Ongoing |
| Noachic Covenant: God’s Covenants with Noah (Genesis 8:20-9:17) | Noah & every living creature of all flesh | Ongoing |
| Abrahamic Covenant: God’s Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17:1-21) | Abraham & all believers | Ongoing |
| Ceremonial and Judicial portions of the Mosaic Covenant (God’s Covenant with Israel under Moses) related to the priesthood, the sacrifices, the tabernacle, and the temple and fulfilled in Christ: (Hebrews 8:13; 7:12) | Moses & the nation of Israel before Christ’s atonement | Obsolete |
| Ten Commandments portion of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 20 & restated in Matthew 5:17-48; Romans 13:9-10) | The nation of Israel & all people | Ongoing |
| Dravidic Covenant: God’s Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:4-17) | David & all believers who will reign with Christ since God’s promises to David are fulfilled in Christ | Ongoing |
| The New Covenant in Christ | All believers (past, present, future) | Ongoing |
Back to Think to Grow.
