The Big Questions About the Bibleናሙና

How Do You Apply the Bible in the Modern World?

This is a huge question! Most people would say you can’t apply it because it’s irrelevant. There have been countless people who have been turned off the Bible by Christians themselves who haven’t known how to apply the teachings of the Bible properly.

While Christians believe God inspires the Bible, he still revealed himself through the Bible in ways and in language appropriate for the culture at the time. You can’t necessarily pick up the Bible and just start quoting and applying bits in an entirely literal way to your situation.

Here are just a few principles we need to keep in mind when applying the Bible in the modern world.

Understand the genre

The first principle is you need to understand the genre. Because the Bible is the Word of God, many people treat all the parts of the Bible as if they are all to be read and understood identically. It doesn’t work that way!

There are books of the Bible written as poetry. There are books of the Bible written as history, biography, and spiritual teachings. Some books of the Bible are historical records, while others are letters.

Understand that revelation is progressive

The second principle is revelation is progressive. Just as people try to understand every part of the Bible in the same way, so, too, they think God’s revelation has been complete and absolute at every point in history. That’s not the case at all.

The New Testament tells us before Jesus came, the salvation that would come was revealed only through “shadows.” A shadow gives you the outline of a thing and not a full and proper understanding of the thing itself. Only Jesus is God’s full revelation to humanity.

Remember the purpose of the Bible

The final principle is to remember the purpose of the Bible.

The fundamental purpose of the Bible is to point us to Jesus and what he has done to save us by dying for our sins and rising from the grave to defeat death. Every part of the Bible ultimately serves this one grand purpose. That should be your focus; otherwise, you might miss the point!

The most important thing

The most important thing you need to know about the Bible is that it isn’t an ordinary book. It is a spiritual book that God has inspired.

The Bible is the only book whose author has promised to be at your side to help you understand it. Ask Jesus to be with you as you read it, help you see its vital principles, and help you apply them to your life.

The Bible will open itself up to you, and you can see the power and relevancy of its teachings.

– Eliezer Gonzalez