Faith and life meet in a story
By Paula
By Paula
By Paula
(This is an encore presentation of one of my earliest tips.)
By Paula
The main rule for interpreting Scripture is a simple one.
By Paula
Bible study isn't intended to simply be way for us to rack up a store of factual knowledge. We need to apply the things we learn, growing more Christ-like day by day. How do we do that?
2 Timothy 3:16 tells four us different ways Scripture applies.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable (useful) for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
Doctrine – Don't get too hung up on the word doctrine. It simply means 'teaching'. For example, Scripture teaches us Jesus Christ is God's Son. The most basic way to apply Scripture is to recognize it as absolute truth, the final authority on a subject. Accept it. Embrace it. Conform to it.
Reproof – Scripture also points out where we've gotten off track. If I thought I should take revenge on anybody who crossed me, a quick Bible study would reprove me. The Bible tells me revenge is God's prerogative, and I'm to respond to mistreatment with grace and forgiveness, turning the other cheek even.
Correction – This is the how-to for getting us back on track. Often these are the toughest ones to apply because they involve the most work and the greatest change. For instance, Paul says in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds. Applying that verse is a life-long pursuit, with constant evaluation and adjustment.
Instruction in righteousness – Finally, Scripture tells the positive things we should do. Applying Scripture this way can be as simple as obeying the direct commands God gives. Other times, its more subtle. An example for this one is 2 Timothy 1:7 – "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." How does it change your approach to the challenges in your life knowing that God has given you that spirit? Those changes are a result of applying the truth in that verse.
As you read and study, be aware of verses that stand out to you. Do you need to apply that verse or passage? Is it a truth you need to hold on to (doctrine or instruction)? Does it reveal an area that needs work (reproof or correction)?
What stories can you share about applying Scripture to your life?
By Paula
Most of us concede that if we really have to remember something, we write it down. Important information seems to come at us in lists. If you watch, Scripture is no different. Some of the lists you’re already familiar with- Ten Commandments, Fruit of the Spirit and so forth. Sometimes though, the lists are a little more subtle.
They can take the form of instructions, like in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go… teach… baptize… teach.”
They can be attributes, as in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
It might be an action plan. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10) Yesterday we discussed being prepared for worship, and today, we’re prepared to work. Here’s our mission. We find out what God says, we do it, and we tell others. Why would we want to make it more complicated than that?
One of my favorite lists is in Ephesians 1:3-6. Check out the blessings in those few verses! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
1. Every spiritual blessing (We could actually stop there. The rest of it explains some of what that entails.)
2. Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world
3. Holy & blameless before Him in love
4. Adopted as His children
5. Accepted by His grace, according to His will.
Now we could dicker about exactly how many things should or could be on the list… ‘Holy” and ‘blameless’ could be two separate items, but no matter how you cut it, that’s a pretty fantastic list. There’s another in Romans 5:1-11. Check out all that ‘we’ have, what ‘we’ were and what ‘we’ are now.
Noticing and even writing down the lists that are in Scripture cause us to slow down and consider the truth for an extra moment or two. I number them in the text or write them in the margin. Watch for lists in Scripture, and spend some time with them, at least as much time as the grocery list or that to-do list. After all, these will last much longer.