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Cosmic Treason and Application

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A firm grasp on the essence of sin will take your application skills to the next level.

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Essence of Sin

The essence of sin lies in the fact that humans tried (and therefore still try) to replace God. We see this when the serpent first tempts the woman in Genesis 3:5.

God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

The temptation was to be like God. And how would they become like God? They would “know good and evil.”

That phrase, “know good and evil,” cannot mean a simple grasp of the concepts of good and evil. Adam and his wife already understood both concepts, when God told them what to do and not do (Gen 1:28-29, 2:16-17). Clearly, it was good to obey God and evil to disobey him. The first humans were not cognitively deficient.

In the Hebrew Bible, to “know good and evil” is a mark not of intellectual capacity but of maturity. With respect to the promise of Immanuel, God says the following to Isaiah:

He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

Isaiah 7:15-16

The point for Isaiah (and King Ahaz) was that a child would soon be born. And by the time that child was mature enough to make wise moral decisions, the attacks on Jerusalem will have come to an end.

So what does this have to do with the temptation to sin in Genesis 3? The temptation was attractive because it came with a promise of maturity, but in the wrong way. That made it a promise of escape from submission to God’s authority. An offer to the woman and the man to become their own authorities and make their own decisions about what is (or should be) good and evil.

This is where sin got its beginning in human history, and it is where sin drops anchor in the human heart.

Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

James 1:14-15

God confirms that the “knowledge of good and evil” has to do with maturity (wrongly acquired in this case), when he says that “the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:22). The humans have seized a god-like position of deciding between good and evil instead of trusting God and waiting for him to mature them and raise them up in his way. And God—in his mercy—refuses to allow them to live forever in this state (Gen 3:22-23). He sends them away from the tree of life so that they can die, as he promised they would. But that gives him the opportunity to raise them from the dead and make their condition far more glorious than it even was to begin with.

The essence of sin, therefore, is the desire to get what you want. To make your own decisions. To throw off the yoke of righteousness God requires and fashion your own. I believe this is why Jonathan Edwards allegedly (I haven’t been able to trace the source) said that “The smallest sin is an act of cosmic treason against a holy God.” And this is why God’s wrathful judgment against human sin looks like God giving people the very death they want (“God gave them up” – Rom 2:24, 26, 28). Does someone most want a world without God in it? In the end, they will get their wish (2 Thess 1:9).

Help with Application

So how does this doctrine help us to improve at applying the Bible?

In nearly any text, you can ask “cosmic treason” questions with respect to the author’s main point:

  • What has God commanded in this text, and how to do you respond to his commands?
  • What is your posture toward the Lord Jesus as the supreme authority over heaven and earth?
  • With respect to this text’s main point, in what ways are you tempted to overthrow God’s authority and take control of your own life?
  • How does the world or the culture tempt you toward such cosmic treason? (In America, the terribly misguided counsel to “follow your heart” or “be true to yourself” or “you do you” ought to come to mind.)
  • Who gets to define what is right or wrong in this area?
  • By what standard will we distinguish between truth and falsehood, right and wrong, helpful and unhelpful?
  • In what ways have you tried to take God’s place in this area, and how can you grow in submitting to his righteous will?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, grace, and redemption when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the implications of sin’s treasonous nature.

Sometimes, robust reflection on our outright rebellion against God’s authority will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: postmodernism, relativism, materialism, greed, situational ethics, individualism, stewardship—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the essence of sin, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

Tips to Read the Bible Better

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Michael Bird offer 12 tips to help you read the Bible better. They’re quite good.

  1. Read whole passages, not verses
  2. Work through an entire book
  3. Read several Bible books together
  4. Read a passage in different translations
  5. Study the Bible in a community
  6. Practice public Bible reading
  7. Take notes during the sermon and put effort into Bible studies
  8. Get a good study Bible
  9. Find helpful podcasts and video clips
  10. Embrace the suite of digital tools
  11. Explore some commentaries
  12. Remember, the Bible is best alongside prayer and sacrament

His piece comes chock full of specific resource recommendations to help you put the principle into practice. Though I might have slightly different recommendations here and there, his counsel is well worth your time.

Check it out!

What Folks Thought about Reading the Entire Bible Quickly

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This year, 28 people completed our Bible reading challenge and entered the drawing for a top grain leather ESV Bible. Many thanks once again to Crossway for sponsoring this year’s grand prize giveaway. The good people at Crossway really want to help you read God’s word, and they have generously supported our efforts to promote rambunctious Bible reading.

Some Stats

50% of those who entered used a combination of reading and audio. 29% used a physical Bible alone. About 10% used audio alone, and about 10% used e-Bibles or Bible apps.

The most common reading plan was canonical (54%). 14% followed a chronological plan, and the rest used a wide variety of reading plans.

54% read the ESV. 14% read the NLT. The rest read the NIV, NKJV, HCSB, CSB, NASB, or LSB.

Over a third of the entries were from folks who have completed this challenge more than once. One said he enjoyed it so much that he is going to keep reading the entire Bible every 3 months for the rest of the year.

Some Liked It

Here’s what some others had to say, identified by the number of days it took:

  • 88 days: It was amazing. So many things were made so much clearer by reading different parts of the bible so close together in time.
  • 88 days: It was kinda nice having that time set aside for the word.
  • 72 days: Love it! So easy to see the big picture.
  • 69 days: This is now my 7th year and I enjoy the challenge! … I so enjoy as I read to make note of books and certain chapters I want to go back to later and do more “digging.” It is a wonderful way to “see” and “hear” the full counsel of God… I have ended every year with the book of Deuteronomy. I need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness and amazing love to His people, and to take to heart the words of Moses in Chapter 32:46-47 “Take to heart all these words I am giving you as a warning…they are not meaningless…they are your life..”
  • 66 days: It was a very inspirational and enjoyable experience as I read large chunks of scripture. I was able to make some connections between different books. As some of the readings would be still fresh in my mind.
  • 70 days: It is a great thing to read the entire Bible because it really puts it into perspective. There are parts I didn’t know about untill I read them. It also familirizes myself with some of the most unkown books of the Bible. Reading it fast is way different than meditating but I was still able to absorb some of the information.
  • 60 days: I really enjoy this experience and find it helpful. I am better able to see the big picture and link passages together. This challenge has also helped with my Bible reading in general. In the past, I struggled to read through the Bible completely in a year. Now it isn’t difficult to read it more than once a year. Last year I read it twice. Now that I’ve finished this challenge, I’m ready to start over at a slower pace. I also really appreciate reader’s versions for this challenge, they are very helpful.
  • 76 days: I enjoyed reading large chunks of text at a time. The narratives were more cohesive. I noticed repeated words and themes. There was less time to procrastinate or get behind schedule. Psalms and Proverbs were difficult to read in large chunks. Hebrews and Revelation were fascinating to as a whole text. Reading large chunks generated questions that I will now chase down and also created ‘ah-ha’ connections between prophets, history and then carried into the NT writings.
  • 76 days: I am so glad I did this again the year. It is a great way to wrap up 2023 and plunge into 2024. Seeing the connections and single thread of God’s hand throughout the entire Word is very encouraging. As I read, I created a list of questions and topics to launch my deeper study for 2024.
  • 63 days: Every year I do this (eight years running), the consistency and coordination of the Word is reinforced and illuminated for me. This is a VERY doable challenge for almost anyone and I encourage my friends and family to take up the challenge.
  • 84 days: Challenging, required a good bit of discipline initially. It now makes reading through the bible in one year almost like a “walk in the park”. Using the Crossway ESV Chronological Bible gave a better understanding, and detail, of passages that get repeated eg in Kings and Chronicles, and also the 4 gospels with repeated events. Seeing God’s redemptive plan throughout the bible from Genesis to Revelation was a real blessing.

Some Didn’t Like It

I don’t mind mentioning that this sort of reading is not for everyone. Nor is it the best way to read at all times. I have high respect for those who persisted to complete the challenge even when it wasn’t their favorite thing:

  • 89 days: Honestly, I felt that I was speed-reading, and I did not have time to meditate on what I was reading.
  • 90 days: It felt rushed to read completely on 90 days.
  • 90 days: I’m glad I did it but it’s not my favorite way to read through Scripture. I don’t feel like I was really spending quality time in the word, but just reading to read.
  • 83 days: It was hard, but very satisfying! However, I’m ready to read slowly through one book 🙂
  • 90 days: It was like drinking out of a fire hydrant. This was my first time ever reading the whole Bible straight through. I liked it. My parents did it too, so I got to do it with them. I’d like to do it a little bit slower next time.

Looking Ahead to Next Year’s Challenge

Thanks to all who participated. If you thought about it, or got started but didn’t finish, we hope to be back at it again next year. Expect to hear from us in November to launch the 10th annual reading challenge.

I’d love to hear your ideas for how to make next year’s challenge more grand. So far, a number of folks have requested continued prizes of reader’s Bibles or Scripture journals. But the most commonly requested prize so far is a Logos package.

Many have also suggested generating a broader social media presence to advertise the Bible reading challenge. We would be delighted to do so, but could really use some help with that. If that is something you might like to help with, please contact me.

Congratulations to Winners of the Drawing!

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Many thanks, and great job to all who participated in this year’s 90-day Bible reading challenge. We had 28 entries into this year’s drawing. Congratulations to Anthony H. for winning the grand prize, and to Kristy B. for winning second prize.

Next year will be the 10th annual Bible reading challenge. What ideas do you have for ways we can make the 10th anniversary a grand event?

Creation and Application

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A firm grasp on the doctrine of creation will take your application skills to the next level.

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Doctrine of Creation

Humans were created to be different from every other creature. Humans alone were created in the image of God.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

The fact that humans were created by God means that those humans are not themselves God. There remains a distinction between creatures and their Creator.

And yet there’s something special about humans. They are not merely a part of the “circle of life,” distant cousins to other species on planet earth. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

What does that mean to be made in God’s image? In the most basic sense of defining terms, it means simply that humanity is like God. Humanity reflects or represents God. But in what way does humanity reflect God? In what way are human men and women like God?

Does it mean that the human body looks like what God would look like if we could see him? Does it mean that humans have a unique capacity for morality, intelligence, or relationship? Does the phrase “image of God” simply identify the unique value of every human person?

Such questions are worth considering in light of the rest of Scripture. But in the argument of Genesis 1, the way humans are like God has particular reference to God’s delegation of authority to rule the earth. After stating his intention to make man in his image, God gives them dominion over all the earth. And the narrator concludes: “So God created man in his own image.”

And how is humanity to rule the earth? If men and women are reflections of God, what should they learn from who God is and what he does?

In Genesis 1, we should learn that we—in contrast to every other creature—were made to be creative like God is creative. We were designed to bring order to chaos. To fill the empty spaces of our planet, and to spread the true knowledge of God in all the earth.

God made us for these things. He gave us authority to do these things. And he has equipped every one of us to follow through on these things.

Help with Application

So how does this doctrine help us to improve at applying the Bible?

In nearly any text, you can ask “creation” questions with respect to the author’s main point:

  • How does this text help us to recognize and delight in our creatureliness?
  • What is the distinction between the Creator and the created?
  • How can we exalt Jesus as the very Creator God?
  • What is the difference between humanity and the rest of the creation?
  • How has God given authority to us in this area? How can we exercise loving dominion under his guidance?
  • Where are the “empty spaces” in our world or our lives, where this text is not yet obeyed? How can we fill those spaces with the obedience of faith?
  • How can we bring order to the chaos that resists obedience to God in this area?
  • How can we proclaim God’s truth, so others can replicate it, until the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of God?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of direct sin, repentance, and redemption when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because I haven’t gotten to them yet.

All I’m doing here is applying the doctrine of creation. Drawing application from the way God originally intended (created) things to be. There is much work to be done in our application, before we even get to our sin and need for Christ.

Sometimes, robust reflection on God’s creation of humanity will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: human rights, the environment, secular humanism, same-sex attraction, gender identity, global justice, racism, stewardship, work and rest—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the doctrine of creation, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

Take Your Application Skills to the Next Level

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One way to think about Bible application is to approach it as an individual seeking to make individual change. There is nothing wrong with that approach, as it can yield much fruitful application in your life.

Yet when you understand what God says about humanity broadly, you can take your application to the next level. Have you met someone whose insight could penetrate to the bottom of a sticky situation? Have you had a mentor who had a knack for identifying just what you needed to hear in a timely moment?

Chances are, such wise folks weren’t gifted with supernatural revelation about your particular situation. They likely had a firm grasp on what God’s word says about humanity as a whole. Then they could draw on that framework to make relevant application to particular situations. In other words, they had much biblical and practical wisdom.

You can develop that wisdom, too.

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General Application to the Human Heart

Sometimes, your Bible application grows stale because you’ve run out of specific ideas of what to do in your own life. One solution to such staleness is to strap on a wide-angle lens and consider how your passage applies generally to the human heart.

We can make generalizations about the human heart because God has told us how the human heart works, as well as what the human heart needs. The purpose of such generalizations is not to presume upon any situation nor to put ourselves or others in a box. The purpose is to give us a framework from which to draw when we need to figure out what to do in a given situation.

And if you lead others in Bible study, drawing application from anthropological generalizations doesn’t mean you should make judgments about people’s struggles without understanding them as individuals. It just means that God has given you categories of things to look for and be aware of, both as you seek to disciple your own heart and as you lead others in Bible study.

Sometimes the most insightful teachers and wisest counselors—whose words penetrate most personally—are not those who have a deep relationship with you or even know you particularly well. No, often they simply understand the human condition and can therefore predict how the main point of a text might hit close to home in their generation.

According to Psalm 119:49-56, you can trust God’s words in a way you can’t trust anyone else’s words. This means that knowing what God says about people is more valuable than knowing what people (even experts) say about people.

This is my comfort in my affliction, 
that your promise gives me life. 
The insolent utterly deride me, 
but I do not turn away from your law. 
When I think of your rules from of old, 
I take comfort, O Lord. 

Psalm 119:50-52

And according to Psalm 119:97-104, the student who loves the law surpasses his teachers. This means that God’s word will equip you with more profound application skills than any teacher can offer.

Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, 
for it is ever with me. 
I have more understanding than all my teachers, 
for your testimonies are my meditation. 
I understand more than the aged, 
for I keep your precepts. 

Psalm 119:98-100

Application to our Application

So what can we bank on, as we consider how a text applies to the human heart generally? What does God’s word say about what it’s like to be human? Let me give you eight points to guide your Bible study.

  1. Humans were created to be different from every other creature.
  2. Humans tried (and therefore still try) to replace God.
  3. We need God’s law to show how great our sin is, and to show how life in God’s world works best.
  4. We need God’s law to help us find Jesus.
  5. People tend to misuse God’s law in one of two ways.
  6. We have seen a perfect man, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
  7. We live in the tension of overlapping ages.
  8. We long for a better world.

These eight ideas don’t capture an exhaustive doctrine of humanity. Nor are all eight present in every text. But they give you a framework of what to look for when the time comes to consider application.

These general principles can be fleshed out in great detail for the rest of our lives and the rest of history. We’ll always find new points of connection to the particular lives of particular men and women on Planet Earth.

But these are the sorts of things we ought to keep in mind so we can look out for them in our application. In the coming months, I’ll give each of these eight points its own post (linked above) to unpack it further and demonstrate how it assists with Bible application.

How Not to Apply the Bible

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Kenneth Berding describes a sort of Bible study that is not too difficult to find.

Last week we learned that the Philistines brought the prisoner Samson into a celebration dedicated to their god Dagon so that he could “entertain” them. Lindsay, would you mind reading our passage for this week, Judges 16:28-30?”

“Yes, I’d be glad to.” [Reads the text]

“Thank you for reading, Lindsay. Alright, let’s discuss this passage together. How do you think this passage applies to your life?”

“Well, this passage really spoke to me while Lindsay was reading it.”

Berding’s parable describes an application discussion that completely bypasses observation and interpretation. Then he goes to show how it could be managed far more usefully.

Check it out!

A Word to Those who Wish to Help Others Apply the Bible

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Lately, I’ve been unpacking the process of Bible application. I’ve presented tools and exercises to help you exercise your application muscles. Your application should not sound the same for every passage. And application ought never to be boring or lifeless. Robust Bible application is precisely the sort of fruit Jesus is looking for when he comes to inspect his vineyard (Matt 12:33-37, 21:33-46).

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The tools I’ve presented are especially useful to those aiming to apply the Bible for themselves. But I expect and hope that many will pass those tools along to those they lead. When God grants gifts of insight, learning, and resources, he doesn’t do it for the sake of the recipient alone. He does it so the recipient can benefit the larger body of which he or she is a member (Romans 12:4-8).

So, please do try this at home. And please also teach others how to apply the Bible.

But whether you are a preacher, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, instructor, coach, parent, discipler, or friend, you must never forget one crucial principle:

Do not try to help others to apply a Bible passage without first applying it to yourself.

I’m not saying that you must put into practice the exact same applications as the people you’re trying to lead. I’m only saying that the passage must have been applied to yourself in some way before you seek to apply it others in some way. The text must impact you before you use it to impact others.

If you fail to do this, you are a hypocrite. Not according to me, but according to Jesus.

Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Luke 6:39-42

If the text has not yet opened your eyes and given you sight, anyone you lead will fall right into a pit with you. Those you teach will be like you. So if you have not applied the text, your disciple will not, either. You are not qualified to remove another’s eye-speck until you have cleared out your own eye-beam.

Only after you have applied the text will you see clearly enough to help others apply the text. How can you ask others to do something you haven’t done or won’t do yourself?

One of the most common sins of preachers and teachers is our sanitized hypocrisy that makes excuses for failing either to apply a text personally or to share vulnerably (when appropriate) how we have applied it. As believers in Jesus Christ, we must open ourselves not only to God’s word but also to one another. For a biblical defense of this idea, and an exceptionally thorough explanation of how to put it into practice, see Transparency: A Cure for Hypocrisy in the Modern Church by Joseph W. Smith III.

We require the preachers at our church to submit a worksheet to the team of preachers, detailing their study of the text they are preaching two weeks out. One of the questions on that worksheet says:

How will you personally apply this passage’s main point to your life? (You may or may not share these particular applications in your sermon, but if the text hasn’t moved you, you’re not yet ready to try to move others by preaching it.)

May practices like this become common among all who teach the Word of God to others.

Disclaimer: As my application of Paul’s command in Romans to be subject to the governing authorities, I must notify you that clicking the Amazon link above and buying stuff will provide a small commission to this blog at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for your support.

Another Perspective on Bible Study Method

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The Logos blog recently published a long form article from Daniel Yoon about “How to Do an Inductive Bible Study: 7 Steps.” I might quibble with the label “inductive” along with a few other minor things, but it’s overall a good explanation of OIA Bible study. He breaks the process into 7 steps, and explains how Bible software can help.

His steps are:

  1. Pray: What is the proper spirit for Bible study?
  2. Read: What’s the big picture?
  3. Observe: What does it say?
  4. Interpret: What does it mean?
  5. Discern: What’s the truth?
  6. Apply: What do I do now?
  7. Confess: Who can hold me to these truths?

I like to remind folks that it doesn’t matter exactly what we call the process, or whether someone breaks down the steps a little differently than I would. The crucial thing is that our approaches have the same substance. And Yoon does a great job providing a different, yet substantively similar framework for fruitful Bible study.

And he wisely warns folks away from becoming commentary junkies.

Check it out!

Why We Apply the Bible

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Answering this question—why should we apply the Bible?—is almost like explaining why lovers should kiss or why children should open birthday presents. Good things delight the soul, and true delight can’t be captured in a numbered list. There’s something magical and beautiful here, and I wish I could simply say, “It’s more fun than a prepaid Amazon shopping spree,” and be done with it.

But this important question warrants at least a few concrete answers. Too much rides on it.

1. Apply the Bible because you know God.

Your allegiance to the lover of your soul prevents you from continuing in old habits, values, or patterns of thinking. “Now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more” (Gal 4:9)?

2. Apply the Bible because God knows you.

He knew you before you ever knew him, and he vowed to make you more like Jesus. “Those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom 8:29).

3. Apply the Bible because you are free from sin.

Jesus Solana (2012), Creative Commons

Jesus Solana (2012), Creative Commons

You’re not stuck in the old way of doing things. You don’t have to keep hurting yourself and the people you love. You’re free to do what God wants you to do, which is always the best thing you could do. “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:17-18).

4. Apply the Bible because you are a Christian.

A static life is inconsistent with true faith. According to 1 John, you’ll know you have eternal life by three pieces of evidence: confessing Christ, loving others, and keeping God’s commandments. These pieces of evidence don’t mandate sinlessness—John expects us to repent often and be forgiven (1 John 1:8-2:2)—but they mean that our lives should change over time to reflect what God wants for us.

“By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)

Many people know these four truths, but still struggle to apply the Bible to their lives. For those who simply don’t know how, there’s a way to get started. For those who can’t find the motivation, something more is needed.

I saw that “something” illustrated a few years ago when I attended a marriage conference taught by Paul Tripp, author of What Did You Expect? Tripp spoke the word of God powerfully, and he paved the road of application with dozens of vivid personal stories. Few stories made him look good; most were about his epic failures as a husband. During a break, I overheard an attendee ask Tripp how he could be so frank and vulnerable in public, and his answer captured the essence of good Bible application: “Jesus died for me, so I have nothing left to prove.” Here was a man living and leading others as though he really believed Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Here’s the magic. Here’s the beauty. God offers you your freedom. He knows you better than you know yourself, and he’ll make you more useful than you dreamed possible. He wants what’s best for you, and he makes his best available to you. You have nothing left to prove, so you’re free to admit you were wrong and try something else.

Jesus often answered a question with a question, and I want to be like him, so ask me why you should apply the Bible, and I’ll ask you why on earth you would want to stay the same.

Question: What motivates you to apply the Bible to your life?

_______________________

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