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Unrequited Hope and Application

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A firm grasp on the natural human longing for a better world will take your application skills to the next level.

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Unrequited Hope

As we grow to love our neighbors as ourselves, this world becomes a better place to live. Good but not great. Finer but not final. A place of progress but not perfection. We long for a better world.

When God created the heavens and earth, all was very good (Gen 1:31). But man sought out many schemes (Eccl 7:29), and the consequence was a curse upon the ground (Gen 3:17). Now the human experience is one full of sickness (Ps 6:2), waiting (Ps 6:3), injustice (Ps 10), poverty (Ps 12:5), abandonment (Ps 13), corruption (Ps 14:3), abuse (Ps 22), grief (Ps 31:9), sin (Ps 51), fear (Ps 55:5), violence (Ps 59), sleeplessness (Ps 77:1-4), war (Ps 79:3-4), depression (Ps 88), chronic suffering (Ps 88:15), weakness (Ps 109:24), interpersonal conflict (Ps 120:2), disrespect (Ps 123:4), and loneliness (Ps 142:4)1—to name just a few of the things we now suffer.

When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden, he did it so that they would not live forever as sinners (Gen 3:22-23). In that action was the shadow of a hint of a hope of resurrection. If they would die, it means they could live again, right? So prophets such as Isaiah foresaw a new world to come, a new creation to replace the fallen creation (Isaiah 65:17-25). A place where lives would be long and full, no person would labor in vain, and weeping and distress would never be heard.

When Jesus came along, he spoke often about how the age to come was breaking into the present through his own person and work (Mark 1:15, Luke 17:20-21). But that presented a tension with the reality that the age to come was … still a time to come. A time when those hearing Jesus’ words would get to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt 8:11). A time when a faithful servant would receive their full reward (Matt 6:20). A place of joy that the persevering steward would enter (Matt 25:21). Jesus associates this new age with both bodily resurrection (John 5:28-29) and a new, regenerated world (Matt 19:28-29).

Paul speaks of a new creation, where the sons of God are fully revealed and suffering is replaced by disproportional glory (Rom 8:18-25). Peter motivates us to wait for the new heavens and new earth—the place where sin and suffering are gone and only righteousness is left (2 Peter 3:11-13). And John caps off our hope with his glorious picture of the dwelling place of God with men. A place that is already here but also not yet fully here. A place without tears, pain, or death (Rev 21:1-4).

Whatever we face now is but a photo-negative of what those who have trusted Christ will face then. And does not every human heart long for such a place? Isn’t that what people seek whenever they expose abuses of power, contribute aid to the needy, and rectify injustice? We all want to live in a world that is better than the one in which we now reside. And the Bible holds out much hope that such a place is coming. Just hold fast to the grace of God, persevere through these light and momentary afflictions, and testify persistently to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help with Application

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

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

  • What would the world look like if everyone trusted and obeyed what the Lord declares in this text?
  • What hope do we have for that to take place in this world?
  • What hope do we have for that to take place in the next world?
  • Wouldn’t it be great to finally get to such a place?
  • How does this text highlight your pain, your suffering, or your sin?
  • What can you do now to prepare for a world without such things?
  • How does your coming resurrection in the new world motivate you to endure further hardship here and now?
  • What can you give up now, knowing you’ll have an eternity to enjoy it with the Lord Jesus?
  • If you do not trust Jesus, what hope can you have for the present world to ever act in righteousness and justice?
  • For the unbeliever: What has been the best time of your life? What if that is the best it will ever get for you? How does Jesus offer you far more than you can imagine?
  • In light of the new creation Jesus will bring, what is there left for you to be afraid of?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, grace, salvation, and sanctification when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the natural human longing for a better world.

Sometimes, robust reflection on our hope for the future will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: lament, oppression, injustice, sin, suffering, tragedy, misery, perseverance, joy, hope, satisfaction—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the natural human longing for a better world, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

  1. This list of human experiences from the psalms was collated by my friend Clint Watkins in his wonderful book Just Be Honest: How to Worship Through Tears and Pray Without Pretending (affiliate link). ↩︎

Recognize Both Divine and Human Authors of the Bible

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Daniel Rowlands suggests that one context we ought to keep in mind when reading the Bible is the context of the whole Bible. We can do this because, though the books of the Bible were written by various human authors, they were also written by the singular divine author.

Here is a taste:

The word of God in the Bible comes to us through human writers. We find the humanity of the writers in variations of vocabulary, idioms, structure, and style. For example, there is the difference between the exquisite Hebrew poetry and varied vocabulary of Isaiah and the straight-forward narrative of Joshua. Similarly, in the New Testament there is the difference between the complex and elegant Greek of Hebrews and John’s more elementary Greek. We can detect the presence of the human authors throughout all of Scripture.

On the other hand, and at the risk of sounding obvious, we ought not neglect the divine author, God himself. Here, the incarnation of the Son of God in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh (John 1:14), is a helpful analogy for understanding the human and divine together as one.

Check it out!

Kingdom Tension and Application

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A firm grasp on the tension of living in the kingdom of God will take your application skills to the next level.

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Kingdom Tension

As Jesus began his ministry, the essence of his message was “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The messianic prophecies of Isaiah were fulfilled “today…in your hearing” at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). When the Jews asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, he clearly replied: “You see, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21, CSB). Without a doubt, God’s kingdom had come in the person of Jesus Christ.

And yet, Jesus would also declare that “concerning that day and hour, no one knows” (Matt 24:36). “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom” (Matt 25:1) and like a man going on a journey and entrusting his property to his servants (Matt 25:14-30). At the last supper, Jesus assured his disciples that he would not drink any more wine “until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25).

And of course, the day will come, at the end of all things, when Jesus “delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Cor 15:24).

So which is it, Jesus? Did you bring the kingdom here and now, or will you bring it on that final day when you return? And of course, his answer is “Yes, both.”

So those who have trusted in the Messiah Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords have received the full forgiveness of their sins. The age to come has already broken into the present. But we still live in the presence of sin, and we see the effects of its power all around and within us. The present, evil age has not come to an end.

We live in the tension of overlapping ages. The power of the old has been broken, but it’s remnants remain with us. And the glories of the new have broken in, but not yet in their fulness. This is the nature of life under the Lordship of Christ prior to the resurrection and final victory.

The book of Revelation resorts to bizarre word pictures, drawn from the rest of the Bible, to paint this picture for us. We are already sealed and seated in heaven, praising the God to whom belongs all salvation (Rev 7:9-14, Eph 2:4-10)—yet we wait for the day when every hunger and thirst is satisfied and when every tear is wiped dry (Rev 7:15-17). We have seen the ancient serpent defeated and thrown down. We have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Rev 12:7-12). Yet that dragon still makes war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17).

In short, though we’ve been saved, we must still be saved. Though we have been rescued, we still require rescue. We are no longer subject to sin’s penalty, but we still wrestle with sin’s power and must consign ourselves to sin’s presence. Until the final day, when sin’s penalty, power, and presence (and death itself) are all thrown together into the lake of fire to die forever.

Help with Application

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

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

  • How has Jesus taken care of this issue in his death and resurrection?
  • What hope do we have to overcome the power of sin and misery in our lives?
  • But what is it like to cohabit with the lingering presence of such sin and misery?
  • What hope can you draw from the promises of God and the victory of Christ?
  • And how will those promises and that victory be completed in the age to come?
  • How does this tension drive your heart toward lament and godly complaint?
  • In what situations is the cry of your heart simply “How long, O Lord?”
  • How does the tension between forgiveness and ongoing sanctification increase your dependence on the Lord Jesus?
  • What hope does it give you to know that Jesus sees you, knows your situation, and cares about it even more than you do?
  • How can we appropriate the assurance of the age to come into our lives today, to see Jesus’ promises worked out even further?
  • In what ways will we have to wait until the final day to see these promises fully resolved?
  • What will help you to live within and endure that tension when it gets painful and complex?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, grace, salvation, and hope for the future when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the tension of living in a kingdom that is both already here and not yet here.

Sometimes, robust reflection on this overlap of the ages will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: lament, oppression, injustice, sanctification, maturity, politics, social progress, anxiety, bodily malfunction, illness, personal suffering—to name just a few. Over the years, one of my sons has regularly asked me, “If Jesus died to take my sin away, why do I keep sinning?” Reminding him of the tension of living in an already and not yet kingdom doesn’t always solve his pain, but it fuels our lament and deepens our conviction. May it do the same for you and for those you lead.

Deepen your grasp of the tension of living in overlapping ages, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

Need Help to Concentrate on the Bible?

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Apparently some folks at All Nations Church in Ilford, London struggle to concentrate when reading their Bibles. I suspect they are not alone. The church offers some wonderful counsel here, including:

  • Sharpen your resolve
  • Keep track of your progress
  • Start small
  • Use a paper copy
  • Plan the place and time to read
  • Remove distractions
  • Use a highlighter
  • Get physically active
  • Use others

Perhaps some of these suggestions may benefit you as well.

Check it out!

Substitution and Application

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A firm grasp on Jesus, the Lamb of God, will take your application skills to the next level.

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Substitution

The Bible paints a glorious portrait of Jesus as one who “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). Jesus is the one who “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21). “He committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22), and “in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

When Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist called him “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). As the Lamb of God, Jesus fulfilled the role of the Old Testament sacrifices, especially the Passover lamb, which involved offering a lamb “without blemish, a male a year old” (ex 12:5) and whose blood would be displayed so judgment could pass the people by.

Those with the courage to attribute all hope of salvation to the enthroned Father and to the Lamb (Rev 7:10) will find their clothes washed white in the Lamb’s blood (Rev 7:14). God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).

The New Testament regularly portrays Jesus as trading places with sinners to grant them new life. The leper who could not enter towns gets to speak to the priest, while Jesus is no longer able to enter the town (Mark 1:40-45). The Rich One becomes poor so the poor might by his poverty become rich (2 Cor 8:9). The Wise One became as a fool so fools might become wise in him (1 Cor 1:20-31). The Righteous One became sin so sinner could become righteous in him (2 Cor 5:21). Jesus died so others could have life (Matt 27:50-54).

Help with Application

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

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

  • How has Jesus obeyed this text perfectly, and how do we fall short in our obedience?
  • What hope does it give you to know that Jesus has obeyed God in this area?
  • How does Jesus’ obedience free you up from trying to be perfect yourself?
  • Now that God already sees you as righteous through Christ, how does that motivate you to make progress in obedience yourself?
  • How can you set aside your fear and/or self-righteousness in this area?
  • How does the grace of Christ motivate you to be more gracious toward others?
  • How can you put Jesus on display, testifying about him for the world to see?
  • What sort of God would rescue sinners and grant them such free forgiveness? How does this inspire you to praise and serve him?
  • How has Jesus removed the stigma and pressure of the law, freeing you to obey without fear?
  • How does this text inflame your love for Jesus and your embrace of his work on your behalf?
  • How can you behold Jesus in his perfect obedience and free forgiveness?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, and hope for the future when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the substitution of Jesus Christ for sinners.

Sometimes, robust reflection on Christ’s substitution for sinners will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: grace, patience, shame, identity, self-esteem, fear, anxiety, discouragement, depression—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of Jesus Christ’s substitution for sinners, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

It Doesn’t Matter How Much Time You Have

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Kristen Wetherell makes a fabulous point: You can study the Bible in 5, 15, or 30 minutes (or more). It doesn’t matter how much time you have. There is no perfect way to conduct a quiet time. Just start where you are, take what you have, and do what you can.

We need to intentionally provide our souls with a meal that nourishes us with truth. We often call this meal “quiet time”—and feel like we’ve failed if it doesn’t look a certain way.

But God isn’t prescriptive about this in his Word (Deut. 6:5–6; Phil. 2:16; John 15:4). He wants us to prioritize meeting with him through Scripture, however it looks. He wants us to hunger for him, the Bread of Life, not a formula. He wants us to pursue our perfect Savior Jesus, not a perfect quiet time, as if there were such a thing (John 5:39–40).

Check it out!

The Law’s Misuse and Application

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A firm grasp on the most common misuses of God’s law will take your application skills to the next level.

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The Misuse of the Law

People tend to misuse the law of God in one of two ways. I’ve written about these misuses before as opponents of heart application. Now I’d like to identify the benefits of recognizing these common misuses when asking questions for application.

The first misuse is legalism, which flows from a belief that law keeping makes us right with God. And from a desire to be or remain right with God, we add rules that God has not given to our lives. So though the Lord Jesus commands us to abide in his word (John 8:31), he does not command the practice of a daily quiet time. And the New Testament commands believers to pray (1 Thess 5:17), but it does not command attendance at Wednesday night prayer meetings. Prayer meetings and quiet times are very good and helpful things to do, in the right circumstances. But we must be careful not to elevate them to the status of divine commands.

The second misuse is license, which is a belief that grace eliminates the righteous requirement of the law in the life of a believer. In other words, because you are saved by grace alone, you can live however you want to live. This licentious approach may take the form of a refusal to acknowledge the moral authority of biblical imperatives or an aversion to any commands at all. It may sound mature and appropriate to conclude every study with “We can’t do what this text commands, but only Jesus can do it. And he did it for us.” There is truth there, but if we’re not careful, emphasizing that truth over others may end up subverting a biblical author’s intention (if he’s clearly expecting his people to do what he commands, with the help of the Holy Spirit!).

These two misuses are not mutually exclusive, and a person or community may easily bounce back and forth between the two. The New Testament epistles spend tons of time dealing with either or both of these issues, so it should not surprise us to discover how hard it is to grasp how God’s law and God’s grace work together in harmony.

Help with Application

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

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

  • What has God commanded in this text, and how do you and I measure up to that standard?
  • How might we be tempted to lower the standard God has set here?
  • How do you respond when it is difficult to honor God in this way?
  • How could we lower the standard by adding extra rules to it (rules we believe we can keep)?
  • How could we lower the standard by using grace as an excuse for our sin?
  • What resources has God provided to equip and enable his people to obey him?
  • How can we draw on those resources for assistance with obeying this passage?
  • What is the difference between a person who obeys this text in order to secure God’s favor, and a person who obeys the text as a response to God’s favor? What might each of those look like?

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 common misuses of God’s law away from the moral requirements of God for his people.

Sometimes, robust reflection on the potential misuse of God’s law will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: grace, patience, shame, identity, ethics, accountability, power—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the potential misuse of the law, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

Learning Faith from Habakkuk the Doomer

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As Megan Taylor walks through the argument of the book of Habakkuk, she shows the development of faith in Habakkuk the “doomer.” Here is a taste:

Habakkuk’s dilemma transcends his historical context as we find ourselves struggling against the same frustrations with the state of the world. Like Habakkuk, we too often look through a peephole when we should look into the window of God’s sovereign plan through history. Faith is not believing in a plan we deem best for ourselves, nor is it placing our hope in what we think God should do. Instead, it is the profound conviction that God, as the Master Architect of His grand design, directs all events towards the ultimate good of those who place their trust in Him.

Check it out!

The Law’s End and Application

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A firm grasp on the goal of God’s law will take your application skills to the next level.

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The End of the Law

When lamenting his countrymen’s replacement of God’s righteousness with their own, the apostle Paul makes a remarkable statement:

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Romans 10:4

This phrase—”the end of the law”—does not mean that Jesus has brought the law to end. No, the word “end” here has the connotation of goal or purpose. Paul’s point is not the law’s mortality but its purpose.

According to the argument of Romans 9:30-10:4, Jews have been seeking righteousness before God but have failed to find it. But those who have found it are Gentiles who weren’t seeking it. How can that be? Because by and large, the Jews have sought their own righteousness through works of the law. And many Gentiles found God’s righteousness by trusting in Jesus Christ.

The reason this state has befallen the Jewish people of Paul’s day is because they have failed to understand the law’s purpose. The law of Moses was never given to make people righteous before God but to lead them to faith in Christ. Miss that purpose and you’re bound to misuse the law. In Romans 10:5-13, Paul demonstrates this purpose from the law itself.

So the law is not a bad thing, as long as we recognize its purpose. It cannot make sinners acceptable to God. It cannot vindicate the people of God against the enemies of God. It is a good gift from God to help people come to trust in Jesus. (And, as I showed last week, to show us how life works best.)

Help with Application

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

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

  • What has God commanded in this text, and how do you and I measure up to that standard?
  • What does that command reveal about the character of God and of his Christ?
  • If we view Jesus as law giver, what does this command show us he cares about? Why?
  • If we view Jesus as law keeper, what does this command show us about what he came to do? Why?
  • How does this command expose the need of humanity for a king and savior?
  • How did Jesus live out or make use of this command in his ministry?
  • What kind of world would result from the new age Jesus brought, where this command in kept as it ought to be?
  • What would submission to King Jesus look like according to this passage? How can we make more progress in such submission?

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 purpose of God’s law to show us Christ and his righteousness.

Sometimes, robust reflection on the end or purpose of God’s law will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: politics, leadership, authority, liberty, influence—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the proper purpose of the law, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

Advice for Discouraged Bible Readers

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Cindy Matson has some great advice “To the New and Nervous Scripture Reader.” She wants you to:

  • Expect obstacles
  • Don’t get discouraged
  • Play the long game
  • Don’t let resources replace your own direct reading

Here is a taste of her great advice:

Hi Friend,

I heard you set a goal for the new year to read Scripture more faithfully. That’s great! But I was also told that now you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. You want to be in the Word, but you’re just not quite sure how that’s going to work. I get it; and if I could, I’d like to offer you a couple of pieces of advice. I’m sure I won’t answer every question, and I’m not even going to try to tell you what or how much to read. Instead, let me try to anticipate some problems, assuage some worries, and add a word of caution.

Check it out!