Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible
Scott Hubbard wants you to know four things about the Bible’s portrait of a sluggard:
Hubbard does a great job correlating the teaching of Proverbs on the character of the sluggard. In the process, Hubbard models terrific head and heart application.
How do you know when you’ve successfully applied the Bible to your life?
Of course, obedience is a life-long practice, which we’ll never be finished with. But when you are studying a passage of Scripture, how do you know when you have arrived at appropriate application? At what point can you say you’ve done enough study? You now know what you must go and do, and you’re ready to go and do it.
I think it depends on your definition of “doing.”
In my experience leading Bible studies, one of the most common conceptions I find people have is that application = doing. As in, until you have something concrete and particular to add to your schedule or task list, you haven’t yet done application. And if a teacher doesn’t give you specific actions for your schedule or task list, that teacher hasn’t yet helped you with application.
So I find it crucial to remind people that application involves more than doing. Yes, the Bible often calls us to do something. But sometimes it calls us believe something. And sometimes it calls us to love or value something. All such calls could be properly labeled “application.”
To put it another way, application is not only about the hands but also about the head and the heart. All three spheres can be considered legitimate ways to apply the Scripture. One of them (hands) involves doing. But that’s not the only thing application involves.
We cannot improve on the sorts of applications the apostles themselves sought from their readers.
Of course, the apostles sometimes proposed hands (doing) applications:
Outdo one another in showing honor … contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Romans 12:10-13
Yet sometimes, the primary application they’re after is head application:
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
1 Cor 3:16-18
And yet other times, they go for the heart. They want Christians to become people of character who receive and rest upon Jesus Christ and nothing else.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31
Of course, doing is one of the spheres, so I would never encourage you not to get applications on your schedule or task list.
But if a particular text lends itself more to believing or loving, have at it. Don’t feel guilty. Don’t conclude that you haven’t yet “applied” the Scripture.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
1 Thess 1:2-5
Crossway’s blog has a provocative article by David Mathis, who argues that practical application can sometimes be a red herring that distracts us from careful Bible study.
So then, is it right to think of “application” as an everyday means of God’s grace? Is this a spiritual discipline to be pursued with every Bible encounter? The answer is yes and no, depending on what we mean by application.
Good teachers have claimed that every encounter with God’s Word should include at least one specific application to our lives—some particular addition, however small, to our daily to-do list. There is a wise intention in this: pressing ourselves not just to be hearers of God’s Word, but doers. But such a simplistic approach to application overlooks the more complex nature of the Christian life—and how true and lasting change happens in a less straightforward way than we may be prone to think.
Mathis goes on to argue that Bible study doesn’t always produce specific additions to our daily to-do list. Often, it should produce astonishment at who God is, and worship. Such astonishment and worship change us on the inside. And we will see specific change on the outside after only long periods of reflective astonishment.
Mathis makes some important points, and I don’t disagree with him. However, terminology can trip us up. Mathis argues against daily “application,” which he considers a red herring, but he narrowly defines “application” to include only detailed behavioral changes. He offers the substitute of astonishment and worship as a better daily practice.
But in the process he almost replaces one kind of application (hands) for another (heart). He argues against overly ethical application (too much focus on the hands), but seems to suggest an overly pietistic application (too much focus on the heart). I humbly suggest both approaches are imbalanced; we should regularly do both. In addition, let’s not forget also to apply the Bible to our heads. Remember the application matrix, which enables us to stretch our application into every category.
So I’m happy to recommend Mathis’s article to you. But when he writes of “the red herring of Bible application,” hear him describing, not application itself, but “the problem with focusing exclusively on hands application.” Don’t ever remove “application” (hands, head, and heart) from your Bible study. And with this clarification, the article is right on target.
Practical application often has a bad rap among Christians.
Some people read the Bible and believe they’ve done the work of applying it if they come away with a list of truths about God. “But that’s not practical,” many object. “When does the truth get out of your head and into your life?”
Others read the Bible and believe they’ve done the work of applying it if they come away with a list of behaviors to carry out the next day. “But you can’t reduce the knowledge of God to 10 easy steps,” the first group objects. “It doesn’t matter what we do if it’s not grounded in the truth of the gospel.”
And both groups are right, after a fashion.
Applying is believing. John wrote his Gospel with one purpose: “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Have you studied that book lately? You may find each chapter pretty repetitive, and fresh or innovative application will seem like a long-lost dream until you move to another book. I once had a guy stop coming to a Bible study in John for this very reason.
Applying is doing. James wrote his epistle to highlight the “doing” life of the scattered people of God. “Be steadfast under trial.” “Be doers of the word.” “Show no partiality.” “Do not speak evil against one another.” And so on. Theology is not absent from James, but it covers itself in thick layers of action and imperative.
Capturian (2010), Creative Commons
Let us not forget, however, that applying is also loving and cherishing. We can know the truth and still be far from God (James 2:19). We can do all the right things and yet not come to the only one who can give us life (John 5:39-40).
As we lead Bible studies, we do well if we help people to believe and do. But we must not neglect the opportunity we have week in and week out to help them deepen their love for God and be conformed to the image of his Son. Our application should target the heart.
It’s not rocket science, but it does need forethought and intention.
1. Show them how to do it. “Follow the leader” isn’t merely a game for preschoolers. Your group members play it every week. You must apply the Bible to your heart, and you must do so publicly with your group. Only then will they see how it’s done and that it’s not so scary (Heb 13:7, Phil 4:9, 1 Cor 11:1). Figure out why vulnerability is so hard for you, and repent.
2. Ask about obstacles or hindrances. When we hit a good, solid “do” application from the text, I find it helpful also to ask people, “what keeps us from doing this thing God wants us to do?” When people answer that question honestly, they’re usually cracking open the door to their heart. It often reveals what they value more than obedience, or more than the Lord himself.
3. Suggest options. Getting to the heart is not as complicated as some may think. We love something other than God, and good leaders can expose those loves and offer more godly alternatives. Are you concerned with what people think of you? What would happen if you didn’t get that [promotion, mobile device, spouse, child] you want?
4. Celebrate progress. We get more of what we reward, and we foster micro-cultures in the process. So when someone gets it and identifies character deficiencies or expresses desires for deep-seated change, I’m all over it. If I give more air time to those folks than to the folks who want to discuss their third cousin’s upcoming surgery, the latter folks learn quickly how to target their own hearts as well.
Bible application is exhausting. Must we do it every time we study the Bible? Must we constantly add one more thing to our to-do list?
At Desiring God, David Mathis says it depends on what we mean by Application. If we mean that we must come up with something new to do each day, then no. We’ll never be able to keep up. But if we mean that we must be changed in our thinking or desires, then yes.
Rather than dictating specific actions, he wants to see us formed into the kind of persons who are able to “discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10).
In Scripture, we see the Lord. As we see, we will become amazed. In our amazement, we reflect and meditate until the word is written on our hearts. Then, over time, we’ll see gradual and specific change in our lives.
Mathis is on to something, though I’ve used slightly different language for it. I suggest the 3 spheres for application as a helpful model: Head, Heart, Hands. Yes, change should occasionally hit our hands and produce new behaviors or action steps. But we must not neglect the other two spheres, where we address our thinking and character. Head and Heart application rarely produces doable behaviors, but it makes us into the kind of people who are more attuned to the Lord and his commands. Such people will then see behaviors change over time.
But can we confidently say there’s something for us to apply in every passage? Absolutely!
Yes, take every word as spoken to yourself, with this essential anchor in place: Seek to understand first how God’s words fell on the original hearers, and how it relates to Jesus’s person and work, and then bring them home to yourself. Expect application to your life as God speaks to us today through the Spirit-illumined understanding of what the inspired human author said to his original readers in the biblical text.
Mathis shows us how to follow this plan to bring the Bible home to our hearts. I recommend the article to you.
According to Dave Kraft, “How You Approach Scripture as a Leader is Critically Important.” He writes of his experience with OIA Bible study (though he labels the first step as “Information” instead of “Observation”) and of how easy it is for such study to influence merely our thinking.
But character matters, too. In fact, if you are not learning from the Bible, you are not in a position to be teaching it.
Tinou Bao (2006), Creative Commons
Gobs of Christians – myself included – do dumb things. We say dumb things and execute dumb decisions.
Every time I talk to someone who was offended by a hurtful, idiotic comment delivered in the name of Jesus, I feel like writing an official instruction manual for Christian growth. It would go something like this:
Take Bible. Read it; study it. Apply with force to head.
The first sphere of application is the Head. It’s critical in our day that we get this. Knowing God through his Word will change your thinking.
Consider 1 Timothy 4:16, where Paul urged Timothy to keep a close watch on himself and on his teaching, for by so doing he would save both himself and his hearers.
Consider Ephesians 4:22-24, where Paul describes Christian growth as a 3-step process:
Consider Romans 12:2, where transformation takes place when a Christian renews his mind.
Consider Matthew 22:46, where Jesus was so freaking smart that his opponents couldn’t muster the courage to ask any more sneaky questions.
But how, you ask, does one do this?
In our sin, we replace the truth of God with a lie (Rom 1:25). Therefore, repentance involves doing the opposite.
Therefore, three steps will enable you to apply the Bible to your thinking.
For example, how might you apply the main point of Luke 2:1-21 (“God sent Jesus to be born so he might save the lowly and rule them graciously. This brings him highest glory.”) to your head?
And don’t forget to take your application outward as well:
What other Head applications can you think of from Luke 2?
Last week, I wrote about the two directions we can take with our application. This week, I’d like to propose another way of thinking about application: the 3 spheres. Over the next few weeks, I’ll explain each of these 3 spheres in greater detail. Then I’ll pull it all together into a single model that will give you practical steps to follow when seeking to apply any passage of Scripture.
The 3 spheres for application are Head, Hands, and Heart. These spheres represent 3 different aspects of your life where you can obey the Lord and be conformed to the image of Jesus.
Tinou Bao (2006), Creative Commons
The Head represents everything you think and believe. This sphere involves thinking God’s thoughts after him and believing his truth. It involves identifying lies you believe so you can replace them with the truth.
>>You rebel against God when you believe what is not true (Rom 1:25).
>>When you know the truth of God’s Knowable Word, it will set you free from your slavery to deception (John 8:31-32).
>>”Faith” is what you demonstrate when you lay aside your deception and hold on to what is true, even if it’s not immediately visible (Heb 11:1).
John Lambert Pearson (2007), Creative Commons
The Hands represent everything you do. This sphere involves imitating the Lord and his ambassadors, learning new skills so you can be more effective at building God’s Kingdom, and laying aside your old patterns of selfish behavior.
Bill Ward (2009), Creative Commons
The Heart represents who you are. This sphere involves becoming a new person who desires the Lord above all and shows godly wisdom and selfless character.
>>Changing your behavior without changing your heart is an abomination (Isaiah 29:13-14).
>>Knowing the right thing to do (“Head” application) and doing it (“Hands” application), without being born again to new hopes and desires in Christ won’t count for anything (Gal 6:15-16).
>>A Christ-like heart with love for God and men is much more valuable than good religion and proper behavior (Mark 12:32-34).
All 3 spheres matter. Much of the trick of application is figuring out how to land in all three areas without imbalance.
Which of the three spheres do you find easiest or most difficult? Why?
On Monday and Tuesday, we examined Solomon’s third purpose for writing the book of Proverbs and sought to apply it. How did I get to those specific applications?
Whenever we study a passage of the Bible, I find it helpful to think in the three categories of Head, Hands, and Heart. Each of these categories represents a way in which I can respond to a text.
Head applications identify ways I need to believe what is true. They help me to identify false beliefs so I can repent of them and choose to adopt God’s perspective. Examples are “God is more powerful than my enemies,” “Jesus is God and became a man to die for my sins,” or “God wants his people to be part of a church.”
Hands applications identify ways I can act upon what is true. They help me to identify ungodly behaviors so I can repent of them and live in obedience to God’s will. Examples are “I shouldn’t gossip about or attack my enemies,” “I can take steps to get to know my neighbors better and reach out to them,” or “I should join a good church and get involved in the community there.”
Heart application identify ways I must become more like Jesus. They help me to identify wicked or foolish desires so I can repent of them and develop more Christ-like character. Examples are “I must love my enemies as Christ did for me,” “I can trust other people because Jesus knows what it’s like to be misunderstood,” or “I must stop trusting in myself and instead find ways to serve others.”
The first three purposes of Proverbs correspond to these three areas. Solomon wants us to know wisdom (head), do it (hands), and always improve at both knowing and doing (heart).
When you read and study the Bible, are you growing in all three areas?
Don’t fall into the trap of overly theological (head), ethical (hands), or pietistic (heart) reading of Scripture. Keep a good balance of all three, and see how much God will do in your life through his Knowable Word!
And don’t feel like you have rely on yourself alone to grow as a Christian. Join a Bible study, or get more involved at your church! Others can help you in all three areas in ways you never expected.
