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Iterative Bible Study: How to Slowly Understand a Text

By Adam Nesmith | April 16, 2021

I am convinced many people have the wrong view of Bible study. They think Bible study is simply a matter of sitting down, looking at a text, and understanding it almost immediately. This mentality works for certain texts that are clear in interpretation and application. But when confronted with more difficult texts, an “understand this text in the first read through” mentality can become very discouraging. The solution? Something I like to call “Iterative Bible Study.”

How I came up with this concept

What is an “iteration”?

There are three sources I used to come up with this concept: my engineering background, the Feynman technique, and a quote I read on non-fiction writing. I am personally surprised the word “iteration” is not used more often in Christian circles. It is a word used all the time in STEM fields, and it is a helpful concept to apply to other aspects of life. What does the word “iteration” mean?

Iteration is the repetition of a process in order to generate an outcome. The sequence will approach some end point or end value. Each repetition of the process is a single iteration, and the outcome of each iteration is then the starting point of the next iteration.
“Iteration”, Wikipedia

This concept is used in mathematics and computer programming all the time. But once you take this definition and apply it to Bible study, it becomes a powerful tool to understand a difficult text of Scripture. Iteration is a sort of incremental action you repeat until you reach the goal. Each time you repeat, you learn a little more.

Feynman’s method for learning

Where the idea of Iterative Bible Study really started formulating in my mind, however, came after reading about Richard Feynman. Feynman was an incredibly interesting person, but what stuck out to me was his method for learning new things. He learned by following a simple cycle (or you could call it, an iterative process).

Visual representation of Feynman Technique

Essentially, Feynman would start with a topic and try to explain it at a child’s level. Why a child’s level? Because if you can’t explain something clearly and briefly without resorting to too many complicated words, you probably don’t understand the concept that well yourself. After trying to explain a concept or topic at a child’s level, Feynman would make a note of where his knowledge was lacking. Then, Feynman would go to try to acquire the knowledge he lacked.

This process was then repeated until he could clearly articulate a complex concept clearly. Now, Feynman used this technique as a physicist. But as I read about his method, I couldn’t help but think this is a perfect way of approaching Bible study. The best part of this technique is helps you clearly see what you know and what you don’t know. Once you see what you don’t know, you have the starting point for the next round of study. Feynman used an iterative process to learn and it is a powerful tool that needs to be applied to Bible study.

A quote on non-fiction writing which also helped me

A final source which helped me formulate this idea of “iterative bible study” is a quote found in the book Tools of Titans (I don’t particularly recommend this book. Some parts were helpful but on the whole I would suggest Christians not spend their time reading through this volume.”

You don’t have writer’s block when writing non-fiction. It is you not having enough research to write with power and knowledge on that topic.
Tools of Titans

The quote comes from an interview with a non-fiction writer. Essentially, anytime you start struggling to write something in non-fiction, that is evidence you need to cycle back and do more research. Not being able to communicate a concept indicates you yourself do not understand it fully. That sounds almost exactly like what Feynman said.

How does this quote apply to Bible study? Gaps in communication are caused by gaps in understanding. As you work through a Bible passage, if you cannot clearly communicate what a part of that Bible passage says, you likely have more study to do. Iterative Bible Study is about cycling back through to fill those gaps in understanding.

You don’t need to have all the answers write away when studying Scripture. But you do need to note those places where you don’t understand a text. Then, you need to cycle through to answer those questions.

A Visual Aid

Before actually going through a step by step walk through of Iterative Bible Study, I want to provide an easy visual reference. Seeing the concept is easier than reading it described.

Iterative Bible Study Visual Aid Download

What is “Iterative Bible Study?”

Now I will walk through each step one by one. It is important to note there is a number of ways you can use the concept of “iterations” in your personal Bible study. I have designed this tool to mainly focus on studying the text from the get go. In other words, these steps are for when you just start looking at a text of Scripture.

Step 1: Read through the text

This is an obvious first step but a necessary one to state. Whether you are studying a verse or a longer passage, the first step is to read through the text. Start noting any clues you find that the author has left for you. Particularly focus on the flow and structure of the passage. What are the repeated phrases? Where are the changes in tone?

I personally find it helpful to underline and circle any key components of the passage as I go. I draw arrows in between connections and note any important textual features directly in my Bible. If you prefer not to write in your Bible, I recommend using a notebook or computer to write out the important things you see as you go through.

Step 2: Write out a rough outline

Now that you have some initial insight into what the passage says, it is time to start writing an outline. I give an example of how to do this later on in this post. Essentially, you are looking at the passage and organizing the pieces of it under heading. Oftentimes, an outline takes the following form:

Main point 1
1. Sub-point 1a
2. Sub-point 1b
Main point 2
1. Sub-point 2a
2. Sub-point 2b
Etc.

Let the structure of the text determine the structure of your outline. Don’t stress too much about getting everything right immediately. This is only a rough outline. You have to see what you know before you can see what you don’t know.

Step 3: Write questions you want answered into the rough outline

This is truly where Iterative Bible Study begins. Now that you have your rough outline, you start injecting questions you have into the outline itself. If you don’t understand a certain part of a passage or the passage brings out a question you have, write that underneath the corresponding heading. It will look something like this:

Main point 1
1. Sub-point 1a
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1a
  2. Question 2 about Sub-point 1a
2. Sub-point 1b
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1b
Main point 2
1. Question 1 about Main point 2
2. Sub-point 2a
3. Sub-point 2b
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 2b
Etc.

As you can see, you can have questions about main points, and sub-points. You can have several questions about one point or no questions about a point. Putting your questions in bold is probably a good idea so you can distinguish between what is from the text and what is a question you have.

It is also important to note, you don’t just have to put questions into the outline. You can also note key terms you need to define, metaphors you need to study to understand, or other passages you think are relevant to the text at hand.

This is the most crucial part of Iterative Bible Study. If you don’t figure out what questions you have or what the gaps are in your understanding of a passage, you will not make progress.

A good rule of thumb is if you cannot explain a certain point of a Bible passage to a 1st grader, you probably have some gaps in your understanding of that point.

Step 4: Go back to the text and other Scripture to answer those questions

Now you get back to work. By writing the questions and knowledge gaps you have, you have revealed the next steps you must take for your Bible study. Go back to the text you are studying or search other parts of the Bible to answer the questions you have. If you singled out terms you need to define, using a software such as Blue Letter Bible is helpful.

You might have noticed you are now approaching the text a second time. This is your first iteration. You are using your first look at the text as a way to see what else you need to study to understand God’s Word. As you work to answer the questions you wrote out in Step 3, I find it helpful to put the answers right back into the outline.

Main point 1
1. Sub-point 1a
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1a
    1. Answer 1
    2. Answer 2
  2. Question 2 about Sub-point 1a
    1. Answer
2. Sub-point 1b
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1b
    1. Answer
Main point 2
1. Question 1 about Main point 2
  1. Answer 1
  2. Answer 2
2. Sub-point 2a
3. Sub-point 2b
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 2b
    1. Answer
Etc.

You can see that your outline is now filling up. Even in a single iteration, you should have a much better understanding of the passage you started studying. Simply by identifying questions you have and gaps in your knowledge of a passage, you were able to direct your Bible study. Iterative Bible Study is all about making little steps forward in your understanding of a text.

Step 5: Repeat Steps 3-4 until satisfied with your study

Now, the reality is your further study could have revealed more questions you have. That is perfectly fine. The whole point of Iterative Bible Study is to keep asking questions and getting them answered. If after your first round of study you still have questions, repeat Steps 3-4 until you are satisfied. If you go this route, your outline might start looking like this:

Main point 1
1. Sub-point 1a
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1a
    1. Answer 1
      1. Follow-up question for Answer 1
    2. Answer 2
  2. Question 2 about Sub-point 1a
    1. Answer
2. Sub-point 1b
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1b
    1. Answer
  2. New Question about Sub-point 1b
Main point 2
1. Question 1 about Main point 2
  1. Answer 1
  2. Answer 2
    1. Follow-up question for Answer 2
2. Sub-point 2a
3. Sub-point 2b
  1. Question 1 about Sub-point 2b
    1. Answer
Etc.

The hope is that in your second round of going through Steps 3-4 you have less questions and gaps in your knowledge. You can repeat this process until you are out of time to study, until you understand the passage, or until you are satisfied with the current depth of your Bible study.

Why is Iterative Bible Study helpful?

Now that you have seen how to do Iterative Bible Study, the question remains of why you would choose to approach a text this way. Certainly this method of Bible Study is one of many. I believe, however, that Iterative Bible Study is one of the best tools you can have in your toolbox when seeking to understand a text. Three benefits come to mind of adopting this method:

You don’t have to get everything completely right the first time

I have met many Christians who freeze at certain passages of Scripture. Whether because the passage is long and difficult or they are afraid of misinterpreting a text, I believe a lot of Bible Study is quenched because of fear. And somewhat rightfully so: God’s word is powerful and must be interpreted properly.

However, I think such a fear also comes from not knowing how to start. Even more than this, a lot of Bible Study doesn’t happen because people don’t know where and how to start.

Iterative Bible Study helps because there is not a pressure to get the passage completely right the first time. The whole point of starting your study is to see what parts of a passage you understand and which parts you do not understand. This method gives you a clear, easy way to start studying a text. And from there, it gives you a path forward to progressively seeing what God’s word is saying.

Helps you distinguish between what you know and what you don’t know

Clear thinking is important for Bible Study. And nothing helps you think clearer than distinguishing between what you know and what you don’t know. Iterative Bible Study gives you a powerful method to seeing what things you know and what parts of a passage you need to work at further to understand.

If you don’t know what is missing from your understanding, you won’t know where to look. By putting questions directly into your outline, you not only see what you need to answer, you also see what parts of the passage are causing you the most difficulty. Simply putting questions into a rough outline helps you think more clearly.

Gives you more questions to answer with each iteration

A lot of Bible Study is simply asking the right questions of a text. Not all your questions will be relevant, not all your questions will get answered in the ways you expect. Iterative Bible Study forces you to constantly ask questions of the text and then seek for answers from Scripture. This process allows Scripture to interpret Scripture because you are seeking answers to your questions by going to the Bible.

The more questions you have, the more Bible you will read. The more Bible you read, the more it shapes your thinking. That process is built into Iterative Bible Study and once you get in the habit of asking good questions of Scripture, the more rich your study will become.

An example of Iterative Bible Study

Before closing this post, I think a brief example of this method is helpful. I am actually currently using this method to prepare a sermon on Romans 1:11-12.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Romans 1:11-12, ESV

So after reading the text, the first step is to create a rough outline.

Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith

The outline pretty basic, but it breaks down the two verses a bit. Now, I start adding the main questions I have into the outline.

Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
  1. What is the definition of “strengthen”?
  2. What is the definition of “spiritual gift?”
  3. Why is encouragement called a “spiritual gift?”
  4. How does mutual encouragement of faith strengthen a Church?
Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
1. Why is mutual encouragement important to Paul?
2. What do Paul and the Church in Rome have in common?
The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith
1. How can someone’s faith be an encouragement?
2. What is the definition of “encouragement”?

You see that even from a short outline, questions cause the study to build outward. Some of the questions are a little redundant, but that is okay at this stage. This outline is not the outline for the sermon yet, it is simply a tool to aid my Bible Study.

The next step is answering these questions by studying Romans 1:11-12, other passages of Scripture, and using a tool to help me define the words I need defined. I would then start adding those answers to the outline.

Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
  1. What is the definition of “strengthen”?
  2. What is the definition of “spiritual gift?”
    1. “Charisma” -“a divine gift” points to the origin of the gift
  3. Why is encouragement called a “spiritual gift?”
    1. The encouragement of other believers is a gift from God
  4. How does mutual encouragement of faith strengthen a Church?
    1. Strong faith sets an example (Abraham)
    2. Strong faith points us back to God (Hebrews 11)
    3. Seeing faith in action in someone’s life encourages us to stay the course
Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
1. Why is mutual encouragement important to Paul?
  1. Paul’s letters are full of encouragement to local Churches (1 Thess 5:11, Phil 2:1, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
  2. Scripture contains a number of “tools” to help Christians grow…one of those is encouragement
  3. Church in Rome was a minority, persecution was coming
2. What do Paul and the Church in Rome have in common?
  1. Same fundamental need
  2. Need righteousness from Christ
  3. Same ethical implications from Gospel
The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith
1. How can someone’s faith be an encouragement?
  1. Strong faith sets an example (Abraham)
  2. Strong faith points us back to God (Hebrews 11)
  3. Seeing faith in action in someone’s life encourages us to stay the course
2. What is the definition of “encouragement”?

I didn’t bother answering all the questions for this example, but you get the point. Now I could go back through and ask further questions of the text. With each iteration, my outline fills out and my understanding grows. But you see that even after one iteration, the depth of my understanding of Romans 1:11-12 has grown by leaps and bounds.

In conclusion, Iterative Bible Study is a powerful tool to add to your personal Bible study. It gives you a place to start even when studying the most difficult of texts. You can slowing understand a text and then move on to meditating on how it applies to your life.

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How to Disagree Well in Your Local Church

By Adam Nesmith | March 12, 2021

Disagreement among Church members can be a very difficult thing to navigate. Oftentimes I ask myself “how can I disagree well with this person?” By “disagreeing well” I simply mean voicing clearly the specific points of disagreement so that the conversation can continue in a profitable and unified way.

What is the alternative to disagreeing well? Just go to the comments section of almost any online video or discussion forum. Answers are not given thoughtfully. Answers are given harshly.

I worry that sometimes a worldly spirit of disagreement enters the Church. This worldly spirit emphasizes proving yourself right rather than teaching and being taught by others.

And such a spirit is dangerous for any local Church. Paul says as much in Ephesians:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29, ESV

Even in disagreement, your goal should be “building up” and “giving grace” to the Church member you disagree with.

So, the question of how to disagree well is a vital one for each member of the body of Christ.

Now, a thorough Bible study on this topic would yield a wealth of insight. But for this post, I want to share a tool I personally have found helpful to keep in mind when disagreeing with anyone.

The tool is from one of my favorite non-Christian books of all time: How to Read a Book by Mortimer Alder. The book has a wealth of information and gives essential tools for reading and understanding a text.

For this post, there is a useful section which describes how to critique a book after you have read it. The main point of this section is not just saying “I don’t like the sound of that.” Rather, you learn to specifically and profitably think through where you disagree with the author. It is an incredibly helpful section not just for reading, but for life in general.

In this post, I am going to go through each of the different ways to disagree well. I give a visual aid below for you to reference. I pray this tool will help foster more profitable disagreements in your local Church.

How-to-Disagree-Well Download

Make sure you understand the other’s position

The first step to disagreeing is to make sure you understand what you are disagreeing with. This may seem like a simple step, but it is often overlooked.

If you disagree with someone without understanding their position, you risk several things.

First, you might not have an actual disagreement.
Second, you might misrepresent the other’s position.
Finally, you might disagree with something that isn’t integral to their argument.

I’m sure you have experienced each of these before. Perhaps after an extended (possibly heated) back and forth with someone, you come to find out that you didn’t actually disagree. You were merely using different terms.

Or perhaps someone has levied critique after critique on your position without bothering to ask whether they were representing your position accurately. This is also called a “strawman” fallacy.

Equally common is someone disagrees with a small, side part of your argument. A conversation over an important issue then becomes sidetracked over an assertion that has little effect on your conclusion.

In each of these cases, when you misrepresent someone else’s position, the conversation can become heated and unprofitable. As a Christian disagreeing with another Christian, the effects can damage your fellowship or witness.

The solution: before you disagree, understand.

To disagree well, understand thoroughly

There are a couple ways to make sure you accurately represent someone’s position.

Restate it in your own words

This is the simplest but maybe most impactful thing you can do to disagree more profitably. Simply say to the other person directly “So, if I understand you correctly you are saying…(Insert position here)…Am I representing your position correctly?”

If you cannot express the other person’s position in a sentence or two, you either do not understand their position or they have not explained their position effectively and clearly.

In either case, until you can restate the other person’s position in your own words, do not start bombarding them with your disagreements.

Ask a clarifying question

Another helpful way to make sure you understand the other person’s opinion is to simply respond with a good question. This has two good effects:

It shows you were actually listening and have some level of understanding
The question itself once answered will further clarify the other person’s position

Jesus asked good questions all the time. A great example of this is in Luke 20 where Jesus asks the priests and elders if John the Baptist’s baptism was from God or man. The question itself revealed the priests and elders hearts.

When you think you understand someone’s position, ask more questions. If you think you have asked enough questions, try a few more.

Who knows: maybe the very point of disagreement you have with another will be answered simply through asking a question.

What question are they trying to answer

This isn’t something you necessarily have to say out loud to another person. But for your own thinking, it is helpful to frame what another person is saying in terms of what question they are trying to answer.

For example, let us say you are discussing Eschatology with a fellow believer and find yourself disagreeing. After asking good questions and summarizing the other person’s position in your own words accurately, you should think “what are we trying to answer here? What is the question beneath this conversation that we are both trying to answer?”

Perhaps it is how to interpret the 1,000 years passage. Maybe you are trying to figure out what the relation between the Church and Israel is. Whatever the case, knowing what fundamental question you are seeking to answer will help you discern whether your disagreement is meaningful or not.

For example, if in the course of your disagreement over Eschatology the other person made an off statement about the structure of the Church, you should not necessarily voice that disagreement right away. Knowing what fundamental question you are answering will weed out the smaller disagreements so you can key in on one or two major ones.

A lot of unhelpful disagreements in the local Church happen because you focus on every little are you disagree. Focus on the essential rather than the side issues.

Having done all of the above, you are now in a much better position to voice your disagreement. Your disagreement will now be based on the other person’s actual position and will focus on the key disagreements.

Are they lacking important information?

Mortimer Adler puts it like this:

To say that an author is uninformed is to say that he lacks some piece of knowledge that is relevant to the problem he is trying to solve…you must be able to state the knowledge that the author lacks and show how it is relevant, how it makes a difference to his conclusions.
How to Read a Book, pp 154-155

Is there a point the other person makes that would change if they had more information? This is a type of disagreement that often happens amongst believers. Your brother or sister might have a compelling argument, but fail to remember a crucial Bible passage or verse.

The key thing to do here is to lovingly, graciously show them that passage of Scripture. Perhaps even say “how would you understand this passage in your argument?”

Oftentimes, average Christians don’t make omissions willfully. The Bible is a vast and complicated book. You and I can’t hold every single verse in our head. Therefore, you and I need other people in the local Church who will remind us of verses we might have forgotten.

Christians should welcome having our opinions and conclusions corrected by the Word of God. Most often, this correction comes from another believer.

If you are disagreeing with someone who loves the Lord and has a high view of Scripture, there is no reason sharing Bible verses with them should lead to heated confrontation. Do so lovingly. Take them to the Word. And then let the Bible correct their understanding if it needs correcting.

Are they asserting something that is incorrect?

To say that an author is misinformed is to say that he asserts what is not the case. His error may be owing to lack of knowledge, but the error is more than that…The author is proposing something as true or more probable what is in fact false or less probable…This kind of defect should be pointed out, of course, only if it is relevant to the author’s conclusions. And to support the remark you must be able to argue the truth or greater probability of a position contrary to the author’s.
How to Read a Book, pp 155

In the first response, you disagreed because of a Scripture passage which was not taken in to account. In this response, you disagree how a Scripture passage was interpreted in the other person’s argument.

An argument is built off of a series of assertions which are either true or false. Think of them as building blocks in a tower. If one of your building blocks is damaged, it can cause the whole tower to fall. So it is with an argument.

If an assertion is made that is false and it is crucial to the argument, gently show the other person why their assertion is false and what the corresponding true position is.

As previously stated, when talking among believers oftentimes this takes the form of discussing an interpretation of a passage of Scripture. If a Scripture is crucial to an argument and is misinterpreted, you will likely have to address why that interpretation is wrong and what you think the proper interpretation is.

This is incredibly common during the normal life of a Church. It is one reason good hermeneutics (how you study the Bible). That is one reason I developed a Bible study tool to help make sure you properly interpret Scripture.

Any Biblically sound argument is based on sound interpretation of each text in that argument.

Did they make a logical fallacy?

To say that an author is illogical is to say that he has committed a fallacy in reasoning. In general, fallacies are of two sorts. There is the non sequitur, which means that what is drawn as a conclusion simply does not follow from the reasons offered. And there is the occurrence of inconsistency, which means that two things the author has tried to say are incompatible.
How to Read a Book, pp 156

This disagreement focuses not on what information exists or what assertions are made. Instead, this disagreement focuses on how that information or those assertions are strung together to reach a conclusion.

Even though there are countless logical fallacies, Adler’s two large groups (non sequitur and inconsistency) are helpful and memorable. A Non sequitur jumps to a conclusion without sufficient evidence. Inconsistency asserts two contradictory things to be true.

Addressing this type of disagreement in the Church can potentially become the most heated in my experience. In this case, you are not offering additional texts or pushing back on a textual interpretation. You are instead asking “do those texts together lead to that conclusion?“

I think one of the reasons this type of disagreement can become contentious is it is more personal than the previous two. Both of the previous disagreements were focused on the texts themselves. This disagreement is saying “you personally have come to a conclusion by your own mental error.”

Tread humbly and carefully when critiquing someone’s logic. Remember: the goal isn’t to be right or to feel smart. Your goal should be to lovingly correct your brother or sister in Christ for their own edification.

Questions like “does that follow from text?” or “can those two assertions be made at the same time?” are incredibly helpful. But wield them wisely and tactfully.

Is their analysis incomplete?

This type of disagreement is a little different from the previous three. If you have any of the previous three disagreements, you can disregard someone’s conclusion. This final disagreement merely judges the completeness of an argument, not the quality of the argument itself.

Adler explains:

To say that an author’s analysis is incomplete is to say that he has not solved all the problems that he started with, or that he has not made as good a use of his materials as possible, that he did not see all their implications and ramifications, or that he has failed to make distinctions that are relevant to his undertaking.
How to Read a Book, pp 159

For this type of disagreement, it is helpful to remember what question you originally were seeking so solve. Has your brother or sister’s argument answered that question thoroughly? If not, you can help them expand it or address an area that needs more thought.

This also comes in handy when thinking about the application or the “so what” of a Biblical text. If the argument is sound but the implications are not fully explored, help your brother or sister think through them.

The Puritans had useful questions to ask to solve this problem. I recommend you commit them to memory so you can help others in the Church think through important Biblical implications.

It is important to note here that all human’s are finite. No one’s analysis is going to exhaustively represent all of Scripture. Only bring this type of disagreement up if it is helpful for the conversation. Don’t show off for no purpose by expounding a hundred meaningless implications other people haven’t thought of.

I find this type of disagreement most often comes up in leading small group discussion. It helps to restate the person’s thoughts in your own words and then add maybe one other important thing they forgot. Don’t list out everything you may want to add.

One of the biggest blessings of the local Church is sharing our Biblical knowledge with each other. You can know more of the Bible within a community of believers than you can on your own.

Do you like having tools like this? Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to never miss one.

Check out my previous tool which will help you apply Scripture to your life.

6 Application Questions Used by the Puritans

By Adam Nesmith | March 5, 2021

It can be difficult to apply a Biblical text to your life. Oftentimes, at the end of a Bible study or personal Bible reading, the question becomes: “So now what?” These Puritan application questions will help you answer that question.

I found these questions listening to an excellent lecture series by J. I. Packer on the Puritans. Packer also wrote several good books on the topic (See here and here).

One of the main points that stuck with me was the Puritans measured a great preacher not only by his skill in exposition. For the Puritans, being a great preacher meant you drew great application from the text.

Even more helpful, Packer discussed the Puritan application questions preachers would use. I immediately took notes because I most often hear people in the Church struggling with application.

I discussed how important it is for your Bible study to change your life in a previous post where I gave a simple method to study Scripture. In this post, I will give you the Puritan application questions and discuss how to answer them.

I have attached a visual aid to remember the questions below if you want something to help you remember them. Print on a 5 x 7 and stick it in the cover of your Bible for easy reference.

6 Application Questions Used by the Puritans Download

Summarize the main point

The first step in Puritan preaching is always to extract the doctrinal truth from your text. This takes careful study of all the components of the passage.

You can’t begin to apply a text you have only begun to study.

Once you have extracted all the details from a text, one of the most useful things you can do is summarize the main idea, main truth, or primary reality of the text. If you can’t distill a text of Scripture down into one sentence, you have one of two problems:

You chose to long a passage of Scripture
You don’t yet understand the passage and its significance

The Puritans would often take only a few verses at a time in their sermons. This would guarantee each sermon dealt with only one main doctrinal truth at a time.

Now, certain types of Biblical literature (such as Narrative) might benefit from studying larger chunks. I have discussed elsewhere some of the particular difficulties with Narrative. However, even when teaching a longer passage, you should know how all the details fit together to serve the main goal of the passage.

What is the essential truth of the passage? If someone asked you “what is this passage about,” what is the first sentence that comes to mind?

The reason you can’t neglect this step is the Puritans used “if-then” logic in their application of texts. All the questions I will go through take the form of “if (this truth from the text) is true, then what else follows?”

Some of the questions I used in my sermon meditation workbook can be helpful on this step if you are having trouble seeing the main truth of a passage. Once you have the main truth, idea, doctrine, or reality written out in your own words, you are ready to start using the Puritan application questions.

What following truths does this imply?

This first question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what further truths are implied?” It is simply connecting your current passage’s truth with a further truth. The Westminster Confession of Faith puts it this way:

VI. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), Emphasis added

The bold section in the text above is what you are trying to do with this first application question. It doesn’t mean you pontificate on the text or introduce human reason only. Rather, you look at your text’s truth and ask “in light of the rest of Scripture, what other truths must also be true if this is true?”

Think of this question as “connecting the dots”. When you complete a “connect the dots” puzzle, you draw connections which together make up a larger picture. That is what this question is trying to do. By connecting your current text with other truths and passages of Scripture, you get a larger picture of what God is calling you to do and be.

For example, if you were studying Psalm 2 and summarized the main idea as “God has set up Jesus as His anointed King to judge the nations,” you could reason from this: “Therefore, Jesus has all authority in your life and in mine.”

In other words, “Jesus is King” is the truth from Psalm 2 and “Therefore, submit your life to Him” is a necessary further truth from Psalm 2.

Of all the Puritan application questions, this one relies most heavily on logic, and deduction. It also requires an ability to connect your text with other texts in Scripture.

In fact, that is how you check to see if the further truth you deduced is valid: check it with other Scripture. In the Psalm 2 example above, you find in the rest of the Bible calls to submit to Jesus’ authority. Therefore, you can be confidence your reasoning is valid.

Logic and reason are tools to understand the Bible, but they must be submitted to the text.

I think that one of the great lessons I have learned from reading the Puritans is how to think well and think carefully but still conform your conclusions and reasoning to the Biblical text itself.

This question is the most difficult Puritan application question. It will take practice to use it effectively. But one of the great skills for every Christian to develop is to fit particular truths in context with other truths in Scripture.

Oftentimes, it is seeing multiple truths together that gives you a clear picture of how you need to live out a particular text.

What errors does this contradict?

The second question is easier to understand. It takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what errors does this contradict?”

Or to put it another way: “if what this passage says is true, what cannot also be true? What must be false? Are there any beliefs that can’t exist alongside this truth?”

This application question targets wrong thinking and wrong belief. You can compare the truth of the passage to your own personal beliefs, the beliefs of the culture, or other philosophies. If you are preaching, this is an excellent opportunity to address how your text corrects common wrong thinking in your congregation.

Compare the culture’s deeply held beliefs to your text. Then, let your text expose any errors that exist.

For example, if you were studying the text “Everyone who desires to live a godly life will be persecuted,” an error that this passage contradicts might be the prosperity Gospel. Or it could be America’s idolization of comfort. In fact, your own heart might be holding erroneous beliefs that Scripture calls you to repent of.

A key part of application is simply letting Scripture expose your own heart. Let the Bible correct you and lead you to repentance from wrong thinking and wrong belief.

What good works does this require?

This third question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what good works are required?” This is simply calling you to meditate on how your passage calls you to righteous action.

If you are studying a passage that gives a command, sometimes this question is easy to answer. But oftentimes, the more you meditate on a passage, the more good actions or behaviors you realize are required by your text.

What commands must be obeyed in this passage? What actions glorify God or exalt Christ in the passage?

The key is to not only look at the good works you must do. You must also remind yourself of the power the Holy Spirit gives you to accomplish them. This will keep this application question from becoming moralism or self-empowered works.

Bible study isn’t about mere behavior modification. But a good Bible study will conform your behavior to Christ.

For passages that don’t have an explicit good work, sometimes it will take some thought to answer this question. Sometimes, the good work required is simply worship of God, praise for Christ, or thankfulness for the Gospel.

Generally, however, even in descriptive passages there are examples or implicit calls to proper behavior. That is why it is crucial to study the text deeply before trying to apply it. The deeper your study, the more profound the application.

What should you stop doing because the passage forbids it?

This next question is the opposite of the last one. This fourth question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what should I stop doing because this passage forbids it?” In other words, what actions, behaviors, or lifestyles are revealed as sinful in your passage?

This is the “put off” application questions. It helps you identify what behaviors should not be part of your identity in Christ. If you answered the previous question, you should already know what behaviors your passage calls you to “put on.”

Your Bible study is not complete without repentance. Put off what the passage declares as sin and put on what the passage reveals as right

Oftentimes, if you can’t think of what good works a passage requires, you can identify the wrong behaviors the passage condemns first. Then, think of the opposite of that wrong behavior, and you have the good work.

The Bible gives commands both negatively and positively. Your application should therefore include things to stop doing, and things to start doing.

What encouragement does this passage offer?

This fifth question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what encouragement does this offer?” It is one of my favorite questions in this list. The question is pointing to “how does this passage increase my hope in God? My faith in His future mercy and provision?”

Take Hebrews 11 as an example. Certainly their are behaviors to correct based on the passage. But fundamentally, the passage is an encouragement to its readers to develop enduring faith. And each example given is part of a “cloud of witnesses”.

Don’t only leave your Bible study depressed. See what encouragement and hope the text gives you.

Now, there are some sobering texts in Scripture. Texts that deal directly with sin and rebellion. But that is another reason to always read the Bible with Christ in mind. Sometimes, the text’s encouragement is nothing more than a reminder of how great a Savior Jesus is.

I would say of all the Puritan application questions, I found this one most helpful. It is generally easier to see what behavior or thinking must be modified after studying a text. But sometimes it is easy to miss the encouragement the Holy Spirit is giving you through a Bible study.

Where do you stand spiritually in light of this passage?

This sixth and final question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then where do I stand spiritually in light of this?” This question is very all-encompassing and I take it as a way to make sure you didn’t miss anything from the other questions.

This question turns the mirror squarely on you. You see the way you should think, act, and be encouraged by the passage. Now the question is: are you presently conforming to all these?

This is the most personal and oftentimes convicting parts of applying a text. It takes you out of the abstract and calls you to take stock of your spiritual state.

Ask yourself is my life today reflective of these truths? If not, how can I repent so tomorrow my life conforms to this text?

And this isn’t about mere behavior modification. It is self-examination based on Scripture. After this question, much prayer should happen because God alone can transform your life.

Notice: this is the only question that has the word “you” in it. The other questions help you work out a texts application. This question calls you to act on what you have learned.

Puritan Application Questions: Conclusion

Bible application can be difficult. Oftentimes, it comes down to simply asking the right questions. The Puritan application questions are some of the best you can use in your personal Bible study or sermon preparation.

If you want a reminder of these questions, scroll up to the top of the post to get a visual aid.

As a final note, one of the best ways to understand how to use these Puritan application questions is to read Puritan sermons. You will start to see patterns in how Puritan preachers apply a wide variety of texts.

I personally recommend reading some of John Flavel’s sermons. I have been reading through his sermons on Jesus Christ which are part of his compiled works. The sermons are a masterclass in how to apply Scripture to your listeners.

Visit the “Tools” page for more helpful resources for you and your Church’s Bible study and application. Do you have any application questions you use? I would love to hear them!

How to Break a Bible Passage Into Its Components

By Adam Nesmith | February 26, 2021

Approaching a new passage of Scripture is daunting. There are many details, cross-references, and truths packed into each paragraph of the Bible. How can you proceed? You must break the Bible passage into its components.

This tool will help you extract and organize the details, background, and context of a passage of Scripture.

Personal Bible study can be overwhelming if you don’t have an idea of what you are even looking for in a Bible passage. In my job, I use this tool to help make sure I don’t miss any information. It also works wonders in Bible study or sermon preparation.

The tool is known as “the 5 Ws, H, & SW” (of the Seven Ws). They are 7 simple categories which help you understand what the Bible passage is saying.

For those of you who didn’t want to read this long article or who want to have a visual reminder, I have attached a graphic below. It gives the 5 Ws, H, & SW along with the corresponding questions. Print it out on a 5 x 7 sheet of paper and stick it in your Bible for easy reference.

Bible Passage Components: Seven Ws of Personal Bible Study Download

In the following sections, I will go through each of the seven categories.

Bible Passage Components: The 5 Ws, H, & SW

Who

When breaking a Bible passage into its component parts, you first start with the subject. For those of you who are a bit rusty on your grammar, this simply means you find out the speaker of the passage, the audience, and the characters contained in the passage.

The speaker

The speaker of the passage is usually easy to identify. For example, if you are reading an epistle by Paul, he is the speaker.

Sometimes, you only know who the speaker is in general terms. For example, in the Psalms, certain Psalms don’t have an author called out. In that case, simply say the speaker of the passage is “the Psalmist”.

Why is knowing the speaker important? One of the most important parts of Bible study is understanding the author’s intent. That is simply why the author wrote the book or the passage you are studying.

Identifying the speaker in the passage is the first step to understanding the purpose of the book.

If you don’t know where to start, identifying who is the speaker of the passage is a good first step in your Bible study.

The audience

Once you know who the speaker is, an obvious next step is determining who the speaker is communicating to. This is the audience. A lot is made in Bible study books about “the original audience.” I think you can easily get too focused on the historical and geographical details of the audience if you aren’t careful.

List who the audience of the book is and then list characteristics of that audience you find in the passage or the book as a whole.

For example, if I was reading the book of Galatians, the audience is clearly the Church in Galatia. However, that does not tell me very much and is therefore not very helpful in understanding the passage.

If I were to do a quick survey of Galatians, however, I could start understanding characteristics of the Church. They are listening to false teaching. In turn, they are getting tempted to add the works of the law back into the Gospel message.

Why is the audience important to know? If you don’t know the original audience and their characteristics, application either becomes difficult, impossible, or straight up wrong.

Spending time on filling out the characteristics of the original audience will help you understand the purpose of the passage and how it applies to your life.

To do this, oftentimes you will need to skim through the book and start listing out any verses that discuss something about the original audience. Again, don’t get too caught up in extracting every historical or geographical tidbit about the original audience. You oftentimes will get so stuck in the details that you never end up getting to the actual Bible passage.

The characters

The passage won’t always have this component. But when you are studying narrative (like many of the Old Testament books & the Gospels) or parables or even much of Wisdom Literature (Proverbs, Song of Songs), listing out the main characters of a passage is important.

(In fact, I have elsewhere argued that you can organize a sermon around the main characters in the passage. To hear me apply this, listen to my recent sermon on Numbers 14. Or you can read my series of posts based on that sermon.)

You deal with the characters in a passage very similar to what you already did with the audience. Simply extract the characters and then list their characteristics.

For example, if I was do extract the “characters” from the parable of the sower in Mark 4, I first list out the four different types of soil and the sower.

Next, I would write the characteristics of each of those types of soil and then the characteristics of the sower. Don’t make up characteristics for their own sake. Just write down what the passage says.

Think of your favorite movie. You could not only name the main characters, you could also describe them. Do the same for the Bible passage you are studying.

Why is this important? Oftentimes seeing the characteristics of the main characters in a passage helps you understand what the author/speaker is trying to highlight.

In our example of the parable of the sower, listing the characteristics of the soils helps you see that only the final type of soil (the good soil that grows a plant that bears fruit) is emphasized as good.

Once you have the speaker, the audience, and the characters of the passage pulled out, you can move on to the next category. Don’t rush the “who”, though.

A good grasp of who is in the passage will keep you from misinterpreting and misapplying the passage later on.

What

The next step in breaking a Bible passage into its components is to extract what is happening in the passage. The three pieces of information I like to get from this step are what is said, what is done, and what is felt.

What is said-the pieces of the passage

This simply means you list out the key points, arguments, or speeches in the passage. The bible passage components you extract in this section will depend on the type of Biblical literature you are studying.

But in general, read through the passage and reduce what is said into a few main points. Oftentimes, to do this well, you will have to outline a passage. I will go through outlining in a later post.

For example, when I was studying for my post on Psalm 1, I broke up what is said into a couple sections. The first section is a contrast between listening to the unrighteous and listening to God’s word. The second section gives metaphors to picture the righteous and the unrighteous. And the last section gives both groups’ final destiny.

Listing out what is said will help you see the main points of the passage.

For Paul, you might spend time mapping out his arguments. For a Psalm, you might focus on the repetition and metaphors used. Metaphors also show up throughout Scripture and are important, but sometimes difficult to interpret. I designed a whole separate worksheet to help you understand biblical metaphors.

Regardless, make sure you either list out or summarize everything in the passage. If you leave you information, you may come to wrong interpretive conclusions.

Often it is what information you leave out that has the biggest effect on your Bible study. Don’t leave important details unexamined.

What is done-the flow of the passage

As before, how you answer this question depends on the type of Bible passage you are studying. If you are examining a narrative text, simply list out the key parts of the plot.

For example, when I was studying Numbers 14, I looked at the important plot points: Israel reacts in fear, Jacob & Caleb call them to repentance, God pronounces judgment, Moses mediates, etc.

If you are going through a Psalm or an epistle, this question helps you think through the flow of the passage. What are the steps of the argument? What does the author do with the components?

Look at the movement of the passage. How does it flow and progress?

Why is this important? If you only know the pieces of the passage and not how they fit together, you will often struggle to find the author’s main point. Seeing what is done in the passage enables you to see better the point the author is making.

What is felt-the emotion of the passage

This is often overlooked. Tone is crucial to understanding the passage. Is the author worshipful or angry? Reflective or direct? This question is not about what you feel about the passage, it is examining the tone of the words in the passage itself.

Answer this can be difficult or easy depending on the passage. Sometimes, the author specifically calls out emotion or uses words that strongly suggest a particular emotion. Other times, you must think a little deeper to get to what emotions exist in the text.

Look for any emotionally charged words in the passage. Is this passage painting a positive or negative picture?

You might ask why this step is important. I would argue you cannot accurately apply a text without understanding the emotion it is conveying. You don’t want to walk away happy when studying a passage meant to make you fear.

The emotion of the text should guide your emotions when you leave the text.

Again, it isn’t about asking what you personally feel about the text. That is conforming the text to your emotions.

But, when you understand the tone of the passage, you can subject your own feelings to the text.

Where

The “where” of the text can take many forms. Think of it as understanding the context of whatever passage you are studying. The three questions to ask are where is this passage taking place geographically, where is this passage in the argument, and where is this passage in the book as a whole.

Geographically

I don’t think I need to say much in this section. This is simply placing the passage in the physical world. Where is this taking place? Where are the main characters when this letter or poem or prophecy was written?

For example, if you are studying a passage and Israel is in Babylon, you are in a very different part of Israel’s history than if they were in Egypt.

Don’t write this section off as meaningless detail. Oftentimes, the geography of the passage gives you insight you might not expect. For example, the joyful nature of the letter to the Philippians becomes more astounding when you realize Paul was in jail when writing it.

The geographical context of a passage helps you picture the passage as something tangible. These were real people, real historical events. Not just abstractions on a page.

It is important not to spend all your time answering this question. But understanding where the main characters are is certainly helpful.

In the argument

This mainly applies to discourses and the epistles. Simply look at your passage or verse and try to understand what it adds to the overall argument.

Previously you looked at the flow of the passage itself. For this step, you are simply looking at the flow from a little higher vantage point.

Is your passage the conclusion of an argument? An application of a truth previously presented? An assumption which is a foundation of what follows?

Not every passage has the same or an equal role. Finding where it occurs will help you discern its importance.

Why is this important? You want to emphasize what the text emphasizes. If the passage at hand is giving a reason for hoping in Christ, you don’t want to treat it like a command. If your passage is the conclusion of an extended argument, you want to emphasize it and see how it follows from what came before.

In the book as a whole

This simply moves the vantage point even higher. In order to answer this question, you need to have some insight into the structure of the book you are studying.

For example, I have been teaching 2 Corinthians in my Church’s Sunday School. There are essentially three larger sections in 2 Corinthians: Paul describes the ministry of reconciliation, exhorts the Church to participate in sending money to the Jerusalem Church, and defends his apostleship.

When I study any given individual passage in 2 Corinthians, I always think through which section of the book my passage is in. Depending on where it occurs, my passage’s tone and purpose is vastly different.

In the high level break down of the book, where does your passage occur? This might be a good time to get a commentary which has outlines of the book.

Again, don’t get stuck in the details. You don’t need to understand every single part of the book you are studying. But if you broke the book down into 2-6 categories, which one would your passage fit into?

When

This section only contains two questions to answer: When was this written? and When does it occur in redemptive history? The former is connecting your passage to time, the latter is understanding it within the canon of Scripture.

When in time

Answering this question can take many forms. For example, if you are studying a Pauline epistle, you can ask what year Paul wrote this or when in Paul’s ministry he wrote the epistle.

As when you understood where geographically a passage occurs, finding out the time in which a passage occurs gives further context. The temptation here is to go into far too much detail.

Remember, you are a faithful student of God’s word. Not a historian.

That said, the time in which a passage occurs sometimes is included by the author. Therefore, it must have some relevance to your study.

The Bible took place in time, even though it is timeless truth.

I think there are two dangerous extremes you can go to: treat the Bible as if it is purely a historical book or treating it as if it is merely abstract truth without any real history.

So don’t fall into either of these. Understand when in time your passage occurs, but don’t let that be the most important thing you take away from the text.

When in redemptive history

Of all the Bible passage components, this is one of the most important ones and yet one of the most difficult ones to extract. Answering this question gets easier and easier the more time you spend in Scripture. The more familiar you are with it.

When your passage occurs in redemptive history will majorly affect your interpretation. An easy example is whether your passage occurs in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Is the author looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, or looking back on Jesus’ death and resurrection?

The Bible tells one complete story of God’s glorious redemption in Christ. Where is your passage in this story?

Has the law been given yet? Is Israel in exile? Has Pentecost occurred? I would argue you need to have some idea of where your passage occurs in redemptive history to have any hope of proper interpretation.

I would recommend getting a good Biblical Theology book or commentary that focuses on the whole Bible for answering this question.

If you can’t answer this question immediately, don’t worry! It takes a lifetime of study and reflection to learn how the complexities of Scripture fit together.

The key is with each new passage to ask this question so you learn a little bit more about the Bible as a whole even as you focus on an individual section.

Why

The “why” of a passage builds on the bible passage components you found in the “what” section. The order is important. Don’t try to figure out why the passage says what it says until you understand its main points in context.

Why is this said?

The Bible is not a book in want of purpose. Sometimes understanding the purpose of a passage takes time, but it is always there. You should look at the context of the passage before you ask why something is said. Oftentimes, the context will help you see its significance.

Why something is said often depends on where the passage is in context, in the flow of the book, and where it occurs in redemptive history.

Oftentimes, if you answered the what, where, and when questions, you can answer why something is said fairly easily. It is important to note sometimes the author tells you explicitly why he says something. Other times, you must deduce it.

Keep in mind every time you leave what is explicitly said in the passage you are making an interpretation. Make sure your interpretation is based on other Scripture and does not contradict other Scripture.

This is the foundational principle that the Bible is self-interpreting and internally consistent. Now, in practice, this can be very difficult to see, especially for some texts. But do not rush to answering why a text says what it says. Be patient.

Why is this done?

Like the discussion above, if you have done your work answering the where and the when questions, you can often easily interpret the purpose of an event.

Sometimes, however, the author tells you why something is done. For example, Jesus does many miracles in the gospel of John. But John doesn’t leave us to ask why Jesus did them: John calls these miracles “signs.” Their purpose was testifying to Jesus’ deity.

But things can also be done because of sin, jealousy, or wrong choices. If you were to ask why Saul tried to kill David, you would likely get one of these negative answers.

Why is this felt?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” This sentence evokes a peaceful, confident emotion. Why does the Psalmist feel this way? That is the type of question you should answer at this point.

Again, don’t close your Bible and reflect to yourself in order to answer this question. Scripture is self-interpreting. Go ask the rest of the Bible or the rest of the passage why something is felt.

The “why’s” of the Bible are best answered by the Bible itself.

Most interpretive mistakes come from trying to understand a particular passage without the looking at it in light of other Scripture. The emotion of the text is important. Therefore understanding the purpose of that emotion is also important.

God has given you all you need to study the Bible inside the Bible.

And that includes emotions contained in the text.

How

Previously, we have focused on merely collecting and interpreting Bible passage components. Now, we let the text examine our own hearts. You meditate on the text and asking yourself how should you think, how should you feel, and how should you act if this passage is true.

How are you to think?

The Bible corrects wrong thinking. It corrects wrong thinking about God, about Jesus, about yourself, about others, about the world we live in.

So, a simple question to ask at this point is how does this passage correct, inform, or disrupt your thinking? Once you have broken down the bible passage components, organized them, and understood there purpose, you don’t stop there.

Ask yourself, “if this passage is true, what thoughts do I have which contradict that truth?”

Oftentimes, you and I conform Scripture to our thoughts, not the other way around. This first “how” question gives you time to examine what you think about God, yourself, and the world.

If what you think contradicts the truth, replace your thoughts with God’s thoughts.

How are you to feel?

I once read an excellent little article on “Six Short Rules for Young Believers.” It is a very helpful read, but one quote in particular bears mentioning here:

“Never believe what you feel, if it contradicts God’s Word. Ask yourself, Can what I feel be true, if God’s Word is true? and if both cannot be true, believe God, and make your own heart the liar. (Rom. 3:4; 1 John 5:10, 11).“

It doesn’t get much more practical than that. You spent much time figuring out the emotions contained in the text you are studying. Now, turn it on yourself: do you feel the same?

Do you hate your sin? Do you feel the same love for the Lord as this passage? It is easy to treat our own feelings as sovereign, as the measure of our reality.

Feelings come and go. God’s word stands forever.

That is one reason for my series called “Happy?” You and I so often let our feelings define our reality. But if you look at God’s word, understand it, and let your feelings be rooted in truth, your life will transform.

How are you to act?

The Bible isn’t merely concerned with behavior modification. But it is concerned with faith-based obedience.

Are there imperatives you should follow? Are there examples to emulate? When you break down a Bible passage into its components, you often see clearly what action you should do.

If you rush to application on the other hand, oftentimes you focus too much on surface level behavior modification.

Let your actions be faith-driven and scripture-informed. Don’t stop at mere external obedience. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” and “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

Your Bible study should have a definite impact on your life. So often, we study and nothing about us actually changes. As James said, you need to be a doer of the word, not merely a hearer.

The mark of a good Bible study is it leaves a mark on your life.

I mentioned when discussing my sermon mediation booklet that one of my favorite quotes is “men grow tired of hearing the word only after they have grown tired of putting it into practice.”

The same is true of Bible study.

If your life isn’t being transformed by the word of God, don’t be surprised if your study becomes boring or unfruitful.

Breaking a bible passage into its components isn’t enough. It must change you once you understand it.

So What

The last section focused more on personal transformation. The “so what” of a passage is thinking through the implications the passage has on your life in different spheres. These are three questions which are worthy of prayer and meditation. Only you can answer them.

What are the implications for your family?

You might be single, a husband, a wife, a mother, a father, or a child. How does this text touch upon your roles within the family?

Keep in mind not every text deals directly with family. Most don’t. That is why I call these “implications”.

An implication is simply saying “if this is true, what further thing follows.”

In this case, what does the truths of your passage call you to within the context of your family?

What are the implications for your work?

Most of us, myself included, spend most of our day most of the week working a 9 to 5 secular job.

Therefore, it is crucial you let scripture transform where you spend most of your time: at work.

Don’t think that the Bible doesn’t address your work or how you work or where you work. There are often many implications for your 9 to 5 which follow from a truth of Scripture.

As you go throughout your work day, meditate on a truth from your Bible study. You will be surprised at how often it informs what you do, think, and feel as you work.

What are the implications for your corporate worship?

Finally, think through the implications of how this passage helps you and equips you for service in the Church. Your local Church should be a fundamental part of your life.

Oftentimes, the Bible speaks most directly and constantly to this point. How you worship God corporately and interact with fellow believers is incredibly important to the Lord. There are great blessings in belonging to God and His people.

Don’t leave your study until you think through how the text changes your interaction with your local Church.

If you want further questions to apply your text, use the application questions Puritan preachers used. They are incredibly effective and helpful to fully understand the effect a text should have on your life.

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