What is the key to applying the Bible to my life?

Hence we may see how very real and practical is this question of how to study Scripture. It is intimately connected with our entire moral and spiritual condition, our daily walk, our actual habits and ways. God has given us His Word to form our character, to govern our conduct and shape our course. Therefore, if the Word has not a formative influence and a governing power over us, it is the height of folly to think of storing up a quantity of scriptural knowledge in the intellect. It can only puff us up and deceive us. It is a most dangerous thing to traffic in unfelt truth; it brings on a heartless indifference, levity of spirit, insensibility of conscience, which is appalling to people of serious piety. There is nothing that tends so to throw us completely into the hands of the enemy as a quantity of head knowledge of truth without a tender conscience, a true heart, an upright mind. The mere profession of truth which does not act on the conscience and come out in the life, is one of the special dangers of the day in which our lot is cast. Better by far only to know a little in reality and power, than profess a quantity of truth that lies powerless in the region of the understanding, exerting no formative influence upon the life. I would much rather be honestly in Romans 7 than fictitiously in chapter 8. In the former case I am sure to come right, but in the latter there is no telling what I may come to.

Hence we may see how very real and practical is this question of how to study Scripture. It is intimately connected with our entire moral and spiritual condition, our daily walk, our actual habits and ways. God has given us His Word to form our character, to govern our conduct and shape our course. Therefore, if the Word has not a formative influence and a governing power over us, it is the height of folly to think of storing up a quantity of scriptural knowledge in the intellect. It can only puff us up and deceive us. It is a most dangerous thing to traffic in unfelt truth; it brings on a heartless indifference, levity of spirit, insensibility of conscience, which is appalling to people of serious piety. There is nothing that tends so to throw us completely into the hands of the enemy as a quantity of head knowledge of truth without a tender conscience, a true heart, an upright mind. The mere profession of truth which does not act on the conscience and come out in the life, is one of the special dangers of the day in which our lot is cast. Better by far only to know a little in reality and power, than profess a quantity of truth that lies powerless in the region of the understanding, exerting no formative influence upon the life. I would much rather be honestly in Romans 7 than fictitiously in Romans 8. In the former case I am sure to come right, but in the latter there is no telling what I may come to.

If you examine your own attitude you will probably find that in reading the Scriptures your main wish is to see exactly how it fits other persons, but the essence of gaining real help is rather to see how the truth fits myself, and to realise that its teaching is addressed to me, and speaks about me.

We are to be not merely students of the Word, but obedient to it. This is effected by allowing the Spirit to apply it. There is nothing more deadening than to be engaged with truth without its acting upon the conscience. To traffic in the holy things of God for mere pleasure or worldly profit is awful to think of. Even where this extreme is not reached, we all need to remember that it is a solemn thing to have to do with God, and to have conscience open that the Spirit may make practical what we have been learning.

But faith must also be brought into exercise with regard to that which is read, for without faith the Word cannot be understood; it must be mixed with faith if we are to profit by it (Heb. 4:2). And as we appropriate it by faith, as we take it into our very soul, assimilating it as the sincere milk of the Word, we shall be affected by it, it will mould us, and we shall be able to reduce it to practice from day to day. We are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, it is the doer of the work who is blessed in his deed (Jas. 1:22-25).

Joshua challenges us to keep and to do the will of God as we find it manifested in God’s Word. We are unlikely to be faithful in keeping the Word of God if we do not value it as important. And we can only practise something if we first of all know what to practise. That shows us the extreme importance of the Word of God in our lives (personally and collectively). James tells us not to be only ‘hearers’ of the Word but ‘doers’, and he adds that someone who only hears and does not practise what he hears is someone who deceives himself. Practising the Word of God is obedience. The Word of God gives practical instructions for our different everyday situations, be it private (personal) life, family life, professional life or assembly life. The simple question that remains is whether or not we obey.

We are instructed elsewhere that the whole of the Bible is a lamp to our feet (Ps. 119:105). We do well to put this into practice — that is, to honestly turn to God’s Word and seek His instruction and guidance as found therein, and to do so on a daily basis and in every situation.

You will need wisdom and discretion. Therefore you must give the Scriptures their proper place. The will of our Master and Lord is therein expressed; our business as disciples is to search out that will in dependence on the Holy Spirit's teaching. The Scriptures must therefore be to us the Word of God, and we must make them our careful study.

What then is wisdom? As we find in Proverbs, it means knowledge which is applied in the right way as well as at the right time. We may already have a certain understanding of God's principles, which is good, but how do we apply these principles? Putting into practice God's thoughts needs real dependence as expressed in a consistent prayer life. That's why we should go to the Lord and ask for wisdom to know what to do in specific cases, in certain circumstances and at the right time. This is wisdom. We could put the so called Sermon on the Mount alongside James. In Matthew 5-7 the Lord gives much teaching for disciples. This is not theoretical. Read these chapters and see how practical the teachings of the Lord are. Then also read the books of Proverbs and Psalms. In these wisdom books you'll learn very practical things. And that is what James wants to share with us: heavenly wisdom. Of course, there is an extra dimension to it, because James refers to what we see in the life of our Lord Jesus.

Verse 15 is the positive antidote for the evils warned against in the verses preceding and following. Studying requires applied concentration. Yet let us carefully note it is not here with the object of gaining knowledge, but of showing oneself approved by God. To know and act upon the Word of God is the vital matter here. But one must be most diligent to discern the true application of what he reads, drawing the lines where Scripture does. Differing dispensations must be distinguished: the particular character of each book should be understood, and the way in which it relates to other books. This will take time, patience, selfjudgment, and lowly consideration, together with plodding, consistent work. But we need it if we are not to be ashamed. It is always important, in considering any Scripture, to discern the prime object of each passage, and apply the details consistently with this object. God means something when He speaks, and it is His own thoughts about the passage that we should be concerned to know.