What is Application?

WHAT IS APPLICATION?

The best way to define application is to first determine what it is not. Application is not just accumulating knowledge. This helps us discover and understand facts and concepts, but it stops there. History is filled with philosophers who knew what the Bible said but failed to apply it to their lives, keeping them from believing and changing. Many think that understanding is the end goal of Bible study, but it is really only the beginning. Application is not just illustration. Hlustration only tells us how someone else handled a similar situation. While we may empathize with that person, we still have little direction for our personal situation. Application is not just making a passage “relevant.” Making the Bible relevant only helps us to see that the same lessons that were true in Bible times are true today; it does not show us how to apply them to the problems and pressures of our individual lives. What, then, is application? Application begins by knowing and understanding God’s Word and its timeless truths. But you cannot stop there. If you do, God’s Word may not change your life, and it may become dull, difficult, tedious, and tiring. A good application focuses the truth of God’s Word, shows the reader what to do about what is being read,

Elisha

prophesies

Temple in in Israel

Jerusalem Ahab 848 Joash

becomes

completed becomes

Solomon p become

becomes 959 Flijah Israel's

israel’s prophesies fing

king

king Kingdom in Israel 835 Jonah

9768 of israel «878 hecames

divides a prophet

930 793

1000 950 900 850

City of Peking Gold vessels Celts invade Evidence 776

built; Greek and jewelry Britain; of highly Devel First known

mythology fully popular in Assyrians developed pe lopment date of

developed; northern Europe invent metal and of caste system Olympic games

California inflatable skins stone in India;

Indians build for soldiers sculptures 814 — Babylonian and

wood-reed houses; to cross rivers in Africa Founding Chinese astronomers

Chinese mathematics of Carthage, understand;

utilizes root aPhoenician planetary movements,

multiplication, trading post spoked wheels

geometry, proportions, used in Europe,

and theory of motion; Homer writes

glazing of bricks lliad and Odyssey;

and tiles begins ice skating a _

in Near East popular sport in

northern Europe

and motivates the reader to respond to what God is teaching. All three are essential to application. Application is putting into practice what we already know (see Mark 4:24 and Hebrews 5:14) and answering the question, “So what?” by confronting us with the right questions and motivating us to take action (see 1 John 2:5, 6 and James 2:17). Application is deeply personal—unique for each individual. It is making a relevant truth a personal truth, and involves developing a strategy and action plan to live your life in harmony with the Bible. It is the Biblical “how to” of life. You may ask, “How can your application notes be relevant to my life?” Each application note has three parts: (1) an explanation that ties the note directly to the Scripture passage and sets up the truth that is being taught, (2) the bridge that explains the timeless truth and makes it relevant for today, (3) the application that shows you how to take the timeless truth and apply it to your personal situation. No note, by itself, can apply Scripture directly to your life. It can only teach, direct, lead, guide, inspire, recommend, and urge. It can give you the resources and direction you need to apply the Bible; but only you can take these resources and put them into practice. A good note, therefore, should not only give you knowledge and understanding, but point you to application. Before you buy any kind of resource Bible, you should evaluate the notes and ask the following questions: (1) Does the note contain enough information to help me understand the point of the Scripture passage? (2) Does the note assume I know too much? (3) Does the note avoid denominational bias? (4) Do the notes touch most of life’s experiences? (5) Does the note help me apply God's Word?

Israel Hezekiah

invaded by becomes Daniel

Tigtath-pileser Ill Judah's Assyri taken

of Assyria king ‘ah Ssyrian captive to

715 Josia capital of Babylon

Hosea Isaiah Israel Jerusalem becomes Nineveh 69

becomes bi Sraé. besieged by dudai’s fn destroyed Judah

aprophet I Becomes (Northern Sennacherib ki leremiai ‘Southern

i a prophet Kingdom) of Assyria 640 becomes ingdom)

/ ta 701 a net falls to

a Babylon

750 708 600

Earliest music False teeth \ 48 Temple

notation written invented MA __. Horse racing of Artemis

in ancient Greece; in Italy Soldering first held built in Ephesus—

Celts introduce of iron ot 29rd one of the

plow to Britain Japan invented at ympic seven wonders

753 established Games word

Traditional as a nation

date for

founding of

city of Rome

FEATURES OF THE LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE

NOTES In addition to providing the reader with many application notes, the Life Application Study Bible also offers several kinds of explanatory notes, which help the reader understand culture, history, context, difficult-to-understand passages, background, places, theological concepts, and the relationship of various passages in Scripture to other passages. Maps, charts, and diagrams are also found on the same page as the passages to which they relate. For an example of an application note, see Mark 15:47. For an example of an explanatory note, see Mark 11:1, 2. The abbreviation ff appears in some notes to indicate that the comments apply not only to the verse referenced but to the following passage as well.

BOOK INTRODUCTIONS The Book Introductions are divided into several easy-to-find parts: Timeline. This puts the Bible book into its historical setting. It lists the key events of each book and the date when they occurred. (The alternative dates in parentheses are based ona later dating of the Exodus.)

Babylon First

overthrown Jewish

King by Cyrus exiles

Nebuchadnezzar of Persia Cee om New Temple becomes

or Babylon NN Pp é completed queen

ies in Jerusalem of Persia

7? 515 479

534

509 500 — 490

s60 rr A ee

Aes 550 orsebacl:; reek men

rien King Cyrus postal service as aa z.\ 525 libraries arepublic China from choose short

his fables the Great in Persian 4, reek Polo ayn Near East: haircuts

563 conquers Empire rama a sport e thens, Indian surgeon

Gautama Buddha, the Medes among "Freee Susrata perfor ms

Beaoweer or I uel Pes signal lowed

ism, ersian Empire;; i,

born in India Took & Key a Celtic festival

water level,

and carpenter's

551 square invented

Confucius,

famous

Chinese

scholar born