Have you ever sat in a classroom and wondered what the point was? I remember that feeling well when I was trying to master a calculus course in college. The course was taught as if the application of the principles was self-evident. And perhaps to the "mathematical geniuses" in the class, it was. But for a philology student, it was a constant and fruitless attempt to think in purely abstract terms. Without an understanding of the real-world application, I had a hard time understanding why I needed to know the meaning of something when it approached but never reached infinity.
And if you were a true mathematical genius, just remember how you felt when you were asked to discuss the meaning of one of Shakespeare's sonnets.
Explanation ≠ Application
Are we, as preachers, guilty of subjecting our church members to the spiritual equivalent of a first-year calculus or composition course every Sunday? Like many teachers in various fields, we are passionate about our subject matter and extremely well-prepared. We can answer questions about Greek and Hebrew verb tenses, as well as the historical and cultural contexts of the ancient Near East. We can point out chiasmus before our listeners can say the word.
Yet, despite this wealth of knowledge and understanding, our congregation is left with little awareness of what to do with this knowledge. They know it is important—it is the word of God. Moreover, they understand that this word should apply to them personally. But after all our explanation, we are essentially telling them, «This is your business. You need to figure out how to apply it to your own life.» Worse still, we leave people feeling embarrassed and spiritually inadequate for not knowing how to apply it, even though it seems obvious to us.
It is not enough for us preachers to simply explain the text to our church. If we are to be good shepherds, we must apply the text to their lives today.
So why don't we do this? I can give you a few reasons:
- First, application is hard work. Compared to analyzing the complexity of the human heart and its condition, parsing grammar and context is child's play.
- Second, application is subjective. How can I be sure that the application is correct?
- Third, application is complex. The text has a central idea, but there are many applications, perhaps as many as there are listeners.
- Fourth, the application is personal. As soon as I start thinking about how the text applies to my people, I can't help but be confronted with how the text applies to me.
All of these reasons are related to our sinful nature and our desire to avoid hard work. Therefore, our response to these excuses should be simple—repentance.
Application ≠ Conviction
But there is a fifth, more theological reason why some of us neglect application in our sermons. We are convinced that application is someone else's job and ultimately beyond our authority. Isn't it up to the Holy Spirit to ultimately apply the text to the heart of the person?
I have heard more than one respected modern preacher make this point. But with all due respect, I believe this objection is unbiblical and theologically confusing. The confusion is that we confuse belief with application.
Conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). No one but the Holy Spirit can bring true conviction.
Application is different from persuasion. Although its goal is the heart, it is aimed at understanding. If exegesis requires us to understand the original context of a text, application involves examining the contemporary context in which that text is perceived. It is about identifying the categories of life, ethics, and understanding in which this particular word of Christ should dwell abundantly (Col. 3:16).
We all tend to listen through our own filters and experiences, so when a pastor works hard to apply the Word, it gives us the opportunity to consider the meaning of the passage in new ways that we may not have considered before.
For example, whenever I hear the golden verse from John 3:16, I immediately think of my calling to evangelism. But careful homiletic reflection can lead me to think more deeply about the nature of God’s love for me or what it means to have eternal life in Christ. As I expand my understanding of its possible applications, I begin to feel it become much deeper and richer in my life. Good application does not interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit, but rather increases the opportunities for conviction.
Avoiding application is unbiblical
Avoiding application is also certainly incorrect from a biblical perspective. Application is what we see preachers and teachers of the Word of God doing in the pages of Scripture:
- Deuteronomy 6:7, where parents are urged to «inculcate the words of the Law in your children.».
- Nehemiah 8:8, where Ezra and the Levites not only read the Book of the Law to the people, but also «explained its meaning, so that the reading might be understood.».
This concern is evident in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus affirms his connection with those who «hear the word of God and do it» (Luke 8:21). His teaching is full of examples of how to put this word into practice, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount. The apostles« letters are full of practical instructions, and they passed this concern on to ministers who were to teach practical godliness (1 Tim. 4) and entrust this teaching to »faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).
Nowhere is this more evident than in Ephesians 4:12-13. The purpose of Christ’s gift of pastors and teachers to the church is «to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.» How can we equip church members for their various ministries if we never talk about it specifically and practically? Paul seems to think that by avoiding application, we are not really accomplishing our goals.
A few examples
So what might this look like in practice? Let me give you two examples.
1. 2 Samuel, Chapter 11 (David and Bathsheba)
The story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his abuse of power to plan murder and cover up his sin. The applications to sexual purity and murder are obvious on the surface of the text. But what about all those in your church for whom adultery and murder are not current temptations?
By looking at David’s specific sin, you can help them see the general pattern of sin, its deceptive, multifaceted, and progressive nature. Then you can help them consider the «sins of opportunity» they face, not as the king of Israel, but as mothers and grandmothers, students and office workers, managers and retirees. In your application, you are not trying to be exhaustive. You are trying to give them a sense of the passage and to get them thinking about their own lives.
2. Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 1-4 (Fathers and Children)
This is a passage that speaks of the mutual responsibilities of parents and children to each other. But what about all those in the church who do not have children or whose children are grown? Should they simply listen and hope to learn something to support their parents? That is a good start. But it is also God’s Word to them. The principle of using authority properly and submitting to it applies to each of us.
As the Westminster Large Catechism notes, «the fifth commandment refers not only to natural parents, but also to all those who are older in age and ability, and especially to those who by God’s ordinance have authority over us» (Response 124).
We are all under someone's authority, and most of us exercise authority somewhere. Thoughtful application will help to clarify this.
What does this mean for you?
All of this, I think, means that a sermon without application is not a sermon at all, but simply a Bible lecture. We don’t want people to come away from our lectures wondering what the point was. Instead, let’s commit to applying the text so that «the body of Christ may be built up…unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.».
