Some people have a fear of asking a “stupid question.” I believe the only stupid question is the one raised but not asked. Questions provide a way for us to learn, and as long as we are unwilling to ask, we will remain unlearned. As we read and study the Bible, questions prompt us to dig more deeply to learn and apply God’s Word you our lives.
Ask Questions. Take Notes.
Let me encourage you to keep a notebook and pen handy when you read and study the Bible. Not only can you use them to record truths you want to remember, but you can also write any questions that arise as you read and study.
3 QUESTIONS THAT HELP APPLY THE BIBLE TO LIFE
Three questions can help me understand a Scripture passage’s intended teaching and its specific application to my life at a given time and place. Consider asking these 3 every time you study the Bible.
1. What?
The “what” questions considers the facts about the Bible passage. WHAT is the Bible saying by the writer to the original readers or about the action taking place in the questions. Interrogative questions like who, what, when, where, how, and why allow the reader to understand the intent of the Bible passage. What is happening, who is speaking or acting, where are they, what are some historical factors at play?
This is vitally important, because the Bible can never mean today something it did not originally mean.
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2. So What?
The second question moves from content to meaning. Once the reader understands the original meaning, he or she then moves to understand the significance of that meaning. The answer to the “so what” question is a universal truth, teaching, or practice that the original passage intends for us to know or to do. The Bible is not just a historical narrative or collection of religious literature, it is a revelation from God about who He is and what He wants us to do. This second question helps us move to that understanding.
3. Now What?
The last question moves us from understanding to action. God did not give us the Bible to fill our minds, but move us to action, to confirm us to His will. Once God reveals truth to us, we are responsible to obey. If we only know the truth, but never apply it to our lives, we never conform to His image and fulfill His purpose for us.
These three questions will lead you to a better understanding of God’s Word and its place in your life, but you have to work through them in the proper order. We cannot know what the Bible means (#2) until we understand what it meant (#1). If we act upon (#3) a faulty understanding of #1 and #2, we act wrongly.
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As you read your Bible this week, work through these three questions. The work may seem a little more involved but the results will be immeasurably better.
Related article – How to Begin Investigating the Bible for Yourself