Many people (including some Christians) are uncomfortable with Bible preaching that makes specific applications. Teach on the principles of truth all day long, and they are ardent supporters. But start applying the principles of truth to real-life situations and real-life people, and they become squeamish, even adversarial. These people have missed the fundamental point that we must apply God’s truth to our lives for it to save us. A good grammar instructor teaches the principles of grammar and then applies those principles to sentence structure, etc. Likewise, a faithful Bible teacher shows the Scriptural principle and applies it to our lives. He makes the application.

Some have little problem with the Bible teacher making applications as long as he applies them to someone else. Someone said, “The average person’s idea of a good sermon goes over his head and wakes his neighbor up.” We are hypocritical and sinfully judgmental when we are satisfied with applying truth to those around us but unwilling to apply it to ourselves (Matt. 7:1-5).

Jesus taught the principles of truth along with specific, pointed applications. Read Matthew 23; 16:22-23; 15:1-14; John 9:40-41 for just a few examples of Jesus applying the truth to His audiences. The apostles followed His example and made specific applications of divine truth to those they taught (Acts 2:36; 8:20-23; 24:24-25). They even named names when it was necessary to identify who was worthy of imitation and who was not (3 John 9-12).

Some brethren warn, “You will run people off if you name names and make specific applications.” The determining factors for whether truth is being taught and its applications being made are not “will it run folks off,” “will it hurt someone’s feelings,” or “will they be offended.” How people react to truth does not determine whether we should teach it (Ezek. 2:3-7). The whole truth must be preached and applied to save souls (Acts 20:27; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:2).

After Jesus roundly rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for nullifying the word of God with their traditions, the apostles said to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying (Matt. 15:12)?” The word they used (skandalizō) means “to put a stumbling-block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall; to be a stumbling-block…to entice to sin…to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey...to cause to fall away” (Thayer, 576). The apostles told Jesus His teaching placed an impediment before the Pharisees. It is as if they said, “Jesus, you are causing the Pharisees to stumble!” (Some Christians say this when applications of truth expose sin and false doctrine.) Jesus denied their claim and explained the scribes and Pharisees were already blind guides leading the blind (Matt. 15:13-14). Applying the truth when we teach is not why people reject the truth. Truth is rejected when the hearer’s heart is not right (Matt. 15:15-20; 13:18-23).

We make applications from God’s word because it profits the hearer (2 Tim. 3:16-4:2). Paul said, “I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you…” (Acts 20:20). When we refuse to accept and follow the God-given pattern of applying Bible teaching, we become an impediment to sound teaching, not a supporter of it.  -Reprint (edited), The Spirit’s Sword

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