Applying God’s Word Is Vitally Important

by Rick Warren — February 24, 2017

“Knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1b NIV)

Did you know studying the Bible can be dangerous? In fact, the results of Bible study could be disastrous.

Sounds strange, I know. But God intended for us to apply the Bible to our lives, not just read it. The Bible is about transformation, not just information. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 NIV). Applying God’s Word is vitally important.

So why is it important that we apply God’s Word to our lives?

  • Knowledge produces pride if we don’t apply truth to our lives. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 8:1b, “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (NIV). We’ve all seen people who know the Bible backward and forward, but they’ve never let it seep into their lives. They use the Bible as a hammer to pound on other people. We can be the most cantankerous, evil, mean-spirited, cranky, critical, judgmental people anyone will ever meet — if we never take the extra step and apply the Bible to our lives. Knowledge without application produces pride. It’ll “puff” you up without a love-based application. It’ll cause harm, not help.
  • Knowledge requires action. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (NIV). What a person knows should find expression in what he or she does. We’re deceiving ourselves if we think we’re growing simply by taking notes on a Bible study. God’s commands are not optional.
  • Knowledge increases responsibility. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (James 4:17 NLT). With a deeper knowledge of Scripture comes a stronger judgment if we fail to apply what God shows us. When we start studying the Bible, God begins to show us areas of our lives that need to be changed, and he calls us to greater and greater responsibility as he does that.

    • Talk It Over

    • What do you do with your sermon notes once you leave church or with your Bible study notes once your quiet time is finished?
    • Think about your words and actions of the last hour. Do they reflect what God has been teaching you lately from his Word?
    • How has God called you to follow through on something he’s revealed through your study of his Word?

    Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.