Where did Jesus ever give life application messages? He never did. He told Nicodemas for instance that he had to be born again to enter the Kingdom. Nicodemas, accustomed to keeping the law in doing, asked how does one do that? Jesus didn’t tell him how.
He simply said that as the wind blows and no one can tell where it is going or where it came from, so it is with those born of the spirit. That which is flesh is flesh that which is spirit is spirit. Flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom. You must be born of the spirit (have a spiritual birth).
There are teachers today who focus on life application of the Word. I will tell you that we don’t see this in the Bible. We do see an exhortation against life application. Where? Hebrews. The writer says in essence that walking in the Spirit is not a matter of don’t do this or don’t do that. It is a matter of knowing God. If we focus on knowing God and walking with Him by making it our purpose in life to know Him, we will automatically do His will.
Life application focuses on self , and all that can do is pretty up the flesh by telling it to do this don’t do that, do this, don’t do that. Jesus never did that. Life application is a keeping of the law…which is impossible. It is flesh centered by focusing on the doings of me, myself and I.
When we study the Word of God it should never be in effort to make me better. That won’t work. We should study the Word to converse with God, to understand Him and marvel at Him and love Him. Paul said it is the love of Christ that constrains me. I must decrease and His must increase. If I will do this then I will automatically, as a bi-product of knowing Him, fulfill all the law of God and keep all of His word. This is what walking in the Spirit is.
The life application believer is both a legalist and a liberal at the same time. These are two sides of one coin. Here’s why: If I am a life applicationist, I will say I should not fear. I will work all kinds of ways to rid myself of fear. This is a doing, a bolstering of the flesh so I won’t fear. Failure. It won’t work. You don’t want to be fearful? If you will know His word and do His word by loving Him ( for He said that if you love Me, you will keep My commandments) a bi-product of that love is fearlessness. Knowing God brings with it fearlessness.
The Word says that perfect love casts out fear. How simple is that.
When we come to the Word of God there are two possible focuses. In the left hand we have me. How can I apply all that I am reading. Then on the right hand I have God. Who are You? What are you saying here? What a beautiful Psalm. How lovely are Your ways! Who was this You are talking about? Oh look at how this person knew You! Look how perfect Your Word is. Thank You for this day.
The focus of the left hand is like wanting a person to have a good godly day so you say, wake up early, brush your teeth well, eat a good breakfast. Be careful now driving. Make sure you don’t text and drive. Arrive on time to work, each a good lunch. Don’t talk about ungodly things, come home on time, and on it goes. But we already know to do these things. Maybe a toddler needs to be reminded but a grown person does not. They already know these things. They had them instilled upon the heart since birth and know them. This is what don’t do that, do this is. Why belabor what is obvious?
The very person who takes this route is a continual law breaker. They take this verse which says this walk with Christ is not a matter of don’t do this and that, and think it is license to do this and do that. But this verse means to know God and you don’t need these instructions because they are kept in Him automatically. Know God and all else follows without effort.
If I have spent my efforts to know God, sin will become repulsive to me. Period. This is walking in the spirit. If I am truly knowing Him, I will automatically produce the fruit of the Spirit like breathing. All sin will be a revulsion to me without effort. When I spend my time to know God, the things of the flesh lose their appeal.
Seek His face. You’ll find Him if you do.
Amen