Everyday Bible Questions
Answer the following……..
Exploring the meaning of the passages can help in determining the meaning. There are three methods to examine the meaning of the passages. The first one is “ a series of nine questions”, this method will help a person discover the different relationships in their life. “Creating a narrative” is another way of application, this application compares the biblical aspects with the modern-day Christian lifestyle. The third method of application is to read the passage on a personal note. This means using the biblical context to answer the problems or questions that could help a Christian lead a better way of life that is considered “good” in the sight of God. These three methods of application of God’s word are examined but sometimes these may seem like a complicated plan. Therefore much simpler versions of application methods are introduced. According to Pastor Daniel Doriani’s analysis, Jesus answers only 4 kinds of questions. This means that there can be more than one meaning for the same passage. These question methods are used to put God’s eternal word into action, “The Theory and Practice of Biblical Application and Four Views on Moving beyond the Bible to Theology”.
The Question of Duty: What Should I Do?
The question is more action-based as it calls for obedience to its readers. Actions to practice or avoid is the question that has to be answered by one’s self. As in Galatians 5, Paul tells the people that the actions that bound the people to the old law have been set free through Jesus and he instructs them to live a life that does not involve the works of the flesh. “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”, here in Galatians 2:21, Paul is trying to make the people understand that no matter how hard we try to live a pure life but the righteousness cannot be won but it comes through Jesus Christ. The first question focuses on the list of activities that are involved in the life of a Christian. Leading a Christ-like life will want Christians to abide by some practices and also some things to be avoided. The question mainly focuses on the works of Jesus, which will work as a solution to the problems. Secondly, some restrictions are simple enough to understand while others seem to be apple properly as per the situations.
As Jesus’ disciple, Peter had the responsibility to heal and pray for Tabitha the widow who was also a disciple of Christ. Peter is said to be the closest disciple of Jesus and therefore even after he had ascended to heaven, he could continue to serve God and perform miracles and heal people. This is why people in Church conduct prayers when someone is sick, as the living God he is, hears the prayers and cries of men and answers them. This can also be said to be a gesture of love for one another, as all Christians well know that “prayer is very powerful”. Prayer has healed many sicknesses as we keep hearing the testimonies in Church, it strengthens us and helps us become stronger in prayer life.
The Question of Character: Whom Should I Be?
This question deals with the character of a person, which can be decided by the person’s choices. There are two emphases of this question, the first one being the reflection of Christ in the life of a Christian individual. for it is God who works in you to will and to act to fulfill his good purpose. “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12,13). With the help of the Holy Spirit, a person can acquire the qualities of Christ. Obedience is not a quality that a person can pursue from their strength, but it is obtained through the ongoing works of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, it talks about the choices of a believer. As a response to God’s word, doing the right thing may seem a little challenging in some situations, but when the spirit of the Lord is in a person all the fleshly desires are successfully avoided. In Galatians 5: 16-26, the fruits of the spirit and the acts of the flesh are mentioned. God expects us to live by the spirit and therefore he has sent us a guide, the Holy Spirit who will help us to build our character to make the right choices in life.
Tabitha as exclaimed by Paul is a very good example of a character that a believer should possess. She is described to be a woman of good works in Acts 9:367. Therefore, we see that if we love God and do his will, he builds our character. It is also seen in Tabitha using her talents to help the poor, no doubt God must be pleased with her charity to the poor. The actions of an individual show the work of the holy spirit in a person’s life.” Character is the person you want to be”, and the main goal of a person should be to be more Christ-like. God knows what is good for the people so trusting God and letting the Holy Spirit take control will result in good deeds meaning that it will shape an individual’s character.
The Question of Goals: What Causes Should I Pursue?
The ambitions in a Christian life should be in line with the scriptures and their goals should follow God’s purpose for their life, to know what is God’s calling in their life. If the ambitions and goals in the life of a Christian are not what God has planned for them should not be pursued. As God is the creator and he knows the best use for every human on this planet. The scripture has to be put to the test in real life because the scripture was meant for an application not just for reading. The things chased and spend our energy and time with must involve God or else everything is vain. The results Christians aim for should not consider the world but heaven, that should be our ultimate goal and achievement in life. We are told to do good in every situation because it sits perfectly with God as even during the time of creation, it is said that he found them “good”, meaning he was pleased with what he saw. Similarly, as Christians, God should be pleased with our deeds as well and for that, we must commit ourselves to doing good.
In Acts 9: 38, it is seen that Peter was near Joppa when Tabitha died. The people believed that they could witness a miracle and so they fetched Peter by traveling the distance. God bestows his gifts on people to heal and overcome obstacles in life. The story shows that even after the death of Tabitha people did not lose hope. They did not think that the dead cannot be brought to life. Their belief was greater which defeated the doubt that Satan puts within a person and so it is known that if a person believes, a miracle waits for them. For that, a person must leave and go in search of help from God, as those people did as soon as they heard Peter was nearby. If Christians believe, then nothing is impossible for God because he has power and authority over everything on earth, people just need to allow him to do the work in their life.
The Question of Discernment: How Can I Distinguish Truth from Error?
Lastly, A Christian must acquire the ability to find the difference between the truth and the lie. A person must know whether the cultural practices are right in the sight of God or not. If there is something that might not be accepted in the sight of God then that must be rejected.
When Peter arrived, Tabitha was already dead, but he knew how to deal with the situation and so he kneeled to pray to ask God for help (Acts 9: 40). Prayer is the way to communicate with God. God said that he would give anything that a person asks him in prayer. God waits on us to come to him and ask him for help. As his word also says, “Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you”(Matthew 7:7-8).
A Christian must present himself to God as a new person, rejecting everything that is sin in God’s sight, as he has made mankind pure by shedding his blood on the cross. He will then clothe his children in white robes representing his children. It might seem quite unusual to others how can red was off-white, but it is true in the presence of God. Only if we are made pure and holy, he can do miracles through us, which means that we will be put to the actual use he created us for and our purpose for life will be fulfilled. The Galatians lived as Paul instructed them through the holy spirit. “He does not use his freedom as an opportunity to satisfy the flesh. Instead, he uses his Christian liberty to serve others through love”. The powerful system of the world seems to swallow the innocent and the innocent seems to be3 the most suffered and humiliated. This does not go unnoticed by God, as he has always been a god who raises the weak. “The God of the impossible”. He is a god of just therefore he judges right from wrong and shows favoritism to no one. This is why all people have an opportunity to get saved and not just the Jews.
References
John Cartwright and Chris Hulshof, Everyday Bible Study: Growing in the Christian Faith, ed. Gabriel Etzel and Ben Gutierrez, 2nd edition., Everyday Bible Series (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2019), 177,178,179.
