BIBL 360
Name
Unlocking The Scriptures Project: Application Example
Instructions: Using the instructions in chapter 10 as a guide, develop application principles from 1 Corinthians 15:1–11. Be sure that your work is connected to and based on your work in the previous two Unlocking the Scriptures project assignments. There ought to be a connection between your application principles and your work in observation and interpretation.
Identify the Universal Truth:
What universal truth is God communicating in this passage?
In verses 3-4, the universal truth is explained in the Gospel that Paul preached: “that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (NKJV). In 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul said that Christ died “for all”, and John the Baptist announced “Behold! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus became the substitutionary atonement for all mankind, as an offering to a holy God Who cannot tolerate sin (Eph 5:2). He freed us from the curse of the Law (OT Mosaic Law), by becoming the curse Himself (Gal 3:13). This is the message that Paul was communicating in this passage.
Identify Specific Points of Application:
How do I apply this universal truth to the 4 relationships of life?
Your answer here must begin with 1 of the items listed under the various relationships addressed in this chapter.
Relationship with GOD
A(n) truth to rest in.
Explain:
Salvation is a gift that is given to us, not as a reward. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God” (Eph 2:8). It is this gift that Paul is referring to in vv 10-11, which enables him to preach the Gospel, in spite of his persecution of the church in the past. God can and will use us, even with our sinful history, as long as we repent and turn to Christ as the penalty for our sins. Like Paul, I need to rely on God’s grace daily, for Him to enable me to share the Gospel with others. I may not have the same past as Paul, or as others before they came to Christ, but I do have my own issues and insecurities, and the devil often uses them to dissuade me from sharing Christ with others. In my devotions, the Holy Spirit has been reminding me of Jesus’ words in John 15, “He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”. James remind us of the Old Testament proverb by saying, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; Prov 3:34).
Relationship with myself:
A(n) attitude to guard against.
Explain:
I am an introvert, and I often prefer to do things by myself and on my own. Sometimes I can have the attitude that I do not need anyone else. Vulnerability makes me quite uncomfortable. I need to guard against this attitude because Christians were made for community. I need to guard against my individualism so I can be unified with other believers.
Relationship with OTHERS
A(n) witness to share.
Explain:
In several of these verses, starting with v.1, we are reminded of Paul’s obedience of sharing Christ with the world. Christ commanded His disciples, and us, to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”, but not all of us are actually doing this. Therefore, after reading this passage, I am reminded that I should continually share the Gospel of Christ with everyone, even when I don’t “feel” like it. Paul’s boldness, yet in all humility, should be a shining example to all of us, especially me.
I do enjoy talking to people about Christ and what He has done for me, and I do enjoy getting people into the Word for themselves, but I don’t always have the excitement or passion to do so. But I shouldn’t let those days discourage me from at least pointing others to Christ and using my bad experiences to encourage them. I have experienced so much pain and sorrow in my life, yet I have also experienced God’s presence and deliverance through His angels and miracles. Out of sheer gratitude, all I have to do is share my testimony to encourage others to look to Christ, as Paul said in 2 Corin 1, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…”. Paul goes on to say, “who comforts us on all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort others…” (vv3-4).
Identify a Verse for Contemplation:
What verse from 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 should be my focus of meditation and memorization?
Explain.
What verse from 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 should be my focus of meditation and memorization? Explain.
I would say that verse 10 would be the focus. That all of the work that I will do in the ministry it is God who will really be the effect of my ministry and that is something that I really need to hold onto. In ministry you can get overwhelmed and say that success come from you when we have to remember that succsess comes form the Father and him alone.
4. Identify How You Will Practice What You Have Learned:
What will you do this week to apply these principles to your life?
Based on your study of 1 Corinthians 15:1–11, write 5 concrete actions or attitudes you can work on this week.
Hold firmly onto the Word: Rather than just doing my usual reading through the Word, I need to really grasp onto the meaning of the verses. Diligently studying, and not just reading, will help my memory, and even keeping a card to memorize certain verses will also help. As I am getting older, I am finding that I can’t remember verses or phrases as easily as I used to, so I will be more diligent in my studying by keeping a list of memory verses, especially those that relate to the Gospel. I was reminded of this a while ago when a young man approached me, asking about my faith. Come to find out, he was a Jehovah’s Witness, but was “disfellowshipped”. He firmly believed in the church, yet only read the Gospel of Matthew, and still relied on the church’s interpretation of the Word. I told him to read the Gospel of John, but he wanted to rely on their translation in order to “get it”. My mind went blank on a few verses that would have really helped. I did quote from John 1:1, and tried explaining that Jesus was actually “God in the flesh”, but since he relied on the church’s teachings, he disagreed with anything that I said. I learned that I really need to stay in the Word, so that important verses will be easier to come to mind when I want to explain something to someone in his position.
Trust in God’s strength and grace to accomplish His will, even during failure: I need to stay focused on the Word of God and rely on His grace to help me throughout the day, especially when I am dealing with insecurities. Like I mentioned earlier, the situation with the Jehovah’s Witness, I felt a bit inadequate to answer the young man’s questions, though I do believe I explained some things well. I struggled with the good feeling of accomplishment, yet felt that I failed in some way because I didn’t have all the answers at the exact moment. I need to realize that God’s grace is with me during times like that, and that I shouldn’t expect to be perfect.
Be Submissive to God’s Call: I need to submissive enough to God’s call. I need to embrace the spiritual season I am in and be willing to do God’s will regardless of what He is calling me to do. This includes the direction for myself, my family, and my career. If I will be submissive and rely fully on Him, I know that my life, in turn, will show God’s glory.
Preach with humility: Along with the boldness in preaching the Gospel, comes humility. I don’t think that I am arrogant, but sometimes I do have confidence that surprises some people, and they think it is arrogance. I don’t want to even give off the slightest appearance of arrogance, as it might put some people off, causing them to not listen to the Gospel message in my testimony. I will keep praying for the Holy Spirit to show me areas where I may appear to be arrogant, or even if I am arrogant, so that He can work through me. I know that I am not an intimidating person of 5’3, and I look younger than I am, but I do not want to give the wrong impression. I pray that the Lord works through me, and keeps me humble, so that I can effectively tell others about Christ.
Praise and thank God for His sacrifice through Jesus. I know this may sound simple, but every now and then, I feel the Holy Spirit tugging my heart to just thank Him for the Cross. Of course I have always been thankful, but to actually take the time to thank and praise Him for His sacrifice not only pleases Him, but also boosts my spirit and re-aligns my thinking, like a chiropractor re-aligns the spine. I’ve also learned that doing so keeps the devil and his demons away, because it keeps my focus on Jesus. When I was spiritually attacked via witchcraft a couple of years ago, I felt my spirit get tormented with fear and doubts about the power of God to take it away. But when I turned and began focusing on what the Cross did for me, and began studying the Gospel of John, those tormenting spirits really began leaving. I was able to think clearly again and claim God’s promises of deliverance in various Scriptures. Focusing on the Cross literally kills off those demons because it reminds them that they are powerless over my life as a Christian. That is why Paul constantly preached on the Cross: because he knew its power.
Page 2 of 2