Which parts of the Bible apply to us today? How can we know?

from the old testament

• From the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God began revealing Himself to humanity as the Creator who creates out of nothing (Genesis 1:1). Despite Adam and Eve sinning, God revealed His work in human history as He brought consequences for sin and a promise of a Messiah who would take the curse of sin upon Himself (Genesis 3:15).
• God created the nation of Israel and promised to bless the earth through them (Genesis 12:1-3).
• God continued revealing Himself through covenants, some specifically with the nation of Israel, that revealed His and work in human history. God established His covenant with Noah “for all future generations” (Genesis 9:12). God’s covenant with Abraham was an everlasting one (Genesis 17:7), and they were commanded to keep it (17:9). The Palestinian covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10) repeated God’s promise to give Israel land and to restore them despite being scattered. God’s covenant with David promised that David’s lineage would last forever and that he would have a kingdom that would never pass away (2 Samuel 7:8-16).
• God’s name was to be remembered forever (Exodus 3:15).
• God gave His people laws and spoke through His prophets, revealing His character and plan through humanity.
• God created feasts such as Passover (Exodus 12:14) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (12:17) to help the people remember how God had worked in their history as continual feasts throughout all generations.
• A jar of manna was to be kept for all future peoples (Exodus 16:33) to remind the Israelites of the way God had provided for them when they left Egypt.
• Offerings were to be sacrificed throughout all generations (Exodus 29:42; 30:8; 30:10) to remind the people of their sin and their need for salvation.
• The Sabbath was to be kept forever (Exodus 31:13-16) as a reminder of God’s provision and how He had rested on the seventh day.
• The priesthood was to be perpetual (Exodus 40:15).

from the new testament

• After 400 years of silence, the promised Messiah arrived. Jesus would save His people—whoever believes in Him—from their sins (John 3:16). Jesus said that He fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17). He also said that the words of the law would never pass away (Matthew 5:18)
• Luke 24:27 tells us that all the Old Testament books—the “Law and Prophets”— pointed to Jesus (Luke 24:27)
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
• The Old Testament was written to prepare us for the Gospel of Christ (Romans 15:4).
• Galatians 3:8 notes that the Gospel first began to emerge in the Old Testament.
• The Bible is living and active; all parts are viable for life (Hebrews 4:12)

implications for today

Many people find themselves confused regarding which parts of the Bible apply to today. How can we know? Several principles can help to guide us in application of the Bible.

First, all Scripture is God-breathed and inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). However, some passages of Scripture were originally written for a specific audience or place. Not all verses give direct applications for all people at all times. A helpful method is to work toward understanding whether the passage was intended to speak to a past situation or is a timeless biblical principle. To accurately determine this, one must apply proper methods of Bible interpretation. These include observing and interpreting the passage in its original setting before attempting to apply it to one's life.

Second, once the original context is understood, the principles of the passage can better be understood. For example, in Exodus 14 God parted the sea through Moses for the Israelites to cross on dry land. This miracle reveals much concerning God's power. But it was never intended to command everyone who ever reads it, for the rest of time, to attempt to split a sea with a walking stick. Instead, the passage shows 1) God's supernatural power, 2) God's ability to intervene at just the right time, 3) God's ability to keep His promises, 4) and how God works through a person who trusts in Him. These biblical principles can then be used to develop appropriate applications for one's life today.

Third, understanding how to apply a specific portion of the Bible is better done by reading what the entire Bible teaches on a particular topic. For example, God often speaks about the issue of self-control. To learn how to increase in self-control, a reader can look up some of these many verses and learn about the ways God desires His followers to live in this area. A reader would discover that self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit that applies to all Christians (Galatians 5:22-23), is an important trait of a wise person (Proverbs 25:28), that lack of self-control can lead to falling to sexual temptation (1 Corinthians 7:5), and that self-control is an important trait for a godly woman (1 Timothy 2:15) as well as for church leaders (1 Timothy 3:2).

Finally, a reader should always pray for wisdom regarding how to apply Scripture (John 16:13). Through study a person can discover what Scripture teaches regarding life issues (2 Timothy 2:15). Through prayer and community with other believers, a person can seek ways to apply the Bible's principles to personal life topics in ways that honor God and help others.