Application in Preaching

The importance of application is noted throughout the Bible. Scripture insists that proper understanding leads to obedience. In Deuteronomy 6, the Lord instructs Israel to love and keep the commands on their hearts, evening passing obedience along to their children. Jesus refers to His followers that do the commands of Scripture as “blessed” (John 13:17). Likewise, both Paul (Rom 2:13) and James (Jas 1:22) appeal to “doers” of the biblical commands.

The emphasis on applying and doing the truths of Scripture support the necessary inclusion of application in preaching. Daniel Akin and Scott Pace mention that “God desires that we respond to every passage. Therefore, identifying the practical application of a text is a necessary part of its interpretation. Explanation without application leads to frustration.” Application’s vital inclusion in the sermon should cause us as preachers to think long and hard about how to apply truths to our people.

Guidelines for Application:

1. Application must be both textual and biblical – Application must be textual in the sense that we derive the truth from the text and show our people where we are drawing the truth from. Yet, application must also be biblical and agree with the rest of Scripture. If one draws an application from a text that does not match with other parts of the Bible, then the application needs to be reevaluated.
2. Application considers the ethos of the preacher – At the Pastor’s Center this year, we have been considering the character of the pastor. Perhaps at no place in the sermon does character or ethos matter more than in application. The people need to see our willingness to apply truth to our own lives first before we can ask them to do the same.
3. Application exegetes the audience – One first understands what needs to be applied by exegeting the text. But to understand how that truth is to be applied demands that one knows the audience. Pastors must live among the flock, smelling like the sheep before we can address them with truth.
4. Application identifies important areas of life to address – Related to the previous point, pastors who live among the flock learn to identify common areas of life that biblical truth addresses. Examples of these areas include personal life, family, work, church, or community. Considering these common areas helps to show the people how the Scripture is for all of life.
5. Application can be aided through the wording of our sermon – If application truly is the main thing to be done in our preaching, then the way that we word our main idea or divisions of the sermon can help in making application. Using language like “we” or “you” in these statements helps the audience see throughout the sermon that the biblical truths are meant for them.

Application is a necessary inclusion in preaching. Whether application is made throughout the sermon or summarized at the end, its importance means that preachers need to have this element as a primary consideration even prior to studying a passage. Our people need to walk away knowing how to respond to the Bible and to see that modeled in our lives as well.