The process of getting to know God in more personal way begins with learning about Him. Once students are filled “with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives”, it’s time to move from understanding to application, to …
“live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” (Col. 1:9-10).
Understanding Precedes Application
If students don’t see the implications of the truths they’re learning to their lives, they will be very unlikely to apply it to their lives. Once they gain a good understanding, they can better look for opportunities to put it into practice.
The Greek word, peripateo, translated in the NIV as “live a life” portrays the idea of a walk — a way of life. If we think of physically walking, we realize that it requires putting one foot in front of another, something we intentionally do whether we think about it or not. When we walk, we have a destination in mind, we’re going somewhere. And so, as we walk, we progress toward a given objective. Keep in mind that we weren’t born walking but rather had to learn how to do it. At some point, as a young child, we understood the implication of putting one foot in front of the other while standing up.
Similarly in our walk with the Lord, we move from knowledge to understanding and then from understanding to application. We learn what we’re to do and where we’re to go but also also must understand how — what it will take to get there.
The Purpose of Proceeding from Understanding to Application is to Live in Ways that Please God
When we know and love someone personally, on more intimate terms, we want to please that person. And so, we must make sure students understand that walking in a way worthy of the Lord isn’t just about obeying His laws, doing what we’re “supposed to do” as Christians.
To “please Him in every way” means inwardly as well as outwardly, in what we do privately as well as in public, through the words we say but also in the thoughts we think. Jesus illustrated this in the Sermon on the Mount when He acknowledged that “You shall not murder” but added that irate reactions and the way we speak to people also matters (Matt. 5:21-26). He mentioned that “You shall not commit adultery” but also equated looking as someone lustfully with committing adultery in one’s heart (Matt. 5:27-30).
As Bible teachers, we need to encourage students to “do” something with what they learn but we also need to address the motivations of the heart. We need to spur them on toward good actions but also godly attitudes. We teach for changed lives but from the inside out so that students truly “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” (Col. 1:10).
Teacher Training Resource: Application: It’s God’s Idea, Not Merely a Good Idea Worksheet