This is a handy little book, easy to read in a day, practical, and very helpful for anyone wrestling with how to apply the Bible. Jack Kuhatscheck writes with energy. He wastes no words, gets to the point, uses a homely sense of humor, and reveals true compassion for his reader. This is the kind of book I’d start elders and ministry leaders on to get them grounded in basic Bible interpretation and application. This book would be a charming nephew to Howard and William Hendricks’ Living by the Book. But Hendrick’s book is even better. More thorough, better humor, gives far more attention to the role of the Holy Spirit in Bible study, and it doesn’t feel so tied to the decade of the 80’s.

As a senior acquisitions editor for Zondervan and author of more than ten different Bible study guides, the author definitely carries the credentials for writing a book of this nature.

Kuhatscheck lays out his purpose in the introduction: “the purpose of this book is to help us understand how to apply the Bible” (10). In the first half (chapters 1-6) he delivers principles of application. In the second half (chapters 7-10) he discusses types of application, specifically how to apply biblical commands, examples, and promises. The writing of Kuhatscheck’s book was prompted by the lack of books on Bible application (there was only one out that he knew of in 1990, p. 12). Even Bible commentaries and Bible study books which address the historical context of the passage often fail to show the reader how to apply it.

In the close of his introduction, Kuhatscheck admittedly blushes at the book’s original title (Taking the Guesswork Out of Applying the Bible) that promises more than it could possibly give (11-12) and also warns the reader against becoming so smothered in analytical principles of application that he forgets to apply it (12)! He sees his book as introductory to this vital topic as opposed to exhaustive. Right off the top, the humility of Kuhatscheck bleeds through the ink of his pen!

In chapter 1, Kuhatscheck stresses the goal of all Bible application: personal growth. He gives a spiritual diagnosis by using Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4 to categorize people into four general classes: those without the Spirit (unsaved), those who are infants in Christ (immature Christians), those who are spiritual (mature Christians), and those who are worldly (Christians living in sin) (17-20). He argues for the marriage of Bible knowledge to action (20-24), and then delivers the over-arching goal of all Bible application: “As we immerse ourselves in Scripture, our goal is to develop within ourselves the mind land heart of God. We want to be able to think and to respond to every situation the way God himself would” (24).

If we were to get picky, this is not only impossible but unbiblical. God punishes people for sin, we don’t (even parents are not to punish but discipline). Jesus healed the blind man, we can’t. I understand that in principle Kuhatscheck wants us to become more like Christ. But in a book on application and how to avoid bad application, it’s strange to find him make a statement so general that it contradicts some of his own warnings in chapter 10 (especially pages 152-154).

In his second chapter, Kuhatscheck argues that God’s Word is both timely (was given to specific people in specific situations) and timeless (possesses a universal nature that makes it applicable to all people from every age) (29-31). He then offers a simple, three step process for applying the Bible:

First, we must understand the original situation described in the passage and how God’s Word applied to that situation. Second, we must determine whether God’s Word in that situation reflects a specific application of a broader principle. Finally, we are ready to apply that general principle to situations we face (33).

I find this advice excellently useful and very safe. In future chapters Kuhatscheck wisely guards his three step process from abuse, where someone might follow it so doggedly that they lose sensitivity for different genres and unique passages, and consequently misapply the Bible.

Kuhatscheck’s third chapter unpacks step #1, “understanding the original situation,” and breaks it down as follows:

Becoming a Time Traveler (38-45)
Crossing the time barrier.
Look for clues in the passage
Consult a Bible dictionary or handbook
Read related passages in the Bible
Crossing the language barrier: use a combination of literal, dynamic-equivalence,     and free translations.
Crossing the cultural barrier: read about customs and beliefs.
Crossing the geographical barrier: use maps, Bible atlases, or Bible dictionaries.

Learning to Read (45-50)
Identify the type of literature you are studying
Get an overview of the book
Study the book passage by passage
Be sensitive to the mood of the book or passage     
Compare your interpretation with one or two commentaries

I had to underline and circle furiously to extract this outline from his chapter, but it’s definitely there. An appendix with an outline like this in his book would be helpful for giving people the bird’s eye view.

In chapter four, Kuhatscheck brings the reader to his second step: finding general principles. The method is simple: ask three questions (57-61).

Question #1: Does the author state a general principle?
Question #2: Why was this specific command or instruction given?
Question #3: Does the broader context reveal a general principle?

Kuhatscheck illustrates this like a pyramid. The first question tries to extract the universal idea behind the specific issue in the text. For example, in 1 Corinthians 8 Paul warns believers against eating meat sacrificed to idols in front of a weaker brother. But Paul also provides the general principle behind this warning: make sure that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Cor 8:9). The answer to the second question then becomes, “Because it’s wrong to be a stumbling block to another brother,” which produces the answer to the third question, “The Corinthians should only do those things which build up others in love” (57). At this level, we as Christians today can easily apply the principle!

Kuhatscheck’s passion is not that the reader simply know the application but how to think through Scripture biblically and bring it from way back then to practical living today.
He doesn’t want the reader to simply know the answer, but to be able to think through the example and come to a rounded and full conclusion that reflects Scripture accurately. This is admirable and shows the heart of a man who wants to develop strong disciples.

In step three (chapter 5), Kuhatscheck moves from how to find the general principle to how to apply the general principle. He writes that we have three options: We can apply the principle to the identical situation in Scripture, to a comparable situation, or to an entirely different situation.

But Kuhatscheck does not leave his reader hanging on abstracts. He gives an example of an identical situation from Hebrews 13:5 which says to “keep your lives free from the love of money.” The principle directly applies with no cultural gaps to leap over. An example of a comparable situation Paul’s encouragement to “be careful...that the exercise of freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Cor 8:9). Being a stumbling block and loving your brother cross over directly, but eating meat (the context of this passage) does not. So it’s comparable. An example of an entirely different situation would be Paul’s command in Galatians 4:9-11 to stop observing special days and months in hopes that it would earn God’s favor. Kuhatscheck closes this chapter with a reminder that love is the key ingredient in all application of Scripture. Without love for Christ motivating our obedience, turns dry and lifeless (76-77).

Desperately lacking in this little book is instruction on the role of the Holy Spirit in Bible study and application. Now understandably the Holy Spirit cannot be boxed into a three step method. But praying for the Spirit’s illumination (1 John 2:27) and guidance is not only biblical but so important that without the Spirit’s help, our study will be deader than a ten day corpse. Even Kuhatscheck’s sixth chapter, “The Importance of Meditation,” lacks any exhortation or instruction in the role of the Holy Spirit when we study the Scripture. That aside, the sixth chapter is an excellent encouragement to let the passage being studied sink deeply into our blood as we meditate on it all throughout the day.

In the final four chapters of his book, Kuhatscheck shows the Bible reader how to apply certain types of application. I was pleasantly surprised to find him urging his reader in chapter 7 to let all efforts towards obedience be motivated by God’s great love for us (91-92). Without this as the foundational motivation, our efforts of obedience become heartless and legalistic.

He then gives three questions the Bible reader can ask for applying Old Testament commands (95-99). First, is the command restated in the New Testament? Second, is the command revoked in the New Testament? Recognizing that these two questions are helpful but still won’t cover many passages of Scripture, he adds as a third question: What is the principle behind the Old Testament command? For applying New Testament commands, he says we first need to understand the situation, then find out whether our situation is identical or comparable. If identical, we can apply the command. If comparable, then we must discover the principle behind that command and apply it.

In the eighth chapter, Kuhatscheck shows the reader how to apply biblical examples, whether they be explicit (easy to apply), implicit (the application is implied by the author) or those examples where the author gives us no indication where the reader must “rely on truths or principles taught elsewhere in Scripture” (115). Kuhatscheck gives simple and clear examples from Scripture, making the application (purposed pun!) of his book easy and straightforward.

Kuhatscheck’s ninth chapter demonstrates how to apply promises from the Bible by answering four questions: Is the promise part of the old or new covenant? To whom is the promise given? Is the promise conditional or unconditional? Is the promise qualified by others parts of Scripture? What I love about these questions is how they help the reader to let the original intention of the passage become the arbiter on its application. The best part of this chapter is when Kuhatscheck takes seven paragraphs (141-143) to explain how many of the promises in Proverbs cannot be taken point blank literally, but should be viewed as general truths that are true most of the time but not in every single situation.

Kuhatscheck’s last chapter is a practical warning. He presents four types of false applications—applications that go beyond what God has revealed (146-148), that the author never intended (148-150), that are based on a faulty translation or interpretation (150-152), and that are based on faulty logic (152-154). He illustrates each of these points, making them quickly applicable without ever becoming trivial or trite.

Kuhatscheck’s sensitivity to letting the Scripture speak for itself, to not coming out with sweeping rules that subjectivize the hermeneutical playing field, and the time he takes to address tougher types of passages with clear examples on how to work through them make this an excellent little book. It was refreshing to read and took me only three short reading spurts to get through. I’m sure I”ll use it as a book to train lay leaders in Bible application.

Reading this book with 80’s and 90’s illustrations made the book feel a little dated, a good reminder that too many timely illustrations can give a book a short life when it comes to relevance. That aside, the book is worth every page.

Jack Kuhatschek. Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990. 163 pp.