*Note: This article has been adapted from a training titled, “The Four Steps of Personal Application,” taught at Compass Bible Church Hill Country, 2025.

“Reading the Bible passively, without the intention of applying its principles to daily life, is a dangerous endeavor.”

Reading the Bible must be a staple in the life of every Christian. However, reading the Bible passively, without the intention of applying its principles to daily life, is a dangerous endeavor. For instance, 2 Tim. 3:16-17 teaches that all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Paul tells Timothy that the scriptures are a tool that God uses to teach, convict, correct, and train us for righteousness. Ultimately, these four nouns indicate that the Bible is meant for more than literary enjoyment, it is meant for personal transformation. James, in his letter (James 1:22), says that Christians must be doers of the word, not just hearers, lest they deceive themselves. So, as important as reading the Bible is, Christians must move beyond just reading. They must take what they have read, distill the text down to its general principles, and work the general principles into their lives as specifically and timely as possible.

“So, as important as reading the Bible is, Christians must move beyond just reading. They must take what they have read, distill the text down to its general principles, and work the general principles into their lives as specifically and timely as possible.”

This article addresses two root issues that cause ineffective Bible application: a brief look at the proper use of hermeneutics in Christian Bible study and a deeper examination of the lack of sufficient self-exegesis1 when applying a text.

The TAN Method

Before seeking to apply the Bible to your life, you must rightly understand what God’s word is saying. The three-step hermeneutical process known as TAN can assist you as you seek to understand the Bible. This process leads you from the original meaning of a passage to its general principle and ultimately to what that passage means for your life today. For a more in-depth exploration of this three-step process, refer to Chapter Three of Mike Fabarez’s Partners: 1-on-1 Discipleship Manual.2 A summary is provided below.

Then: What did the passage mean to its original audience in its own context? For example, consider Eph. 5:25 (ESV): “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” The “then” principle would be: “Christian men in first-century Ephesus had to sacrificially love their wives like Christ loved the church.”

Always: What is the overarching biblical principle in this passage that holds true for all people at all times? When looking at Eph. 5:25, an “Always” principle could be: “Christian men throughout history have to sacrificially love their wives like Christ loves the church.”

Now: How should the overarching biblical principle apply to your life today? If you were applying Eph. 5:25, as a man, you would say, “I must love my wife as Christ loves the church.”

From this point, you can begin applying A Practical Framework for Applying the Bible to Your Life. Start with your application statement from step three of TAN. Then, focus on a specific principle, followed by a general application, and finally arrive at a specific application based on your TAN application statement. An explanation of these steps is provided below.

STEP 1: Specific Principle

As you refine your TAN application statement to your current circumstances, you must move from a generalized application statement to a more specific principle that is relevant to your life.

“You must move from a generalized application statement to a more specific principle that is relevant to your life.”

For example, if you were a man named Joe and your wife’s name was Jill, you would say, according to Eph. 5:25, “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill).” In step one, a helpful question may be: how do you lack, neglect, or need to improve in sacrificially loving (Jill)? Perhaps you are very selfish. Here, you would write: “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill) by being more selfless.” By focusing on your specific struggles or concerns, you can more accurately address your life biblically.

STEP 2: General Application

“Without a specific plan, you are unlikely to carry out the biblical principle in any meaningful, consistent way. Therefore, you need to narrow your application to an action or commitment that will fulfill your specific principle.”

You may think you have reached the end of your application, but you are only halfway there. Many people stop the work of personal application at step one and suffer the consequences. At this point, you have a general sense of direction but lack a specific plan of action to implement in your life. Without a specific plan, you are unlikely to carry out the biblical principle in any meaningful, consistent way. Therefore, you need to narrow your application to an action or commitment that will fulfill your specific principle. Think of step two as the “WHAT.” Ask: “What are you going to do?”

For example, you said that in Eph. 5:25, “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill) by being more selfless.” Next, narrow your application to specific areas where you exhibit selfishness. Are you selfish with your time, money, affection, words, or emotions? Perhaps all of these are true. Regardless, choose one (later, you can rinse and repeat until you address each area). Here, you would say: “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill) by being more selfless with (let’s use the subject of time).” With a specific area in mind, you can move to the final step!

STEP 3: Specific Application

Once the general application is determined, you have reached the last step! This is where you take the general application and assign it a specific time and place in your life to carry it out; this is your specific application. Think of step three as the “WHEN and WHERE.” Ask: “When are you going to do this, and where is it going to take place?”

“Your specific application demonstrates that you take biblical principles seriously by taking a biblical principle and creating a clear plan of action!”

You said that in Eph. 5:25, “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill) by being more selfless with (time).” Here, you should get very specific about what being more selfless with time entails. Perhaps it looks something like this: “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill) by being more selfless with (time) on Thursday evening, when (Joe) will forego watching the big game and instead take (Jill) out for her favorite dessert: Andy’s Frozen Custard from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.” Your specific application demonstrates that you take biblical principles seriously by taking a biblical principle and creating a clear plan of action!

Check Your Work

Once you have completed step three, review the steps in reverse order to ensure that you stay on topic and that your personal application remains faithful to the passage. In this example, you would ask, "Is Joe taking Jill out for Andy’s Frozen Custard a selfless act of prioritizing Jill’s desires over his own?” If the answer is yes, proceed to step two. Then, ask, “Is Joe’s decision to spend more intentional time with Jill an act of selflessness?” If yes, move to step one. Here you can ask, “Is Joe’s selflessness an act of sacrificial love?” If so, you can confidently assert that your specific application strongly demonstrates the general principle “(Joe) must sacrificially love (Jill).”

A word of wisdom regarding your specific application. Your specific application is unlikely to be relevant to the original audience. In this example, there is no chance that a first-century Ephesian husband would take his wife to Andy’s Frozen Custard to demonstrate selfless, sacrificial love. Your specific application must be grounded in the biblical principle of the passage, but biblical principles must ultimately lead you to specific actions and attitudes that are relevant in your life.

An Additional Way to Use this Framework

So far, you have begun with a biblical passage and moved into personal application. This technique is great for personal Bible study, but sometimes you encounter an issue in your life that requires biblical wisdom on a particular matter. Once you grasp the three-step process above, you can use the same process to address a specific issue you are facing, even before you identify a biblical principle. First, identify the issue—perhaps the issue you are dealing with is “anger.” Next, research what the Bible says about anger. Choose an appropriate verse and apply the TAN method. After identifying what the passage teaches about anger, you can move through the Practical Framework for Applying the Bible to Your Life and gain biblical wisdom on dealing with your anger.

Follow Through on Your Specific Application

“You should do whatever it takes to follow through in obedience to Christ!”

A good plan is only as good as its execution. You can spend a lot of time reading the Bible and even planning out your specific application, but if you do not carry the plan out to completion, the application is inadequate. When you arrive at the specific application, you should put it on the calendar or agree to the terms with someone who may need to be involved. Or even better, do it right then and there! You should do whatever it takes to follow through in obedience to Christ!

1Self-exegesis is the intentional process of examining and interpreting your thoughts, motives, attitudes, and behaviors in light of the biblical text, so that God’s Word is not only properly understood but also personally applied.

2Mike Fabarez, Partners: 1-on-1 Discipleship Manual (Laguna Hills, CA: Focal Point Ministries, 2013), 51-68.

Professor Hayden Thomas

Professor of Practical Christian Ministry

B.A., Texas A&M University
Th.M., D.Ed.Min. [cand.], Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Professor Thomas completed his undergraduate degree in speech communications from Texas A&M University—Commerce, and a Master of Theology, with an emphasis in Church Planting, from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Ministry. Professor Thomas served as a staff pastor at Compass Bible Church, Aliso Viejo, for two years and has served as the lead pastor of Compass Bible Church Hill Country in New Braunfels, TX since its founding in 2021.

Professor Thomas and his wife Kayla have been married since 2019 and have two sons, Titus and Judah.

Application That Changes Lives: A Practical Framework for Applying the Bible to Your Life