Our preoccupation with me also leads us to confuse application with meaning. We attend lots of Bible studies. After a verse is read, participants are frequently asked for comments. People often begin their replies with, “What this verse means to me is . . .” Technically, the verse means what it means. What the participant actually means is, “How this verse applies to me is . . .” which is a wonderfully appropriate point to make. We affirm that God’s Word has application for his people. But when we confuse application with meaning, we can ignore the actual meaning of the text altogether. This
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