Ideas, Actions, and Applications of the Bible, Essay Example

If I were seeking to apply some of the important ideas and actions seen in James 2:8-11, this is how I think that my, or an imaginary exegesis’s, expectations and understandings might affect the way I would apply the text to life.  These expectations and understandings include cultural, political, and religious biases that are based in their unique perspective.  These perspectives can be well or ill informed, and the effects of this are evident in the implementation of the interpretations.

One important fact is that social expectations will come into play.  For example, the text seems to indicate that a person must not act as though one person is above another for any reason.  However, how this is viewed is largely dependent upon a person’s outlook on those around them.  How strictly this verse is adhered to will be effected by how they are perceived in relation to the exegesis’s own position or class within society.

Furthermore, this verse refers to those who only follow laws of their choosing.  Therefore, it would also depend upon a person’s commitment to the law to a certain extent.  In this way, how a person perceives fairness can have an effect on how these ideas are applied.  To treat one person with more devotion than another can be easy when that person is easier to get along with.  Furthermore, a criminal is more difficult to forgive than an innocent.

Viewpoints on war are affected by this idea as well.  In war people murder, but it is often said to be forgiven if done for a particular cause or ideal.  Murder for the sake of politics is viewed differently than murder for a person’s personal reasons.  The misapplication of the Bible’s ideas is something that occurs often in the world, although its effects are often unattributed to the logical errors.  These are some examples of misapplication of the Bible that I have observed.  These include authoritative, social, as well as political reasons.

This verse seems to indicate strict adherence to the law.  Therefore, the Bible can be misapplied in order to control someone’s behavior.  This is often done for political reasons, in order to get a certain person into power, or to accuse a specific group of a crime or misdeed.  For this reason, an intelligent understanding of the Bible’s intended meaning is essential in its being successfully applied to situations that occur in the real world.

Furthermore, these verses were not originally written in the English language.  This is often forgotten when people apply the bible to their lives.  Taking into account cultural context and differences in linguistic meaning can often be overlooked.  When translated, the original intentions of the authors can often be lost.  The true meanings can also be misunderstood, or even completely disregarded by the translators of the text, whether done purposely or not.

There are various reasons as to why the Bible verses can be misapplied.  As has been mentioned, it is a way that has been used to control people.  However, it is not always purposefully done.  For this reason, an understanding of not only cultural and linguistic contexts should be applied, but also an understanding of the original intent of those who wrote the text in the first place.

Works Cited

New International Version Holy Bible. NIV. Biblica Inc. 2011