b. Spheres of Application

When it comes to the sufficiency of Scripture, we have said that the Scripture itself must define both the questions and the answers. Scripture tells us what subjects are important and then it tells us what to believe about them. And although it is sufficient for everyone, it specifies various categories of people so that we may be more conscious and deliberate in our application of biblical teachings.

The same is true with the utility of Scripture. Because Scripture tells us about its own various uses – such as to teach, refute, correct, and educate – we can be much more deliberate in our application, and we are much more likely to become aware of our negligence and imbalance.

For this reason, it would benefit us to also consider the different spheres in which the Scripture can be applied. By "spheres," we refer to the social contexts or circles in which people function. A simple dictionary definition would be "place in society" or "walk of life." For example, the school and the office represent two different social spheres or circles.

The various spheres accommodate different types of relationships and operate by different rules, and they present different opportunities as well as difficulties, challenges, and temptations. Of course they overlap, and what happens to a person in one social sphere carries over to another. Nevertheless, they are often well-defined enough to be discussed separately and specifically. Again, this enables us to become more deliberate in our application of Scripture, and also more aware of our negligence.

Although we have already affirmed that the Scripture has universal application, and that it demands every person's attention and obedience, as with categories of people, it also acknowledges different social spheres. Here we will discuss three major ones, but only in brief, and only to raise some of the issues that must be addressed. These must be addressed by applying what we have already discussed above, and by reflecting on the whole teaching of the Bible regarding each of these areas of life.

(to be continued)

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