We studied three kinds of passages that we must apply: universally applicable passages, culturally specific passages, and difficult passages. What are the differences between each kind of passage?

Universally applicable passages are timeless commands to all God’s people.

Culturally specific passages were meant for that time and place, but their main idea or principle can be applied to our own setting today.

Difficult passages may make sense in their own time and cultural contextual setting, but make no sense when we try to apply them to our current day setting.

Universal is able to stand the test of time
Cultural is based on the culture of the passage
Difficult is based on cultural difference that can be hard to interpreted.

Universal passages are truths that stand the test of time. They are applicable to the one written to originally and easily translate to modern day application.

Cultural specific passages are more difficult to interpret due to the nature of who it was intended for. We need to search for the broader meaning and application of the text keeping in mind it was not written to us but written for us.

Difficult passages make sense in their historical/cultural content but are confusing when we try to apply them to modern times. Talk with your pastor to help gain understanding.

Universally applicable passages are not limited to the historical time but are truths that transcend all time in the future.
A culturally specific passage is set in a historic context, but the broader meaning can still be applicable for our times.
Difficult passages-These passages make sense in their historical context but applying them to the modern area can be challenging and there may be multiple interpretations that can confuse believers.

Universally Specific – are easily identified and easily applicable across time. These truths are present truths that were originally addressed to one person or group but are repeated again and again in other passages.
Culturally specific – Not easy to transfer from one culture (1st century Judaism) to another (more modern or different) culture.
Difficult – these make sense in the historical/cultural context but are confusing when apply them in our modern context.

Universally applicable – easily transfer from their original setting to our own
Culturally applicable – may need some additional work to make them applicable to our culture
Difficult – are easy to understand in their context, but when we try to do the hermeneutic meaning of the passage; many argue about this

Universal truths are those that present truths that were originally addressed to one person or group, but they are repeated in other passages. They are timeless commands to all of God’s people.
Culturally specific passages are not easily transferable from their original contexts to ours. The specifics are different, but the principle is the same. Difficult passages are those that make sense in their context but are confusing when we apply them in our modern context.

Universally: These passages are direct in their application in all times.
Culturally Specific: These passages require the reader to abstract and generalize the meaning from the context it was written. This is doable, but not as easy as universally applicable.
Difficult: These passages have several different possible hermeneutical applications which scholars do not agree on.

Universal truths a not limited to a specific time or people. Culturally relevant passages may have broader truths within a specific setting. Difficult passages can be interpreted by various groups differently depending on the hermeneutical interpretation of the passage.

Universally applicable passages are passages that are easy for us to interpret not only in the setting it was written in but is also easy for us to apply it in a modern setting. In other words, it is easy to interpret in both a exegesis sense as well as in a hermeneutic sense.
Culturally specific passages are passages that are easy to get an exegesis interpretation but can be difficult or impossible to get a hermeneutics interpretation without looking at the context of the larger passage that the culturally specific passage is in.
Difficult passages are those passages that Bible scholars agree on the exegesis interpretation but do not agree on the hermeneutic interpretation of a passage.

Universal passage gives us a timeless command to all gods people. tells us how we should and shouldn’t live

a cultural specific passage Tell someone to do a specific acts which is something that we would not do today for instance to tell someone to attack Canaan that is not an act that we would do today

A difficult passage is a passage that scholars agree on the exegesis of the passage but cannot agree on the Hermeneutics of the passage

1. Universally applicable passages are passages where the exegesis is easily identified and from it arise general principles with broad and widely accepted applicability.
2. Culturally specific passages have an exegesis that is easily identified, but do not give rise to easily derived general principles. They may have an application in the original context, but translation to contemporary life is challenging. In these instances, a broader reading of the surrounding/immediate context, along with considerations for cross reference would be helpful in determining an appropriate application to one’s life.
3. Difficult passages have an agreed upon exegesis, but scholars struggle to arrive at conclusions about how they should be applied today because these are not explicitly stated or easily surmised.