The Bible was written to them, for our benefit

Imagine reading a letter that was addressed to someone else but that has a profound lesson in it for you.

To understand the conversation in that letter, you will have to understand the relationship between the author and the receiver.

Likewise, every book of the Bible has an original intended audience.

Apostle Paul wrote to churches facing real problems.

Moses wrote to Israel.

Jeremiah wrote to exiles.

Jesus preached to people living in first-century Judea.

None of the inspired authors sat down thinking about Cameroon in 2026.

They wrote to real people, in real places, facing real situations.

That’s why every faithful Bible study answers the question: Who was the original audience?

Only after discovering what the passage meant to them can we faithfully understand what it teaches us today.

Never reverse the order.

Today it is common to hear faithful believers say:

” God gave me this verse today………and so on and so forth.

Perhaps God did.

But here is the twist:

If you are not experienced in Bible interpretation, you may start applying that verse in your own thoughts and imagination while neglecting the context for which that verse was made.

For example:

If you claim a common verse like Philippians 4:13

” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens”

Your interpretation might be: God is telling me I will get a promotion at work, I will be wealthy, etc. I will succeed.

That’s how misinterpretation quietly slips in.

Not long, you start hearing people build a new doctrine around a verse that has been taken out of context

” You can do anything you want to do through Christ who strengthens you”

Then I ask: Can you fly an aeroplane through Christ who strengthens you if you have never been to an aviation school ?

You have failed to understand why Paul wrote that letter and the circumstances surrounding that verse.

Paul was writing to the believers of Phillipi, a church he had planted, to update them about his imprisonment, to thank them for the gift they sent to him, and also to encourage them that he has learned the secret of being content in Christ who strengthens him, whether in affluence or in hardship.

Today’s Principle
The Bible was written to them, but preserved for us. First identify the audience to whom it was written and the purpose for which it was written, to understand the author’s intended meaning. Then you can confidently apply the text to your own life.