Apply the Word Thoroughly

Here is the passage:

From Psalm 36,

An oracle is in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes
For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.

These are the words of the Scripture, the God-breathed words which must control our thinking. And it is to give us a REAL insight that these words were spoken. What are we constrained to say about the unregenerate from this passage?

Doctrine:

1. The reprobate does not fear God, and whatever regard might be present in him toward God, it is not a true fear, but some self-directed vanity of mind.

2. This is shown by the delusional self-regard that the sinner has. He imagines himself to be in a good position because he does not think of himself as all that bad.

3. The reason he does this is because of a desire to think well of himself. He flatters himself, or lies with the purpose of artificially inflating the ego. The person lied to also does the lying. His motive is to assuage his conscience and make himself comfortable in his sin.

4. This flattery prevents him from even knowing his sin as he ought. Even when the actual deeds of sin are known and admitted, the underlying cause of the sin is not admitted. The deed is a mistake, even a terrible mistake, but understood as an aberration.

5. Not being able to see his sin, he is much less able to hate it. He might not like the effects and consequences, but a true hatred of sin as sin is impossible for him.

Application:

1. Understand the world in this way. No more wishful nonsense about "good" people existing in the world. There are none. There is much flattery and self-deception which may convince a man of his righteousness, but no true regard for God.

(I met a guy yesterday who told me he was 99% righteous. Suspiciously precise, I thought.)

2. What is therefore required of us on behalf of men in the world is not to convince them that God loves them, which after all is not too difficult when a man is already convinced that he is lovable, but to open there eyes to the wretchedness of their sin. To blow away the mist of flattery that has disguised the true condition of the sinner.

3. Do not trust the good motives men give to disguise their dark actions. Show charity, be gentle, but don't believe their flattery.

4. More significantly, you must know whether you flatter yourself, since the sinful nature is still at work in you. Know that your flesh longs to think well of itself, and you can be quite ingenious in devising covers for even the most flagrant of sins. Good and thorough self-analysis, coupled with a hearty distrust of one's motives, should be a daily practice for all men.

That is what it is to thoroughly apply the Word. It means, don't let any implications of the Word move past you. It should be noted that my doctrines and applications align well with cross-referencing.

This was just an example. Do this in your daily time in the Word.