Knowable Word - Bible study help

Don’t Try to Hit a Home Run

March 23, 2026 By Ryan Higginbottom

When a minor league baseball player gets called up to the major league team, the pressure’s on. The cameras are rolling, the stadiums are big, and the lights are bright. Stir in the higher level of competition, and it can be a hard adjustment. Even the best players can take several weeks to settle in.

When they receive a promotion, can’t-miss prospects often fare better than lifetime minor leaguers—and not just for the obvious reason. Hot shots know they have the freedom to make mistakes, that management will be patient. Minor league lifers need to impress; this may be their only chance to turn the right heads and catch a break. The pressure rises and performance suffers.

Young Bible study leaders can feel the same sort of tension.

Why Try So Hard?

Good Bible study leaders are convinced of the power of God’s word and are excited to communicate that truth to others. They don’t take Bible study meetings lightly.

When they get a chance to lead, they want to make it count. Some feel they’ve been waiting their whole lives for this opportunity.

While some study leaders are motivated by godly ambition and a desire to serve, other darker, more insidious motives may be lurking in the heart.

A Bible study leader may want to impress. They long to catch the attention of a mover or shaker in their church. The spotlight calls, and they seek additional opportunities to teach and lead. When a leader wants to be impressive, then often try to be profound. They draw grand conclusions and dispense inter-textual connections like a broken gum ball machine.

Alternately, a leader may seek instant change in their group members. They have been convicted and moved by studying a passage, and they urge the same change on others. They don’t realize that—by God’s design—not every lesson lands on every person with the same weight. They end up trying to do the Holy Spirit’s work for him.

Be Content Hitting Singles and Doubles

When we convince ourselves nothing less than a home run will do, we often end up striking out. If you’re tempted to swing for the fences, here are some better goals.

A Bible study leader’s primary job is faithfulness to the Lord and his Word. Our task is to help our friends engage with the Scriptures, not to push our own agenda or inflate our reputation. Let’s give ourselves to careful Bible study practices, leaving enough preparation time to write questions that lead our friends to grapple with the author’s main point.

Love your people. We do not lead Bible studies in the abstract. We gather real people around the Bible seeking understanding. Pray for the friends who come to your study. Love them. Listen to them and learn from them.

Cultivate your skills. It’s not a sin to want to understand the Bible and communicate it better. (It is a sin to seek this for your own exaltation.) Seek out loving, wise feedback. Try to meet before the Bible study to discuss your interpretation, application, and questions. Meet afterward to review and reflect.

The Accidental Home Run

When a baseball player develops strength, a good swing, and a keen eye for pitch location, they start to make contact. The best players hit line drive after line drive. They get on base, drive in runs, and help their team with singles and doubles.

And those line drives? Sometimes, when the ball finds the barrel of the bat, those line drives end up in the outfield bleachers. The hitter who tries to hit home runs rarely does; but the consistent, faithful hitter will put some balls over the fence.

If you’re leading a Bible study, don’t try to hit a home run. Aim for a faithful, honest discussion of God’s word. Put the bat on the ball and leave the results in God’s hands.

This was originally posted in 2019.

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The Death of Immorality

March 20, 2026 By Peter Krol

Sexual freedom is an illusion, because immorality is not as pretty as it seems.

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
Her steps follow the path to Sheol;
She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways wander, and she does not know it (Prov 5:4-6).

Last week, we saw that the “adulteress” is an image of all sexual immorality. Immorality has a sweet candy coating, but inside it’s a bitter pill (Prov 5:4). “Wormwood” is a plant with a bitter taste, and that’s what immorality is once you move past first impressions. I know a guy who works for a chemical company that works on both drugs and candy. He told me that the outer shell on an M&M is the same thing as the shell on an Advil. Next time you have the chance, I dare you to bite into the Advil.

Immorality leads only to death (Prov 5:5). The last thing it has in mind is our good (Prov 5:6a). In fact, it’s not even aware of the harm it causes (Prov 5:6b). Immorality is full of passion, but it’s clueless and self-defeating, like a pimply freshman inviting the homecoming queen over for video gaming.

How does this apply? Sexual immorality promises life, but the wise know it really gives death. We ought to be ready, especially for the battle of words. We have to expose immorality’s sweet-talk. We must remind ourselves of the truth. We need to discuss it often with others, to warn them. We unhinge its power when we strip it of its secrecy.

Consider just one major issue in our day: online pornography. Note how broad are the battle lines and how widespread is the death:

The porn industry makes around $97 billion per year.
87% of men report watching porn at least weekly.
It’s not a “guy issue,” though. It mostly just goes unreported among women.
Half of all teenagers have seen online porn by age 15.
Though only 4% of all website are pornographic, those sites draw 13% of all web searches and 20% of all mobile searches.
About 40 million Americans visit porn sites regularly.
About 68% of the general population report using porn. Among Christians, about 54% report porn use.
All this despite the accessibility of published research demonstrating the correlation of porn use with poor mental health, declining sexual fulfillment, increased divorce, and domestic violence.

Death surrounds us, and it’s covered in pretty makeup and stage lighting. We must discuss it frankly yet graciously, for no one who indulges in it will go unharmed.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

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Developing a Culture of Discipleship

March 18, 2026 By Peter Krol

While learning how to study the Bible is one crucial part of Christian discipleship, it is not the only part. So I’m happy to zoom out from my usual narrow focus on learning how to study the Bible to highlight this article about how to cultivate a culture of discipleship in the local church.

The concept of “discipling” is often shrouded in mystique, and Jeffrey Wiesner does a wonderful job making it more accessible. He covers the following topics:

What is discipleship?
What is a discipleship culture?
What commitments inform a discipleship culture?
What practices shape a discipleship culture?
What metrics evaluate a discipleship culture?

This longer article is well worth your time to help you and your church obey Jesus’ great commission to go and make disciples (Matt 28:18-20).

Check it out!

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El peor enemigo de la observación es la familiaridad

March 17, 2026 By Peter Krol

This is a Spanish translation of a post from our archive. For the original post in English, please click the “Publicación original” link at the top of the post. For further explanation of why we’re posting articles in Spanish for a season, see this announcement.

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Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

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El primer paso de nuestro método de estudiar la Biblia es la Observación. Sin embargo, antes de que hayamos empezado la carrera, la familiaridad ya está allí para hacernos la zancadilla. Cuando pensamos que sabemos algo, dejamos de prestar atención a ello.

Por ejemplo, ¿cuántos escalones hay en tu casa? ¿De qué color son los ojos de tu padre? ¿Cuál es el número de tu placa del carro? Nombra tres personas zurdas que conoces.

Como dice Sherlock Holmes al Dr. Watson en “Un escándalo en Bohemia,” “Ves, pero no observas.”

Déjame dar un ejemplo. Recientemente, enseñé sobre Génesis 31, el relato en el que Jacob se escapó de Labán sin decirle. Mi pensamiento inicial fue, “Sé qué pasa. ¿Por qué esta historia es tan larga y cómo voy a enseñarla?”

Así que, me sumergí más a fondo en el texto. Miré fijamente al texto y seguí leyéndolo una y otra vez. Cosas empezaron a destacar.

Por ejemplo, observé que cada dos versículos en Génesis 31:4-16 tiene una referencia a Dios. Hasta ahora, Jacob no ha mencionado a Dios muchísimo.

Luego observé que el narrador llama a Labán “arameo” (Génesis 31:20, 24). Es raro, porque el narrador solía llamarle “el hermano de la madre de Jacob” (por ejemplo, ve Génesis 29:10 que lo describe así 3 veces). Así que el narrador ya no considera que Labán sea una parte de la familia…

Entonces observé que Labán llama a Dios para ser testigo de su pacto (Génesis 31:53), pero ¿ves qué dios es? “El Dios de Abraham y el Dios de Najor, el Dios de sus padres, juzgue entre nosotros” (NVI). El Dios verdadero llamó a Abraham a salir de la casa (y de los dioses) de su padre (Génesis 12:1). Jacob sabe esto, pero Labán no lo pilla. Jacob jura por el Dios verdadero, el que temía su padre Isaac (Génesis 31:53).

Podría continuar. Mi propósito no es que haya una sola observación que sea la solución milagrosa para desentrañar un pasaje bíblico. Mejor, estoy sugiriendo que la forma de proceder es siempre continuar observando. Es necesario que estemos dispuestos a mirar fijamente un texto hasta que dejemos de simplemente ver y empecemos a observar.

Daré un ejemplo más–un ejemplo grande. Uno de los pasajes más famosos en toda la Biblia es 1 Corintios 13:1-13. Es el gran capítulo de amor. Estamos tan familiarizados con este pasaje que generalmente nos vamos del tema.

Léalo otra vez, un versículo a la vez, y pregúntate:“¿qué está diciendo aquí?” Observa con cuidado, y pienso que te darás cuenta de que no es ni romántico ni alentador. Realmente, es una reprimenda punzante que apunta a los que no saben cómo amar a su vecino.

No solamente veamos. Observemos.

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Appearances are Deceiving, Especially When Hormones are Involved

March 13, 2026 By Peter Krol

The cultural ideal of “sexual freedom” is an illusion. Don’t be fooled.

My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
Incline your ear to my understanding,
That you may keep discretion,
And your lips may guard knowledge.
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
And her speech is smoother than oil (Prov 5:1-3)

Solomon begins Proverbs 5 with another reminder to listen to his wisdom (Prov 5:1). If we don’t passively receive and actively seek instruction in the sexual realm, we endanger our lives. Once we receive it through our ears, we ought to “keep discretion” (presumably in our hearts, as Prov 4:21 advises). Then it changes who we are, affecting what we do, especially with our “lips” (Prov 5:2). Our lips must guard knowledge because honey drips from the forbidden woman’s lips. Her speech is smooth enough to make oil seem irritating, so we ought to be ready (Prov 5:3).

Before continuing, let’s clarify who the “forbidden woman” is. Remember that Proverbs is a work of poetic wisdom literature. As poetry, it makes liberal use of imagery to evoke an emotional reaction, but, as wisdom literature, it assumes we’ll think hard about what we’re reading. Earlier in Proverbs, Solomon exaggerated the portraits of his characters: the bumbling gang of thieves (Prov 1:10-19), Lady Wisdom the mocking street preacher (Prov 1:20-33), the adulteress whose house sinks through the ground into the grave (Prov 2:16-19), and the sleep-deprived, ferocious evildoers (Prov 4:14-17).

Solomon paints such an exaggerated picture of his subject to strengthen his point. He takes a character type and vividly describes the worst-case scenario for that type, thus including all variations of explicitness and severity. For example, in describing the violent gang, Solomon critiques all who want to get more stuff at the expense of others (Prov 1:19). Through Wisdom’s speech, Solomon warns not only those who have already harmed themselves but also everyone who loves being simple (Prov 1:22). When he warns against joining ravenous evildoers, he warns us to avoid their highway, not just their particular rest stop. We shouldn’t risk even entering it (Prov 4:14).

Who then is the “forbidden woman” in Proverbs 5? She includes loose women who tire of their husbands, but she ultimately represents every enticement to sexual immorality that you and I, whether male or female, experience. Solomon is clear about this fact when he broadens his final applications to include not just adulterers, and not just sexually immoral people, but all “the wicked” who show “great folly” (Prov 5:22-23). Whatever your gender, age, or marital status, this chapter of Proverbs applies to you. In fact, this chapter can help if your temptation involves the opposite sex, the same sex, solo sex, or images on a computer monitor. The “forbidden woman” still drips her honey at you, and you had better watch out. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, I’ll use the word “immorality” in future posts to refer to the opponent Solomon has in mind.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

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Reading Challenge Reminder

March 11, 2026 By Peter Krol

Don’t forget we’ve got a Bible reading challenge underway. There’s still time to finish reading the entire Bible within 90 days, and you could enter to win a premium book binding (generously provided by the good people at Pro Libris Rebinding), or an additional prize package.

Reading must be completed within 90 days, and by March 31. See this post for the complete rules. Once you’ve completed your reading, you may enter the drawing with this form.

Entries that do not meet the guidelines (for example, reading period longer than 90 days, reading period is outside the allowable dates, or form is submitted before you finished reading) will not be counted in the drawing.

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Seis Razones Por Qué No Estudiamos la Biblia

March 10, 2026 By Peter Krol

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Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

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En su libro electrónico excelente (y gratis!) sobre los estudios bíblicos, Denis Haack hace una lista de seis razones por qué mucha gente nunca aprende a estudiar la Biblia:

No sé cómo.
Los estudios bíblicos son aburridos.
Prefiero usar guías de estudios bíblicos.
No soy bastante inteligente. Nunca fui buen estudiante.
Puedo volverme una persona con discernimiento por leer libros.
No tengo tiempo.

¡Por favor, no permitas que estas razones sean excusas que te impidan recibir la Palabra Conocible de Dios!

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3 Poor Reasons to Read the Bible

March 9, 2026 By Ryan Higginbottom

On this side of our glorified bodies, Christians have two natures that wrestle within. Our “old man” persists until we see the Lord, and as a result, even our good behavior can be laced with sin.

We rejoice at the opportunity to help our neighbor, but we recognize the pride of self-congratulation on the walk back home. We try to give money generously, but we catch ourselves scheming how to work our latest donation into a dinner conversation. Our hearts have graduate degrees in dusting sour, selfish powder on the wholesome bread of obedience and love.

Bad Reasons for Bible Reading

Reading the Bible is no exception. We can exploit even this act of devotion for selfish gain.

I’ve seen this in my life. The reasons I have for sitting down with God’s word are often mixed. The more we can identify and repent of our bad impulses, the better.

Read the Bible to Have a Great Day

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of encouragement to exercise in the morning. I’m told this active start to the day will make me feel amazing and will set me up for success in every other area of my life.

Some people advocate Bible reading in the same manner. Fifteen minutes in the Psalms will give you the spiritual equivalent of endorphins. If you start your day with God, what could possibly bring you down?

This approach to the Bible is stained with the prosperity gospel. Yes, obedience to God brings blessing, but “blessing” does not mean a smooth path and a fat wallet. We must not tie our ease and comfort to God’s favor or our obedience.

Those who push the Bible as a vaccination against trouble also speak a lot about how “inspiring” the Scriptures are. Call me a downer, but we need this sobering truth: The Bible is not always inspiring. It isn’t supposed to be.

In the Bible we find the self-revelation of the holy God of the universe, and this revelation is not always intended to make us feel good. God has designed something much better.

Read the Bible so Others Know You’re Holy

Social media has multiplied our opportunities to broadcast our spiritual practices. And the dopamine hits from likes and shares can transform a posture of humble worship to one of gold-nugget hunting.

But Instagram did not create this temptation. From my earliest days as a Christian I have wanted others to praise me for my piety. I would read God’s word with an eye toward sharing my devotional discoveries with my friends.

Most people want others to think well of them, and in the church, this can take the insidious form of spoiling genuine time with God by an obsession with one’s reputation. Time set apart to think about and worship God becomes more time to focus on me.

Read the Bible to Earn God’s Love

Christians need to hear the gospel of grace over and over and over. The news is so stunningly good, we have trouble believing and remembering it.

We doubt that God’s love is as deep and steady and present as he says. We know the devotion God desires, and we think his love for us must be proportional to our obedience. We pick up the Bible either in the fear that we have sinned too much or in the hope that God might, finally, be pleased with our latest offering of worship.

This thinking is pervasive, but it is nowhere in the Bible itself. For Christians, God is a good father whose love cannot be improved. Our accounts are at maximum capacity. Whether we read the Bible, or how well we read the Bible, does not change God’s affections toward us.

One Good Reason to Read

These poor reasons to read the Bible are focused on self. A great reason to read the Bible is to focus on God.

In the Bible, God shows us himself. He shows us his holiness and his law and his mercy. We see the background and setting for the life of Jesus, the central act of history. We hear the cosmos-rocking implications of his death, resurrection, and ascension.

We read the Bible because God commands we love him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. But the transformed people of God long to worship their loving father and hear from him.

This was originally posted in 2019.

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The Illusion of Sexual Freedom

March 6, 2026 By Peter Krol

Sex is a polarizing concept. It began beautifully when husband and wife were naked and unashamed (Gen 2:25), but it went downhill when they decided to love themselves more than God or each other (Gen 3:5, 7, 12, 22). Ever since, we’ve been terribly confused.

We need much wisdom to navigate between the proud lewdness of our culture and the traditional prudishness of Christians. Both sides represent a foolish oversimplification of what God intends sexuality to be, and the simple can get caught in the middle. And confusion multiplies when culture is prudish and Christians are lewd. Or when prudish Christians speak about sex as lewdly as the culture does. Or lewd Christians feign prudishness to fit in. How can the simple find their way?

In chapter 5 of Proverbs—which we’ll examine over the next few weeks—Solomon provides wisdom in the sexual realm. He suggests that not all is as it seems (Prov 5:1-6) and that the wrong choices have dire consequences (Prov 5:7-14). Utter unselfishness in the context of marital love is surprisingly intoxicating (Prov 5:15-20), and those who think they know satisfaction better than God does have sprung their own trap (Prov 5:21-23).

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

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The Beatitudes as Invitations

March 4, 2026 By Peter Krol

I bet you’ll really enjoy Joshua Greever’s study of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. He shows how the literary context and the allusions to the Old Testament shape the way we ought to read these famous verses. And when read properly, they are not universal promises to all sorts of good or nice people; they aim to shape us into mature Christ-followers.

We need to identify what the Beatitudes are in order to discern how they function. We must see them as Jesus’s invitations shaped by the Old Testament, directed to the empty, and intended to produce faith in Christ. When we read them rightly, we see them as Jesus’s good and gracious gift pointing us to the blessed life.

Check it out!

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