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Women in the Church: Great, But Technical

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Sometimes we need to read larger chunks of the Bible more quickly. And sometimes we need to drill down into a single chapter or verse. Either way, our goal is to understand clearly what God has spoken, so we can know him and live for his good pleasure.

Because too much study of verses-in-isolation can give us a mistaken picture of God’s intentions, my interest lies more with the first, broad type of reading. But I’m also committed to regularly studying small portions of text, in context, to gain deeper insight into the big picture. To that end, I was delighted to receive from Crossway a review copy of Women in the Church (3rd Edition): An Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 in exchange for an honest review.

Women in the ChurchAnd this book goes deep. The subtitle deceives, as this book is really about not the paragraph of 1 Timothy 2:9-15, but the lone controversial verse of 1 Timothy 2:12: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” Though parts of the book look at the paragraph – and even the full chapter – to explain the passage’s logic, the book targets verse 12 as the chief subject. Beyond that, one chapter of Women in the Church examines, nearly exhaustively, the lone Greek word behind the English phrase “exercise authority.” So after discussing the cultural context of first-century Ephesus, the contributors move from the word “exercise authority,” to the phrase “teach or exercise authority,” to the sentence, to the paragraph, to the chapter, to contemporary non-Western cultural applications, and finally to a virtual round table discussion about contemporary Western-culture applications.

As I said, this book goes deep. The material is thorough and exhaustive. The controversial verse gets tackled from almost every direction. I benefited greatly from this book, and I’m glad to have read it. I highly recommend the book for pastors, scholars, and academically minded Christians familiar with the Bible’s original languages.

However, I can’t recommend it for the average reader for three reasons:

  1. It is long.
  2. It is technical.
  3. It uses much Greek without ever transliterating it. For example, when discussing the word for “exercise authority,” the book never uses authentein. It uses αὐθεντεῖν. If Greek study will play a role in a work of scholarship I prefer this approach; but I admit it makes it difficult for people who don’t know the difference between v and nu.

The contributors try to make the book more accessible in the last chapter, where they interview a panel of pastors and Christian writers about their own church experiences. And this chapter begins exceptionally well:

“Tried-and-true Bible study moves from observation to interpretation to application. In this volume so far, we’ve done plenty of observing and interpreting…But while the detailed efforts at observation and interpretation have clarified the meaning of the passage, many questions remain on the level of significance, that is, with regard to specific points of application in the myriad of contexts in which many of us find ourselves today.”

I couldn’t agree more with this quotation. But unfortunately, the chapter doesn’t follow through on its promise to offer “specific points of application.” The round table discussion remains vaguely general. And in the end, I found it less than satisfying.

With that said, the rest of the book offers careful scholarship on key questions that arise over this passage. Is Paul addressing a specific cultural situation that no longer holds true today? Does “teach or exercise authority” really mean “teach authoritatively”? Is authentein best translated as “assume authority” (NIV) and not as “exercise authority” (ESV) or “have authority” (NKJV, HCSB)? Is the prohibition time-bound, as is the prohibitions on braided hair and jewelry in 1 Tim 2:9? How do we make sense of the many objections to the “traditional” understanding of this verse?

So my feelings on the book are mixed. If you have these burning questions, and you’re not threatened by a technical approach to them, go for it. There is much here for you. But if you just want plain English, you may want to wait for another book that takes this research and adapts it for ordinary folks.

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5 Reasons to Read the Entire Bible This Year

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Back in December, Jeff Robinson gave 5 good reasons to read the entire Bible in 2016. How are you doing with your reading plan? Do you think it’s still worth it to read the Bible this year? Let Robinson’s 5 reasons motivate you to press on:

  1. It helps you learn the overarching story of Scripture.
  2. It will improve your ability to interpret and exegete Scripture.
  3. It will keep you habitually in the Bible.
  4. It will ensure you are engaging (and being engaged by) Scripture at least as frequently as you’re engaging other books.
  5. It will force you to navigate those tricky, less traveled roads of Scripture.

Robinson explains each point and gives ideas for how to get started. Though it’s not still January, it’s not too late to get going. Check it out!

Listen to the Best Interpreter

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This is a guest post by Zack Gugenheim. Zack lives in Lewisburg, PA with his wife Heather and their two children.  Since 2008, he has ministered with DiscipleMakers, training students in bible study, evangelism, and discipleship.  He is the lead campus staff at Bucknell University.  You can follow his blog at Escape Escapism, or find him on Facebook. If you’d like to write a guest post for Knowable Word, please see our guidelines.

I was going to be the best. As a college student, I wanted to know God’s Word, and I wanted to interpret the Word well—and I wanted everyone to know it. Though God was working in many people, He was obviously working in me more! I expected people would see me as a deep thinker with an influential voice. What I didn’t expect, however, was that, during Bible study, I would find a better interpreter.

At our meeting we studied Matthew 13. In the chapter, great crowds gather to Jesus, and he tells of a sower who sows seed. Four soils each produce a result. Three yield no fruit, but the fourth yields lots of fruit!

As a proud, young, Christian, I of course knew the parable. But my greatest surprise came at what Jesus told His disciples afterwards:

Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom… (Matt 13:18-19a)

Jesus explains the parable. The sower sows the seed of God’s Word. And the soils? They represent people who hear the Word. At this point, the Bible study leader remarked, “Do you realize that as we interpret the Bible, the Bible is actually interpreting you?”

Ed Yourdon (2008), Creative Commons

Ed Yourdon (2008), Creative Commons

I was in shock. I wanted to prove myself as a great Bible interpreter. But I hadn’t yet realized that the best interpreter in the room was the Word itself. It exposed my hard heart, and it revealed my lack of fruit. My invulnerability, pride, and self-centeredness were in the open. God’s Word had found me out, as it always does.

Now, of course we want to observe, interpret, and apply. We should be good students of the Word. But we must remember it isn’t a one-way street. We need more than good scholarship; we need exposure. As we look at God’s Word, it’s being sown in our hearts. And our response to that Word reveals what kind of people we are.

Can a book know us better than we know ourselves? The book God wrote can, and exposure produces change in us. Consider Hebrews 4:11-13:

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Imagine that. The world’s sharpest sword pierces your heart; it sees and understands all your thoughts and intentions. And nothing is hidden from God. You are naked and exposed. Why? So you may strive to enter that rest. In other words, only exposed people will cling to the cross of Christ.

So, as you interpret God’s Word, have you considered how it’s exposing you? Or do you hide behind facts, theology, or pride? Do your applications penetrate the surface of your life? Is God’s Word showing you where you are weak?

Let’s interpret God’s Word well. But as we do, let’s remember that this Word is always the best interpreter in the room.

5 Reasons to Mark Up Your Bible

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Kevin Halloran proposes “5 Blessings of Marking Up Your Bible.”

  1. It engages me in more careful study.
  2. It helps with future Bible reading.
  3. It helps me remember experiences.
  4. It encourages others who see its marked-up pages
  5. It demonstrates the high value I place on God’s word.

Halloran also suggests what exactly to mark when you study your Bible. If you’d like ideas for a new markup Bible, see our post comparing the options.

Check it out!

How to Train a Bible Study Apprentice

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For a few months, I’ve written about how to train a Bible study apprentice. Some of you may have picked up on the method to my madness, but I imagine many have not.

So I’ve created a table of contents page for the series, which outlines the training model and links to each post. There is no better way to grow a small group ministry than to continually train apprentices to launch new groups. If you’d like to see the big picture and get a glimpse of where the rest of the series will go, check it out!

Dos and Don’ts for Teaching Children the Bible

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John Wells has a helpful article on teaching children the Bible. He gives 4 things to avoid and 5 things to embrace.

Don’t:

  1. Teach narratives as moralistic fables
  2. Use excessive extrapolation and subtext
  3. Imply prosperity theology
  4. Exclude non-narrative genres (letters, prophets, poets)

Do:

  1. Read and talk with your children about the Bible
  2. Give them the full Scripture, not just children’s Bibles
  3. Teach them to think through paragraphs in the letters
  4. In narrative, read the whole story and then ask questions
  5. Be okay with not knowing the answers to all their questions

I think Wells overstates his case at a few points. For example, his first “don’t” almost sounds like the Bible doesn’t teach ethics (but it does). And his second “don’t” misses an important part of interpretation: Putting yourself there, and using your imagination to picture the scene. In arguing against an extreme situation (ignoring the text in favor of one’s own interpretation), Wells might react too far the other way.

But that said, I heartily agree with most of what he says. Give your children the Bible, not just children’s Bibles. Give them the whole Bible. Teach them to read, think, study, and apply. Show them Jesus. You can read the full article for more explanation of each point.

Check it out!

How to Give Effective After-the-Fact Feedback to a Trainee

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I’ve written about how to coach a Bible study apprentice before and during a small group Bible study meeting. Once the meeting is over and you meet to debrief, what should you cover?

The Dangers

First, don’t be afraid to speak truth. You are coaching this apprentice, after all. Of course you should share evidences of God’s grace and highlight what went well. But don’t avoid sharing what could improve for the future.

Second, avoid the urge to criticize everything that went wrong, even if you’ve got an exceptionally teachable apprentice who asks you to speak frankly. Don’t do this to your apprentice because God doesn’t do it to you. Imagine how you’d feel if God revealed every weakness, sin, and failure of yours at one time. Even if you just sang, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee,” the Lord is merciful and compassionate. He instructs us piecemeal over the course of a lifetime. Take the same approach with your apprentice.

Third, avoid the tendency to nitpick. Keep in mind that there are some things your apprentice can never go back and fix. Once they’re done, they’re done; you can help the apprentice to move on by not highlighting all the things that should have been different. Just focus on the things that will help this person to improve.

Gabriela Grosseck (2010), Creative Commons

Gabriela Grosseck (2010), Creative Commons

My Approach

  1. Highlight many things that went well.
  2. Mention one or two patterns for improvement.
  3. End with more positives, focusing on the good results God brought about.

I’ve read some who ridicule this “criticism sandwich” approach (positive-negative-positive) because it can certainly be done in a trite and patronizing way. But when it comes out of love and has real substance to it, this approach helps leaders build influence. Would you prefer for your apprentice to come to your meetings dreading the laundry list of failures to be aired once again, and expecting to be labelled as weak if offense is taken? Or would you prefer for the apprentice to come with delight and eagerness, knowing that much profit and encouragement will come from the feedback offered?

Let me explain the process a bit further:

  • Be as specific as possible with the encouragement. Don’t settle for “it went well.” Be ready to show the apprentice what went well. For example, “The way you transitioned us from mingling to the beginning of the study was really clear. Everyone knew what to expect.” Or, “I know that Sam can be overly talkative. When he went off on his uncle’s latest surgery, you did a great job hearing him with compassion while also drawing his attention back to the topic at hand.”
  • Notice that point #2 is about mentioning patterns for improvement. If a single mistake was made, let it go. Perhaps the apprentice already noticed it and will self-correct. But if a pattern of the same mistake kept occurring, talk about it. And pick just one or two of these patterns to reflect and ask the apprentice to work on the next time.
  • Make sure you end by making much of God, not the apprentice. In part 3 of the feedback, focus on the tangible results you saw from the apprentice’s leadership of the meeting. For example, “When you asked your final application question, Robert really perked up. I think the Lord was working in him, and he used your question to get Robert’s attention!”

Not My Approach

I can’t take credit for this threefold approach to offering after-the-fact feedback. I learned it from others, and we can see it in the Scripture. For example, look at John’s approach to offering feedback in his third letter. John wrote a prior letter to a congregation of Christians (2 John), but this letter was ill received by some. John has some feedback for one of the leaders to help him address these issues for the good of the church.

  • 3 John 1-8: John gets very specific about what has gone well. Fellow believers have testified to Gaius’s firmness in the truth (3 John 3). Gaius stands firm also in love (3 John 5), shown by his welcoming of missionaries and sending them out refreshed (3 John 6-8).
  • 3 John 9-10: John highlights a persistent pattern that must be addressed. Diotrephes, presumably another leader in the church, promotes himself, disregards John’s apostolic authority, and speaks slanderous nonsense. He doesn’t welcome missionaries, and he coerces others to shun those who do. Something must be done. John will deal with it when he comes, but perhaps his letter seeks to embolden Gaius to steadfastly oppose this wrongdoing in the meantime.
  • 3 John 11-15: John closes with evidences of God’s grace within the church. Another man named Demetrius has a strong reputation for goodness and truth. John affirms this reputation, possibly suggesting Demetrius as a replacement for Diotrephes on the elder board. Regardless, an in-person meeting will take place between John and Gaius, and many greetings are sent Gaius’s way. Though the problems may not be ignored, Gaius has much to be encouraged about.

Developing Laborers

In training Bible study apprentices, we strive to raise more laborers for the harvest. We aim to encourage and strengthen them in their labor. And we want to keep them aware of one or two things they can practice for improvement. Such clarity in our training will root them in the gospel, motivate them to lay down their lives, and enable them to overcome adversity. And with such personal training, the Kingdom of God advances in the earth.

Vern Poythress on OIA Bible Study

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I was delighted when Dr. Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, was willing to endorse my book Knowable Word with the following kind words:

Here is an excellent practical guide to interpreting the Bible. Krol has thought through, tested, and illustrated in a clear, accessible way basic steps in interpreting the Bible, and made everything available in a way that will encourage ordinary people to deepen their own study.

I’m equally delighted to see that he believes enough in the OIA method of Bible study to write about it himself. From Crossway’s blog:

In the simplest form, we sit down and read the Bible with a focus on the fact that God is present and speaks to us through what we read. We consider a three-step approach to studying the Bible. The three steps are observation, elucidation, and application.

Observation answers the question, “What does the text say?” Elucidation answers the question, “What does it mean?” Application answers the question, “What does it mean to me?”

Of course, you’ll see Poythress uses the term “elucidation” instead of “interpretation,” but he clearly means the same thing.

Poythress illustrates the method with a brief discussion of 1 Samuel 22 before concluding with the value of these three steps:

Breaking the study of the Bible into three steps, rather than seeing it as all one process of interaction, has an advantage. We all have weaknesses and biases in how we look at Scripture. The three steps help people not to overlook one or more aspects of interpretation as they hurry to get to their favorite part.

One person loves application, and tends to leap into it without taking time to think through what the passage is really saying. Another person avoids application, and tends to think and think and think without ever acting on the message. By contrast, James tells us that we should make sure that we act on what we hear: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22; see also vv. 23–27). Still another person reads and reads, without asking himself about what it means or how it applies. He remains largely on the level of observation.

The division into three steps encourages people to look at the passage in several ways, and not to neglect aspects that they tend to minimize.

Poythress gives evidence of what I’ve written before: “The OIA method has many benefits. It teaches us to hear the text and respond to it. It trains us in critical thinking and clear communication. It interests post docs, preschoolers, and everyone in between. It can be learned in five minutes and perfected over a lifetime.”

Poythress’s full article is worth a few minutes of your time. Check it out!

Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

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When Jesus entered Jerusalem, shortly before his execution, why did the crowds quote from Psalm 118? “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9). In the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, Rick E. Watts states:

Although the evidence is late, its widespread nature suggests that Ps. 118 was sung during the Second Temple era on Passover Eve and subsequently integrated into other feasts in which Ps. 118:25 [“Save us!” = Hosanna] was recited.

Lawrence Lew (2007), Creative Commons

Lawrence Lew (2007), Creative Commons

So, as Jesus entered Jerusalem for that last Passover feast, Psalm 118 would have been on worshipers’ minds. No wonder Jesus also quotes from the Psalm a few days later while disputing the religious leaders (Mark 12:10-11). To understand Jesus’ triumphal entry, his passion week, and Good Friday, we should get a handle on this Psalm.

Observation

Psalm 118 has more repetition than most psalms:

  • Let so-and-so say, “His steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 118:2,3,4)
  • The Lord is on my side (Ps 118:6,7)
  • It is better to take refuge in the Lord that to trust in… (Ps 118:8,9)
  • In the name of the Lord I cut them off (Ps 118:10,11,12)
  • They surrounded me (Ps 118:11,12)
  • The right hand of the Lord (Ps 118:15,16)
  • You are my God (Ps 118:28)

All this repetition gives the psalm a lilting, chanting feel. You can imagine the energy and rhythm carried throughout.

We find the most significant repetition in verses 1 and 29. The psalm begins and ends with the same statement:

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

These bookends highlight the psalm’s main purpose: To recruit others to give thanks to the Lord. Why?

  1. For he is good.
  2. For his steadfast love endures forever.

Structure: Digging deeper, we can see the psalm following these thoughts in its very outline:

  1. Introduction: Let all who worship the Lord give thanks – 1-4
  2. For he is good – 5-18
  3. For his steadfast love endures forever – 19-28
  4. Conclusion: Give thanks to the Lord – 29

Interpretation

Why is there so much repetition of short phrases? Clearly, the poet wants the people to join him in giving thanks. He tries to whip up the crowd, and he does so with a poem, a few mantras, even a song. He says it explicitly in verses 14-15:

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous.

While Ps 118:5-13 describes the Lord’s salvation for this distressed king, out among the nations and fighting the Lord’s battles, Ps 118:14-18 shows him including the crowds in his celebration.

So in Ps 118:19, a homecoming parade begins at the city gates. From Ps 118:22-23, the pronouns shift from singular (I) to plural (we), so the crowds have joined the parade. In Ps 118:26, the parade makes its way to the temple, from which the priests call down a blessing on this returning, conquering king. And the parade continues into the temple complex, up to the altar of burnt offering, where they give thanks for the festal sacrifice (Ps 118:27).

The parade climaxes with the offering of a substitute for king and people. The king didn’t die among the hostile nations (Ps 118:10,17). The people didn’t die; God is building them up around the cornerstone of their king (Ps 118:22-24). But the festal sacrifice dies in their place so they can shout, “You are my God…You are my God” (Ps 118:28).

Main Point

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good (saving the king from his distress); for his steadfast love endures forever (causing the people to join the king’s celebration).

Connection to Jesus

Can you see any parallels yet between Psalm 118 and Jesus’ passion week? He rode into Jerusalem like a conquering king (Mark 11:7-10). The crowd joins the homecoming parade.

Yet his true distress is yet to come. He is not threatened by the hostile nations, but by his own people. Upon entering the city, he makes a beeline for the temple (Mark 11:11), but he finds no celebration. Instead of blessing him, the chief priests try to trap him (Mark 11:27-12:44).

Instead of a celebrating a climactic festal sacrifice, Jesus must himself become the festal sacrifice. If the people are to rejoice in the day the Lord has made, this king must die.

Application

  1. On this Good Friday, please remember what kind of savior Jesus had to be. His distress brought you a song. He died, so you could live. He was disciplined, so you could become sons and daughters of God.
  2. Turn your distress into song. Life is hard, and distress is real, but Psalm 118 gives you a way forward – a way to turn your distress into song. Though distress is real, it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in presidential primaries. Remember often and recount the Lord’s salvation, and see if that doesn’t put your distress in perspective.
  3. Join the parade. Though our faith focuses on one man’s death for all the people, Christianity is not ultimately a funeral march but a homecoming parade. If the music or the children are too loud in your church, it might mean you’re not vigorous enough. Please try to keep up when we worship the Lord Jesus, the blessed king who has come in the name of the Lord.

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Ecclesiastes Introduction Overview

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David Kieffer has a good overview of the book of Ecclesiastes on his blog. Here’s a taste:

When Solomon asked for wisdom God gave it abundantly! Royal court officials and foreign dignitaries marveled at Solomon’s wisdom. “[Everyone] perceived that God’s wisdom was in him.” (1 Kings 3:28). Though Solomon never asked for wealth and honor; wisdom landed him on top of the world — financially, politically, and socially!

It’s remarkable that the person most qualified to sing Wisdom’s praises instead warned us about its limitations. Solomon wrote, “I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business… a striving after the wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13,17-18)

Wisdom’s limitations present unsettling news for hope seekers…

As a young adult, a few people tried to warn me about wisdom’s limitations. When they suggested my search for understanding might lead to frustrated uncertainty, I thought them jaded or faithless. But then life’s unexpected twists and turns led me to the precipice of my vain assurance and I fell to humbler ground. I realized I might never understand why certain bad things happen. Soon afterward, Solomon became my empathetic friend. He shared my sense of futility — “Meaningless, Meaningless…utterly meaningless!” 

Unexpected comfort comes when we realize the Bible doesn’t conveniently dismiss life’s most troubling dilemmas. In fact it often silences those offering easy answers to allow space for frustrated voices to wail. Even Jesus wailed, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” from the cross (Matthew 27:46).

I differ with Kieffer on his sharp distinction between proverbs and laws, but I confess it puts him in good company. I’ve written about R.C. Sproul’s “proverbial peccadillo” on this very point.

But as for his broad overview of the message of Ecclesiastes, Kieffer’s full article is well worth checking out.