Peter Krol | Knowable Word

Take People to the True Savior

November 18, 2013 By Peter Krol

The first of three kinds of fool in Prov 6:1-19 is the Savior. Foolish saviors insert themselves between people’s choices and the consequences of those choices.

The wise know that the need for rescue is urgent, but there’s only one who can carry it out. There’s a savior, and I’m not he. Needy people most need to fear the Lord. They need to know Jesus and trust in the saving power of his death in their place and his resurrection to glory. If the Lord brings adverse consequences to draw people closer to him (Prov 3:11-12), then I’m keeping them away from God when I buffer them from those consequences.

Proverbs 6:1-5 isn’t for only those who cosign loans.

You might be the “savior” if you:

Let other students copy your homework.
Love when people talk about how much you’ve helped them.
Believe answering a phone call or text message is more important than anything, because this person needs you right now!
Have friends who keep coming to you for accountability, but nothing ever changes.
Are bitter because you’re always helping others but they’re never helping you.
Are proud because you’re the first one people turn to when they need help.
Are overwhelmed by how many people need your help.
Participate in service projects to feel better about yourself.
Claim to be a Christian, but you’re dating a non-Christian, and you think your partner might not go to church if not for your relationship.

None of these things necessarily makes you the foolish “savior.” But if there’s a pattern, you may be in danger. Ask others if they think you rescue people too much.

Hamed Saber (2006), Creative Commons

Jesus came for the sick, not for the healthy. If we take Jesus’ place as savior, we merely prolong the illness. People will never see their need and turn to him. But if we speak as Jesus’ ambassadors, letting him do his work in people’s lives, we get a front-row seat to his display of mercy. In helping to meet any need, our goal should always be to point people to Jesus and not to ourselves. Sometimes imaging Jesus means rescuing a child from a burning building. Other times it means allowing the child to touch the hot stove. In either case, we must take the burned one to Jesus, the only true savior.

The main problem is that people often don’t want grace; they want a bailout. They don’t want their feet held to the fire; they want their hands held. They want safety, not responsibility. They want an easy life, not a free gift. They want stability, not sacrifice. They want to subsidize their lifestyle, not change it. They want a nanny, not a neurosurgeon. So they ask for our help, while rejecting what would actually help.

So, in Jesus’ name, you can:

Lavish mercy without dulling the pain of their choices.
Participate in service projects to help others and not to assuage your own nagging guilt.
Meet financial needs by donating instead of co-signing.
Introduce your non-Christian partner to others who will speak of Jesus; then get yourself out of the way.
Offer tutoring instead of sharing your homework.
Let the call go to voicemail and return it at another time.

And remember that Jesus died for “saviors.” If you keep getting in the way of his saving work in others’ lives, he’s not ready to give up on you. If you love him, he promises to conform you to his image, and he won’t ever let you succeed at replacing him.

Question: Where do you see the “Savior” in your heart, and what would it look like to represent the true Savior instead?

7 Principles from Driscoll

November 13, 2013 By Peter Krol

Mark Driscoll recently posted 7 principles for interpreting the Bible.

Listen for the truth
Understand the context
Let Scripture interpret Scripture
Read from the text, not into it
Trust the clarity of Scripture
Recognize literal and figurative language
Handle interpretation disagreements wisely

For more explanation, check it out!

The Savior Saves Because He Wants to Help

November 11, 2013 By Peter Krol

Last week I examined the Savior, the first of three kinds of fool in Proverbs 6:1-19.

At first glance there appears to be little connection between our world and this ancient practice of co-signing someone’s debt. At least that’s what I thought, until the day I led a Bible study on this passage and a girl broke down in tears because her parents had charged thousands of dollars to credit cards in her name. She had always thought it was good for her to rescue her parents by using her own unsullied credit to give them more margin. If she hadn’t, they might not have been able to make a mortgage payment. They might lose a car or their furniture. They might not be able to afford college tuition for her siblings.

Becoming surety, or co-signing loans, is actually so common today that we struggle to believe it’s problematic. Parents co-sign education loans for their children. Young adults share credit cards with their parents. Credit card companies (or other financial service providers) require entrepreneurs to sign a “personal guarantee” on a corporate line of credit. In the event that the business should go bankrupt, the credit card company can require the executive to repay the company’s debt from his personal assets.

Now one could make a case that Solomon never states explicitly that it’s wrong to co-sign a loan. He says only that you should deny yourself sleep until you can get out of the deal. One could also propose that it’s okay to co-sign for a family member since the borrower Solomon has in mind is a “stranger” (Prov 6:1). But I don’t suggest banking your opinion on that single word. It’s parallel to “neighbor,” which has quite a broad range of meaning. (See Prov 3:28.)

However, instead of debating the wisdom or folly of co-signing loans in certain situations, I would prefer to ask a more foundational question. Why does Solomon make this into such a big issue? Out of all the possible money-issues he could focus on, why warn against co-signing loans? Why not prohibit false weights and measures in the marketplace? Why not expose the evil of materialism? Why not denounce theft, bribery, extortion, larceny, or tax evasion?

The answer to these questions lies in yet another question: Why would a person even consider co-signing a loan? Why do people do it, when they know the risk is so great? Those who co-sign loans lack sense (Prov 17:18) and will surely suffer the loss of their own property (Prov 11:15, 22:26-27), so what could motivate someone to do it?

It’s simple: If a person I care about has a need, then I want to help.

Marc Falardeau (2011), Creative Commons

Perhaps the person in need has no one else to turn to. Maybe this person has exhausted every option. Perhaps bad luck and bad timing have collided in this person’s life, and I’m in a position to make it better. If I can help my loved one regain equilibrium, then I’ll have done my part. I can make the world a better place, and at least one person will thank me for it.

Note Solomon’s assumptions. Of course it’s important that we love others more than ourselves (Prov 3:27-35). Yes, we must image the Lord by helping those in need. But there are times when the best help we can offer is not to help. In other words, sometimes it’s unloving to rescue people from the consequences of their choices. And co-signing a loan is one of those times.

Wise people know that the need for rescue is urgent, but there’s only one who can accomplish it. There’s a savior, and I’m not he.

Question: How do you struggle with the temptation to rescue needy people?

Don’t Miss Jesus in the New Testament

November 8, 2013 By Peter Krol

I once wrote about how to see Jesus in any Bible passage, where I focused on interpreting the Old Testament. I showed how Jesus’ words in Luke 24:46-47 provide a straightforward template through which we can interpret any Old Testament passage.

Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47, ESV)

Every passage of Scripture reveals Jesus by explaining at least one of the following truths:

Truth #1: The Messiah would suffer (die)
Truth #2: The Messiah would rise from the dead.
Truth #3: We must repent of our sin and be forgiven.
Truth #4: This message—that the Messiah’s death and resurrection make forgiveness possible—must be proclaimed to all nations.

I’d like to add a brief word about interpreting the New Testament, because, astonishingly, we can often miss Jesus when we read it. Jesus’ four truths in Luke 24:46-47 apply just as much to the New Testament as to the Old Testament, and we miss the point when we miss the connection. Here are three examples.

1. All four Gospels magnify and climax on Jesus’ death and resurrection; they present Jesus as much more than a role model. Thus, Jesus’ healing miracles often show Jesus “trading places” with sufferers in order to save them (Matt 8:14-17); Jesus is not only an example of social justice but also a savior to the ostracized and the unjust.

2. Much of Acts and many epistles elaborate on how Jesus’ message is for all nations; since Jews and Gentiles were brought together in one body, any person of any gender, race, or class can freely receive Jesus’ forgiveness and unite with his body.

3. Instructional passages—like the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-26) or the love chapter (1 Cor 13)—don’t make us into more righteous, more acceptable, people; they show us what happens to people whose sins are forgiven because they have trusted in Christ.

As you interpret, don’t stop until you see Jesus in every passage.

Bible Study is Less Common than Bible Study Study

November 6, 2013 By Peter Krol

Meetings for Bible study may be at an all-time high (just my hunch), but how many of them are studying the Bible? From my observation, groups are more likely to study a Bible study than study the Bible.

In other words, groups of people with open Bibles are out. Groups of people with open study guides are in.

I’m not the only one to notice this trend. Dave Miller, writing at SBC Voices, asks an insightful question in his recent post entitled “Whatever Happened to Bible Study“:

Could there be value to a teacher sharing the fruit of his own studies of God’s Word as compared to just being a “facilitator” for a discussion of opinions about the third chapter of the latest John Piper book?

Miller doesn’t mind benefitting from the help of Piper (or David Platt or Beth Moore). Instead, he laments the habit of bouncing from one study guide to the next without learning to study the Scripture directly. He relates this counsel from his mentor Howard Hendricks:

Read the text, observe it – before you check other peoples’ opinions and insights. Let the Spirit be your first teacher. After you have studied, after you have labored over the text and figured it out, then you consult the wisdom of the wise (often to see where you went astray).

For further reflection on these points, see my posts on Four Mistakes When Using Commentaries and What Materials Do You Use.

And I recommend Miller’s post at SBC Voices. Check it out!

Fool #1: The Savior

November 4, 2013 By Peter Krol

Proverbs 6:1-19 describes three kinds of fool.

The first fool is the Savior. This person really, really loves people. Especially needy people. Especially needy people who keep having needs. This person will bend over backwards to meet a need. The Savior will joyfully sacrifice time, money, and energy to help people with their problems. But…the problems never go away. And the people with problems multiply. The Savior attracts them and feels really good about it.

I am this fool. If you’re honest, you probably are, too.

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
Have given your pledge for a stranger,
If you are snared in the words of your mouth,
Caught in the words of your mouth,
Then do this, my son, and save yourself,
For you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
Go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
Give your eyes no sleep
And your eyelids no slumber;
Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
Like a bird from the hand of the fowler (Prov 6:1-5, ESV).

The ancient world had no banks, no wire transfers, and no lines of credit. If you had no cash (in the form of coins), you had no net worth. You might be able to buy some life essentials with livestock, cloth, or labor, but otherwise you were likely to need a loan of some sort.

Tilemahos Efthimiadis (2006), Creative Commons

Another institution unfamiliar to the ancient world was the credit bureau. If you wanted to borrow money from me, I couldn’t run a credit check to prove your ability to repay the loan. So to lower risk, I could only get a sense of your character by talking to your family and friends. But to be really safe, I would require two signatures on the loan papers – one from you and one from your surety. Your surety was the person who promised to pay me back if somehow you found yourself unable to do so.

In Prov 6:1, Solomon writes to the person who has become the surety for another. He addresses the one who “put up security” and gave a pledge to repay someone else’s loan in case of default.

What’s at stake for this person? As a surety, you have “come into the hand of your neighbor” (Prov 6:3). If the borrower defaults, you become obligated to pay the debt. You have become a slave to someone else’s circumstances, and you ought not rest until you free yourself (Prov 6:4). You’re road kill unless you find a way out (Prov 6:5). You should not make such pledges. If you already have, nullify them at all costs.

This sort of Savior wasn’t limited to ancient Israel. Next week I’ll show how he’s still thriving and saving today.

Question: Where do you see the “Savior” in our generation?

What Ender’s Game Taught Me about Bible Study

November 1, 2013 By Peter Krol

I’ve been waiting for this weekend for 13 years.

I first read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card in 2000, when a friend gave it to me as a spontaneous gift. “This book is so good,” he said, “that I couldn’t wait until a holiday to give it to you.” He commissioned me to read it pronto, because that’s what friends do. This book is that good.

Now, after years of empty threats, Hollywood has finally produced the tale for the big screen. It’s now playing in a theater near you.

I plan to see it tomorrow, so I can’t yet comment on the film. I’m sure it will not meet my expectations. But it’s exciting nonetheless, and I can tell you how it has improved my study of the Bible.

Ender’s Game taught me that children are usually smarter than we expect. Young children can handle much more than we think they can, so we should begin teaching them to study the Bible early. I’ve already written on this topic, so I’ll leave it there for now.

Ender’s Game also taught me that different people can have wildly different perspectives on the same set of facts. Duh. You probably learned that lesson long before I did.

Though Ender’s Game tells the story through the perspective of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, Card wrote a parallel novel called Ender’s Shadow which tells the same story through the eyes of a different character. Despite knowing the climax and resolution of Ender’s Game, I find myself on the edge of my seat when I read Ender’s Shadow. The change in perspective makes the story fresh and suspenseful. According to comments from the author in 2010, the screenplay fuses both perspectives from these two books for a richly unraveled story.

What does this have to do with Bible study?

It shows me the need for studying the Bible with other people. My perspective may be quite good (at least I usually think so), but I also need others’ perspectives to fully understand the Scripture.

“Other people” might include people in my church of any maturity level. They might include skilled interpreters who wrote books or commentaries to help. They might include saints from the past who wrestled with the text long before I did.

Though we should fight to understand the main point of a passage, we should always hold our summary of that point loosely unless the biblical author stated it explicitly. For example, the main point of John’s Gospel is non-negotiable: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, ESV). But my main point for Luke 2—God sent Jesus to be born so he might save the lowly and rule them graciously; this brings him highest glory—is negotiable. If you have a better idea, driven by the text, I’d like to hear it.

I need your perspective, and you need mine. Let’s help each other.

I’m not saying that everyone’s perspective is equally true or valid. I’m not suggesting that truth is relative. I’m proposing that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor 12:14). Within the church we need diversity of not only functions but also personalities and perspectives.

Vern Poythress has written at length on the value of multiple perspectives in theology. For more information, check out his book.

And if you don’t have time to read Poythress’s book, then go to see “Ender’s Game” this weekend. I commend it highly.

Question: how have you found multiple perspectives helpful in your Bible study?

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The Bible Study Podcast

October 30, 2013 By Peter Krol

I’m listening to lots of podcasts these days. Through the iOS Podcasts app, they’re easy to find, download, and play. I can set up certain podcasts to download new episodes automatically at certain times and notify me when they’re available.

The app also allows me to play podcasts at 2x speed, so it takes only half the time to complete each episode. My wife thinks I’m nuts to listen to people talking at twice their normal speed, but it’s not so bad once you get used to the rhythm of their voices.

I use podcast audio to fill some “dead space” in my life: driving, brushing my teeth, doing yard work, etc. This gives me fun and important things to think about so my mind doesn’t wander in aimless circles during these typically unthoughtful times.

I’ve tried a number of podcasts about Bible study, and only one has held my interest thus far: The Bible Study Podcast by Chris Christensen. You can subscribe to it from iTunes.

Christensen’s episodes are:

short and to the point
focused on the text of Scripture
sequential through books of the Bible (usually)
faithful to a basic understanding of the Scripture’s authority and the influence it should have on our lives

I don’t agree with Christensen on everything he says; he comes from a very different denominational tradition than I do. But I always respect his approach and his commitment to the text. Because he comes from outside my usual circles, his studies stimulate my thinking more than “insider” studies might.

I haven’t heard every podcast about Bible study yet, but many of them remind me of dusty sermons that might not be focused on the text and which might not have anything substantial to say to the current generation. The Bible Study Podcast is not one of them.

If you like podcasts, check it out!

The Savior, the Sluggard, and the Sower of Discord

October 28, 2013 By Peter Krol

In recent years, I’ve learned that much of parenting involves helping the children learn not to do dumb stuff that hurts themselves and others. One child destroys every tower and confiscates every treasure, then wonders why no other children want to play together. Another child leaps from couch to coffee table and back again, wondering how far the gap can widen before something bad happens. Yet another finds a bag of sweets, devours the entirety in secret, and moans over the ensuing tummy ache.

One glorious incident involved our basement’s air hockey table. One child, who was typically more curious than a PhD candidate, wraps the table’s electrical cord around the rear axle of a big wheel. This child then mounts the vehicle, hits the gas, and begins taking measurements. I’m not sure which hypothesis was being tested, but the experiment resulted in our household inventory becoming minus one air hockey table. And that child went on basement probation for a few weeks.

I scratch my head at these kids until I realize I’m no different. I do dumb things and act surprised when they don’t turn out well. I’ve already written of the time I photocopied my hindquarters at summer camp. With a broken machine, a gash on my thigh, and a humiliating confession behind me, a camp legend was born. Even today, I stay up too late at night and wonder why I’m too tired to carry out important tasks the next day. I belittle my wife in public and get upset when she’s not affectionate with me in private.

Solomon wrote Proverbs 6 to help fools like us: those in danger of harming themselves and ruining the people they love.

Jon Gales (2007), Creative Commons

Now most people read Proverbs for its practical advice. They crave cuts of beefy counsel to sink their teeth into. They want help with their finances or career path or relationships, but by the end of Proverbs 5, these spiritual carnivores feel like the steakhouse is always under construction and never open for business. So in Proverbs 6, Solomon finally serves up dense shanks for thoughtful chewing.

Proverbs 6:1-19 digresses from the big-picture framework of wisdom to portray three specific kinds of fool. The “Savior” tries to rescue needy people himself rather than pointing them to Jesus (Prov 6:1-5). The “Sluggard” makes a series of lazy choices that take him farther and farther from the Lord (Prov 6:6-11). The “Sower of Discord” breaks up the body of Christ, risking God’s condemnation, which could be atoned for by the broken body of Christ (Prov 6:12-19).

This section is unique in Prov 1-9 in that it doesn’t contain a command to listen. Did Solomon omit the command because his audience should have internalized it by now? He’s given enough theory; now he gets painfully specific. And the assumed question hangs in the background: Will you listen to instruction, even if it hurts to do so?

Question: Which of the three fools can you relate with?

3 Skills to Help You Find the Main Point

October 25, 2013 By Peter Krol

You’re swirling in details. You tried the OIA method of Bible study, and it yielded more observations and more questions than you could handle. You thought you’d dabble in the magic of Bible study, but the spell has taken over, and the water line has exceeded flood stage. You’re tempted to cue “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and drown your exhaustion in a bucket of popcorn.

Don’t lose hope. You’re almost there; you just need to pull it all together and integrate the details into a coherent main point.

Such integration matters because ancient authors didn’t waste space with meaningless details. Every word had a purpose. Every sentence captured an idea. Every paragraph advanced the agenda. And every section had a main point. The accumulation of these points promoted the goal of bringing the audience closer to the Lord. These main points are the ones worth fighting for.

So how do we figure out the main point? I’ll give 3 tips and illustrate them from my recent posts on Proverbs 5.

1. Always ask “why?”

The challenge of interpretation is to move past the “what” to discover the “why” of the passage. Why is this text here? What was the author’s agenda?

Though most Bibles have headings at the beginning of each section (Proverbs 5 in ESV: “Warning Against Adultery”), these headings are usually observation summaries and not interpretive main points. These summaries help when you’re flipping through and trying to find a specific verse, but they don’t always comprise the passage’s meaning. To convert these summary headings to main points, sometimes you only have to ask “why.” For example, “Why does this passage warn us against adultery?”

Similarly, you can take any or all of your observations, ask “why,” and move closer to the main point.

2. Account for the context.

We’ve seen how the book overview places the work in history. This historical context influences our reading of the text and helps us to see the main point. In the case of Proverbs 5, we see Solomon training a new generation of nobility to lead Israel with purity and integrity.

In addition to the historical, two further types of context should guide us.

First, examine the literary context. What was the main point of the previous section of text? How does the author move from that section into this section? What issues lingered at the end of that section, and how does this section address those issues? Because Genesis 1 is the beginning, we have no prior literary context. Instead, this chapter will establish the context for everything that follows. Thus, we should read Genesis 2:4-25 (and following passages) in light of Genesis 1:1-2:3.

Second, examine any intertextual context. That is, use a search engine, cross-references, or list of Old Testament quotations to find other parts of the Bible that quote this section (or are quoted by it), and figure out the connection between them. When God inspired authors to quote other passages, he was showing us how to interpret those passages.

3. Track the author’s flow of thought.

Ask: How did the author get from the first verse to the last verse? Break the chapter into paragraphs or stanzas, and figure out each paragraph’s/stanza’s main point, which is a sub-point on the author’s agenda. String those points together to see how one paragraph/stanza moves to the next. If you’re still stumped, you can break each paragraph/stanza down into sentences and track the flow from sentence to sentence. Don’t give up; this challenging skill gets easier with practice.

For Proverbs 5, I outlined the flow of thought in my first post:

verses 1-6: not all sexual temptation is as good as it seems
verses 7-14: the wrong choices have dire consequences
verses 15-20: utter unselfishness in the context of marital love is surprisingly intoxicating
verses 21-23: those who think they know satisfaction better than God does have sprung their own trap

So, compiling all my observation and interpretation, my final post on Proverbs 5 reached this main point: The wise can see through the culture’s illusion of sexual “freedom.” This main point took me right to Jesus and on to application.

Sexual freedom is truly an illusion. Jesus submitted to the cross and the grave so we could be free of both forever; he proved it by his glorious resurrection. Now we get to image him to the world. Find your freedom in self-denial. Obtain life through your death. Secure satisfaction by serving and satisfying others, especially your spouse.

The wise person sees the culture’s illusions, blasts them with Bible dynamite, and wins others to radically selfless, Christ-like joy, far more exciting than either religious prudishness or enslaving immorality.

Each text has a point. These three skills will help you get there so you can see Jesus and find eternal life in him.

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