By Peter Krol
The Resurgence just posted some piercing quotes from Christians of ages past to help those of us who struggle with being bored with the Bible.
My favorite one is from Spurgeon: “There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write ‘damnation’ with your fingers.”
Check it out!
By Peter Krol
A main point is not the same thing as a summary.
In Bible study, it’s important to find the author’s main point. If you miss the main point, you’ve missed the main point. You’ll get caught up in secondary issues, questionable interpretations, or divisive doctrines.
One of the most difficult struggles for people in learning to study the Bible is to figure out the author’s main point. It requires them to learn how to think. They must learn how to ask good questions, and how to get the answers they need.
In addition, it requires them to learn how to figure out why the passage is there.
The most common counterfeit of the main point is the summary. It’s not all that difficult to read a passage and summarize it. We do it all the time. We summarize news articles, blog posts, novels, and movies.
Note, however, that a summary is not a main point.
A summary may be the climax of observation, but it is not the same as interpretation.
A summary captures what was said, but not why it was said.
A summary restates a passage; a main point explains the passage.
Let me give an example.
In Hebrews 7:1-28, the author writes a profound theology of Jesus’ high priesthood. There’s your summary: “Jesus is a high priest like Melchizedek.” He contrasts Melchizedek with Aaron. He engages with a few obscure Old Testament texts. He provides fodder for our debates on Bible interpretation, the relationship between old and new covenants, and the relevance of the law.
However, he is crystal clear about his main point. Look at Heb 8:1, ESV:
“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest…”
The theology serves a purpose. It ought to inspire hope and confidence. Those who fear God’s displeasure ought to rest assured in Christ. Those who presume on God’s graces ought to tremble at their indifference.
The author desires to move his audience to action. He doesn’t seek to inform their thinking (and then stop there). He wants to inspire them to set their hope on the only one who can give what he promises.
What does he say? Jesus is a great high priest, greater even than the Levitical priests.
Why does he say it? So you might trust him more confidently and draw near to God through him.
Do you see the difference? Do you see why it’s important to understand the main point (and not just the summary)? Unless we really hit the main point in Bible study, application remains far off and obscure or disconnected from the text.
The good news is that, once you have a summary of the passage, it’s not complicated to get to the main point. Just take your summary and ask “Why?”
By Peter Krol
Thanks to Jake Swink for pointing out a helpful post by R.C. Sproul on the Proverbs.
Sproul uses Prov 26:4-5 to show how the application of a proverb often depends on the situation. Part of wisdom is figuring out which instructions apply to different life situations! Read Sproul’s excellent thoughts, and learn wisdom from a sage.
However, I disagree with the framing of Sproul’s chief conclusion that proverbs “reflect insights that are generally [not universally] true.” In his book Knowing Scripture, Sproul elaborates the point: “A common mistake in biblical interpretation and application is to give a proverbial saying the weight or force of a moral absolute” (p. 89).
This approach to Proverbs is common among evangelicals. Even the ESV Study Bible, which I really appreciate, goes in that direction. Consider the note on Proverbs 3:9-10:
“Your barns will be filled with plenty is a generalization concerning the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is. It is not, however, more than a generalization (as Job’s comforters held), for to view this as a mechanical formula dishonors God and his inscrutable sovereign purposes.”
Sproul believes proverbs are not commands, and the ESV Study Bible claims they are not promises.
My problem here is that this approach to Proverbs fosters mistrust of the text by claiming that it doesn’t really say what it says. So, “Honor the Lord with your wealth…then your barns will be filled with plenty” (Prov 3:9-10) applies only when you’re not in a recession. Since proverbs are not promises, they must be only probabilities.
But I ask: Is Prov 2:1-5 not really a command with a promise? If I seek wisdom, is it possible, but not guaranteed, that I can know God? Can someone seek and seek and never find him?
Is Prov 3:11-12 only generally true? If I suffer God’s discipline, is it only generally true that he loves me as a father loves his son? Might he actually be disappointed with me, even if I’m trusting in Christ?
Is Prov 4:5 not a moral absolute? Is it not really the case that God commands people to get wisdom and hold on to his commandments? Perhaps not, since it might be only a generalization to think that God will give life to those who find wisdom (Prov 8:35).
No, there’s got to be a better way to read Proverbs.
As commentator Bruce Waltke states,
“The popular evangelical solution that these are not promises but probabilities, though containing an element of truth, raises theological, practical, and psychological problems by stating the matter badly…A psychologically well person could scarcely trust God with all his heart (Prov 3:5) knowing that he usually, but not always, keeps his obligations” (The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1-15 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), pp. 107-8).
So how would I frame the conclusion differently? I would say that, yes, biblical proverbs (at least those with imperatives) are commandments. Yes, proverbs (at least those that promise something) contain divine promises. But they are commandments/promises with a context. Each one applies (always) in its situation, but we ought not misapply it beyond the proper situation (as Sproul ably demonstrates in Prov 26:4-5).
See, I don’t really disagree with Sproul all that much. I agree with what he gets at in Prov 26; I just disagree with how he got there. To say that proverbs “reflect insights that are [only] generally true” is to over-generalize what proverbs intend. Such over-generalization can be misleading.
By Peter Krol
This week I’ll explain the third of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.
Step three was Determine the Author’s Main Point:
As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture. Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).
Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages. I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important). I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).
Here are a few ideas to help you get to the author’s main point:
Your analysis of the main point of Luke 2:1-21 might look something like this:
So far, so good. We could summarize the passage by calling it “The Birth of Jesus Christ.” But we must move beyond summarizing to ask why it is here. What does Luke want to teach us?
I’d suggest something like: God sent Jesus to be born so he might save the lowly and rule them graciously. This brings him highest glory.
By Peter Krol
This week I’ll unpack the second of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.
Step two was Answer the Questions from the Text:
Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them. There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (or clearly implied) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).
Don’t go on rabbit trails. Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say. Don’t build a whole theology from one verse. Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text. Let the rest go.
Two kinds of answers are “in the text”:
From Luke 2:1-21, here are some examples of answers assumed in the text:
Here’s an example of answers addressed in the text:
Finally, here are some possible questions not assumed or addressed in the text. We ought to let them go (at least for now):
What other answers to your questions can you find in the passage?
By Peter Krol
Last week I introduced 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.
Step one was Ask Questions of Your Observations:
Take your observations and ask questions of them. Lots of questions. Tackle those observations from every direction.
Be as inquisitive as possible. Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.
Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text. Don’t ask just any old questions. Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever. Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover. (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)
The main questions to ask are What? Why? and So What?
For example, let’s say you’re studying Luke 2:1-21. You just observed that there’s a repeated idea of power and authority. You saw lots of words like, “Lord,” “governor,” “decree,” “Caesar,” and “glory.” Now it’s time to ask questions:
What other questions can you think of from your observation of Luke 2:1-21? See if you can identify whether your question is a What? Why? or So What? question.
By Peter Krol
Here’s a short video with Eugene Peterson, where he discusses the difference between “studying” the Bible to master it and “reading” it so it can master you.
Although we wouldn’t use the same terminology (as though “studying” the Bible is unhelpful), we agree with the sentiment. Check it out!
Also, Desiring God has a good post about how good Bible study is about meaning (interpretation) and application.
Check it out!
By Peter Krol
To celebrate our 100th post, we decided to re-design the website and give away a free ESV Study Bible.
The winner of the giveaway is JAKE SWINK. Congratulations, Jake! Send us a message with your shipping address, and we’ll send it to you right away.
By Peter Krol
Video of the main sessions from the DiscipleMakers Fall Conference is now available! The topic was Fearless: Living Confidently in the Gospel.
Dave Kieffer spoke on “Fearless: Jesus is Risen” from Luke 24:36-53
Mark Fodale spoke on “Fearless: God is with You” from Philippians 2:5-13
Dave Royes spoke on “Fearless: Heaven is Real” from 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10
May the Lord refresh you from his Knowable Word. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
Misunderstandings stink. I once got cussed out on the phone because of one.
The guy who did the cussing thought I’d scheduled an event on a certain date in order to purposely exclude him from attending. Well, he had misunderstood, and I wish he’d asked more questions before jumping to conclusions.
If he’d asked, I could have given more information (for example, I had no idea this fellow was unavailable on the proposed date, and I primarily chose the date to avoid conflicts with other events).
It is possible to misunderstand the Bible, but with careful interpretation it’s also possible to rightly understand it. God’s Word is a Knowable Word.
Interpretation is the second of three steps in the Bible study process. We’ve seen why we should interpret the Bible. We’ve seen two things that will hinder interpretation. But how do we interpret?
These three steps will help you to interpret any passage of the Bible.
If you’ve observed well, you’re ready to interpret.
Take your observations and ask questions of them. Lots of questions. Tackle those observations from every direction.
Be as inquisitive as possible. Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.
Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text. Don’t ask just any old questions. Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever. Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover. (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)
Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them. There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (explicitly or implicitly) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).
Don’t go on rabbit trails. Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say. Don’t build a whole theology from one verse. Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text. Let the rest go.
As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture. Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).
Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages. I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important). I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).
Missing the main point means misunderstanding the text. And misunderstandings stink.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll unpack each of these steps in greater detail.
Which of these steps seems most obvious to you? Which one is most difficult?
