Knowable Word

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5 Ways to Disciple Your Children with God’s Word

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Though family discipleship is hard work, Todd Hains has some great suggestions.

In family discipleship, we regularly sow God’s Word into our children’s hearts and into our own. It doesn’t take long to drop a seed in the soil, nor does it take long to read, pray, and sing God’s Word. In his grace, God takes our planting and watering and produces a harvest full of the fruits of his word—a harvest of faith and forgiveness and life everlasting.

His five suggestions are:

  1. Read God’s Word with your children
  2. Sing God’s Word with your children
  3. Recite God’s Word with your children
  4. Pray God’s Word with your children
  5. Set a routine of God’s Word with your children

He offers many practical tools and resources to help you in this crucial task.

Check it out!

How to See a Narrative’s Train of Thought

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Bible Stories Have a Point

Perhaps I’ve convinced you that part of Bible study requires picking up an author’s train of thought. And you can see it most clearly with instructional texts like epistles, wisdom poetry, and prophets. But what about the narrative books? Do they have a train of thought as well?

Ted McGrath (2014), Creative Commons

Ted McGrath (2014), Creative Commons

Remember that Bible stories are more than stories. While biblical narratives tell a true history of God’s redemption, the purpose of the stories is more than the history itself (or the story itself). Paul uses biblical narratives to provide examples to follow and warnings to avoid (1 Cor 10:6, 11). Jesus uses biblical narratives to draw ethical principles for his day (Mark 10:6-9). And Hebrews uses biblical narratives to inspire and motivate people not to shrink back but hold fast to Jesus despite great affliction (Hebrews 10:39-12:3). Examples, morals, and motivation all come from stories.

Finding the Point of a Bible Story

What does this mean for our Bible study? How do we find the main points of Bible stories?

Narratives by nature don’t present their material logically. You won’t find many “so that”s or “therefore”s in narratives, so it’s more challenging to trace out a logical train of thought.

But the tools of narratives lie primarily in plot, structure, and climax. Learn to see these things, and you’ll discover the narrator’s train of thought.

Plot: What is the primary sequence of action? Who does what to whom, and what are the results? At what point does the plot hinge and build toward climax and resolution?

Structure: Narratives won’t make clear logical argument, but they structure their material intentionally.

Climax: Where is the highest point of energy in the story? Where do the characters find what they seek or resolve their tension?

Look for these clues, and you’re on your way toward the main point.

Example #1 – Matthew 1:18-25

This short example begins with a clear title statement: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way” (Matt 1:18). The plot immediately thickens as Mary gets pregnant and Joseph tries to do the right thing by her. Suddenly, an angel appears to him in a dream (not an everyday occurrence) and gives Joseph two commands with explanation:

  • command 1: do not fear to marry her.
    • explanation: this child is from the Holy Spirit.
  • command 2: call his name Jesus.
    • explanation: he will save his people from their sins.

So not only the marriage, but also the child’s name is important here. We don’t hit the story’s climax, though, until we read “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matt 1:22), which leads into more talk of pregnancy, birth, and naming of a child – with another explanation of the name (God with us – Matt 1:23).

As the tension resolves, Joseph obeys the angel. And Matthew goes out of his way to tell us that he 1) married her without making love to her, and 2) named the child Jesus (Matt 1:24-25).

We’re not told much in this short tale, but the following things are clear:

  1. Joseph is not this child’s father.
  2. God has come to be with us.
  3. This God will save his people from their sins.

What is the point of this short story? God himself has come to deal with his people’s sin. See how the story’s train of thought leads us to this key point?

Example #2 – Mark 6:7-8:30

I don’t have the space to analyze this lengthy passage exhaustively, but I want to show how observing structure helps us to get the point.

Intro: Jesus sends out the 12, creating a crisis for Herod: Who is Jesus? – 6:7-29

A Jesus feeds 5,000 – 6:30-44

B Jesus crosses the sea with his disciples – 6:45-56

C Pharisees argue with Jesus – 7:1-23

D Jesus talks to a woman about bread – 7:24-30

E Jesus heals a deaf man – 7:31-37

A Jesus feeds 4,000 – 8:1-9

B Jesus crosses the sea with his disciples – 8:10

C Pharisees argue with Jesus – 8:11-13

D Jesus talks to his disciples about bread – 8:14-21

E Jesus heals a blind man – 8:22-26

Conclusion: Peter sees and understands exactly who Jesus is – 8:27-30

Seeing this larger structure is what helped me to understand why it took Jesus two tries to heal the blind man in Mark 8:22-26. Mark portrays two parallel cycles of events with the disciples, where they get to experience firsthand who Jesus is. Herod’s initial questions (John the Baptist? Elijah? One of the prophets?) go unanswered until Jesus takes his disciples through these two cycles.

And they don’t get it (Mark 8:21). But in healing the blind man, Mark gives a living parable of Jesus’ healing of the disciples blindness. And then, finally, they see him clearly. Not John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets – but the Christ (Mark 8:27-29).

The narrative has a train of thought; not only within a particular episode but also across many episodes. Look for this train and hop on board.

Read the Bible in Bigger Chunks

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Aaron Armstrong encourages you to read the Bible in bigger chunks. There is a time and place for detailed study of small portions of text. But what we must not do is lose sight of the whole.

Early on as a new Christian, my pastor challenged me to put down any other books and only focus on the Bible until I read the whole thing cover-to-cover. No in-depth study required. Just read, pray, and make notes as I went.

I set to work. I finished 8 or 9 weeks later, reading about 30-45 minutes a day. And I had a great big stack of notes to show for it. Actually, that’s not entirely true: I had a lot more than a stack of notes. I had a greater appreciation for the Bible as a whole.

Most importantly, I didn’t take his challenge, do it once, and never do it again. It’s something I’ve come back to a few times over the years. When my reading maybe feels formulaic, or when I’ve been struggling to read consistently. At the time of this writing, I’m nearing the end of one of these “big chunk” reads—or, actually, listens since I’m using an audio app for it this time.

Check it out!

Hop Aboard the Train of Thought

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When I write an article, I want to make a point. To make that point stick, I follow a series of steps. First, I try to capture your attention with the first sentence or two. Second, I introduce my thesis early. Third, I explain the thesis and apply it. Finally, I land the article with a strong sense of arrival (or liftoff, if I want to inspire you with a certain Bible study practice). Along the way, I pepper my writing with salty metaphors, everyday illustrations—like the time I explained how Bible study was like teeball—and clear conclusions. Therefore, I have something to say, and I want to set you up to hear it.

Nonfiction works this way: An author has something to say, but that author must bring the readers along for the ride. From the beginning of the work to the end, a journey of discovery unfolds. We call this journey the author’s train of thought.

The Bible works similarly, and our Bible study hits pay dirt when we hop aboard the author’s train of thought.

Why it Matters

Leon Rice-Whetton (2009), Creative Commons

Leon Rice-Whetton (2009), Creative Commons

The author’s train of thought outlines his main ideas. And his main ideas are, well, his main ideas. If you’d like to grow at fighting for the main point and reading passages in context, you’ll want to grow your ability to follow a train of thought. The tracks have been laid. Will you walk along them?

Example #1: Romans 4

Look at how Paul’s argument unfolds, and hop aboard for the ride:

  • Rom 4:1: What did Abraham gain in this matter [How did he get the righteousness of God (Rom 3:21)?]?
  • Rom 4:2-8: He didn’t get it by works.
  • Rom 4:9-12: He didn’t get it through circumcision.
  • Rom 4:13-15: He didn’t get it by law.
  • Rom 4:16-17: Therefore, he got it by faith!
  • Rom 4:18-22: Abraham’s faith = despite outward circumstances, being fully convinced God is able to do what he promises.
  • Rom 4:23-25: Our faith works the same way (believing God’s promise despite our circumstances) and achieves the same result (the righteousness of God).

What’s at stake for Paul in this chapter? How Jews can be made right with God. How it’s always been this way for them. How it’s no different now for non-Jews.

Looking at the immediate context, we see that Paul addresses key questions asked by the Jewish members of his Roman audience.

  • What about good works? (Rom 3:27-28)
  • What about circumcision? (Rom 3:29-30)
  • What about the law? (Rom 3:31)

And for Jew and Gentile alike, God’s righteousness remains available—not through good deeds, religious rituals, or law-keeping, but by believing him who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 4:24).

Example #2: Hebrews 1-5

Hebrews hits us between the eyes with its train of thought. I can think of no other book that announces each point this clearly before explaining it. The announcements come as transitions from one major section to the next.

  1. Big idea: God has spoken by his Son who sat down (Heb 1:1-4).
  2. First point: Jesus became “as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Heb 1:4).
    • Jesus’ more excellent name (Heb 1:5-14)
    • Jesus’ superiority to angels (Heb 2:5-18)
  3. Second point: Jesus had to “become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God” (Heb 2:17-18).
    • Jesus the faithful high priest (Heb 3:1-4:14).
    • Jesus the merciful high priest (Heb 4:15-5:10).

The rest of the book continues in the same way, announcing the points before explaining them. The author scatters sections of application between major points. The main idea comes alive with each point: Jesus accomplished the work of salvation God sent for him to do. Therefore, he is “more” and “better” than the things God used to communicate salvation in the Old Testament. Hop aboard the train of thought when you study Hebrews, and you’ll find buckets of gold at the end of each rainbow.

Example #3: Job 4-5

It works for poetry as well. Look at the first speech given by one of Job’s friends, and track the thinking stanza by stanza.

  1. Can I remind you of where your confidence should be (Job 4:1-6)?
  2. You are guilty (Job 4:7-11).
  3. You are mortal (Job 4:12-21).
  4. You’re a fool (Job 5:1-7).
  5. Seek your confidence not in yourself, but in God (Job 5:8-16).
  6. Accept the Almighty’s discipline (Job 5:17-27).

Think about how Eliphaz moves from one thought to the next, and we can discover his underlying point: “Hardship is always a sign of God’s corrective discipline; therefore, Job, you’re despising God’s redemptive work in your life.” Of course, the larger context of Job makes it clear that Eliphaz is wrong (Job 42:7-8). But that doesn’t stop Paul from turning Eliphaz upside down to see if he can shake some treasure out of his pockets (1 Cor 3:18-19).

Conclusion

Of course, some passages won’t have much train of thought (think Proverbs 10-29). And narratives look a little different. But don’t miss this train, or your Bible study might not get where you’d like it to go.

Can You Really Trust the Teaching of Ecclesiastes?

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Mitch Chase takes up an important question in the Bible’s wisdom literature: Can you trust the book of Ecclesiastes? Is it a collection of biblical wisdom, or is it a curation of ungodly beliefs to reject?

When you survey commentaries on the book of Ecclesiastes, you’ll notice that not every interpreter is convinced we should trust the words in this book. So how should we approach it? Is the content of Ecclesiastes like the book of Job, in which the speeches of Job’s friends have a mixture of truth and error? Or do the Preacher’s observations about life “under the sun” stay uncorrupted and trustworthy?

I think we can thoroughly trust the book’s content and wisdom, and I want to offer some considerations as to why.

Check it out!

Applying a Bible Text Generally to the Human Heart

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Over the last few months, I’ve written a sequence of posts connecting Christian doctrine to Bible application. In particular, I’ve explored eight things the Bible teaches about the human experience, in order to highlight how that doctrine can improve your ability to apply the Bible.

My purpose has been to demonstrate that a firm grasp on what the Bible says generally enables you to apply the Bible far more specifically than you may have expected. As my co-blogger Ryan has written, we really want to help you move beyond the “Big Three” (read the Bible more, pray more, share the gospel more) in your regular application.

man s hand in shallow focus and grayscale photography
Photo by lalesh aldarwish on Pexels.com

Here are the eight points of doctrine I covered:

  1. Creation: Humans were created to be different from every other creature.
  2. Fall: Humans tried (and therefore still try) to replace God.
  3. God’s Law: We need God’s law to show how great our sin is, and to show how life in God’s world works best.
  4. The Law’s Purpose: We need God’s law to help us find Jesus.
  5. The Law’s Misuse: People tend to misuse God’s law in one of two ways.
  6. Substitutionary Atonement: We have seen a perfect man, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
  7. Kingdom of God: We live in the tension of overlapping ages.
  8. New Heaven and Earth: We long for a better world.

These are not the only eight doctrines we could cover. They are merely the ones that I find most directly beneficial when studying nearly any text. If you master these doctrines, you may be surprised by how rich and penetrating your application questions become, in both personal and small group study.

I don’t cover all eight areas with every text. Usually one of these doctrines will be more closely aligned than the others with the passage’s main point.

But if you feel your ability to apply the Bible has become stuck, dry, or rote, consider taking a deeper dive into the Bible’s teachings about humanity and the human experience. When you grasp how a text might apply to human hearts broadly, you’ll be able to suggest ways it might penetrate any specific human heart, including your own.

A Darkened Sun and Falling Stars

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When Jesus spoke of the sun being darkened, the moon not giving light, and the stars falling from heaven (Mark 13:24-25), was he talking about the end of the world? Or was he using prophetic terminology for the fall of Jerusalem?

Michael Bird tackles the issue in a lengthy but carefully argued article that would be well worth your time. Looking at the entire “Olivet Discourse,” he argues that:

…the discourse needs to be situated in the context of Jesus’s mission; namely, the preaching of the kingdom (Mark 1:15) and the restoration of Israel (Matt 10:5–6; 15:27; Mark 7:27; Rom 15:8). Jesus announced that Israel was facing a national crisis, that it had to choose how to be Israel. He explained how to be God’s chosen people to some who were choosing the path of violent revolution, to those who were following the pattern and piety of the Pharisees, to those who accepted the status quo of the Herodians, and to those who put put up with the moral and mercantile corruption of the priesthood. He gave them options: follow his way of being Israel, or else find the holy city laid waste and the sanctuary itself desecrated and destroyed.

Bird concedes that Matthew’s version of the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24-25) does contain a preview of the final judgment. But Mark and Luke appear to be squarely focused on events surrounding Rome’s assault on Jerusalem in AD 70.

Bird makes his case from both literary and historical contexts, and whether you end up agreeing with him or not, his article is well worth your time and consideration.

Check it out!

Unrequited Hope and Application

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A firm grasp on the natural human longing for a better world will take your application skills to the next level.

person hand reaching body of water
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Unrequited Hope

As we grow to love our neighbors as ourselves, this world becomes a better place to live. Good but not great. Finer but not final. A place of progress but not perfection. We long for a better world.

When God created the heavens and earth, all was very good (Gen 1:31). But man sought out many schemes (Eccl 7:29), and the consequence was a curse upon the ground (Gen 3:17). Now the human experience is one full of sickness (Ps 6:2), waiting (Ps 6:3), injustice (Ps 10), poverty (Ps 12:5), abandonment (Ps 13), corruption (Ps 14:3), abuse (Ps 22), grief (Ps 31:9), sin (Ps 51), fear (Ps 55:5), violence (Ps 59), sleeplessness (Ps 77:1-4), war (Ps 79:3-4), depression (Ps 88), chronic suffering (Ps 88:15), weakness (Ps 109:24), interpersonal conflict (Ps 120:2), disrespect (Ps 123:4), and loneliness (Ps 142:4)1—to name just a few of the things we now suffer.

When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden, he did it so that they would not live forever as sinners (Gen 3:22-23). In that action was the shadow of a hint of a hope of resurrection. If they would die, it means they could live again, right? So prophets such as Isaiah foresaw a new world to come, a new creation to replace the fallen creation (Isaiah 65:17-25). A place where lives would be long and full, no person would labor in vain, and weeping and distress would never be heard.

When Jesus came along, he spoke often about how the age to come was breaking into the present through his own person and work (Mark 1:15, Luke 17:20-21). But that presented a tension with the reality that the age to come was … still a time to come. A time when those hearing Jesus’ words would get to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt 8:11). A time when a faithful servant would receive their full reward (Matt 6:20). A place of joy that the persevering steward would enter (Matt 25:21). Jesus associates this new age with both bodily resurrection (John 5:28-29) and a new, regenerated world (Matt 19:28-29).

Paul speaks of a new creation, where the sons of God are fully revealed and suffering is replaced by disproportional glory (Rom 8:18-25). Peter motivates us to wait for the new heavens and new earth—the place where sin and suffering are gone and only righteousness is left (2 Peter 3:11-13). And John caps off our hope with his glorious picture of the dwelling place of God with men. A place that is already here but also not yet fully here. A place without tears, pain, or death (Rev 21:1-4).

Whatever we face now is but a photo-negative of what those who have trusted Christ will face then. And does not every human heart long for such a place? Isn’t that what people seek whenever they expose abuses of power, contribute aid to the needy, and rectify injustice? We all want to live in a world that is better than the one in which we now reside. And the Bible holds out much hope that such a place is coming. Just hold fast to the grace of God, persevere through these light and momentary afflictions, and testify persistently to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help with Application

So how does this doctrine help us to improve at applying the Bible?

In nearly any text, you can ask “unrequited hope” questions with respect to the author’s main point:

  • What would the world look like if everyone trusted and obeyed what the Lord declares in this text?
  • What hope do we have for that to take place in this world?
  • What hope do we have for that to take place in the next world?
  • Wouldn’t it be great to finally get to such a place?
  • How does this text highlight your pain, your suffering, or your sin?
  • What can you do now to prepare for a world without such things?
  • How does your coming resurrection in the new world motivate you to endure further hardship here and now?
  • What can you give up now, knowing you’ll have an eternity to enjoy it with the Lord Jesus?
  • If you do not trust Jesus, what hope can you have for the present world to ever act in righteousness and justice?
  • For the unbeliever: What has been the best time of your life? What if that is the best it will ever get for you? How does Jesus offer you far more than you can imagine?
  • In light of the new creation Jesus will bring, what is there left for you to be afraid of?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, grace, salvation, and sanctification when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the natural human longing for a better world.

Sometimes, robust reflection on our hope for the future will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: lament, oppression, injustice, sin, suffering, tragedy, misery, perseverance, joy, hope, satisfaction—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the natural human longing for a better world, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

  1. This list of human experiences from the psalms was collated by my friend Clint Watkins in his wonderful book Just Be Honest: How to Worship Through Tears and Pray Without Pretending (affiliate link). ↩︎

Recognize Both Divine and Human Authors of the Bible

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Daniel Rowlands suggests that one context we ought to keep in mind when reading the Bible is the context of the whole Bible. We can do this because, though the books of the Bible were written by various human authors, they were also written by the singular divine author.

Here is a taste:

The word of God in the Bible comes to us through human writers. We find the humanity of the writers in variations of vocabulary, idioms, structure, and style. For example, there is the difference between the exquisite Hebrew poetry and varied vocabulary of Isaiah and the straight-forward narrative of Joshua. Similarly, in the New Testament there is the difference between the complex and elegant Greek of Hebrews and John’s more elementary Greek. We can detect the presence of the human authors throughout all of Scripture.

On the other hand, and at the risk of sounding obvious, we ought not neglect the divine author, God himself. Here, the incarnation of the Son of God in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh (John 1:14), is a helpful analogy for understanding the human and divine together as one.

Check it out!

Kingdom Tension and Application

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A firm grasp on the tension of living in the kingdom of God will take your application skills to the next level.

overlapped image of pink mountains and moon at dusk
Photo by Gustavo Ramirez on Pexels.com

Kingdom Tension

As Jesus began his ministry, the essence of his message was “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The messianic prophecies of Isaiah were fulfilled “today…in your hearing” at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). When the Jews asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, he clearly replied: “You see, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21, CSB). Without a doubt, God’s kingdom had come in the person of Jesus Christ.

And yet, Jesus would also declare that “concerning that day and hour, no one knows” (Matt 24:36). “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom” (Matt 25:1) and like a man going on a journey and entrusting his property to his servants (Matt 25:14-30). At the last supper, Jesus assured his disciples that he would not drink any more wine “until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25).

And of course, the day will come, at the end of all things, when Jesus “delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Cor 15:24).

So which is it, Jesus? Did you bring the kingdom here and now, or will you bring it on that final day when you return? And of course, his answer is “Yes, both.”

So those who have trusted in the Messiah Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords have received the full forgiveness of their sins. The age to come has already broken into the present. But we still live in the presence of sin, and we see the effects of its power all around and within us. The present, evil age has not come to an end.

We live in the tension of overlapping ages. The power of the old has been broken, but it’s remnants remain with us. And the glories of the new have broken in, but not yet in their fulness. This is the nature of life under the Lordship of Christ prior to the resurrection and final victory.

The book of Revelation resorts to bizarre word pictures, drawn from the rest of the Bible, to paint this picture for us. We are already sealed and seated in heaven, praising the God to whom belongs all salvation (Rev 7:9-14, Eph 2:4-10)—yet we wait for the day when every hunger and thirst is satisfied and when every tear is wiped dry (Rev 7:15-17). We have seen the ancient serpent defeated and thrown down. We have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Rev 12:7-12). Yet that dragon still makes war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17).

In short, though we’ve been saved, we must still be saved. Though we have been rescued, we still require rescue. We are no longer subject to sin’s penalty, but we still wrestle with sin’s power and must consign ourselves to sin’s presence. Until the final day, when sin’s penalty, power, and presence (and death itself) are all thrown together into the lake of fire to die forever.

Help with Application

So how does this doctrine help us to improve at applying the Bible?

In nearly any text, you can ask “kingdom tension” questions with respect to the author’s main point:

  • How has Jesus taken care of this issue in his death and resurrection?
  • What hope do we have to overcome the power of sin and misery in our lives?
  • But what is it like to cohabit with the lingering presence of such sin and misery?
  • What hope can you draw from the promises of God and the victory of Christ?
  • And how will those promises and that victory be completed in the age to come?
  • How does this tension drive your heart toward lament and godly complaint?
  • In what situations is the cry of your heart simply “How long, O Lord?”
  • How does the tension between forgiveness and ongoing sanctification increase your dependence on the Lord Jesus?
  • What hope does it give you to know that Jesus sees you, knows your situation, and cares about it even more than you do?
  • How can we appropriate the assurance of the age to come into our lives today, to see Jesus’ promises worked out even further?
  • In what ways will we have to wait until the final day to see these promises fully resolved?
  • What will help you to live within and endure that tension when it gets painful and complex?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, grace, salvation, and hope for the future when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the tension of living in a kingdom that is both already here and not yet here.

Sometimes, robust reflection on this overlap of the ages will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: lament, oppression, injustice, sanctification, maturity, politics, social progress, anxiety, bodily malfunction, illness, personal suffering—to name just a few. Over the years, one of my sons has regularly asked me, “If Jesus died to take my sin away, why do I keep sinning?” Reminding him of the tension of living in an already and not yet kingdom doesn’t always solve his pain, but it fuels our lament and deepens our conviction. May it do the same for you and for those you lead.

Deepen your grasp of the tension of living in overlapping ages, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.