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The Best Way to Equip Your Teenagers

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Jen Wilkin offers outstanding advice for Bible study, including how to teach your teens to do it. They don’t need more topical guides geared to their age group. She writes:

Your teen will be exposed to devotional content and topical studies at every turn, and they likely don’t need a resource that is targeted specifically at their demographic. What most are missing are basic tools to help them read and learn the Bible on their own. By guiding them in some basic study methods, you can position them to use devotional and topical material with far better discernment and far greater benefit, as those types of resources assume a first-hand knowledge of the Bible that many teens have not yet developed.

She then gives 6 suggestions for how to go about guiding them in this way.

  1. Choose a book of the Bible to read and discuss together.
  2. Get a copy of your selected book of the Bible that has room for taking notes.
  3. Set a schedule to meet once a week for a 30-minute discussion.
  4. Get a bird’s-eye view.
  5. Prepare for discussion.
  6. Meet to discuss.
  7. Pray together.

Wilkin’s advice is outstanding. Check it out!

Context Matters: By Grace You Have Been Saved

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If you have trusted in Christ and now follow him, you’ve likely heard that you’re saved by grace through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). But do you know what these things mean? And how did the Apostle Paul expect you to perceive and apply these truths?

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages have even more to say than we’ve always assumed.

Kyle Smith (Creative Commons), 2015

Salvation By Grace

The doctrine of grace is both astounding and alarming. It is astounding that sinners can receive a righteousness from God, which they do not deserve, and be adopted as his sons and daughters. And it is alarming that they can do nothing to deserve such favor. All they can do is trust the one who makes it so.

Few places define this doctrine more clearly than Ephesians 2:1-10. A skeletal outline of the text shows Paul’s flow of thought. You were…But God…So that…For…For…

  • YOU WERE (Eph 2:1-3): dead, following this world and its prince, living for our own desires, children of wrath like the rest.
  • BUT GOD (Eph 2:4-6): made us alive with Christ, raised us up with him, and seated us with him.
  • SO THAT (Eph 2:7): he might display you as trophies of his grace.
  • FOR (Eph 2:8-9): you have been saved by grace, not works.
  • FOR (Eph 2:10): we are his workmanship, created and prepared for good works.

How It’s Possible

In the previous section, Paul describes his prayers for these people. He asks God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph 1:17) so they might understand:

  • the hope to which he’s called them (Eph 1:18),
  • the riches of his inheritance (Eph 1:18), and
  • the immeasurable greatness of his power (Eph 1:19)

That power is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in the heavenly places and put all things under his feet (Eph 1:20-22). This raised, seated, and authoritative Jesus is God’s gift to the church (Eph 1:22-23).

The content of this prayer provides the context for Paul’s remarks about grace that follow in Eph 2:1-10. Though God’s people have been blessed with every spiritual blessing blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3), the greatest blessing is the gift of the raised, seated, and subduing Christ.

This gift is God’s grace to an undeserving people. First, Jesus is raised from the dead and seated in heaven (Eph 1:20). Then, his people are raised with him and seated with him in heaven (Eph 2:6).

Why It Matters

But why is it so critical that we understand the nature of grace and the gift of the Lord Jesus? What does Paul want us to take from this doctrine?

We must observe the word “therefore” in Eph 2:11. In the second half of the chapter, Paul does not change the subject. He applies the doctrine of grace to the life of the church. Even a skeletal outline of the text shows immediate connections to the chapter’s first half. Remember that you were…But now in Christ…So then…For…For…

  • REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE (Eph 2:11-12): separated, alienated, and strangers; having no hope and without God. (In other words, you were dead in your trespasses and sins…)
  • BUT NOW IN CHRIST (Eph 2:13-17): you far-off ones have been brought near by the blood of the one who brings peace, breaks down hostility, abolishes the ordinances, creates one man, reconciles both to God, and grants equal access to the Father. (In other words, you have been made alive, raised with Christ, and seated with him and with his people.)
  • SO THEN (Eph 2:18-22): you’re not strangers, but fellow citizens, being built into a new dwelling place on the proper foundation. (In other words, you now show off the riches of God’s grace through your new community.)
  • FOR (Eph 3:1, 14-21): Paul the prisoner of Christ asks the Father to strengthen his people through this indescribable grace and immeasurable love.
  • FOR (Eph 4:1-32) Paul the prisoner of Christ urges you to walk in the good works that you’ve been created and prepared to do.

The main thing to catch is that the structure of the argument of Eph 2:11-4:32 follows the same structure of the argument of Eph 2:1-10 (with the possible exception of Paul’s mid-sentence digression in Eph 3:2-13). That repeated structure, together with the opening “therefore,” indicates that Eph 2:11-4:32 describes the implications, the ramifications, even the point of the doctrine laid out in Eph 2:1-10.

Conclusion

As presented by Paul, the glorious doctrine of grace serves a rather practical purpose. We are not saved by grace so we can feel great about ourselves or maintain an insider club. We are saved by grace so we can be built up together as a new temple, where members of all races are involved in one another’s lives and growing together in faith and good works. This shows the world how astounding God’s grace truly is.

Perhaps our generation might find greater help with race relations and reconciliation within the church by looking harder into the doctrine of grace.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, such as the widow’s mite, the love chapter, and all things work together for good, click here.

5 Ways to Read More of the Bible

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J.A. Medders understands real life, and how the ideal setting for Bible reading rarely occurs. In his post “5 Ways to Read More of the Bible,” he mentions a few ways to capitalize on the clumpy nature of life.

Life is loaded. Add up the ingredients of a routine day: getting kids ready for school, packing lunches, getting ready for work, traffic, co-workers, projects, meetings, helping with homework, kids extracurricular activities, exercise, church functions, and more. And this recipe alone doesn’t make it difficult to regularly read the Bible.

These full days also get bits of eggshell in the batter. Days can spin out of our routine with stress at work, car problems, sick kids, a spouse traveling for work, or a rough night of sleep. Our days can be unpredictable, and that’s why our Bible intake often is too.

Medders holds himself to 2 rejections and 3 practices. If you already feel behind on your Bible reading plan, perhaps these suggestions might work for you as well.

  1. Reject needing the Instagrammable scenario
  2. Reject the checkbox
  3. Read on your phone
  4. Read without study speed bumps
  5. Read in community

This is great advice. Check it out!

Back Soon…

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I’m taking a little additional time away from blogging here at the beginning of the year, partly to have more time for Bible reading.

But now that I’ve done more of the ground work I wanted to do on structure—its value, how to observe it, how it conveys meaning, etc.—I’ll be ready to get back to more “Context Matters” posts. Readers have given me many ideas of potential verses to cover in that series, and I’ll work my way through them in 2019. I won’t cover every suggestion but will limit myself to those examples where I think I can make a contribution.

Stay tuned!

What to Look for in Bible Study Leaders

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Keri Folmar lives in a transient community, where she constantly loses her best ministry partners and must replace them. She’s found 4 primary characteristics to look for in new women’s Bible study leaders.

  1. Committed to the church
  2. Delights in the Scriptures
  3. Isn’t afraid to lead
  4. Considers her ways

Folmar accompanies each point with both explanation and real-life examples.

Check it out!

Top 10 Posts of 2018

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San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

It’s hip and cool for bloggers to post their top 10 posts of the year. And we want to be hip and cool. Our hearts tell us to do it, and the Bible says to “walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes” (Eccl 11:9). So here goes.

Last week, we gave you the top 10 posts from those written in 2018. Now, we list the top 10 posts from the full KW archive. If lots of other people are reading these posts, you probably should be, too.

This year’s Top 10 has 3 new posts that haven’t been “top 10” before. Only one of those was written this year; the other two from the archive saw a surge in pageviews.

10. The Best Ways to Listen to the Bible

This 2016 post made its way onto the Top 10 list for the first time this year. In the post, Ryan gives a few recommendations for audio Bibles. And though Ryan doesn’t prefer dramatized audio Bibles, Peter has been delighted with, and cheerfully recommends, NIV Live.

9. How to Recognize Sowers of Discord

Making it onto the Top 10 list for the first time, this post outlines from Proverbs 6:12-15 a few signs to help recognize divisive people. This post comes from Peter’s 2013 series of studies through the first 9 chapters of Proverbs.

8. Top 10 OT Books Quoted in the NT

This post was part of Peter’s 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. Other posts listed the most quoted chapters and most quoted verses. But this one on the most quoted books got a lot of pageviews in 2018.. This post was #5 on this list last year.

7. 4 Bible Studies for Lent

This is the only post written in 2018 to be among the Top 10 of all posts. These Bible studies from Ryan will help you to make the most of the season of Lent by walking through one of the gospel accounts of Christ’s passion week.

6. 10 Old Testament Books Never Quoted in the New Testament

This post was also part of Peter’s 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. Good to know not only what’s said, but also what’s not said. This post was #4 on this list last year.

5. How I Prepare a Bible Study

In another post I explain, in the abstract, 5 practices for preparing effective Bible studies. In this post, I describe what it looks like for me to employ those practices. This post is up from the #9 slot last year.

4. Details of the OIA Method

We put this one into the top menu so people could find it easily. It pretty much explains why this blog exists, so we’re glad it gets a lot of pageviews. This one is down from #2 last year.

3. Summary of the OIA Method

See the previous post, unless you want less of a detailed explanation and more of a summary. Then see this post instead. This post was #1 last year before being supplanted by a young, angry man.

2. 10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality

This was the most-viewed post in 2014, but then dropped off the list until resurfacing as #8 last year. I’m delighted to see a continued resurgence in appeal for such an important topic.

1. Why Elihu is So Mysterious

The popularity of this 2015 post continues to surprise. Elihu is that mysterious 4th friend in the book of Job. If you even knew he existed, chances are you’ve skipped his speeches entirely. This post is Peter’s attempt to explain his role in the drama of the play of Job. This post was #3 most viewed in 2017, but in 2018 it had almost twice as many views as #2.

Reminder: 2019 Bible Reading Challenge

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Here is a friendly reminder that, if you’d like a full 90 days to read the Bible for this year’s drawing, you need to begin by January 1. Your deadline to finish is 90 days after your start date.

For more information on the Bible reading challenge, see the announcement.

When you finish, simply complete this Google Form to enter the drawing for a complete set of ESV New Testament Scripture Journals.

Top 10 Posts of 2018—Written in 2018

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It’s that time of the year again, when all the coolest bloggers bring their Top 10 lists out of the woodwork. “Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after” (Eccl 1:10-11).

This post lists the top 10 viewed posts this year, from among the posts we wrote this year. Next week, we’ll list the top 10 viewed posts from the full KW archive. May these lists give you much to consider and delight in as the holidays fill you with peace on earth and good will toward men.

10. No Good Tree Bears Bad Fruit

Six of the ten posts on this year’s list come from Ryan’s keyboard. This first entry looks at a quotable quote from two of Jesus’ sermons to show that he sometimes used the same phrases to mean different things. “Words and phrases have little to no meaning when lifted from their context.”

9. Context Matters: The Ten Commandments

We spent much time this year seeking to persuade readers that context matters. This is not the only such post to have landed with readers (if the pageview statistics can be interpreted as interest), and if we made the list longer, entries 11 through 15 would also be of the same ilk. This post shows that what is brief in Exodus is expanded in Deuteronomy: God Almighty gave these commands to his children out of love.

8. What to Do When the New Testament Quotes the Old

This is the first entry on the list from Peter, in which he argues that the New Testament authors are quoting not sentences but passages. Therefore, we ought to look up the Old Testament quotes and understand their context before we’ll understand how the New Testament author uses that text to make or illustrate his point.

7. What We Miss When We Skip the Prophets

Ryan laments the fact that 21% of the Bible typically doesn’t get 21% of our attention. And as a result, 79% of the Bible is at least 21% misunderstood because the prophetic background is too unfamiliar and thus goes unconsidered. But there is hope. And to find the hope, you have to read the prophets.

6. Reading the Bible for the Ten Thousandth Time

This conclusion to Ryan’s duology (see the next entry) rounds out the lower half of the list. There is a significant jump in pageviews between this and the next most viewed post. This post seeks to help you combat your Bible weariness and pursue continued intimacy with your compassionate Father. Remember: The problem lies not with the book but with us.

5. Reading the Bible for the First Time

This and the next three posts on this list were very close to one another in pageviews. “Imagine that a friend of yours has just become a Christian. She knows of your faith and asks to meet with you. Your friend knows the Bible is an important book for Christians, and she wants to read it. But she has no familiarity with the Bible at all. What would you say to her?”

4. Context Matters: Your Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit

No, Peter isn’t planning to get a “Mom” tattoo. But he does believe that, were he to debate the issue, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” would be out of bounds. This post explains why.

3. What Should We Make of the Massive Repetition of Tabernacle Details in Exodus?

Sometimes people fear studying or teaching through the book of Exodus because they fear they won’t know what to do with all the tabernacle details. And then what do you do when nearly every detail is repeated? What a marvelous opportunity to strengthen our observation skills!

2. Context Matters: Valley of Dry Bones

“The Lord himself makes the interpretation clear to Ezekiel. There is no reason for us to be unclear on this ourselves. The dead bones coming back to life are a picture of the exiled people being brought back into the land of Israel, placed in their own land. A people without hope are resurrected to new hope.”

1. 4 Bible Studies for Lent

Last year, Ryan proposed a set of sample Bible studies for Advent. This year, he took on Lent. These studies each focus on one gospel’s account of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. These studies take you right to the text, building your confidence that you can study God’s word for yourself.

Embrace the Tension

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Jim Elliff makes an important point. To read Scripture rightly, we must be willing to allow each author, in each text, to make the point he wants to make. We must not be quick to harmonize its teaching with the rest of the Bible, lest we dilute or overturn the point at hand.

Elliff writes:

For instance, a man may read that he is to exert diligence in pursuing truths from God, but, on the other side his mind flies to passages that say God alone grants that understanding and unless God opens the heart, he is helpless to obtain any benefit from his diligence. So, the mind patches together a way both things are really one thing. But now you’ve ripped something away that the author intended to emphasize. He makes one point, but he purposely did not make the other point. He wasn’t writing a systematic theology, but was driving a truth home.


In some odd cases, the meaning of the first statement is turned on its head and all the potency is excised from the text by our propensity to blend all seemingly contrary thoughts together. As we read, we say, “Christ does not really mean we are to give up our possessions because in this place He says that some believers are wealthy.” So as we read we are denying the statement before we let it say anything to us. And, without intending to do so, we are telling ourselves and perhaps others that it would have been better if Jesus would have said something much more benign.

This does not mean that harmonizing, or creating a systematic theology is wrong; on the contrary, it is critical that we do this! But not at the expense of what the Holy Spirit aims to teach in a particular passage.

For further explanation from Elliff, check it out!

HT: Elizabeth Hankins

What the New Testament Authors Really Cared About

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A few weeks ago, I reviewed What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About. This companion volume completes the set. Does it deliver on the bold promise implicit in its title?

Strengths

This volume takes the same format as its partner, giving minimal attention to historical background and focusing its efforts on the theological messages of each New Testament book. It roughly groups the books by author (thus putting Acts together with Luke, and discussing John’s epistles and Revelation along with his gospel) so as to emphasize, as you’d expect, what the authors cared about in writing these books.

The writing is comprehensible. The visuals are attractive and relevant. The biblical text is ever-present. This overview would be a useful text for a Bible overview course for adults or teenagers.

Weaknesses

While there is much to commend this book, I believe it takes the minor weakness of the Old Testament volume and magnifies it.

That is, the contributors often don’t “show their work” very well. While this was the case for only a few of the OT entries, I felt it was the case for a majority of the NT entries. It was more difficult for me to find chapters where I believed the author not only stated his conclusions, but proved them from a literary analysis of the text. The best examples are Huffman on Luke, Kelly on Acts, Guthrie on Hebrews, and Cate on 1 &2 Peter.

I would not say the remaining chapters are in any way bad. They might be great. It just wasn’t clear in many of them whether the key points represented what the NT author really cared about, or whether they more represented what the contributing scholar really cared about.

I don’t find any chapters to be communicating things that are not in the text at all. Instead, they simply present a select number of themes without showing why those themes are any more important than a number of other themes that could be mentioned.

Conclusion

I am grateful to Kregel Academic for sending me a complimentary copy of this volume in exchange for an honest review. I am glad to add it to my library, and I will likely make good use of it with teenagers and adults in my home and church. But I am more enthusiastic about the rich big-picture thought and literary analysis presented in the OT volume than that which I find in this one.

You can check it out at Amazon.

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