Ryan Higginbottom | Knowable Word

What We Miss When We Skip the Prophets

April 21, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

woody93 (2014), public domain

From what Biblical book is your pastor preaching? What are you reading in your devotional times? What book of the Bible are you studying in your small group?

Let me guess: An epistle? A gospel? An Old Testament historical book? Some of the Wisdom literature (Psalms, Proverbs, etc.)?

I’d bet very few of you would answer Ezekiel, or Micah, or Zechariah.

The Forgotten Prophets

The prophetic books of the Old Testament make up 250 of the Bible’s 1189 chapters. That’s about 21% of the Bible! And I think those books are sorely neglected.

I don’t have any recent data or research to back me up. But when I talk to other Christians about what they’re reading, the prophets come up the least. If someone mentions the prophets, it’s usually because they’re following a read-through-the-Bible plan. (And they’re usually eager to get to Matthew!)

Five Things We Lose When We Skip the Prophets

Aside from missing out on a fifth of God’s word, here are five specific treasures we miss when we consistently neglect the reading and study of the prophets. (These are not all features exclusive to the prophets, but they appear in most of the prophetic books.)

1. Background to the New Testament

If you want to know what the people of Jesus’s day were thinking about and expecting from God, you need to read the prophets. The prophets were the most recent revelation from God, and yet there had been no word from God for hundreds of years when Jesus was born. The people’s expectations were shaped by prophetic promises of rescue, deliverance, and victory over enemies.

2. References in the New Testament

The New Testament writers assumed a high level of Biblical literacy. They often made reference to portions of the Old Testament, either through allusion or explicit quotation. It seems likely that by referring to a verse New Testament writers assumed their hearers or readers would think of a much larger passage of Scripture. Especially when reading those authors who explain how Jesus fulfilled prophesy, it’s essential that we pay attention to the prophetic books.

3. The communal nature of God’s people

In the prophets, God gives a message to one person for broadcast to his people. There are collective accusations of rebellion and idolatry, collective threats of punishment and exile, and collective promises of salvation. In the modern West, we tend to read the Bible through an individualistic lens, but the Jewish people of the Old Testament were bound together in a way we must understand. While the Bible has plenty of implications for individuals, God frequently addresses us as his church, and we need the counter-balance of thinking collectively that the prophets provide.

4. Hope

Because disobedience has serious consequences, the future was bleak for many who heard the prophetic announcements. But God rarely left his people without hope. The exile would end. The oppressing nations would be defeated. Hearts would be changed and the people’s longing for God’s presence would finally be realized. God always sustains his people through a sure hope.

5. God’s omniscience and sovereignty

In the prophets, we read prediction after prediction about what will happen to God’s people and we see the extent of God’s knowledge. We read of God’s judgment against Israel’s sins and we recognize the extent of his authority and personal rule. Now as then, he is not a God to take lightly.

Start Reading

If you’ve been neglecting the prophets in your own Bible intake, the fix is easy. Start reading!

Here’s a concrete suggestion. Take a month this summer and devote it to reading the prophets. Pick one major prophet (Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel) and three minor prophets, and make yourself a reading plan. (Here, I made one for you!)

Take a look at the historical background of each book before you begin. Most good study Bibles have this information (and many web sites do too).

Then read with purpose. If you get confused by the language or bored with what seems repetitive, push through. Write some notes on each chapter as you go to help you understand what you’re reading.

Let’s give our attention to the whole counsel of God, without consistently ignoring any of what he’s given us.

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(This was originally published in 2018.)

Don’t Drift Away From the Bible

April 7, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

Rostam Torki (2014), public domain

Most people don’t set out to gain fifteen pounds. Instead, their diet changes over time. Candy and ice cream take the place of fruits and vegetables, and the numbers on the scale creep northward.

It happens over weeks, not days. And unless a person is taking measurements, visiting the doctor, or talking with friends about their habits, they might not even notice.

The same drift that happens with diet can happen with Bible intake. And both types of drift can leave us in an unhealthy place.

The Terrible Drift

Those with a commitment to God and his word don’t intend to drift away. But without an anchor, they get caught in the river’s current. They enjoy the breeze, not realizing they’re headed for the danger of a waterfall.

People that drift away from the Bible aren’t that different from you and me. They belong to churches. They have a history of practicing spiritual disciplines. But maybe they’re busy. Their priorities subtly shift. They develop other habits, even good habits like exercise or time with friends. And one day they realize they haven’t read the Bible in six months.

They don’t feel like they’ve forgotten the gospel, but the truth of the Bible is no longer at the front of their thinking. The glory of God is no longer the lens through which they see and interpret life. This leads to a person increasingly turned inward and focused on their own earthly happiness. Externally, they may be pleasant and kind, but their soul is in danger. Blatant, external sins often begin with the erosion of personal communion with God.

Guard Against Drift

While it may seem unthinkable to walk away from God, we have plenty of examples in the Bible (Hebrews 6:1–8, John 6:60–71, 2 Peter 2:17–22). Each Christian likely has a story of a friend or acquaintance who was once near to Jesus and is now in a distant land.

A drift from God often begins with a drift from his word. So, how do we guard against this drift?

Make Bible intake a habit. Humans are prone to selfishness and forgetfulness. This is why we read and re-read the Bible. We need to study it, memorize it, hear it, sing it, and meditate on it. We cling to all reminders of the truth—to see ourselves, the world, and God aright. We cannot find this perspective within ourselves.
Talk deeply and honestly with friends who share your values. We all need friends who care about us enough to know our temptations and triggers to sin and who will ask us regularly—even out of the blue—how we’re really doing. Friends like this will make you uncomfortable and even angry at times. And you should thank God for people like this in your life. Friends don’t let friends neglect the Bible.
Give yourself to regular, corporate worship. It is difficult to hate that which your church family loves. If your church values the Bible—if God’s word is at the center of its preaching, singing, teaching, lamenting, praying, feasting, counseling, and encouraging—this can be a helpful tether. A church that consistently points back to the Bible helps its people learn to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
Pray. None of us, if left to ourselves, are above turning from God. Confess your weakness and your proneness to wander. Ask God to keep you and to give you an enduring love for him. He is a good father who loves to give good gifts to his children.

This was originally posted in 2018.

A Resource for First-Time Bible Readers

March 24, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

John-Mark Smith (2016), public domain

Here at Knowable Word, we’re passionate about the Bible. This blog exists to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible.

We love hearing about people starting to read and study the Bible. We want everyone to learn what God says about himself and how he can be known and worshiped.

But we recognize that many people haven’t read the Bible before. They didn’t grow up with the Bible in their house, they didn’t go to church—they are simply unfamiliar with this book that we love.

We’ve created a resource with these people in mind. This document is a one-page handout for first-time Bible readers. Feel free to print copies to distribute at your church, your ministry, or to your friends as you invite them to read the Bible.

When printed and folded in half (or printed two-sided and cut in half), this resource would fit nicely inside most pew Bibles. If your church is giving Bibles away, consider including a version of this document to help first-time Bible readers get started.

Check it out: First-Time Bible Reader Page

This was first published in 2018.

Reading the Bible for the First Time

March 10, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

Ryan Riggins (2017), public domain

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?

Only the Essentials

This post isn’t an attempt to say everything about the Bible, just what would be most helpful to a person reading the Bible for the first time.

In what follows, I’ve collected some important facts and advice aimed at first-time Bible readers. If you have further additions or suggestions, I’d love to read them in the comments!

6 Facts About the Bible

Welcome to the Bible! As you begin, you should know some information about the book you’re about to read.

The Bible is God’s word. Though the Bible was written in time and space by human authors, it is divinely inspired. God’s love and sovereignty are such that the words we have are exactly what he intended. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
The Bible is true. If God is the ultimate author of the Bible then we will see his character throughout this book. Since he is perfect, pure, and unable to lie, the Bible is trustworthy and true.
The Bible is important. A small number of questions in life have ultimate consequences. What is God like? What does he think of me? What does he want people to do? Because God wants to be known, he has answered these questions in the Bible.
The Bible is concerned with God and his people. The relationship between God and his rebellious people—first the nation of Israel and then the church—is the focus of God’s word. Biblical teachings have massive implications for individuals, but they are primarily addressed to groups of people.
The entire Bible is about Jesus. After Jesus rose from the dead, he explained to some of his disciples that every part of the Bible spoke of him. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)
The Bible is clear. Though some parts of the Bible are difficult to understand, far more of the Bible is plain. After all, in several places, God commands his people to teach the Bible to their children. We must interpret the more challenging parts of Scripture in light of the portions that are clear. The Bible is not only for those with high IQs or advanced degrees; the Bible is knowable to everyone.

7 Suggestions for Reading the Bible

There is much more to say about the Bible, but for those just starting out, it is more important for you to start reading. Here are some suggestions for reading the Bible that apply just as much on Day 1 of your Bible-reading adventure as they will on Day 10,000.

Pray before you read the Bible. Because the Bible is God’s word, we need his help to understand and benefit from reading it. God loves to answer this prayer!
You don’t need to read the Bible from start to finish. Many Christians read the Bible from Genesis straight through to Revelation, but this is not necessary. I suggest starting with the Gospel of John, then Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Then move on to Genesis and Exodus. There’s no single correct way to read the Bible.
You don’t need to read the entire Bible right away. Read-the-Bible-in-a-year plans are popular, but these are not mandated by God. You should eventually make your way through the whole Bible, but it is far more important to read carefully and slowly than to read quickly without understanding.
Reread the Bible. Plan to read the Bible for as long as you live. We need to reread the Bible both because we forget what is true and because each reading of the Bible offers more riches than the last.
Read the Bible with others. Christians are a part of God’s family and we are called into community with each other. This is important for many reasons, including understanding and applying the Bible. Seek out a Bible-believing church and some people within the church with whom to read and discuss the Bible.
Establish a habit. The sooner you can make regular Bible intake a part of your life, the better. Find a good time and place for reading the Bible, and try to read regularly. A habit like this doesn’t make you more precious to God, but it could make God more precious to you.
Study the Bible. While the Bible is knowable, sometimes it requires work to understand what it says. Older Christians in your church should be able to offer guidance, and we have lots of articles and resources on this web site to help.

This post was originally published in 2018.

Ask Honest Questions

February 24, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

CDC/Dawn Arlotta (2009), public domain

A teacher asks a question. And then, silence.

The students shift in their chairs; they squirm; they avoid eye contact. More silence. This question has jumped out of the nest, tried to flap its wings, and fallen to the ground with a thud.

Too many questions by teachers and leaders go unanswered. They’re often too vague, too personal, or unclear.

So what makes a good question? Specifically, how can a small group Bible study leader ask good questions?

The Job of a Small Group Leader

A small group leader should be a persistent and skilled question-asker. Good questions are the key to helping a group understand a Bible passage, encourage interaction, and apply the main point of the text.

I put a lot of energy into writing questions for my small group. It is difficult but essential work. My group’s engagement and discussion usually rises or falls with the quality of my questions.

I want to ask my group honest questions. In other words, I want to know how my friends are thinking about and processing the text. I’m not just looking for them to agree with me.

Far too often, I’ve simply wanted confirmation of my conclusions. Through my questions—or my posture or reactions—I communicated that I was looking for just one answer. And that stopped the discussion cold. No one likes to feel manipulated.

Humility

Asking honest questions requires a mega-dose of humility. It takes a work of God’s grace within the heart.

After all, as the group leader I put a lot of time into preparation. I pray, study the text, read commentaries, and work hard on my notes. I meditate on the passage for at least a week before we meet. It’s natural for me to approach my group with confidence in my conclusions.

But I can still be wrong! My study hours don’t guarantee infallibility. I may have missed the main point of the text.

Here’s the good news: My mistakes do not doom my group. After all, God’s truth doesn’t depend on me!

If I believe the Holy Spirit lives within each Christian in my group, and if I know he gives wisdom and understanding as he pleases, then I need to hold my conclusions with an open hand. I’m not an omniscient teacher; I need to approach my group as someone who still has much to learn.

I can help my friends look carefully at the text and ask for their understanding. I can continue to seek the meaning of the text myself. God can still teach his people the truth of his word.

Handling Disagreement

To be clear, I’m not advocating for a small group free-for-all. There is immense value in a leader’s preparation.

But we must acknowledge God as the ultimate authority. We submit to him in his word. We also submit to each other as the Spirit works and opens eyes. If I arrive at my small group convinced of one interpretation but my friend convinces me otherwise from the text, I should rejoice.

Asking honest questions means I must prepare for disagreement. I might be contradicted. Hopefully the atmosphere and the people in my group mean those discussions will be gentle and loving. But I need to prepare—my reaction to a dissenting opinion makes a huge difference.

By looking surprised or offended or dismissive, I may shut down my friend and even the rest of the group. But if I am curious and welcoming and humble, inviting my friends to observe and interpret the text honestly, I communicate how much I value them and trust the Spirit to lead his people.

For me the crucial question is: Will I trust in the Lord or in my preparation?

I’ve found it rare that a Bible study leader is wildly wrong. It’s more likely that input from the group add angles and nuance the leader didn’t see at first. (Greater diversity within the group will help with this.)

For Whose Glory?

What is the focus of your small group?

Are you hoping your friends will leave your meeting raving about your teaching? Or are you committed to helping your friends understand and apply the Bible at all costs, regardless of whom the Spirit chooses as his messenger?

Give yourself to serious, prayerful study and preparation. But then ask honest questions of your group, knowing that you may have as much to learn as they do.

This post was originally published in 2018.

No Good Tree Bears Bad Fruit

February 10, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

Birgit (2017), public domain

Jesus was a master of metaphor and illustration. Camels fitting through the eye of a needle! A woman turning her house upside down because of a lost coin!

He also spoke of trees and fruit. If you’ve been around the church, you’ve probably heard the saying, “no good tree bears bad fruit.”

So, what does this phrase mean?

Jesus the Preacher

While we hear much from Jesus in the Gospels, we must concede that Jesus preached far more sermons than the Gospel writers recorded. He likely talked with his disciples, preached to the crowds, or taught in the synagogues most every day of his adult ministry.

“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

The phrase “no good tree bears bad fruit” shows up twice in the Gospels, in Matthew 7:18 and Luke 6:43. (The ESV translates the phrase in Matthew as “a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit.”) This is one of several similarities between Jesus’s sermons in Matthew 5:2–7:27 and Luke 6:20–49. Matthew’s account has been called the “Sermon on the Mount,” and many have assumed that Luke’s version is an excerpt from the same sermon.

But a closer look calls this assumption into question. Not all of Jesus’s sermon in Luke appears in Matthew. (The “woe” pronouncements in Luke 6:24–26 are a prime example.) Also, where the sermons overlap in content they differ in important specifics. (In Luke’s Beatitudes, Jesus blesses the “poor” and the “hungry,” while in Matthew Jesus blesses the “poor in spirit” and those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.”)

The most straightforward conclusion is that these are different sermons. Anyone who has spent time around a preacher knows that favorite phrases and illustrations show up in different settings for different purposes.

Matthew 7

In Matthew 7, Jesus uses the tree/fruit illustration to help his disciples spot false prophets.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15–20)

Consider the larger passage. In Matt 7:13–14 Jesus speaks about the wide and narrow gates leading (respectively) to destruction and life. In Matt 7:21–23 Jesus warns that not everyone who calls him “Lord” and claims to have worked in his name will enter the kingdom of heaven. Some he will throw out as “workers of lawlessness.” Jesus is teaching about the way to life—who’s in and who’s out?

Jesus wants his disciples to identify those who do not bear good fruit, especially when they claim to follow him. And what fruit did Jesus have in mind? “Judge not” (Matt 7:1). “Take the log out of your own eye” (Matt 7:5). Ask the Father for good things (Matt 7:7–11). Treat others the same way you want them to treat you (Matt 7:12). In summary, build a solid house by hearing and obeying Jesus (Matt 7:24–27).

Luke 6

Let’s take a look at the tree/fruit illustration in Luke.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43–45)

The word “for” at the beginning of verse 43 points to the previous section, where Jesus commands his disciples not to be hypocrites, but to remove the log from their own eyes before taking a speck out of a brother’s eye (Luke 6:41–42). This caution flows from Jesus’s warning not to judge others (Luke 6:37–38).

Significantly, there is no mention of false prophets in this section of the sermon. Instead, Jesus speaks of fruit as the overflow of the heart.

Coming on the heels of the exhortation to “take the log out of your own eye,” the implication is clear. Jesus’s disciples must examine their own hearts. When they see bad fruit, it is the result of lingering evil in their hearts.

Context!

Back to our original question. What does the phrase “no good tree bears bad fruit” mean? I hope by now the answer is clear. It depends!

Words and phrases have little to no meaning when lifted from their context. This is true for our own words; how much more is it true of Holy Scripture!?

So, when reading Jesus’s sermons, or any part of the Bible, pay attention to the context. Observe and interpret accordingly. And as you apply the truths of the Bible, you also will bear much fruit.

This post was originally published in 2018.

Your Secret Weapon in Bible Study

January 27, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

Aaron Burden (2016), public domain

It’s still early in January, so many Christians are working hard on their Bible-related goals for 2025. Some may even be participating in our 90-day Bible reading challenge.

Some others may have recommitted to studying the Bible this year. If this describes you, you’ve come to the right place! This blog exists to help ordinary people learn how to study the Bible.

But there is a Bible study tool that many people neglect. This device is both accessible and inexpensive. It is a key ingredient in your spiritual growth. This secret weapon for studying the Bible is …

A simple pen.

The Difference Between Reading and Studying the Bible

The contrasts between reading and studying the Bible might be obvious. They typically take place at different speeds and with different levels of attention. We can summarize these distinctions as differences in engagement.

When we study the Bible, we must engage deeply with the text.

Instead of continuous reading, one verse to the next, we pause. We re-read. We live in the words of the Bible, walking among the divine sentences like massive trees in a forest. We consider their meaning, their order, their connections. We ponder the author’s main point and prayerfully consider what it means for us.

So, how does this participation happen physically? What should we do with our bodies to help our hearts and minds engage with the Bible?

The best way I know to engage with the Scriptures is through writing. Writing triggers our thinking in surprising and powerful ways. You might do this on a phone or computer, but I’ve found that using pen on paper is the most effective way to push my nose into God’s word.

There are many ways to use this secret weapon to your advantage, but here are three to get you started.

Take notes — Grab a Bible, a pen, and some paper. It doesn’t get any easier. Write out your observations, your questions, and your conclusions; think and process what you’re reading on the paper. (If you’re new to Bible study, take a look at some of the steps we recommend.) There’s no need to be picky or fussy—any pen or pencil with any notebook, journal, or loose paper will work. We also offer free printable worksheets if you prefer a more structured writing environment.
Use a markup Bible — Instead of keeping your notes separate from your Bible, make your notes in your Bible. Consider dedicating one Bible as your markup Bible, your space for thinking, underlining, highlighting, connecting, and recording your thoughts on the Biblical text.
Copy the text — Writing out the words of the Bible is a powerful, tangible way to meditate on the Scriptures. Grab a notebook or a blank piece of paper and slowly copy the passage you’re studying. This is a great way to start observing the text, and it can help with memorization too.

Engage With God’s Word

There’s nothing special about a pen, of course. But we grow in our relationship with God as we engage with the words of God. And using a pen—writing in any form, really—can help us immerse ourselves in the Bible.

And that is a great goal for 2025.

This post has been lightly edited since it was first published in 2018.

Big Bible Words: Righteousness

January 13, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

Silvia & Frank (2017), public domain

Righteousness is among the most important words in the Bible. It’s essential for understanding who God is, who he loves, and how we pursue and obey him.

“God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.” (Psalm 7:11)
“The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.” (Psalm 146:8)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

A Simple Definition

We can understand righteousness by way of contrast. The Scriptures consistently use “righteous” and “wicked” as opposites.

“…for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6)
“Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.” (Psalm 37:16)
“The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.” (Proverbs 3:33)
“The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.” (Proverbs 10:30)

The word righteousness contains the word “right,” and that’s no accident. The ideas of right-ness and justice are wrapped up in this big word.

Justice always has a standard in mind. Right—according to whom? Just—by what definition? The concept of justice immediately invokes a law.

So to be righteous is to be conformed to all the demands of the law. To have righteousness is to have right standing with respect to the law.

God is righteous because he meets his own standards. He is the chief example of fulfilling the demands of the law. And those who want to be blessed by God must also be righteous.

Righteousness From Another

The Bible often speaks of righteousness from another. A law-breaker receives righteousness from a law-keeper.

“And [Abram] believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…” (Romans 4:3–5)
“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…” (Phil 3:8–9)

As we explore the meaning of righteousness, we dive to the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ! God gives the righteousness he requires. He makes many righteous. Through faith, the righteousness of Jesus is given to God’s people.

For the Kids

Because the Bible is for all of God’s people, we should be able to explain every concept to the youngest in our churches and families. How should we explain righteousness?

Since children understand obedience and disobedience from their earliest years, I take this approach. Righteousness is when someone loves and obeys perfectly.

When we read the Bible with our children and talk about righteousness, the doors are open wide to talk about sin, substitution, and salvation.

(Note: I’m aware that many books have been written trying to define “righteousness” in the Bible. Meaning always depends on context, and I’m not trying to be comprehensive. I hope this brief post can serve as a starting point.)

This was originally published in 2017.

How Much of the Bible Should I Study?

December 16, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Arek Socha (2016), public domain

It’s a natural and practical question. When you’re studying the Bible, how much should you study at once?

On this blog we write a lot about studying the Bible. But most of these articles presume you already have a section of Scripture to study. Today we’ll talk about choosing that section of Scripture.

As you read, keep in mind this is more art than science. What you’ll find below are suggestions, not rules.

Units of Thought

Though inspired by the Holy Spirit, the biblical authors were humans. In some ways, their writing is similar to ours.

Recall your most recent email. Though your message had an overall purpose, each paragraph had its own function. So it is with the biblical texts. Authors usually have one overarching point for writing. But the author builds his case for that main point by assembling arguments and examples. At the smallest level, think about these as units of thought—an author stacks and arranges these units to form larger points, all supporting the main point of the book.

When mapping out a Bible study, this is where I begin. Study complete units of thought.

The length (number of verses) will vary across genres, and remember, there’s no right answer. Your small group might study five verses in an epistle or two chapters in a historical book. The key is to identify and respect these units of thought.

Here’s a simple example. Suppose an author’s main point rests on supporting points A and B. Perhaps A is established by a, b, and c, while B is established by d and e. Your Bible study might consist of just the text for point a (one unit of thought) or for points a, b, and c (three units of thought forming one larger unit). I’d advise against studying the texts for points a–d all at once.

Finding the Units of Thought

If an author’s units of thought are so important, how do we find out what they are? The simple answer is to read the entire book as many times as possible. This is part of what we suggest when completing a book overview.

The more you read the text, the more you’ll understand the author’s flow of thought. You’ll see the transitions and the divisions in the text will become clearer. Some of these markers are obvious—a change of location or main character, a shift in topic, a transition word. Some authors use structural cues to signal their units of thought. These were more obvious to the original audiences of the writing, but we have to work a bit harder to see them.

Here are two of the often-overlooked structural tools used in the Bible.

Inclusio — An inclusio occurs when an author places the same idea, word, phrase, or character both at the beginning and end of a unit of thought. What falls between these two markers should be included (inclusio!) in the same unit of thought. Without the space to explore this further, I’ll point you to this page for an explanation and an example.
Chiasm — In a chiasm an author presents a series of ideas and then repeats them in the opposite order. This can be used to mark off the text or to emphasize the point in the middle. The structure might look like A-B-C-B‘-A’. In this case A and A’ would share something in common, as would B and B’. This would help the reader identify the author’s focus on C. (Here’s a short reference on chiasms.)

Wisdom from Others

When you’re trying to decide how much of the Bible to study at once, don’t be afraid to ask for help! God has placed us in a body of believers across space and time, so we’re not in this by ourselves. Here are some resources to consider.

Book outlines in your study Bible or in other reference material can help you see a book’s structure.
Bible commentaries can be a great aid. Devotional or pastoral commentaries are usually more helpful than academic commentaries on this front. (Check out our recommended list of commentaries.)
The chapter divisions in the Bible can be helpful. They aren’t divinely inspired, but they weren’t inserted at random either.
Don’t ignore your church! Ask your elders, friends, and family for help in setting up your Bible study. In addition to offering you wisdom, sometimes talking through the matter with a friend can help you understand a book more clearly.

In Service of the Main Point

Deciding how much of the Bible to study might seem like a small matter, a tiny decision before you get to the “important stuff.”

But in fact, this is one of the key parts of studying the Bible! If your divisions follow the author’s flow of thought, you’ll be swimming with the current of the book, making it easier to see the main point of each passage.

And if you can understand and apply the main point of a Bible passage, genuine change in your life is next!

This was originally published in 2017.

Help Your Small Group See the Big Picture

December 2, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Jiuguang Wang (2010), Creative Commons License

When I find myself in a new city, it takes me a while to get my bearings. I need an idea of a city’s structure before I can move around with confidence.

In Pittsburgh—the biggest city near me—everything is organized by bridges and neighborhoods. If I feel lost, I look for signs for the closest bridge, stadium, or college campus. Knowing the big picture keeps me moving.

When studying the Bible, a book overview serves this same function. Knowing the themes, structure, and main point of a book is a great help when you wade into the chapters and verses. We’ve written before about how to do a book overview in your personal Bible study; today we’ll address leading a small group through the process.

Homework is Required

A fair warning: This particular small group meeting requires homework. Your group members may balk, but without homework, a book overview discussion will become a lecture. Nobody wants that.

My small group recently started Luke, and we kicked things off with a book overview meeting. Here’s what I expected my group to do before the meeting.

Read the whole book. I asked them to read it at least once, and two or three times if possible. I encouraged them to jot down thoughts on the book’s structure and major themes as they read.
Watch two videos. We’ve written before about The Bible Project’s book overview videos. They’re excellent. Here are the two videos that were produced for Luke. (This was the easy part of the homework!)
Read an overview article. Either in a study Bible or an online source, I asked my group to find an article about the big purpose and themes of the book. (Here is one article I recommended for Luke. And here is another great resource on Bible book overviews.)

My group had five weeks between meetings to accomplish these tasks. Stating my expectations up front made leading the book overview meeting a snap.

The Meeting Itself

I told my group we’d discuss five simple questions at the meeting.

Who wrote this book?
To whom was this book written?
Why did this person write this book to these people at this time?
What are some key themes of the book?
How is the book structured?

We hit all five questions, and because my friends had prepared, we had a lively discussion.

The goal of a book overview meeting should be to come up with a main point for the book you’re studying. Once you agree on this as a group, you can return to it to make sense of smaller passages. Even if you don’t hit on application during this meeting, you’re laying the foundation for future discussions.

Like a Compass in a Storm

The book overview won’t solve all of your Bible study problems. But it is a wonderful exercise for both personal and small group Bible study. When you know what an author is trying to do with the book as a whole, sometimes smaller sections of the book click into place.

Next time you start a new book in your small group Bible study, take a week to talk about the big picture. You won’t regret it!

Thanks to Peter for his help in preparing this article.

This was originally published in 2017.

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