Ryan Higginbottom | Knowable Word

Diving Deep on Hebrews 3:13—How Should We “Exhort One Another?”

May 20, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

A hard heart is poisonous, but there is an antidote. The author of Hebrews gives a concise prescription: Christians are to exhort one another, every day (Hebrews 3:13).

In this article, we will try to make this command specific.

Application Within Context

We preach context regularly here at Knowable Word, and there is no exception when it comes to application. Application should flow from the main point of the passage, but we should avoid writing down that main point and then staring dreamily out the window to apply the text.

Consider our passage (Hebrews 3:7–19) as an example. In my view, the main point is that Christians should exhort one another every day to avoid being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (This is only a restatement of Hebrews 3:13.) It would be a mistake to focus on the word “exhort” and then go off on a word-study rabbit trail to frame my application. Here, as in so many places, it is not just the imperative verb that is important. The context gives the word meaning.

Let’s first look to the letter as a whole. My co-blogger Peter has written an interpretive overview of Hebrews in which he argues for this main point of the book: God has spoken by His Son whose work is finished. There is a stay-the-course nature to the tone of this letter—the author does not want his readers to give up Christ.

In the more immediate context (Hebrews 3:1–6), Jesus is contrasted with Moses. Jesus is worthy of far greater glory that Moses (Hebrews 3:3), so it doesn’t make sense to turn from Jesus to Moses and his commands.

When we turn to the ultra-local context, this Christian exhortation is meant to prevent evil, unbelieving hearts (Hebrews 3:12) and to combat the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). Our exhortation is rooted in the fact that we share in Christ, holding our confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:14). Our efforts in this regard should aim to pull our friends back from disobedience and unbelief (Hebrews 3:18–19).

Shades of Meaning for our Application

If we are to exhort one another in the ways that Hebrews indicates, an analogy and some examples might help.

When thinking about this passage, I’ve pictured a marathon runner putting one foot after the other, drenched in sweat and with pain on his face. I can see his struggle between the easy option (giving up) and the hard one (finishing the race). How will I exhort him to help him finish the race?

Sometimes exhortation will look like encouragement, speaking timely truths to give a friend courage. Exhortation might also look like challenge or rebuke—if a runner is heading off course we should sound a warning. To exhort might mean reminding someone of their calling, identity, and the precious promises that are theirs in Christ. Often, to continue the analogy, exhorting will mean running next to a friend, to speak and to listen, to comfort and to point in the right direction.

While exhortation is likely part of a sermon in weekly corporate worship, it cannot be limited to that. This is to happen within our every-day relationships.

We need others to help us identify and resist false teaching, to point out temptations, and to remind us of the truth. We need friends to tell us what the finish line is like and why crossing it is so much better than ducking out of the race early.

What this Application Presupposes

In thinking through the command to exhort one another, I noticed three things this presupposes.

First, this command is given to a community of Christians, and there is a clear community responsibility. There should not be in “any of you” an unbelieving heart, and “none of you” should be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. So just as I am to exhort others, I am one who needs exhortation myself.

Additionally, this command presupposes strong relationships that can bear the weight of exhortation. This sort of strong urging is not something we can do for acquaintances. In order to encourage, challenge, and edify a brother, we need to know in what way that brother needs to be encouraged, challenged, or edified. These sorts of close, vulnerable relationships are difficult to form and difficult to maintain.

Finally, the content of my exhortation should be what God has spoken in his Son. My words and thoughts alone are not sufficient to prevent a hard heart.

Five Questions

Because application is so personal, I rarely suggest specific application points for others (unless I know them really well). Instead, here are some questions that flow out of our present considerations.

Who are some people you could exhort? From whom would you welcome exhortation? If no one comes to mind for either question, how can you build these sorts of relationships?
What can you do to make your church a place where mutual exhortation is welcomed?
In what ways are you tempted to turn away from obeying God? How could you share these with a trusted friend?
Where do you lack courage in your Christian life? How could you share this need for encouragement with someone else?
What passages of Scripture (or general biblical truths) would be most appropriate for exhorting one of your specific friends?

The Antidote to a Hard Heart

May 6, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

National Cancer Institute (2020), public domain

In the Bible, having a “hard heart” puts a person in dangerous company. At various places, authors in Scripture use this phrase to indicate a lack of compassion (Mark 3:5), a refusal to repent (2 Chronicles 36:13), and a destiny full of the wrath of God (Romans 2:5). One of the characters in Scripture most often described as hardening his heart is the Egyptian Pharaoh who faced off with Moses (Exodus 8:32).

So, when an epistle tells us how to avoid or prevent a hard heart, we should take notice!

Beware of a Hard Heart

The subject of Hebrews 3:7–19 must be related to obedience, hearts, and hardening. The word “hard” or “harden” occurs three times, “heart” occurs four times, and there are four references to sin, disobedience, or unbelief.

The author of this letter uses as an example the generation of Israelites who exited Egypt with Moses. But this is not a positive example! Christians are NOT to be like them (Hebrews 3:8,15).

A hard heart is not just unacceptable in polite society. It has dire, terrible consequences, including the wrath of God.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’ (Hebrews 3:10–11)

A hard, unbelieving heart will lead people to “fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). God will deny them access to his rest. There are eternal consequences to a hard heart.

Hard Hearts and Sin

A hard heart is dangerous because it leads to sin. It may indicate blindness to or apathy about obeying and loving the Lord.

In this passage, the author quotes Psalm 95:7–11, which refers to Exodus 17:1–7. The Israelites, despite having just seen God deliver them miraculously from the Egyptians, “quarreled” with Moses and complained about a lack of water. They accused Moses of taking them out of Egypt only to kill them in the wilderness. Moses thought the people might stone him, and the people questioned God’s promise to go with them, asking “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Hebrews 3:16–19 emphasizes that hard hearts lead to sin. Those Israelites “rebelled,” “sinned,” and were “disobedient.” They were unable to enter God’s rest because of unbelief.

A Powerful Antidote

The author of Hebrews does not want this end for those reading his words.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:12–14)

How do we prevent an evil, unbelieving heart? How do we avoid falling away from the living God? How do we prevent a hardening by the deceitfulness of sin? We exhort one another, every day.

A person filled with a certain kind of zeal might seize on the word “exhort” and go hunting for sin in other Christians’ lives. But exhort is not quite the same as rebuke, though an exhortation might include rebuke. This command is written to communities of Christians, and these brotherly and sisterly exhortations are to be grounded in knowledge of one another. The best exhortation contains exactly the timely encouragement, challenge, chastisement, and pointers to the promises of God that the other person needs. An obvious but challenging implication of this is that we must get to know each other well enough to know what exhortation is fitting.

Every Day

A person might be able to get behind the idea of occasional exhortation of their Christian friends. But the author of Hebrews is insistent that this happen frequently—”every day,” and “as long as it is called ‘today.'”

Why do we need such regular exhortation? Because we forget! As we have seen above, the same people who crossed on dry ground through the Red Sea accused God of abandoning them a short time later. We are fallible and finite and prone to forgetfulness, so we need to be spurred on by our brothers and sisters.

We Share in Christ

As we remind each other who God is and what he has done, we help to prevent the evil, unbelieving hearts that are ready to sprout within us. This is a vital community effort.

We “have come to share in Christ,” after all. He is not just the Savior and Lord and Redeemer of individuals, but of a collective people. As we share in Christ, we belong to one another. We have this privilege and vital responsibility to speak life-giving truths to our brothers and sisters.

The Lord Shows Compassion as a Father Shows Compassion

April 22, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Much of what we learn as humans happens through comparison and analogy. The biblical authors use this reasoning in several places; see Colossians 3:12–13 for an example where Paul exhorts his readers to forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven. Christians can understand their responsibility by looking to what God has done.

The Bible runs the comparison game in the other direction too, with some deep and surprising results. Instead of exhorting people to act more like God, we learn what God is like by looking at people! In this article I’ll discuss one example found in Psalm 103.

Describing the Lord’s Steadfast Love

Psalm 103 is majestic, and I’ve written about it before. As I was re-memorizing it recently, David’s logic gave me a start.

In one of the center passages of this psalm, David states a common, foundational truth about God.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Ps 103:8)

In verses 9–14 David then explains what these descriptions of God mean. That passage contains these memorable verses.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust. (Ps 103:11–14)

Part of God’s steadfast love is his compassion, and this compassion is compared to a father’s for his children. I knew that, but I hadn’t observed the text carefully enough to feel the full impact.

A Supreme Example

When David wants to describe how great God’s steadfast love is toward those who fear him, he looks at how high the heavens are above the earth. Who could calculate that height?

When David wants to explain how far away God removes our transgressions from us, he reaches for the distance between the east and the west. Again, an immense (infinite?) distance!

Then, when David wants to illustrate how compassionate God is, he turns to fathers. In the context of the comparisons David is using, this means that the compassion of a father toward his children is a supreme example of compassion. Dare we say it: David couldn’t reach for a greater earthly example!

This text has turned me inside out over the past few weeks, mainly because I see how lacking I am in compassion toward my children. How can it be that God describes himself this way?

A Baked-in Assumption

What we have in Psalm 103:13 is evidence of an assumption made by a biblical author. This is not an exhortation for fathers to be compassionate; instead, it is an argument based on what good fathers are like.

So, any father looking for Biblical guidance won’t find a command here. Rather, David teaches about God relying on how God has made fathers. This means that fathers who have the indwelling Holy Spirit should be the best examples of all.

Note that we are not drawing this application from the main point of this psalm. And we do not want to build any theological pyramids on minor or tenuous conclusions from Scripture. We must tread carefully, meditating on and applying an author’s main point first.

However, it is hardly shocking to say that Christians in general and fathers in specific should be compassionate. This is part of what it means to be one of God’s people (Col 3:12).

How to be Compassionate

I’ll end this brief observation by noting that David offers additional help to those who wish to grow in compassion. We only need to read the next verse.

For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust. (Ps 103:14)

Let’s follow the grammar. The Lord’s compassion is connected by the word “for” to his knowledge of us. Because he knows our frame, he shows compassion to those who fear him.

From this I conclude that one of the best ways I can grow in compassion for my children is to know them better. As a loving father, I can make a study of them, learning their strengths and weaknesses, their fears and joys, their victories and vulnerabilities.

Like me, my children are dust. But the particular kind of dust they are matters, and the more I understand their frame, the better I will be able to show them a proper, fatherly compassion.

Psalm 104: Praise the Lord Who Governs the Earth and Cares for His Creatures

April 8, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Some of the psalms stick in our memories because of their vivid imagery or their just right phrasing of a meditation or longing of our heart. The psalms which have been set to recognizable music are especially memorable.

But we don’t always study those psalms which move us deeply. Today we’ll take a close look at Psalm 104.

Yahweh is Great

After exhorting his soul to “bless the Lord,” the psalmist begins his prayer with one of its main themes: “O Lord my God, you are very great!” (Psalm 104:1) The rest of this stanza—and the rest of the psalm—provide his reasoning.

The Lord is “clothed with splendor and majesty,” shining like light. He is also majestic in the way he governs heaven: riding on the clouds and the winds, putting them to work for his purposes (Psalm 104:1–4).

God Governs the Waters

The Lord is worthy of blessing because “he set the earth on its foundations” (Psalm 104:5). Verses 5–9 of this psalm describe the way God commands the waters on the earth, either at creation or after the flood (or both?). Regardless, God is the one who rebukes, appoints, and sets a boundary for the waters, “that they might not again cover the earth” (Psalm 104:9).

God Waters the Earth and his Creatures

God not only controls the oceans and seas, he directs each spring and stream. In verses 10–13 we see that God wants his creatures and even the mountains to be well-watered and satisfied. “Every beast of the field” drinks from God’s springs; the birds find shelter in the trees and sing a song of contentment (Psalm 104:11–12). God is the one who “water[s] the mountains” and “the earth is satisfied” with his provision (Psalm 104:13).

God Provides so Man can Provide

God governs the water so the earth will produce good things. The livestock benefit from the grass growing and man uses the plants to “bring forth food from the earth” (Psalm 104:14). God provides for necessities and more: wine, oil, and bread are given to “gladden” and “strengthen” his people (Psalm 104:15).

God Provides Shelter for Animals

God plants and waters the trees (Psalm 104:16). One of the reasons? So that the birds would have a place to build their nests (Psalm 104:17). But God cares for other animals too—the wild goats and the rock badgers find refuge in the mountains and among the rocks (Psalm 104:18).

God Governs the Seasons, the Sun, and the Moon

In this psalm, we get a tour of the earth and the heavens, all the different elements of creation that God’s hand controls. God made the moon and he makes darkness (Psalm 104:19–20). The darkness of night provides a time for “the beasts of the forest” to hunt for food (Psalm 104:20). In their roaring and in their retreat, the young lions are “seeking their food from God” (Psalm 104:21). The day and night are even markers for the labor of humanity (Psalm 104:23).

Earth is Full of Creatures Dependent on God

Verses 24–30 are the heart of the psalm. The psalmist takes another survey of all earth’s creatures and concludes that God is worthy of praise. God’s works are “manifold” and full of “wisdom.” “The earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24).

For the first time in the psalm, the writer turns to the sea, “great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great” (Psalm 104:25). God deserves praise for the ships in the sea as well as Leviathan (Psalm 104:26).

Verses 27–30 show just how dependent the creatures of earth are on their creator. They look to God for food, and they are filled with good things when he opens his hand (Psalm 104:27–28). But God can also hide his face or take away their breath, returning them to the dust (Psalm 104:29). In contrast, God renews the face of the ground as he sends forth his Spirit to create (Psalm 104:30).

Responding to the Great Creator and Ruler

The final five verses of this psalm represent the psalmist’s response to meditating on God’s creative, sovereign rule. He is to be praised!

The psalmist cries for God’s glory to endure forever (Psalm 104:31) even as we read what this glory involves: God can make the earth tremble and the mountains smoke by his glance and touch (Psalm 104:32). It is appropriate to sing long and loud to this God, to rejoice in the Lord (Psalm 104:33–34).

The final verse of the psalm contains a cry for the elimination of sinners and the wicked (Psalm 104:35). This may seem like a tangent, but the psalmist connects the Lord’s holiness to his ruling power and praiseworthiness. Such a powerful and pure God cannot dwell with sinners! They must surely be “consumed.”

As Christians, we confess that Christ is all and that the entire Bible points to him. Here is another such instance. How will sinners (and sin) be eliminated from the earth? Christ will come; the Spirit will come; the Father will transform sinners into glad and grateful children.

If you’re anything like me, the last line of this psalm is easy to say with the psalmist: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 104:35)

What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Leviticus

March 25, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

The book of Leviticus is not popular. It is rarely quoted, rarely studied, and rarely read. It might be the most frequent place for well-intentioned Bible readers to give up their annual reading plans.

This is understandable, especially when one reads the books of the Bible in canonical order. Genesis is the book of beginnings; it is full of covenants, scoundrels, and promises. Exodus offers a narrative unlike any other—grand and sweeping in scale, with cinematic opportunities galore.

The narrative momentum slows at the end of Exodus during the construction of the tabernacle and then grinds to a halt in Leviticus. If Genesis is about how God calls his people and Exodus shows how God delivers his people, Bible readers can be forgiven for scratching their heads when opening Leviticus. Is this just how God…instructs his people?

If you’ve skipped Leviticus because you think it’s too slow, too boring, too repetitive, or just plain obsolete, you’re in good company. But, Leviticus is in the Bible for our good, and when we skip this book we miss a lot that God intends for us.

Asking the Wrong Question

When evaluating the importance of a book of the Bible, we often turn to characters, events, or doctrines. Leviticus doesn’t shine in any of these areas.

Rather, the book of Leviticus exists to answer a crucial question: How can a holy God dwell with sinful people?

At the end of Exodus, the Israelites construct the tabernacle (Exodus 35–39). This is the location on earth where God will dwell and where the people will worship him. God’s people have not dwelled with God in this way since the first days of Adam and Eve. And since the moral landscape is quite different than the beginning of Genesis, we naturally ask: How can God remain holy and live with people like this?

Leviticus aims to answer this question.

Forgiveness of Sin

Part of resolving the tension between God’s holiness and the people’s sinfulness lies in the forgiveness of sin. God had given commands to his people before Mount Sinai, but the path toward forgiveness was not always clear. In Genesis and Exodus it seems that God overlooks offenses more than he forgives them.

But in Leviticus, God makes the requirements for forgiveness clear. God tells Moses what type of sacrifice to bring along with where and when; he gives explicit (and sometimes graphic) instructions to the priests regarding these sacrifices.

The phrase that rings throughout chapters 4–6 of Leviticus should be delightful to us: “And the priest shall make atonement for him…and he shall be forgiven.” (See Lev 4:26; 4:31; 4:35; 5:10; 5:13; 5:16; 5:18; 6:7.)

Let’s not skip over this. God made a way for his people to be forgiven! This is one reason Paul Tripp says there are “few more hopeful books in all of Scripture than Leviticus.”

How to Live as God’s People

Some commentators split Leviticus in two, with the first 16 chapters focusing on ritual commands (offerings and priests) and chapters 17–27 concerned with ethical commands (laws, blessings for obedience, and punishment for disobedience).

Not every word of Leviticus fits neatly under those umbrellas, but God gives many regulations in the second part of the book. If the offerings and instructions to priests are about how God can live with his people, then the ethical commands are about how God’s people should live with him.

Further, God makes it clear that these aspects of life are related. Jeffrey Kranz points to this verse as a summary of the book.

You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. (Leviticus 20:26)

God demands holiness from the people because he is holy and he has called them to himself. His holiness is the basis for his regulations; the phrase “I am the Lord” is given almost as a punctuation to many of the laws in Leviticus 18–26.

Understanding Holiness

Leviticus is not the only place in the Bible that explains holiness, but it is one of the best.

Of all the books in the Bible, Leviticus uses the word “holy” the most—a total of 80 times in the ESV translation. Additionally, Leviticus is the leader among books of the Bible for the words “atone” (47 times), “guilt” (35 times), and “blood” (65 times). It uses “forgive” the most in the Old Testament (10 times) and its use of “sin” (93 times) is second only to the Psalms (111 times).

The point is that these words we read in the New Testament and sing on Sunday mornings are illustrated and explained primarily in Leviticus.

Understanding the Work of Jesus

The New Testament gives us plenty of reasons not yet mentioned to read Leviticus carefully. One of the two great commandments, according to Jesus—”you shall love your neighbor as yourself”—is first seen in Leviticus 19:18. And the apostle Peter quotes Leviticus when exhorts his readers to be holy in all of their conduct “since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy'” (1 Pet 1:16).

With Holy Week upon us, perhaps there is no more timely reason to read Leviticus than this. When the New Testament portrays Jesus as both priest (see Hebrews 7) and sacrifice (see Hebrews 9:11–14), when we read that our sin is forgiven because of the work of Jesus (1 John 1:7–10), we learn much of what was required and what was accomplished in this often-neglected book.

10 Truths About Jesus from Hebrews 3

March 11, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

The first six verses of Hebrews 3 are bursting with truths about Jesus. In this article, I will hang these truths in frames on the wall, as it were, so that we might walk around and consider them. Like the author of Hebrews, I want us to see how glorious Jesus is so that we might respond by listening and holding fast to him.

Consider Jesus

That word “consider” in the opening paragraph was no accident. In Hebrews 3:1–6, there is only one command: Consider Jesus.

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. (Hebrews 3:1–2)

In the verses that follow, the author gives us much to consider!

Thus far in the epistle, the author has been arguing that because Jesus is superior to the angels, readers/hearers should “pay much closer attention” to what they have heard from Jesus (Hebrews 2:1). What the angels declared was good and reliable, but now Jesus has accomplished “a great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3).

In chapter 3, the author compares Jesus to Moses, providing many reasons for these first century Jews to endure to the end as Christians.

Ten Truths

In my observation of Hebrews 3, these ten truths about Jesus jumped out. (Some of what I’ve included also requires interpretation, but that is to be expected!)

Jesus is the apostle of our confession (verse 1)

We think about Jesus having apostles much more than him being an apostle. But “apostle” just means “one who is sent out,” which is an apt description of Jesus.

Jesus is the high priest of our confession (verse 1)

The author of Hebrews spends a lot of time on this subject, introducing Jesus as a high priest a few verses earlier (Hebrews 2:17). Note the way these two offices—apostle and high priest—reference the new and old covenants.

Jesus is the apostle and high priest (verse 1)

I’m not repeating myself here, I’m only drawing attention to the singularity of Jesus. There were many apostles, and there were many high priests (each one was replaced when they retired or died), but Jesus is the only one who occupies both offices.

Jesus was faithful to God (verse 2)

All that the Father called Jesus to do, Jesus did. He did not duck a single responsibility or duty.

God appointed Jesus (verse 2)

The one Jesus was faithful to was the one who appointed Jesus to his work.

Jesus’s faithfulness was like Moses’s faithfulness (verse 2)

Moses was a man who spoke with God with a frequency and intimacy unlike anyone else in the Old Testament. Moses was not perfect, but he was faithful, and Jesus’s faithfulness was like that.

Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses (verse 3)

Despite their faithfulness being comparable (to a degree), the glory they are due differs dramatically. Jesus is far more glorious.

In terms of glory, Jesus is like the builder and Moses is like the house (verse 3)

How much more glorious is Jesus than Moses? Well, we do not praise a building for its design, beauty, or longevity, do we? No, we praise the architect and builder! Praising the building would be just as misguided as preferring Moses.

Jesus is the Christ (verse 6)

Note how the author had been referring to “Jesus” in verses 1–3 but then calls him “Christ” in verse 6. Titles are never used by accident, and we should hear the author emphasizing that Jesus is the Messiah. That would be powerful for Jewish Christians.

Jesus is faithful over God’s house as a son (verse 6)

The contrast in verses 5–6 is masterful.

Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Hebrews 3:5–6)

Moses was faithful, but Jesus is faithful. Moses was faithful in God’s house, but Jesus is faithful over God’s house. Moses was faithful as a servant, but Jesus is faithful as a son.

Listen to Jesus

At first glance, this contrast appears to be missing one ingredient. Moses’s task as a servant is stated, “to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.” Where is the corresponding task of Jesus?

It is included in Moses’s job description! Moses pointed to the one who would speak later—Jesus, the Messiah, the son who is over God’s house. And we are his house!

Jesus is the one who speaks to us; this is a key to understanding the entire letter and is introduced in Hebrews 1:2. And if we follow the author’s logic, the implication is clear. If faithful Moses pointed to Jesus as the one worthy of our attention, respecting this great prophet of old means following Jesus of Nazareth now.

There May be a Clue at the End of the Letter

February 26, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

A good email is a dying art. Especially within a business context, clear and concise communication is crucial.

In particular, I love it when someone crafts their email subject line with care. This short text field exists to capture the purpose of the entire email. I have nearly laughed with joy when the body of an email is simply adding a few details to a well-chosen subject line. It’s sublime.

No one would argue that the Biblical epistles are the same as modern day emails. However, as written communication they share some qualities. As my co-blogger Peter has pointed out, because the writers of the epistles wanted to persuade their readers to believe or do something, they often included thesis statements throughout their letters.

The beginning of a letter is an obvious place for such a statement. But these writers occasionally ended their communication by returning to the same topic. This makes sense, and we often do the same—if I want to make extra sure that someone gets my point, I’ll include that at both the beginning and end of the email.

Examples

As we will see later, not every epistle ends in the way that I’m describing. But a number of them do! Here are three for our consideration.

1 Thessalonians

Our interpretive overview of this letter argues that Paul was mainly concerned with urging the Thessalonians on in faith, love, and hope. After noting how obvious these qualities were in them (chapter 1), Paul told them to excel still more in these same virtues.

At the end of the letter, Paul wrote this benediction (which might be my favorite New Testament benediction).

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thess 5:23-24)

We can see how Paul returned to the familiar note he had been hitting throughout the letter. His prayer and urgent desire for the Thessalonians was that God would perfect them in faith, love, and hope. This is what is meant by his use of “sanctify” and “blameless” in verse 23; in the context of the letter, he wanted their Christian virtues to be complete.

Titus

Paul’s message to Titus was straightforward: character and devotion to good works flow from a sound faith. Though this letter is short, Paul punctuated it with frequent mention of those works which a redeemed heart is glad to perform.

The end of the letter is no exception. Just before Paul’s final greetings, and just following some detailed personal instructions, Paul returned to his theme.

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. (Titus 3:14)

Paul made sure Titus could not miss his main point.

1 Peter

Peter’s first letter was written to Christians scattered because of persecution. He was writing to give them hope in the midst of great trials, when they were “suffering for righteousness’ sake (1 Peter 3:14).

Like Paul, Peter’s benediction at the end of the letter was tender and bursting with pastoral wisdom. It was also, unsurprisingly, connected to the theme of the letter.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-11)

Peter touched on the suffering that his friends would face and also reminded them of their great, eternal hope.

Not all Epistles!

The structure of each epistle is different, and in some letters a summary at the end is absent. Consider Ephesians as a prime example. This letter splits neatly into two, with the first three chapters laying out important doctrine (“the calling to which you’ve been called”) and the last three chapters giving application (“walk in a manner worthy of this calling”).

The main doctrinal point Paul made in the first half of Ephesians is that God has a plan to unite all of heaven and earth under the Lord Jesus. The letter ended with the famous “armor of God” passage and then final greetings. While one can these greetings to the uniting all things in Christ, there is nothing so explicit as we see in our earlier examples. A summary statement or return to theme is simply absent from the end of this letter.

Finding the Author’s Main Concern

When studying any book of the Bible, we should find its structure to help us discern its main point. Because epistles are so driven by logic and arguments, statements of purpose or theme are more abundant than in other genres of Biblical literature.

So as you’re studying the epistles, if you’re having trouble finding the main point, you might find a clue at the end of the letter.

Bible Study Leaders Must Be Flexible

February 12, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

As a college professor, I’ve taught the same material dozens of times. And while the main ideas of calculus don’t change drastically from one semester to the next, those classes are not the same.

Each iteration of the course is different because each class roster is different. If I ignored the particular students in my classes and focused only on the material, I wouldn’t be doing my job as a teacher.

Leadership is Always Local

This same truth holds when leading a Bible study: the audience matters. What is appropriate and powerful in one setting may fail spectacularly in another. This isn’t an original insight, but it does highlight a principle many ignore.

Leadership never exists in a vacuum. Leaders are leaders because they lead people. Even “organizational leaders” are leaders of people, because what do we suppose organizations are made of, heads of lettuce?

This doesn’t mean that good principles for leading are a fiction—they aren’t. However, good principles still need to be worked out locally; they are incarnated face-to-face in relationships with real people.

Flexibility in Study Meetings

When a Bible study leader prepares for a meeting, he should do the hard work of observation and interpretation, letting the text dig into his flesh and change him before he attempts to bring change to others. Nailing down a main point for the passage is a vital step before a Bible study meeting.

However, that same leader needs to be prepared for the actual people that walk through the door. They will arrive with different moods, experiences, and histories, and those differences may dramatically affect the discussion. This is especially true when it comes to application.

Examples

I’ll illustrate this point with two examples. While these examples are fictitious, I’ve led Bible study meetings in the past where similar issues came up and affected the mood and direction of the conversation. (It’s also worth mentioning that we call the small groups at my church Home Fellowship Groups. Bible study is an important component of our meetings, but we also share times of prayer and fellowship.)

Scenario 1 — Dwayne is a faithful member of your group. His work situation is consistently the most difficult part of his life, and he speaks openly about his troubles with his boss. His direct supervisor consistently belittles him and ignores his good performance. At the Bible study meeting in question, Dwayne has had an especially hard week, as he has been passed over for a promotion for the third straight time. If the application of the Bible study is focused on loving one’s neighbors, Dwayne’s background will have a huge effect on his participation, and if he participates, it will color the rest of the discussion.

Scenario 2 — Nicole is a single woman attending your Bible study, and her sister has asked her to move back home to help care for their aging father. Nicole does not have a good relationship with any of her family members, as they have distanced themselves from her since she has become a Christian. This move would take her hours away, and there is no good church in the town where her family lives. If the Bible study is about honoring one’s parents or the importance of a local church congregation, Nicole’s situation may change the conversation in big ways.

People Are Not an Interruption

For a new or inexperienced Bible study leader, these examples could seem frustrating, as though the life situations of these group members might derail a perfectly-planned study. But this Platonic ideal of a Bible study does not exist.

Leading real Bible studies means that the Bible comes into contact with real people, and the lives of real people are often messy and difficult. But these difficulties are not interruptions to our plans—this is what it means to lead people and help them apply the Bible in their lives.

Let’s go one step further. God never puts people together by accident, so these “challenging” cases that crop up in Bible study are not just opportunities for leaders to help their friends apply the Bible. We are meant to apply the Bible in community, so leaders may have a lot to learn personally (and not just as leaders) from these hard situations.

We Must Pay Close Attention or We Will Drift Away

January 29, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Imagine a leaf in autumn pulling free from the branch where it started to grow just seven months before. It tumbles and glides through the air, landing in the river below. Once in the water, the leaf does not choose its destination; the current carries it away.

This leaf is experiencing drift. The whims of water and wind, along with gravity and the shape of the riverbed, take the leaf along to its next resting place.

The author of the book of Hebrews wants us to know that unless we are careful, we will be much like this leaf.

What We Have Heard

The second chapter of Hebrews opens with a conclusion to an argument.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

The word “therefore” presses our noses in the words previously written, focusing on “what we have heard.” We have been told that while God spoke to the fathers “by the prophets,” “he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The writer, after highlighting the nature and work of the Son, goes on for the rest of the chapter to argue how much “superior to angels” this Son is (Hebrews 1:4).

Do Not Neglect Such a Great Salvation

The fact that Jesus is superior to the angels means that we should pay more attention to his words than theirs. The testimony of the angels “proved to be reliable” and laid the foundation for just retribution for disobedience (Hebrews 2:2), but the testimony of the Son brings a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3).

Side note: The reference to the Mosaic covenant as being delivered by angels seems to be a mixture of Scriptural allusions (Acts 7:53 and Galatians 3:19) and tradition.

The implication of this line of reasoning is clear: Ignore the Son at your own risk! Since “every transgression” under the Mosaic law “received a just retribution,” and since Jesus’s words are worthy of closer obedience (since he is greater than the angels), we shall not escape “if we neglect such a great salvation” (Hebrews 2:2-3). Those who have heard the Son have not just heard the offer of salvation—there is judgment for those who ignore or refuse this offer.

A Sure Message

The author wants readers to know this message of the Son can be trusted. He writes that this “great salvation” was “declared at first by the Lord” and also “attested to us by those that heard” (Hebrews 2:3). A first-hand account of Jesus’s teaching was both powerful and persuasive! But the testimony didn’t end there.

The author of Hebrews says that God himself was involved—he “bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles” (Hebrews 2:4). Like in the days of Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, God occasionally gives signs and miracles to authenticate the message of his servant.

God also bore witness to the veracity of Jesus’s message “by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Hebrews 2:4). After the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, gifts were visible throughout the young church. These also pointed to the great salvation declared by the Lord.

Pay Much Closer Attention

In Hebrews 2:1–4 there is only one command (with one reason). We “must pay much closer attention to what we have heard” (Hebrews 2:1). Given the context, this means we must pay careful attention to God’s message through his Son.

If we don’t focus on this message—this gospel—we will drift away from it. Like the leaf in the water, we will not stay still. When we stop fixing our eyes on the good news of king Jesus, we will get caught up in just about anything else. The cultural currents that flow strongest and closest to our hearts will carry us downstream, away from our great salvation.

In this case, the what of application is easy but the how is more challenging. How exactly do we pay close attention to what we have heard? How do we help those around us pay close attention?

Part of the answer for all of us is recognizing that we are “prone to wander,” as the hymn writer says. Because we are forgetful, we need reminders about what is important and true and vital to our faith.

Within our churches, we must therefore figure out good ways to build friendships and structures that support these reminders. These reminders must happen during weekly worship, but there may be other opportunities that could help us remind each other about what we tend to forget.

The Titles of Jesus in the Gospels

January 15, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Do you remember choosing your first email address or social media username? This was a heady experience for me—I was picking a word or phrase by which I would be known. And this was nothing compared to the pressure my wife and I faced when selecting names for our children!

Authors know a bit of this pressure. The ways that characters refer to each other carry a lot of meaning. Consider the following scenario. A man appears in a courtroom before a judge, and the judge asks if he would like to make a statement. Among many other possibilities, the man might begin his statement with “Your honor,” “Judge Perkins,” “Ms. Perkins,” “Barbara,” or “Honey.” In that setting, each of those addresses carries a different, significant meaning.

The writers of the New Testament Gospels, while inspired by the Holy Spirit, were human authors. They chose their words carefully, especially when referring to the central character of their work: Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, we can learn a lot about the purpose of a Gospel as well as Jesus Himself by studying the ways that Gospel writers referred to Jesus.

I have made a small project of this study and I have listed the criteria I used for including a title or name in the first post of the series. I’ve also posted a link to the raw data on our Resources page so that interested readers might ask their own related questions.

Before listing the articles in this series, an important note is in order. The titles and names used for Jesus should not be considered apart from the context in which they are written. Just like the example of the man before the judge, the details of the setting, offense, and personal history of the characters involved matter a great deal. So while this current study can identify trends and tendencies, it is not definitive on its own. Each use of a name or title has its primary and most significant meaning within the historical and literary context in which it is used.

With that said, here are the eight articles in this series. I hope they will be of benefit to all who dive in.

Top 10 Titles of Jesus in the Gospels

The Titles of Jesus in Matthew

The Titles of Jesus in Mark

The Titles of Jesus in Luke

The Titles of Jesus in John

Jesus is the Christ

Jesus is the Son of God

Jesus is the Son of Man