By Peter Krol
Greg Lanier has a helpful piece on “Resurrected Saints and Matthew’s Weirdest Passage,” where he addresses some common questions on Matthew 27:52-53:
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Lanier asks:
He looks closely at the text in its context to provide reasonable answers.
By Peter Krol
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
John 1:12
How much of our evangelistic effort roots itself in this verse, asking people to “receive Christ,” inviting him into their hearts? Is that what John meant when he wrote these words?
Jim Elliff argues that no, John did not have such a practice in mind. And Elliff shows us from the verse’s context a better understanding. Here is one place it takes him:
Our main work is not so much to explain the sinner’s response to Christ (that is important mainly for pretending believers), but to labor on the gospel itself. When we are brutally honest with people about their sin, and lucid about the only answer being in Christ, His death and resurrection, then we have preached the gospel. We have done what is necessary to cooperate with the Spirit in their conversion. We will actually work against the Spirit when we get caught up in a formulaic approach to the gospel as opposed to a content-filled proclamation. Get the message right and depend on God to convict and convert. You will know someone is saved, not when they “pray the prayer,” but when they repent and believe in Christ, with the evidence of truly following Him. Ask, “Do you believe?”
Elliff observes the text closely, in its context, and he argues, from John’s larger message, a better way to think about evangelism. This is terrific.
By Peter Krol
I argued a few weeks ago that we can trust the Bible because Jesus trusted it. In fact, the degree of trust he put in the reliability and authority of the Old Testament ought to astonish us.
“But what about the barbaric genocide?” some might protest.
“And the Old Testament’s low view of women?”
“And its scientific inaccuracy?”
When you talk about the value of the Old Testament, it doesn’t take long for such objections to begin rolling in.
Matthew H. Patton has a wonderful piece at Tabletalk Magazine entitled “Cherishing and Defending the Old Testament,” where he briefly addresses these objections and more.
When you invite folks to dinner, there are certain rooms you hope they won’t see because there wasn’t enough time to clean everywhere. Similarly, for many Christians, the Old Testament is not a gem to show off but a closet of problems that we hope our unbelieving friends won’t see or ask us about. But what if the Old Testament is actually one of our greatest treasures? What if some of its most problematic parts are actually part of its glory? In this article, we will step through several objections to the Old Testament and show how these issues actually point us to the glory of Christ.
Patton’s brief article is well worth your time, so you don’t have to feel ashamed of this book as you might an untidy room in the house. Cherish this aged wisdom which leads us to Christ.
By Peter Krol
Becky Kiern and Jenilyn Swett have a wise and practical piece at the Gospel Coalition, arguing that “Your Virtual Small Group Can Still be Vibrant.” They have great suggestions for both leaders and participants. Here is a taste:
• Keep virtual meetings shorter than in-person meetings. An hour is usually plenty of time. When groups meet in person, they build in time for small talk, for grabbing coffee or snacks, and for participants to reconnect—all prior to diving into the meeting. But virtual platforms make these interactions nearly impossible, and extended digital meetings can lead to a loss of focus.
• Consider limiting your group to around 10 or fewer. If your group has previously been larger than this, consider breaking into smaller groups for your virtual meetings this semester. As the number of participants in a virtual discussion increases, each one’s sense of being a vital part of the discussion decreases.
The full article has much more for your consideration. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
In case you’ve been holding out for a deal, you’ll want to know that the Kindle version of Knowable Word is on sale right now for $2.99 at Amazon. By the way, clicking that affiliate link might also send a few more pennies in this direction to support the blog.
By Peter Krol
Here is a very brief, yet marvelous reflection from Jared Wilson on the glory of the Scripture.
I want to bleed Bible. Don’t you? I want, when somebody cuts me open, my guts to spill out in Bible verses.
We are staring back along the wake of an entire generation of church teaching that treats the Bible likes Bartlett’s Book of Quotations. We swoop down toward the Scriptures quickly and snatch something, anything, that will do for a pick-me-up, a soundbite, a prooftexted inspiration. Jeremiah 29:11. Philippians 4:13. Romans 8:28. These verses and more we have decontextualized into a devastating discipleship deficiency. And then we act shocked when professing Christians who otherwise know some Bible verses do not portray the wisdom of the Word.
He concludes:
Be careful with how you use your Bible, then, to make sure it is actually using you. Consult its whole counsel. Don’t be an adherent of pick-n-choose-ianity. Reject sloganeering and cliche-peddling. Through the deep Word, become a deeper person. The Bible is bigger than your bumper sticker.
Please read the rest of Wilson’s exhortation, and please, please, take it to heart. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
Justin Dillehay takes a close look at Psalm 110 to unpack what it has to say about the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus said the Psalms were about him (Luke 24:44), and Psalm 110 was one the apostles returned to time and again to show forth Jesus’ work.
Out of all the verses in the Hebrew Bible, the most frequently quoted in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1. But that’s not all. Verse 4 of the same psalm gets almost an entire chapter’s worth of commentary (Heb. 7:11–28). Clearly, the apostles and prophets saw this messianic psalm as highly significant for their understanding of Jesus.
We would do well, then, to consider how this psalm presents the Messiah whom we worship.
By Peter Krol
I appreciate Megan Taylor’s piece at Reformation21, where she observes the help offered in Psalm 121, considers the disconnect between such promises and real life, and finds satisfying answers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This brief devotional piece is worth your time.
How can the believer reconcile the suffering, trials, and persecution they are guaranteed with the astounding assurance in Psalm 121 that the Lord will keep them from all evil? Some might misinterpret this passage and claim a false gospel of health and wealth. Others may question God’s wisdom when they look at the tragedies befalling Christians throughout the world. Often we simply view this psalm as a platitude. We turn to it when we feel uneasy or anxious, but stop short of the solace it offers once our fears are momentarily assuaged. We are satisfied with momentary relief when we are promised comfort forevermore.
By Peter Krol
Douglas Sean O’Donnell asks and answers some key questions to provide background to a study of the Psalms:
By Peter Krol
John Piper was recently asked this question, and his answer is fantastic.
1. Do you believe Psalm 119:99?
2. How will you test the reliability of your teachers by the word of God?
3. Why do you want to avoid the immediate, authentic experience of savoring your love letter by asking someone else to read it for you?
Of course, this is only the summary. His full answer is worth your consideration.
