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3 Rules for Using Commentaries

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The Logos Talk blog has a great, brief article with “3 Rules for Using Commentaries.” These rules are similar to the “4 Mistakes When Using Commentaries,” which I posted in 2012. But the Logos post goes into more helpful detail.

The 3 rules are:

  1. Bring opinions to the commentary.
  2. Bring questions to the commentary.
  3. Bring out a variety of commentaries.

These are great rules. If we don’t bring our own opinions, we allow the commentary to do our thinking for us. If we don’t bring our questions, we may spend a lot of time looking up irrelevant information. And if we don’t bring out a variety of commentaries, we’ll be simpletons, easily persuaded by one man’s opinion.

My favorite part of the article is when the authors describe their seminary professors, who prohibited commentary usage until the students had done their own work first. The reason?

They wanted us to converse with commentaries, not merely listen to them.

Great advice! Check it out!

Choosing a Daily Bible Reading Method

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Perhaps you just finished speed-reading the entire Bible. Or perhaps you’ve drifted from other New Year’s resolutions and you could use a fresh start to your Bible reading.

Matt Schneider has some great advice for you to consider.

Often people ask for God to speak to them, to give them signs, or to make himself known to them while ignoring regular Bible reading. This is unfortunate. If we want to hear from God, to know him more and more and to see his works in the world, we can do no better than regularly listening to him in Scripture for our entire lives.

Schneider then explains four approached people might take to develop the habit of daily Bible reading. The most important this is to do something. Perhaps one of these ideas can help you to refresh your vision and renew your practice.

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How to Know if Your Interpretation is Correct

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I’ve shared before John Piper’s crucial definition of the Bible’s “meaning”: What the author intended to communicate with his words.

Now in another brief video, Piper builds on that definition by showing us how that definition gives us an objective means by which we can evaluate whether an interpretation is right or wrong.

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Preparing Children to Read the Bible

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Though I haven’t yet read Joe Carter’s new book, The Life and Faith Field Guide for Parents, I’m intrigued by this excerpt published at the Gospel Coalition. Here is a taste:

Some missionaries spend years or even decades learning how to teach literacy to unreached people. Why? Primarily, to give those people the tools they need to read the Word of God for themselves. As Christian parents—missionaries to our own children—we want our kids to know how to read so they too can one day read the Bible for themselves. This mindset about teaching can lead to long-lasting benefits for your children. Instead of viewing the literacy process as the means to reach the goal of reading, think of it instead as the means by which your child reaches the goal of reading the Bible.

This may appear to be a trivial distinction. After all, children who learn to read will likely be able to read the Bible. While that is true, a profound shift occurs when we teach reading for the primary goal of reading Scripture. Whatever stage your child is at in literacy education—whether they’re an infant learning words for the first time or a high-school student learning vocabulary terms for the SAT—consider this to be your objective: to shape their reading so they can better read the [Bible].

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10 Reasons to Study the Old Testament

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Jason DeRouchie gives 10 great reasons why Christians should read, study, and teach the Old Testament.

  1. The OT was Jesus’s only Scripture and makes up three-fourths (75.55 percent) of our Bible.
  2. The OT substantially influences our understanding of key biblical teachings.
  3. We meet the same God in both Testaments.
  4. The OT announces the very ‘good news/gospel’ we enjoy.
  5. Both the old and new covenants call for love, and we can learn much about love from the OT.
  6. Jesus came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them.
  7. Jesus said that all the OT points to him.
  8. Failing to declare ‘the whole counsel of God’ can put us in danger before the Lord.
  9. The NT authors stressed that God gave the OT for Christians.
  10. Paul commands church leaders to preach the OT.

I find reasons 2, 7, and 8 most personally compelling, but all 10 are good reasons. DeRouchie explains each one with brevity and clarity.

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Context Matters: Precept Upon Precept

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When some of us learned about studying or teaching the Bible, one phrase seemed to be repeated as often as any other: precept upon precept, line upon line. In my experience, few verses are quoted and extolled as these when we’re encouraging our people to take the Bible seriously. Not only have we told our people that it is one good method among many, but some of us have said it’s the only right way to study the Bible. I’ve literally sung this phrase as a chorus in church.


But I sang those lines with a confused conscience. Having come across those words in Isaiah, I wondered if they could possibly mean what we thought they meant. Too embarrassed and fearful to express my concern, I told myself that I was no Bible expert and I could rest secure in my lack of knowledge. Surely, my sense that Isaiah was using those phrases — “line upon line” and “precept upon precept” — to mock God’s people couldn’t be correct! So, I set aside that precept and moved on to the next.

So writes Abigail Dodds, who then gives us a model Bible study in Isaiah 28. She observes, interprets, and applies, showing the train of thought from the context and calling us to have open ears to receive the Lord’s instruction.

Dodds does all this very well and concisely. I commend her article to you.

Context matters. Check it out!

Does Jesus Commend Dishonesty?

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If you’ve ever read the parable in Luke 16:1-9 about the fraudulent servant who gets fired, further cheats his employer, and is commended—you might have wondered what in the world was going on. When Jesus criticizes the sons of light for failing to be as shrewd as as the sons of this world (Luke 16:8), is he expecting his people to act like the crook?

John Piper answers this question for us by looking carefully at the text, within the context of Luke, and by drawing application from the parable’s main point. He shows us how to answer difficult questions with good Bible study skills.

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A Simple 3-Step Bible Reading Plan for Children

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My children have really enjoyed making use of audio Bibles to develop a habit of daily Bible reading—even long past their preschool years. A few of them enjoy writing down some reflections, but most prefer to simply draw while listening. We have found that their listening comprehension is excellent.

But since every child and family is different, I believe there are many options for teaching children to love God through his word. Joe Carter has another idea that may work better for you or your kids. He proposes 3 simple steps:

  1. Make a chart listing every chapter of the Bible.
  2. Assign them to read a chapter each day, with each day of the week focusing on a different part of the Bible.
  3. Have them cross off the chapter they read that day to see their progress.

Perhaps this could work for your family. Carter helpfully reminds us that flexibility is the most important principle: It’s okay if they miss a day. The most important thing is that we foster an environment where Bible reading is a habitual part of everyday life.

To develop a biblical worldview, we need to saturate our minds in Scripture. This requires repeatedly reading and engaging with the Bible throughout our lifetime. The earlier we begin reading the Bible the more time we have for God’s Word to seep into the marrow of our souls. That’s why helping a child to develop the habit of Bible reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.

Check it out!