By Peter Krol
In this recent Look at the Book video, John Piper shows how to dig in to the Scripture to address apparent contradictions or questions regarding foundational Christian doctrine. He looks at 1 Peter 3 to see whether Peter provides support for the idea that Jesus’ “resurrection” was only spiritual, without involving a physical body.
https://vimeo.com/172817031
By Peter Krol
At For the Church, Kristen Wetherell explains 17 benefits to reading the entire Bible. The reasons are below. Click over to her article for more explanation of each one.
Reading the entire Bible is well worth your time. Perhaps you might even like to get in a speed-read before the year is out?
Check it out!
By Peter Krol
How did we get our Bibles? Not just the books of the Bible, but all the apparatus that comes along with it? Chapter and verse numbers, section headings, and cross-references. Two-column format, study notes, and call-out boxes with key ideas. Why do our Bible look so different from any other book (or collection of books) we read?
Desiring God recently posted an important episode of the “Ask Pastor John” podcast, where Tony Reinke interviews Glenn Paauw, the Executive Director of the Biblica Institute for Bible Reading, a think tank dedicated to studying trends in Bible reading and design. Listening to this interview may be some of the best-spent 30 minutes of your week. Paauw explains how the appearance of the page drastically affects how we read this book—and how we lose the ability to read this book as a book.
I particularly appreciate Paauw’s question: Which of the following is the Bible most like?
Of course, most of us would pass this test with flying colors. We know the Bible is a collection of writings. But without realizing it, we’ve been trained all our lives not to read the Bible this way. Either we memorize individual verses scattered all throughout the Bible (as we’d handle Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations), or we go to the Bible to learn everything it has to say on a particular topic such as marriage or money (as we’d handle The Reader’s Digest Guide to Home Repairs). And the published presentation of the Bible now serves these market expectations, leading us farther and farther away from reading it like a collection of works.
For this reason, recent uncluttered editions such as the ESV Reader’s Bible have become so important. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should. I assure you, it will transform your Bible reading experience.
And listen to DG’s podcast to learn more about how the published presentation is changing the way we approach the Bible. It’s well worth your time.
By Peter Krol
At the Logos Talk blog, Mark Ward has an excellent piece walking through the observation phase of a study of Psalm 44.
The psalms are a favorite book for God’s people, in part because the study is easier. The meaning of the psalms often, at least, feels plain and practical—even if the application is simply “praise God.” But there is always greater depth in the Bible, and if you want to dig down there you’ll need tools.
I work for a Bible study tool company, but the first tool you should pick up is not necessarily Logos Bible Software. First grab your conceptual tools: observation, interpretation, and application.
We’ll do that in a series of three posts. Today: observation. Next week: interpretation. The next week: application.
Later in the post:
At this stage of the observation process, I don’t want to get bogged down with questions about the meanings of difficult words or phrases—unless they seem necessary for grasping the overall thought-flow of the psalm. Probably the only example of such a phrase in this psalm is “Ordain salvation for Jacob!” in verse 4. This is where Bible background knowledge is likely to be needed. If you’ve read the Old Testament, you probably know that “Jacob” is often a stand-in for the nation of “Israel.” Otherwise this psalm uses fairly simple and straightforward wording. The riches in this psalm are found not so much at the word level but at the structural level. How can I describe such a wrenching shift from praise to despair?
Ward models observation well. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
In an excerpt from the ESV Men’s Devotional Bible, Bryan Chapell summarizes well “The Main Message of Your Bible.” Here is a taste:
God doesn’t intend for this divine crusade of redemption merely to interest us. As the apostle Paul writes, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). The history, poetry, symbols, and instructions of Scripture vary greatly in style but not in their intention: all are intended to affect our response to life in our fallen world. Though evil is always present and frequently prevails, we are not to despair. With a patient confidence in God’s ultimate providence, and the assurance of the Scriptures that his redemption is ongoing, we always have hope.
By Peter Krol
My church is wrapping up a sermon series through Mark’s gospel, and we’re getting ready to begin preaching through Exodus. To prepare for our preaching team’s meeting to discuss an overview of the book, I’ve been reading and re-reading the book. With my mind saturated in Exodus, I was delighted to see this brief article from David Murray with “5 Reasons to Study Old Testament History.”
Many Christians, according to Murray:
entertain a negative view of Old Testament History; of its usefulness and even of its accuracy. It is often regarded as “far away” and “distant” chronologically, geographically, socially, and theologically. “What can it do for me?” and “Why study it?” are common questions. Here are five reasons to study it and benefit from it.
Murray’s 5 reasons:
Reading Murray’s comments, I couldn’t wait to dive back into Exodus. May it encourage you to pursue studying those many narratives that tell the stories of our people and of our King.
By Peter Krol
Nancy Guthrie has some really good advice for anyone and everyone who wants to grow at studying and teaching Scripture. She frames her article as 7 ideas for women, but anyone who cares to improve should consider these things:
We neglect such practices to our peril. Even if you’ve been to seminary, your need for growth has not yet come to an end. For more explanation, check it out!
By Peter Krol
In writing this advice to a teenager, John Piper has something to say to all of us:
You are right to read it every day and seek to let it permeate all your thoughts and feelings…
I think it is good to always be reading through the Bible as a whole…
In addition, it is good to focus on some unit of Scripture for going deeper, like a book or the Sermon on the Mount, or Romans 8…
With regard to prayer, this is absolutely crucial, and I am glad you are doing it. God hears our prayers and helps us be humble enough and alert enough and in-tune enough to grasp what he says.
The full article is available at Desiring God. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
For one week only, Westminster Books is having a sale on all titles from Cruciform Press, including my book Knowable Word. Currently $9.99 on Amazon, the book at WTS costs just $8.50.
In addition, if you buy 5 or more copies, or mix and match 5 or more Cruciform titles, you’ll get each one for $6.50 until June 16.
These are great prices if you’re in the market for some short books on important topics, including Bible study for ordinary people.
Here is an excellent practical guide to interpreting the Bible. Krol has thought through, tested, and illustrated in a clear, accessible way basic steps in interpreting the Bible, and made everything available in a way that will encourage ordinary people to deepen their own study.
– Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary and author of God-Centered Biblical Interpretation
If you want to pick up some extra copies for your Sunday school class or Bible study group, these are great prices! Get them from Westminster Books.
Disclaimer: If you click the links to Westminster Books, this blog will receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible!
By Peter Krol
Last week, the blog for Logos Bible Software published a piece I wrote entitled “How to Empower Your Church for Serious Bible Study.” In the article, I explain 4 simple habits churches and ministries can pursue to foster a culture of strong Bible study among the membership.
A reader of my blog recently emailed to say, “I was never intentionally taught how to lead a Bible study, and, when the time came for me to teach others how to do it, I had no idea even where to begin.” Do you know this guy? Does your church have such people, eager but directionless? They might never go to seminary, but I assure you they can become terrific Bible students and teachers.
I present Exhibit A: my friend, who is a theoretical physicist. He wrote a dissertation about non-standard neutrino interactions and their oscillation degeneracy. You might expect such an intellectual giant to struggle communicating with mere humans. And you might not expect such an academic to thrive in relational ministry. But one night I witnessed him leading a knockout Bible study for ordinary folks. He never held church office, and his Bible training came only from his experience as a church member. Yet he got so much right:
- He knew the text cold and could state its main point in a single sentence.
- He asked thoughtful questions that kept us transfixed on the text.
- He responded to the flow of the discussion without getting sidetracked.
- He showed us the beauty of Christ.
- He applied the text with both broad principles and specific life examples.
I’ve served in campus ministry for 17 years, and I’ve been a local church elder for more than half that time. I could recount many similar stories about regular church members—engineers, financial planners, school teachers, military officers and enlisted, factory workers, teenagers, medical professionals, accountants, artists, widows, retirees—who’ve learned to study, apply, and teach God’s word. My church and campus ministries have managed to empower people for serious Bible study.
How did we do it? By applying these four principles.
To learn the four habits, see the full post at Logos. If you’d like to hear more about the knockout Bible study led by the theoretical physicist, see my post on how to lead a great Bible study. To learn more about fostering a vibrant culture of Bible study in your church, see my post with a model for teaching Bible study or Ryan’s excellent series on building this culture.
