Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Turn Your Mediocre Bible Study Into a Thing of Beauty

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For this week’s Check It Out, I bring you this gem from the fake Christian news site, The Babylon Bee: “Church Small Group Looking Forward To Six-Week Study Of Awkward Silences.” If you’d like to turn your mediocre Bible study into a thing of beauty, just consider following this example:

“I think it’s great how the group is really all participating in making things as awkward as possible,” [Pastor] Parker stated to reporters after the first session. “Trust is so important in a small group, and I know that if I ask anyone any sort of question whatsoever about the text, or application, or life, or anything at all, I will be greeted by a deafening, unbearable, soul-crushing silence that, while in reality only lasts 30 to 45 seconds, goes on for several consecutive eternities within my tortured mind.”

Parker’s small group appears to be off to a great start, according to sources present at the study. Parker’s query, “So, what does ‘redemption’ mean to you?” was met not only by awkward silence, but at least two throat-clearings, two sniffs, and one sudden, brief inhalation. A question about the deity of Christ resulted in multiple Bible pages being rustled in a contrived manner, as well as one uncomfortable murmur before lapsing into abject quietude once more.

“I feel blessed to lead this group,” enthused Parker. “I can hardly wait for our study of Galatians and the empty, mute void of uncomfortable despair ahead.”

Check it out!

Basic Principles for Bible Reading

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Here’s a great but brief video from Michael Horton and the White Horse Inn with some basic principles for Bible reading.

  1. Engage the text.
  2. Don’t assume you know what it means.
  3. Look for the original meaning to the original audience.
  4. Learn from how other Christians have read this passage around the world and in different times.
  5. Remember the big picture is about Jesus Christ.

Check it out!

HT: Kevin Halloran

Is the KJV the Most Reverent and Majestic Translation?

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A few months ago, I reviewed the excellent Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (RHKJV). On my study Bible buying guide, that study Bible tied for a close second place as one of the study Bibles that promotes good Bible study skills.

Joel Beeke, who led the editorial team for the RHKJV, wrote a short article in 2008 with “Practical Reasons for Retaining the KJV” translation. Though Beeke doesn’t take an extreme (KJV-only) position, Mark Ward recently wrote a response to Beeke’s points, explaining why modern translations are more helpful for modern people.

If you’ve ever wondered whether we should keep the KJV because it was the “standard English translation” for so long, or because it sounds more majestic and reverent than modern translations, you’ll want to see what Ward has to say. I stand by my recommendation of the RHKJV, but I retain significant caution with the elephant within (the archaic translation).

Check it out!

Disclaimer: My son, if thou wilt receive my words and click my Amazon links with thine own right hand, thou shalt supply an odour of a sweet smell when a commission from thy purchases provideth this blog with new tablets of stone upon which to engrave its writings. Blessed be ye of the Lord. But I say unto all which clicketh not: Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice?

5 Reasons to Read the Entire Bible This Year

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Back in December, Jeff Robinson gave 5 good reasons to read the entire Bible in 2016. How are you doing with your reading plan? Do you think it’s still worth it to read the Bible this year? Let Robinson’s 5 reasons motivate you to press on:

  1. It helps you learn the overarching story of Scripture.
  2. It will improve your ability to interpret and exegete Scripture.
  3. It will keep you habitually in the Bible.
  4. It will ensure you are engaging (and being engaged by) Scripture at least as frequently as you’re engaging other books.
  5. It will force you to navigate those tricky, less traveled roads of Scripture.

Robinson explains each point and gives ideas for how to get started. Though it’s not still January, it’s not too late to get going. Check it out!

5 Reasons to Mark Up Your Bible

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Kevin Halloran proposes “5 Blessings of Marking Up Your Bible.”

  1. It engages me in more careful study.
  2. It helps with future Bible reading.
  3. It helps me remember experiences.
  4. It encourages others who see its marked-up pages
  5. It demonstrates the high value I place on God’s word.

Halloran also suggests what exactly to mark when you study your Bible. If you’d like ideas for a new markup Bible, see our post comparing the options.

Check it out!

How to Train a Bible Study Apprentice

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For a few months, I’ve written about how to train a Bible study apprentice. Some of you may have picked up on the method to my madness, but I imagine many have not.

So I’ve created a table of contents page for the series, which outlines the training model and links to each post. There is no better way to grow a small group ministry than to continually train apprentices to launch new groups. If you’d like to see the big picture and get a glimpse of where the rest of the series will go, check it out!

Dos and Don’ts for Teaching Children the Bible

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John Wells has a helpful article on teaching children the Bible. He gives 4 things to avoid and 5 things to embrace.

Don’t:

  1. Teach narratives as moralistic fables
  2. Use excessive extrapolation and subtext
  3. Imply prosperity theology
  4. Exclude non-narrative genres (letters, prophets, poets)

Do:

  1. Read and talk with your children about the Bible
  2. Give them the full Scripture, not just children’s Bibles
  3. Teach them to think through paragraphs in the letters
  4. In narrative, read the whole story and then ask questions
  5. Be okay with not knowing the answers to all their questions

I think Wells overstates his case at a few points. For example, his first “don’t” almost sounds like the Bible doesn’t teach ethics (but it does). And his second “don’t” misses an important part of interpretation: Putting yourself there, and using your imagination to picture the scene. In arguing against an extreme situation (ignoring the text in favor of one’s own interpretation), Wells might react too far the other way.

But that said, I heartily agree with most of what he says. Give your children the Bible, not just children’s Bibles. Give them the whole Bible. Teach them to read, think, study, and apply. Show them Jesus. You can read the full article for more explanation of each point.

Check it out!

Vern Poythress on OIA Bible Study

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I was delighted when Dr. Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, was willing to endorse my book Knowable Word with the following kind words:

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.

I’m equally delighted to see that he believes enough in the OIA method of Bible study to write about it himself. From Crossway’s blog:

In the simplest form, we sit down and read the Bible with a focus on the fact that God is present and speaks to us through what we read. We consider a three-step approach to studying the Bible. The three steps are observation, elucidation, and application.

Observation answers the question, “What does the text say?” Elucidation answers the question, “What does it mean?” Application answers the question, “What does it mean to me?”

Of course, you’ll see Poythress uses the term “elucidation” instead of “interpretation,” but he clearly means the same thing.

Poythress illustrates the method with a brief discussion of 1 Samuel 22 before concluding with the value of these three steps:

Breaking the study of the Bible into three steps, rather than seeing it as all one process of interaction, has an advantage. We all have weaknesses and biases in how we look at Scripture. The three steps help people not to overlook one or more aspects of interpretation as they hurry to get to their favorite part.

One person loves application, and tends to leap into it without taking time to think through what the passage is really saying. Another person avoids application, and tends to think and think and think without ever acting on the message. By contrast, James tells us that we should make sure that we act on what we hear: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22; see also vv. 23–27). Still another person reads and reads, without asking himself about what it means or how it applies. He remains largely on the level of observation.

The division into three steps encourages people to look at the passage in several ways, and not to neglect aspects that they tend to minimize.

Poythress gives evidence of what I’ve written before: “The OIA method has many benefits. It teaches us to hear the text and respond to it. It trains us in critical thinking and clear communication. It interests post docs, preschoolers, and everyone in between. It can be learned in five minutes and perfected over a lifetime.”

Poythress’s full article is worth a few minutes of your time. Check it out!

Ecclesiastes Introduction Overview

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David Kieffer has a good overview of the book of Ecclesiastes on his blog. Here’s a taste:

When Solomon asked for wisdom God gave it abundantly! Royal court officials and foreign dignitaries marveled at Solomon’s wisdom. “[Everyone] perceived that God’s wisdom was in him.” (1 Kings 3:28). Though Solomon never asked for wealth and honor; wisdom landed him on top of the world — financially, politically, and socially!

It’s remarkable that the person most qualified to sing Wisdom’s praises instead warned us about its limitations. Solomon wrote, “I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business… a striving after the wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13,17-18)

Wisdom’s limitations present unsettling news for hope seekers…

As a young adult, a few people tried to warn me about wisdom’s limitations. When they suggested my search for understanding might lead to frustrated uncertainty, I thought them jaded or faithless. But then life’s unexpected twists and turns led me to the precipice of my vain assurance and I fell to humbler ground. I realized I might never understand why certain bad things happen. Soon afterward, Solomon became my empathetic friend. He shared my sense of futility — “Meaningless, Meaningless…utterly meaningless!” 

Unexpected comfort comes when we realize the Bible doesn’t conveniently dismiss life’s most troubling dilemmas. In fact it often silences those offering easy answers to allow space for frustrated voices to wail. Even Jesus wailed, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” from the cross (Matthew 27:46).

I differ with Kieffer on his sharp distinction between proverbs and laws, but I confess it puts him in good company. I’ve written about R.C. Sproul’s “proverbial peccadillo” on this very point.

But as for his broad overview of the message of Ecclesiastes, Kieffer’s full article is well worth checking out.

Don’t Apply the Bible?

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Crossway’s blog has a provocative article by David Mathis, who argues that practical application can sometimes be a red herring that distracts us from careful Bible study.

So then, is it right to think of “application” as an everyday means of God’s grace? Is this a spiritual discipline to be pursued with every Bible encounter? The answer is yes and no, depending on what we mean by application.

Good teachers have claimed that every encounter with God’s Word should include at least one specific application to our lives—some particular addition, however small, to our daily to-do list. There is a wise intention in this: pressing ourselves not just to be hearers of God’s Word, but doers. But such a simplistic approach to application overlooks the more complex nature of the Christian life—and how true and lasting change happens in a less straightforward way than we may be prone to think.

Mathis goes on to argue that Bible study doesn’t always produce specific additions to our daily to-do list. Often, it should produce astonishment at who God is, and worship. Such astonishment and worship change us on the inside. And we will see specific change on the outside after only long periods of reflective astonishment.

Mathis makes some important points, and I don’t disagree with him. However, terminology can trip us up. Mathis argues against daily “application,” which he considers a red herring, but he narrowly defines “application” to include only detailed behavioral changes. He offers the substitute of astonishment and worship as a better daily practice.

But in the process he almost replaces one kind of application (hands) for another (heart). He argues against overly ethical application (too much focus on the hands), but seems to suggest an overly pietistic application (too much focus on the heart). I humbly suggest both approaches are imbalanced; we should regularly do both. In addition, let’s not forget also to apply the Bible to our heads. Remember the application matrix, which enables us to stretch our application into every category.

So I’m happy to recommend Mathis’s article to you. But when he writes of “the red herring of Bible application,” hear him describing, not application itself, but “the problem with focusing exclusively on hands application.” Don’t ever remove “application” (hands, head, and heart) from your Bible study. And with this clarification, the article is right on target.

Check it out!