Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Top 10 KW Posts of 2014

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San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

‘Tis the season for reflection and celebration. So to join the fun, here are the 10 most-viewed posts of the year. Be sure not to miss them; this could be your last chance.

10. How to Honor God with Your Money

A Bible study on Proverbs 1:10-19 that gets specific with application.

9. 10 Old Testament Books Never Quoted in the New Testament

Part of my series analyzing every explicit NT quotation of the OT. This post lists all the OT books never explicitly quoted (though most of them are certainly alluded to) by NT authors.

8. The Best Wedding Sermon Ever

A recording of the sermon preached at my wedding, from Song of Solomon 2:1-3:5. I’ve been to a lot of weddings, and this remains the best sermon I’ve ever heard.

7. Top 11 Old Testament Verses Quoted in the New Testament

Another installment in the NT-use-of-the-OT analysis. Could this one be so popular because we like to know what the Apostles’ favorite memory verses may have been?

6. Details of the OIA Method

This post serves as a table of contents to all my posts about the OIA method. When new visitors find the site, this post shows them the way to all the nuts and bolts of OIA Bible study (observe, interpret, apply).

5. Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

Who wouldn’t want to teach their littlest ones how to study God’s word?

4. Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old

Last year, the 2-year-old post was more popular, but this year, the post about 4-year-olds edged it out.

3. Summary of the OIA Method

This post’s popularity doesn’t surprise me, as I link to it all the time. It is the centerpiece of the site, and I want to direct readers there early and often.

2. 3 Disciplines to Develop Wise Speech

This post from the “how to lead a Bible study” series brought a huge surge in traffic late in the year when Tim Challies linked to it. I’m delighted to see readers willing to focus on character in addition to learning skills.

1. 10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality

In March, I compiled this quick list of observations of Proverbs 6:24-35 about all the good reasons to avoid sexual sin. My usual blogging time had been cut in half that week due to other pressures of life, and I just wanted to get something out there for my ongoing Bible study through Proverbs 1-9. I didn’t even have time to write a proper introduction with a decent hook. To my utter surprise, though, Tim Challies, and then many others, liked the post and linked to it, and many more shared it on social media. The post quickly became the most-viewed post in the history of this blog.

May the sure promises of God’s word guide us, and may the Lord himself rescue us in those times when we consider doing something stupid.

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And for your reading pleasure, here were the next 10 most viewed posts:

11. What Frozen Taught Me About Bible Study

12. How to Lead a Great Bible Study

13. Why I Don’t Like Inductive Bible Study

14. Why Did Jesus Feed the 5,000?

15. Easy Sex Will Keep You From Being Wise

16. Sample Bible Study Leader’s Notes

17. Four Modern Versions of the Bible that are Ruining the Bible

18. How to Recognize Sowers of Discord

19. Ask Good Observation Questions

20. What Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) Taught Me About Bible Study

Please let me know if you have any ideas for topics you’d like to see in 2015. Only one rule: It must in some way help ordinary people learn to study the Bible.

5 Common Small Group Myths

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At the Gospel Coalition, Steven Lee writes about “5 Common Small Group Myths (and the Truth to Help Transform Your Group).” He expands on the following 5 myths:

  • Myth #1: A successful small group will not be relationally messy.
  • Myth #2: Small groups exist for others to meet my needs.
  • Myth #3: Trust and transparency take many years to cultivate in a small group.
  • Myth #4: Small group members should become best friends.
  • Myth #5: Small groups should focus only on Bible study, not sharing sins or engaging in outreach.

I certainly struggle with #3, and I feel pretty guilty if #4 doesn’t take place. Can you relate with any of them?

The full article is worth reading. Check it out!

3 Gifts to Encourage Bible Study

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People buy Christmas gifts for different reasons. Parents choose a special toy to bless their child with genuine delight as they play. A wife selects socks for her husband because she is tired of seeing him pad around the house with a big toe peeking through his threadbares. A teenage boy purchases a gift card for his older brother because, well, he needs to get him something.

FutUndBeidl (2012), Creative Commons License

FutUndBeidl (2012), Creative Commons License

Gifts With a Purpose

A courageous few will buy a gift to encourage a behavior or habit in a friend, in a loved one, or in themselves. Gym memberships, spiral planners, and alarm clocks may all fall into this category.

Perhaps you know someone you’d like to encourage in the Christian life. There’s no better way to grow as a Christian than reading and studying the Bible. Here are three gift ideas to consider if you want to encourage Bible study. (Be sure to read all the way to the end, because you will see a gift idea that requires you to spend exactly $0.)

  1. A Bible — Perhaps this is obvious, but it is difficult to study the Bible without a Bible. Though there are an abundance of Bible resources available in online and mobile formats, some people prefer to have a hard copy in their hands. Also, some may be reluctant to write in or mark up a Bible that has sentimental value. So why not give a Bible expressly for the purpose of Bible study, and with this give your friend permission to dig into the Good Book with ink and graphite?

    There are thousands of Bibles available online. I won’t give a specific recommendation (though commenters should feel free), but consider these factors as you make a purchase: pick a good translation (ask a trusted friend or pastor, or ask me in the comments), make sure the font is large enough for comfortable reading, and consider how much space is available in the margins. (I realize there is much more I could write about how to choose a good Bible to study. Look for an upcoming post discussing just that!)

    Bonus suggestions — Here are some smaller, stocking-friendly suggestions that pair nicely with the gift of a Bible: a notebook or special pen for Bible study notes, colored pencils for marking up the Bible, or fun post-it notes to mark out significant passages or hold longer personal commentary. None of these are necessary for personal Bible study, of course, but I’ve found that when people enjoy the tools they are using, they are more likely to pursue the related activity.

  2. A book — For most Christians, lack of personal Bible study is not due to the absence of a Bible. Far too many Christians have dusty, unopened Bibles propping up other books on their shelves. These Christians need to be persuaded that personal Bible study is necessary and that personal Bible study is doable. We should not leave Bible study to the professionals — to preachers and authors of commentaries. God intended his word to be read, known, and studied by all his children. In fact, this is how he delights in making himself known to us!

    If only someone had written a book as an introduction to a solid method of Bible study! If that book taught readers the Observation-Interpretation-Application method of Bible study, such a recommendation would be even more appropriate on this blog. If only such a book were widely available and inexpensive! If only such a book had easy-to-find cover art — we could put it in the sidebar of every page on this blog!

    (Two notes: I must point out that this recommendation is not being written by Peter. He is far too modest to claim that his book is outstanding, so I’m doing it—not because he wants me to, but because I really think it is great. Second, there are other fine books written to instruct readers in Bible study. The point here is to find a trustworthy book that points people back to the Bible and equips them to study the Bible on their own.)

  3. An invitation — Perhaps you want to give a gift but your budget doesn’t have much room this year. Or maybe you just want to give the most personal gift on this list. Consider inviting a friend to study the Bible with you! I’m not speaking of starting a Bible study group (though we have resources to help you with that). What if you simply met with a friend once every week or two to study a portion of Scripture? Pick a book of the Bible together, set aside an hour, and dig in! This could be a low-stress way to sharpen your own Bible study skills, encourage your friend in solid Bible study methods, and deepen your friendship, all at the same time.

Any one of these gifts, given in the right spirit and within the right relationship, could provide just the spark that a friend needs to know God better. What suggestions do you have for gifts that encourage Bible study?

The Bible Study Tim Keller Never Forgot

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Last week, Collegiate Collective published a guest article I wrote about campus ministry entitled “The College Ministry Method that Should Never Change.” College ministry must constantly change to keep up with cultural trends, but in the article I write of the one thing—study of the Bible—that must never change lest ministry lose its moorings.

I got the idea for the article from an interview Tim Keller did with Bible Study Magazine, where he described one particular meeting he’s never forgotten since his undergraduate days:

Keller describes a retreat where InterVarsity staff worker Barbara Boyd gave the students 30 minutes to list 50 observations from a single verse: “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men’” (Mark 1:17). After 10 minutes, they began to feel saturated, but she encouraged them to press on. When they regrouped to share their findings, they could not believe how many jewels came from this single mine. “Boyd closed her exercise by asking the students how many of them had found their deepest insight in the first five minutes of thought. ‘No one had,’ says Keller. ‘And I’ve never forgotten that.’”[1]

Have you ever been in such a Bible study?

If you’d like to read my full article, check it out!

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[1] Bible Study Magazine, Vol. 5 No. 3, March/April 2013, pp. 12-13.

How to Lead a Bible Study

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For several months, I’ve reflected on many skills involved in leading Bible study groups. I’ve now arranged the posts into categories and created a table of contents for the series to make it easier to find stuff.

You can find the contents page in the top menu under “Leading” > “Adult Bible Studies”. I grouped the posts into the following categories:

  • Why lead Bible studies?
  • Getting the group started
  • Preparing to lead
  • Leading the meeting
  • Outside the meeting
  • Training others to lead

I haven’t yet completed the series, so I’ll keep the contents page updated as I go.

Check it out!

My Love-Hate Relationship with Bible Study Tools

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Last week, the Gospel Coalition published a piece I wrote called “My Love-Hate Relationship with Bible Study Tools.”

What if I were to ask you to solve 30 long-division problems? One thing, though: there’s no calculator. Sure, you probably remember how to do it by hand, but since you haven’t since childhood, you’re rusty. As a result, the whole idea seems a little threatening and needlessly difficult, doesn’t it?

Thanks to the blessings of the modern age, nobody does long division by hand anymore. We’ve become dependent on the tool. Why go to all that intellectual effort when you can punch a few buttons and have an answer at your fingertips in a matter of milliseconds?

I love that we have access to calculators. I don’t even mind that using them has permanently atrophied my math skills. But I refuse to let modern Bible study tools—as great as they are—do the same thing to my Bible study skills. I never want to become so dependent on these tools that I forgo the deep joy that comes from sitting down with a Bible, plus a pen and some paper, and simply digging in. I never want to pretend that reading the fruit of someone else’s Bible study efforts is the same as plumbing the depths of God’s Word myself. And no matter how biblically wise or learned I may become, I never want to train anyone to rely on me more than they rely on Scripture.

What’s more, I’m convinced that if the New Testament authors were alive today they would back me up: modern Bible study tools are a great blessing—but if you rarely or never study the Bible without them, you’re not only doing it backward, you’re seriously missing out.

The article then lists 3 fruits of personal Bible study and makes a brief case for the OIA method. If you’d like to read the full article, have at it!

3 Ways Not to Use Greek in Bible Study

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An all-too-common myth in Bible study is that there is a “true” or “deeper” meaning in the original languages that doesn’t come across in English. Not only is this idea almost always untrue, it is also normally damaging to careful Bible study.

I’m not saying that Greek and Hebrew are worthless. They matter, and pastors and Bible teachers will benefit from studying the languages. But we must study them as languages, not as secret codes. It’s far more useful to learn how language works than to learn how to reference Strong’s numbers and identify Hebrew and Greek word roots.

For example, “agape” means very little on its own. It finds meaning only when it’s used in a sentence. Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John may have very different things in mind when they use the same word. We benefit much more from examining the sentences than by scrutinizing the exact vocabulary. And normally we can do this just fine in English.

Justin Dillehay walks through 3 common errors committed by those who dabble in Greek vocabulary in their Bible study. We do well to take notice!

  1. Usage trumps etymology: Avoid the root fallacy. The origins of a word have very little to do with that word’s later usage.
  2. Scholars are necessary: Avoid the cult of the amateur. Praise God for those members of the body who dedicate their lives to rich understanding of Greek and Hebrew. Perhaps we ought to be slow to suggest how a certain passage “should” be translated.
  3. Context is king: Avoid the overload fallacy. When a writer uses a certain word, he’s not normally tapping into every other use of that word in prior literature. Therefore, Dillehay writes, “An ounce of good contextual analysis is worth a pound of poorly done Greek word studies.”

Dillehay’s full article is well worth reading. Check it out!

Escaping the Box: Main Session Videos

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One of my greatest privileges is teaching the Word of God. Another is teaching God’s Word alongside teammates whom I respect and from whom I love to learn. I love serving with an organization that loves God’s Word and is committed to helping college students learn how to study it.

On October 24-26, DiscipleMakers held our annual Fall Conference. This year’s theme was “Escaping the Box: The Mind-Blowing Message of Jesus.” At the main sessions, we taught on key aspects of Christ’s salvation from the book of Romans. Below are clips from each session, and you can click the links to video of the full talks (mine was the closing session).

Romans 1: The Overwhelming Despair of Depravity

Romans 5: The Surprising Joy of Justification

Romans 8:1-17: The Gracious Acceptance of Adoption

Roundtable Discussion: The Compelling Summons of Sanctification

Romans 8:17-39: The Unbelievable Goal of Glorification

 

9 Things Everyone Should Do When Reading the Bible

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This article at Relevant Magazine lists 9 simple things anyone and everyone should do when reading the Bible.

  1. Read “king” when you see “Christ.”
  2. Read “you” differently (it’s usually plural, not singular).
  3. If you see a “therefore,” find out what it’s there for.
  4. Realize that not all “if” statements are the same.
  5. Recognize that lamenting is OK.
  6. Realize that prophecy is more often FORTH-telling than FORE-telling.
  7. Become familiar with the idioms of your king.
  8. Remember what you learned in English class.
  9. Read to study. But also, read to refresh your heart.

These are great tips. On the first point, I suggest reading “the Chosen One” instead of “King,” but the article’s general point is sound: “Christ” is a title and not just Jesus’ last name.

Check it out!

Answering Kids’ Questions About the Bible

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Desiring God posted an article from Jon Bloom called “Be Ready to Answer Your Kids’ Questions About the Bible.”

Christianity stands or falls on the reliability, inspiration, and authority of the Bible. Children pick up on that early. We tell them that they should trust the Bible. At some point they will (and should) ask why (if they feel it’s okay to ask).

He goes on to answer the following questions in language suitable to a 9-year-old.

  1. How do we know the Bible is reliable?
  2. Who decided what should be in the Bible?
  3. How do we know the Bible has no errors in it?
  4. Who can understand the Bible?
  5. Why do we need the Bible to know God?
  6. Does the Bible tell us everything we need to know?

Are you ready to answer these questions? Check it out!