Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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50 Observations of John 3:16

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I was so proud yesterday when this photo showed up on my Facebook timeline.

John 3-16 bloomSome students, who lead Bible studies for DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, have been reading Knowable Word together, and they took my challenge from page 42 to make 50 observations of John 3:16. They sent me a photo of this autographed white board to show the fruit of their labors.

My favorites are:

  • #2: “God” is the subject
  • #6: “Whoever” – excludes no-one
  • #11: “Love” is past tense
  • #16: “For” – connector (back to Moses & serpent in verse 15)
  • #22: “God gave” = a choiceBloom DCF
  • #28: “Believe” = theme of John
  • #41: Simplicity

Great job, Huskies! Does anyone else want to flex those observation muscles and give it a try?

Look at the Book: Romans 8:28

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If you’d like a real treat, watch a skillful student of Scripture in action. Desiring God continues to release a series of videos showing John Piper in the study, examining God’s word in great depth.

He’s working through Romans chapter 8 bit by bit, and spent 3 10-minute sessions on a single, crucial verse: Romans 8:28. This verse is not only one of the most famous verses in the Bible, but also one of the most commonly misunderstood. Piper unpacks the verse, phrase by phrase, explaining the meaning of each phrase in the context of the paragraph.

What to look for: Piper has a keen eye for observation of the text. In these videos, he shows how to notice repeated words, comparisons, contrasts, and connectors. He demonstrates what to do with these observations. He asks terrific questions (“Why does the verse begin with ‘we know’?” “Who are those who ‘love God’?” “What is the ‘good’ that all things work together for?”). He shows how to answer such questions from the text at hand, including the surrounding context. He pulls it all together beautifully in a way that celebrates Paul’s main ideas and honors God’s word. There are many, many things to commend. If you struggle with any of these skills, watch these videos to see how it’s done.

What to look out for: Piper does so much so well, but I think he jumps a little too quickly to many cross-references. Right when his questions get good, he bails from the text at hand and looks for help in other Pauline passages. But the church in Rome wouldn’t have had access to those other letters of Paul’s, and I wonder how they would have wrestled through these questions. And, how do we avoid making unhelpful cross-references (importing meaning from passages that use the same terminology in different ways)?

In the end, I don’t disagree with any of Piper’s conclusions. But I wish he had left a few questions unanswered, being content simply to make statements such as: “This passage doesn’t answer the question of what exactly “God’s calling” means, so we’ll just leave that question for another study in another passage.”

Despite this minor criticism, Piper’s videos have much to commend them. If you’d like to see good observation and interpretation in action, you would do well to check them out!

Bible Reading is an Art

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Everything on this blog aims to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. That means we cover a lot of details and mechanics. God’s word is knowable, and we want to help people know what to do when they sit down and open their Bibles.

At Desiring God, however, David Mathis has a timely reminder: that we remember Bible reading is as much art as it is science.

And just like we learn to ride a bike with training wheels, it can help to have someone spell out some simple method of “inductive Bible study” with the dance steps of observation, interpretation, and application. Rudimentary, memorable approaches like this abound in Christian circles serious about the Bible. They are a gift to help us get going, and come to an otherwise dauntingly large Book with some idea of what to do next.

But the point of learning the little bits of science behind it all is to be ready to dance when the music begins to play. And the best of dancing isn’t just taught in classrooms, but caught in practice.

Good Bible reading is no mere science; it is an art. The Bible itself is a special compilation of great artistries. And the best way to learn the art of reading the Bible for yourself is this: Read it for yourself.

Mathis’s article is a wonderful reminder, and it serves as a helpful complement to what you’ll find here at Knowable Word.

Check it out!

What Did It Mean to Them?

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Last week, Tim Challies reflected on the “One Indispensable Rule” that must guide our interpretation and application of Scripture.

Proper understanding and interpretation is dependent on one indispensable rule: Before you ask, “What does it mean to us now?”, ask “What did it mean to them then?” In other words, before you attempt to apply the Bible to your life and circumstances, anchor it in the lives and circumstances of its original recipients. Application must be related to meaning.

Challies gives an example of a common error. In our efforts to get practical, we read verses apart from their context and arrive at applications the original audience never would have known. Sometimes our applications might still be good, but false teachers can use the same methodology to promote evil ends. It’s worth it to learn to read the Scriptures well!

Challies’s short article is well worth reading. Check it out!

Did Jesus Offend the Canaanite Woman?

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In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus responds to a needy woman in a manner most of us would consider offensive. He ignores her. He calls her a dog. He denies her request for healing.

How are we to understand Jesus’ words?

At the Gospel Coalition, Jimmy Agan has an excellent article addressing this question and more. Agan models good observation of the text, tracing the flow of thought from one episode to the next, considering the context, and answering interpretive questions from the text.

Check it out!

Clear Book Overviews

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One of the most common errors in Bible study takes place when we parachute in to a certain passage, dig around a bit, secure the asset (a nugget of truth for the day), and then pursue extraction. In other words, we study Bible verses and Bible chapters, but not Bible books. But without a larger context, the passage often doesn’t make sense, and we give up in frustration, wondering whether Bible study is something best left to the experts.

The simplest solution usually lies in a good book overview. When you see the Bible as a collection of books, and you work to understand each book within its historical context (identifying the author, audience, occasion, and purpose for the book), smaller passages within the book come alive. For example, “Rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 4:4) takes on a new light when you see it’s one step in the reconciliation process between Euodia and Syntyche (Phil 4:2-9), which itself is a prime example of the joyful unity Paul seeks for the church (the main point of the letter of Philippians).

Without doubt, the best way to become at home within a Bible book is to read the book over and over. When I preach or teach a book, I usually read the entire book at least 5 times before the first session.

But sometimes we don’t have enough time for that much reading. And sometimes, we gain useful information from other sources gathered by others. So I’m always on the lookout for good articles and resources that present useful Bible book overviews.

I recently began following the blog of Jeffrey Kranz, who has given himself to creating clear and helpful overviews of every book of the Bible. I signed up for Jeffrey’s free course, where he sends a weekly email with an overview of one book of the Bible. The first one was on Psalms, and I must say I was impressed.

I thought, “Surely he’ll ignore the fact that the Psalms are organized into 5 books.” I mused, “I’ll check this out this first article, but if he missed the fact that Psalms 1 and 2 set the tone for the entire book, I’m not sure I can trust that he really understands the book.” I wondered, “Will he realize that the sons of Korah shouldn’t even have existed apart from God’s amazing grace (Num 26:11)?” (Okay, I generally try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I’ve just seen too many “Bible overview” articles that are not really very helpful.) But Jeffrey delightfully crossed my expectations on every count. Not only did he include details I expected (always pleasantly affirming); he also gave much information I hadn’t realized, which inspired me to jump back into the Psalms!

I can’t wait to see what he does with the other 65 books of the Bible. I’m happy to recommend this resource to you. If you’d like to receive Jeffrey’s emails, just sign up on his site here.

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Other resources I recommend regarding book overviews:

  • The book introductions found in the ESV Study Bible.
  • Articles at bible.org by Daniel Wallace on every New Testament book. I’ve found nobody better than Wallace at mapping out the occasion and flow of thought of a Bible book, and I consult him every time I study a NT book.

Check ’em out!

Don’t Get Too Familiar with the Bible

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I was delighted to partner with Desiring God through a guest post entitled “Don’t Get Too Familiar with the Bible.” The article warns against the wrong kind of Bible familiarity that leads us to assume things that aren’t in the text and miss things that are. The article elaborates and illustrates what I’ve written on this blog about why familiarity is the greatest enemy of observation.

Where is Jesus in the story of David and Abigail? Name the woman who ate the forbidden fruit. How old was Jesus when he died? Remember the time when Jesus walked through a wall?

Check it out!

Don’t Mistake the Support for the Mainframe

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I appreciate the reflections in this article about the centrality of the Word in discipleship. When someone comes to you with a struggle, is your first recommendation to offer them a Christian book on a topic? Or are you steeped enough in Scripture that you can take them directly to that which will offer the most help?

This Christmas, may we remember the greatest gift God has given us: himself. And may our passions be renewed to know him as he has revealed himself: through his word.

Check it out!

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!