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Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Why You Can Trust Your Bible

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Kladcat (2012), Creative Commons

Kladcat (2012), Creative Commons

Have you heard that the Bible has mistakes? Have you noticed that the footnotes in your Bible give options for how certain verses could be translated? Do these discrepancies cast doubt on the Bible’s reliability?

Justin Holcomb, writing at The Gospel Coalition, deals with a few of these issues.

It’s common to see the argument that the Scriptures we have today aren’t the same as what was written by the apostles in the first century. Such arguments attempt to portray the Bible as unreliable and therefore irrelevant. As we will see, however, these challenges do not stand up to scrutiny.

Holcomb’s short article tackles a few thorny issues with clarity and insight. He explains plainly why we don’t need to be threatened by the existence of manuscript variants. And he shows how the New Testament far surpasses any other ancient document in the sheer number of manuscripts available to us.

There is no reason to allow questions of transmission to distract you from trusting God’s knowable word. Here is Holcomb’s conclusion:

Because of who God is, and because of what God has done to preserve his Word, we have confidence the events described in Scripture are accurate and historical. This is important because Christianity, unique among world religions, depends on historical events: particularly Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. As J. Gresham Machen writes, “Christianity is based upon an account of something that happened, and the Christian worker is primarily a witness.” Scripture tell us this account, revealing Christianity’s climax—its central, historical, and verifiable event: God’s gracious act of bringing salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ.

It’s a great article. Check it out!

You are Still Approved to Study the Bible

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Knowable Word LogoA little ways back, I wrote a post on 2 Timothy 2:15. I argued that we shouldn’t study the Bible to get God’s approval; we should study the Bible because we already have God’s approval in Christ.

Recently, Alan Knox posted an article on the same topic. A series of articles, in fact.

The first few articles go a little heavy on Greek, so read them only if you dare. But the last article summarizes his argument in English. Knox goes deeper into the grammar of the text than I did, but he comes out at the same place.

So I’m happy to recommend it to you for your consideration. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Are Bible Narratives Story or History?

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Knowable Word LogoThe blog of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersmen recently posted an article entitled, “When Reading the Bible, Do you Really Understand?”

In the article, the retired Rev. Howard Bess asks a series of excellent questions to guide one’s reading of the Bible. Who wrote this passage? When did he write? To and for whom did he write it? What were the circumstances of the writing? What literary devices did the author use? In other words, Bess encourages Bible readers to consider both historical context and literary sensibilities. So far, so good.

But, I don’t think Bess ends up at the right conclusions. He asserts that story and history are different things, and thus he concludes that Bible narratives presented as stories must not be historical. He likewise asserts that the Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 (narratives of the birth of Jesus) cannot be reconciled with each other, and thus cannot be historical. He asserts the same thing about the resurrection narratives in the four Gospels.

I urge you to read the article and consider Bess’s arguments. Consider: How does he get off track? How would you respond to someone who draws similar conclusions about the Bible’s historicity?

Check it out!

The Gospel Inspires Us to Reach Others

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Knowable Word LogoFaith ON Campus just published a guest post I wrote entitled “9 Bible Studies to Motivate Your Outreach Team Now and All Year Long.” Faith ON Campus targets folks involved in campus ministry, and this post is part of their 4th annual Back-to-School Blogathon. I’m honored to be a part of it.

Even if you aren’t involved in collegiate ministry, you may find the post helpful as you consider how the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection compels you to reach the unbelievers around you.

Here’s a sneak peek:

1. Ephesians 2:1-10 – Exhibitions of God’s Grace

Observe Paul’s flow of thought: You were dead, but God made us alive and raised us up with Christ. You deserved his wrath, but now you’ve been saved by grace. Amazing. And why did God do it? Verse 7: “So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” That’s right, you’re a trophy on display for your campus.

2. Exodus 3:1-4:17 – Dealing with Fear

God has seen his people’s suffering, and he will rescue them. He allows us to take part in the rescue mission, but we fear so many things. We fear we’re not qualified (3:11-12). We fear we might not be able to answer their questions (3:13-22). We fear they won’t agree with us (4:1-9). We fear we’re not skilled enough (4:10-12). We don’t want to do it (4:13-17). But God pictures his promises in a bush that burns without being consumed. He is a consuming fire, but he preserves those for whom Christ died.

Please head on over to Faith ON Campus to check it out!

Application & Bible Basics

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Knowable Word LogoCheck out these great posts:

Learning the Art of Sermon Application – Jeramie Rinne explains how to go about applying a text to your audience. Even if you’re not a preacher, you’ll find his suggestions useful in your own study, or as you lead discussions.

What is the Bible? – Mark Driscoll just began a series of posts on how the Bible has been transmitted, translated, and trusted by Christians. This first post addresses what the Bible is, what Christians believe about it, and what it says about itself. It’s a great intro to these issues.

Bible Study and the Cross of Christ

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Knowable Word LogoMelissa McDonald, who blogs at The Cross and the Kitchen Sink, just began a short series on how to study the Bible. It might look terribly familiar to what you’ve seen at Knowable Word, but we assure you we’ve never even met. We’ve said from day one that we’re not the only ones doing OIA. Here’s more proof, if you needed it.

Also, Chan Kilgore wrote a great article at The Resurgence about “Reading the Bible Through the Cross.” I appreciate his perspective that the cross is not simply the message of Scripture, but the very lens through which we must read Scripture.

The cross of Christ crushes self-righteousness within us and calls us to enter into the very presence of a holy and righteous God, where we can receive grace and mercy. It is this grace and mercy that transforms our heart as we soak in the Scripture. The cross represents more than Christ’s death. The empty cross represents the deity of Christ, his incarnation, his perfect life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his reign at the right hand of the Father. It is before this cross that we must read Scripture.

Check it out!

What You Should Know About the Bible

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Knowable Word LogoThe last few weeks spawned some great articles to help your Bible study.

9 Things You Should Know About the Bible – Joe Carter at The Gospel Coalition lists 9 brief facts about the history and use of the Bible. From defining the word “Bible” to recounting the history of printing to explaining various approaches to translation, Joe’s article will give you a concise and understandable introduction to important facts. I was surprised to see that sales of the NIV exceed those of the KJV, and that the NLT is the third most popular translation.

The Big Story of the Bible – In this post, Yancey Arrington explains that “there is a way to read the Old Testament, even Numbers and Leviticus, that will bless you and not send you away in despair.” The trick is to see the Old Testament as a road to Jesus. Arrington explains the theology behind a Jesus-centered way of reading the Old Testament. For practical tips on how exactly to read the OT this way, see my post on how to see Jesus in any Bible passage.

Check it out!

The Danger of Following Without Understanding

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Image-Jonathan_EdwardsIn our generation, many churches have honed their focus on the gospel of Christ’s grace. This is a very good thing.

Good teachers and useful books abound. Sermon audio multiplies more rapidly than loaves and fishes. Such resources are more plentiful and more available than ever before.

As a result, many thousands of churches fill their pulpits with clones of John Piper, RC Sproul, John MacArthur, Mark Driscoll, or Tim Keller.

Many can imitate the style of great teachers. But can they replicate the study of great teachers? Can you show how your ideas come from the Bible, or do you simply mimic what you’ve heard others say?

Erik Raymond at the Ordinary Pastor blog reflects on a few of these questions. He concludes that without effective Bible study skills “we are susceptible to losing what we have. If we are just fan-boys then we may follow a new theological band someday. If we are just fan-boys then we can’t train a new generation to discover these truths themselves.”

These important issues illuminate why we want to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. Please continue learning from good teachers. And keep taking what you learn right back to the Scripture.

Erik’s post may challenge you. Check it out!

 

Now Accepting Guest Posts

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Knowable Word LogoWe’ve had over 5,000 unique visitors to the site in the last year, and we’re delighted by all that God is doing.

We would like to help even more people learn to study the Bible, so we invite you to partner with us!

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