Knowable Word - Bible study help

Chain Yourself to the Word of God

April 18, 2018 By Peter Krol

This article by Steve Robinson is addressed to church planters, but there is no reason his words can’t apply to any believer in Christ. Steve talks about the entropy of life, which causes us to lose our bearings and drift from one complex situation to another. Eventually we get so busy that we have no time left for Bible intake. We thereby cut ourselves off from the fount of eternal life and true encouragement.

Again, Robinson is speaking to church planters. But replace “church planter” with “Bible study leader,” “Sunday school teacher,” or even “parent,” and the point does not change:

Church planter: do you want to know the most important thing you can do in your ministry? Chain yourself to the Word of God. I know you have a million and one things to do. I know the needs of your congregation feel unending. But if the Word isn’t your lifeline, you won’t have anything to offer your needy people.

These exhortations are worth considering before you begin to feel the drift. In a time of plenty, how can you lay the tracks in your life that will make it easier for you to keep chugging when you’re going uphill? What habits would you like to form now so that inertia will be in your favor when you face resistance?

Robinson’s article describes glorious motives from Psalm 119 for such questions.

Check it out!

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Context Matters: The Parable of the Talents

April 13, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard that your talents are a gift from God, and that he wants you to dedicate them to his service. Maybe you can sing or teach. You might be good at volleyball. Perhaps you enjoy setting up chairs or planning baby showers. I can play the trombone, and I’m pretty good with numbers and accounting. But in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:14-30, all these things are beside the point.

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled inspirational stories—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages don’t actually mean what we’ve always assumed.

Lars Hammar (2012), Creative Commons

Part of a Single Speech

When we come to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14, we ought to look closely enough to ask an obvious question:

For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

You see it, don’t you? I mean this literally: You see “it,” don’t you? “For it will be like a man going on a journey…” Perhaps, to understand this parable, we first need to grapple with what “it” is. What is it, exactly, that will be like a man going on a journey?

In studying this parable, we should see that it’s only one small part of a long lecture given by Jesus on a single occasion. This lecture, starting in Matthew 24:4 and continuing to Matt 25:46, is his answer to his disciples’ questions in Matt 24:3. When will the temple be destroyed? What is the sign of your coming? What is the sign of the end of the age?

We could even probably include Matthew 23 as a part of this discourse, as it provides the setup for the the judgment pronounced in Matt 24:1-2. But even if we consider only chapters 24 and 25 as making up this speech, we’ll be off to a great start.

So, now that we’ve realized this parable is merely one point in a longer speech, what help can we get from the rest of the speech about what “it” is?

Working Backwards

The immediately preceding paragraph tells another parable, also about two groups of subordinates, one faithful and the other unfaithful—just like the parable of the talents. And this preceding parable begins like this:

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. (Matt 25:1)

So we have the same set up, except there is no “it.” The subject, the thing which “will be like” the story that follows, is: the kingdom of heaven. So far, so good. But what does he mean by “the kingdom of heaven,” and how it will be like a man going on a journey?

Backing up further, the next paragraph speaks of a faithful and wise servant who receives a reward (Matt 24:45-47) in contrast to a wicked servant relegated to a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 24:48-51). This is very closely connected to what happens in the parable of the talents. And Matt 24:45-51 uses more straightforward language than what we find in the parable of the talents. The difference between the faithful servant and the foolish servant lies in how they each treat their Master’s household. For the one who treats the Master’s people and other servants well, there is a reward of greater responsibility over “all his possessions.” For the one who beats his fellow servants and abandons his duties, there is an assurance of removal, destruction, and torment.

Backing up even further, the next earlier paragraph highlights the fact that the Son of Man will return at an hour his own followers do not expect. Because of this uncertainty, they must always be ready for him (Matt 24:44).

So we can draw a few conclusions:

The IT in Matt 25:14 is the kingdom of heaven.
The parable continues the theme of the Master’s return at an unexpected time.
The Master’s judgment of his servants is based on how his servants treat his people.

So What are My Talents?

So when Jesus tells a story about a man going on a journey, calling his servants, and entrusting to them his property, we must understand that his property, the “talents” he leaves with them, is the people of his kingdom. In Jesus’ day, a “talent” was a very large sum of money. The NIV translators had good reason to translate the Greek term “talents” as “bags of gold” (Matt 25:15, NIV). These people are valuable to the Master.

These “talents” are a metaphor of the people of God. The members of God’s household. Our fellow servants and co-heirs in the kingdom.

In telling this parable, Jesus is not primarily concerned with whether you use your personality traits and unique skill sets to help the Christian community. He is much more concerned with how you treat the people themselves. Are you investing in them or burying them? Are you putting them to good use? Are you putting them to work so they can help recruit even more people into the kingdom, or are you making decisions from fear of losing the people you already have? Are you multiplying their efforts for the sake of his glorious kingdom?

Do this, and great will be your reward when your Master returns and calls for accounting. Fail to do this, and your fears will find you out.

If you see yourself more in the latter class than the former, what is your way out? Remember who your Master is. He is not hard and demanding (Matt 25:24-25), but gentle and lowly in heart, showing you the narrow way of rest (Matt 11:29, 7:13-14).

Confirmation From the Following Context

And lest you think I’m completely crazy in reading the parable of the talents in this way, consider where Jesus goes next, in the conclusion to his speech. What is the only observable difference between the sheep and the goats, between those who find eternal life and those sent to eternal death?

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (Matt 25:40)

Jesus’ most precious possession is his people. Make sure he returns to find you treating them well and multiplying their efforts.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… (Matt 28:19)

Context matters.

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Who Decided What Would Be in the Bible?

April 11, 2018 By Peter Krol

On this site, we keep our sights trained on the topic of how to study the English Bible. We’ve chosen not to get too involved in related but ancillary topics, such as translation (how we got our English versions), transmission (how the text was passed from generation to generation), or canonicity (how we ended up with our current set of books in the Bible). These topics are not unimportant; we just prefer to keep things on this site focused on one thing.

But once in a while we like to refer you to another resource that does a good job addressing these fundamental questions.

That’s why I highly encourage you to check out this article by Eric Davis called “Who Decided What Would be in the Bible & When—Canonicity.” Davis writes very clearly for a non-academic audience, and he covers the topic very well.

Davis addresses questions such as:

How can we trust the 66 books of the Protestant Bible are the right ones?
Wasn’t it just a 4th century council of powerful leaders who decided, according to their private agenda, which books to include and exclude?
What should we make of the Apocrypha?
What are the presuppositions and ramifications of our conclusions on these matters?

Check it out!

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Context Matters: The Widow’s Mite

April 6, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard of the widow who put her last two copper coins into the offering box. It was all she had to live on, and Jesus praises her for her faith, trusting God to provide despite her poverty. It’s a lovely story, which tells us that we, too, should be more generous. If we give all we have (or at least a little more than we’re comfortable giving), God will surely bless us as he did that sweet woman. Right? Wrong.

The Section’s Context

In Mark’s gospel, the story of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44) occurs at the climax of the most significant set of controversies in the book. Ever since Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-10), he’s had his sights set on the temple and what takes place there. He inspects (Mark 11:11). He finds no fruit on a fig tree (Mark 11:12-14, 20-25), which Mark uses as a sandwich-symbol of the corrupt temple system (Mark 11:15-19). The chief priests, scribes, and elders refuse to reckon with Jesus’ authority, which is closely connected with John’s (Mark 11:27-33). Jesus then recounts the story of Israel (Mark 12:1-11, cf. Isaiah 5:1-7), a vineyard that continues to produce no fruit—not merely from arboreal illness but on account of a hostile takeover. And the hostile takers-over know exactly how Jesus has now called them out (Mark 12:12).

Now enters the steady stream of assaults from the insurrectionists attempting to discredit their prosecutor. Pharisees with Herodians (Mark 12:13-17) and Sadducees (Mark 12:18-27) all take their cheap shots, which ricochet right back on their own heads. An onlooking scribe speaks up (Mark 12:28-33) and receives remarkably high praise from Jesus in this arena: “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34).

Then Jesus puts his finishing move on his contenders. The most critical question must focus on the identity of the Messiah. Nobody answers, but the crowds go wild (Mark 12:35-37).

Notice how we can’t read each of these episodes in isolation from the others. Mark is telling a story, building a case, and making a point. Like the angelic incursion into Sodom, searching for evidence of righteous people (Gen 18:20-21), Jesus’ inspection of his Father’s vineyard seeks evidence of holy fruit, yet without finding any. That’s the main point of the entire section of Mark 11 and 12.

The Immediately Preceding Context

Jesus is almost ready to pronounce sentence. But first, he has a cautionary word for the courtroom. He doesn’t want them to miss what’s about to take place; their lives may depend upon learning from the poor example of others.

And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Mark 12:38-40)

Instead of caring for God’s vineyard (the people of Israel), they have treated it as their own. Instead of cultivating it to bear fruit for the Lord, they have commandeered its resources for themselves. Instead of leading people to recognize the Son for who he is, they have seized all the goods for the sake of their own public expressions of pomp.

They take the best for themselves. They live for honor. Their prayers are not genuine. And they have devoured widow’s houses. For these reasons, their condemnation will be far greater than that which they’ve extended to others.

Still not convinced of Jesus’ perspective? Time to prove his last set of charges.

Karthikeyan (2017), Creative Commons

Our Passage

So Jesus makes a calculated move: He plants himself within line of sight of the offering box. He sits there for a time, watching and waiting (Mark 12:41). He watches the wealthy do their thing until that poor widow comes along with her two copper coins.

Read this in light of what’s come before, and you can’t escape a clear conclusion. The point is not so much that she put in both of her only remaining coins. The point is that she had been devoured to the point of having only two copper coins (Mark 12:42)!

Here now is evidence of the fruit Jesus has been looking for. Evidence of faith in Yahweh, maker of heaven and earth. Evidence of justice, compassion, and love for God and neighbor (Mark 12:29-31). Evidence of hope outside of oneself, longing for the rescue that comes only from the promised Messiah.

Jesus must ensure his disciples get a load of this. Because of these things, the widow “put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box” (Mark 12:43). This dear woman has been supporting this temple and its corrupt system with her perseverance in true faith, despite having been ravaged by that very system. But now she’s put in “all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44). Time is up. There is no more support for this corruption and defilement.

The Succeeding Context

So Jesus is finally ready to pronounce sentence.

Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. (Mark 13:2)

Mark does not intend this widow to be an example of more generous giving. He intends her to be the final proof that the old wine must go so the new wine can come in (Mark 2:22). It’s time to wipe out the wicked tenants so sons and daughters can finally enjoy the fruit of God’s vineyard.

Thanks to this poor widow, most of you reading this have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Your church is probably not exclusive to Jews. You have a seat at the table, a place to call your own, a Father who dotes over you.

The larger context of Luke 20:45-21:6 nuances this sequence a little differently, but Luke uses the widow to make the same fundamental point. Please don’t miss it, just because the widow gets a large black number (a chapter division) at the front of her scene.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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Announcing our Giveaway Winners

April 4, 2018 By Peter Krol

Congratulations to all who participated in this year’s Bible reading giveaway. We had 38 entries, one less than last year; each of you acquired a treasure greater than gold or silver.

And additional congratulations to Merian Burkett and Jono Martin, the randomly selected winners of the new reader’s Bibles.

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. (Ps 119:24)

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Last Chance to Enter Drawing

March 30, 2018 By Peter Krol

So far, I have received 22 entries for our 2018 Bible-reading giveaway. If you’re still finishing up your readthrough, you have until tomorrow night to complete it. I will then give you until Monday to contact me before we select the winners of the new reader’s Bibles (CSB Reader’s Bible and NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project). You may either email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com or submit a contact form. Just let me know that you finished, along with what you thought of the experience.

Next week, I’ll announce our two winners!

I love hearing what people think of this experience. Perhaps some of these thoughts may encourage you as well:

I love it. I’m thinking about doing it every quarter. I’m more in love with the Word than before. Thank you for the challenge.

It’s certainly not as daunting as I thought it might be.

I didn’t see before this what a big deal all the circumcision debates were in the New Testament church. Acts, and many of Paul’s letters address this controversy, but I didn’t notice that until I was rolling through a couple epistles a day in short succession.

The pace was truly exhilarating. I can’t help wondering where I go from here, this journey through the bible was truly amazing.

I heard a few patterns throughout the scripture that spanned over multiple books, that I would not have picked up normally at a slow reading pace. For example, the pattern of mountains (Eden – Ezekiel, Sinai – Genesis, and Zion – multiple references), no wonder people kept trying to make Asherah’s on the “High Places” (Judges).

I loved loved loved it!!! One of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I really was surprised that I really enjoyed the Histories in the OT, not that I thought they should be removed at any point, but I remembered them from seminary as dry and repetitive, but this time I really enjoyed them. Also found myself seeing things I had not caught on one of my many first reads. I am now doing a slower daily reading to compliment my daily study time, I intend to do this challenge at the start of every year!!!

Happy Easter!

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Objection: Bible Study and Preliteracy

March 28, 2018 By Peter Krol

When I discuss the importance of Bible study skills, an objection that occasionally arises has to do with illiterate or preliterate people groups. It appears that literacy was not widespread in the ancient world, and, for centuries, most Christians did not own copies of the Bible.

And yet they could follow Jesus and mature as disciples just fine. So why do we put so much emphasis on personal Bible study?

John Piper fields a question along these lines, and I appreciate his insights in responding. His argument seems to go like this:

It is not necessary for people to be able to read in order for them to believe in Christ and have eternal life.
Therefore, we can and should preach the gospel to preliterate or illiterate people, and do all we can to instruct them in the faith.
Yet, for the good of the world, we cannot stop there. We cannot be content with this (preliterate discipleship) as a perpetual state of affairs.
The Bible speaks of itself as a treasure more valuable than any other earthly treasure because it reveals Jesus to us (e.g. Ps 19:10, 119:72).
The Bible itself commends the act of reading the Bible to know Christ (e.g. Eph 3:4).
If Christian teachers and missionaries (who are able to read and study the Bible, and who therefore know the true Christ revealed therein) are the only people who can read the Bible for themselves, this creates a paternalism or imperialism that leaves the masses dependent on the élite few.
Therefore, Christianity has always sought to build schools, to educate, and to teach people to read so they can mine these treasures for themselves. Then they can know Christ without requiring a human priestly mediator besides him.
Therefore, the long-term, widespread good of the world and joy of all people demand that we labor to teach all people good Bible study skills (which may begin with taking time, whenever possible, to teach people to read, and eventually to get the Bible translated into their languages).

Now I’m adding a bit to what Piper said, in order to flesh out the argument I believe he’s making. I have tried not to misrepresent him. And I encourage you to consider his brief and valuable response in full.

Check it out!

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Consider the Resurrection Anew this Easter

March 23, 2018 By Peter Krol

Next week, we once again give our focused attention to the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This sequence of events marks the center of history and the cornerstone of our faith.

And why is this so? What is so critical about these events?

In a short series of posts last year, Ryan and I narrowed this question even further to only the resurrection. Why did Jesus rise from the dead? While there are many theological answers we could give to this question, our concern was with the gospel accounts themselves. What reasons did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have for recording Jesus’ resurrection?

Observe carefully, and let the text speak for itself! Don’t assume you know the answer, or you may grow too familiar with these beloved passages to see the true point. If you’d like a fun study during Holy Week, consider revisiting the four resurrection accounts once more, and try to discern what each author had to say about the risen Christ. Was he the proven king, renewing his world? Or was he the vindicated sacrifice for all the world? Was he truly the divine Son who gives life? Or was he God’s gracious authority for the Jewish people?

Don’t assume they’re all saying the same thing. Don’t rush into an unhelpful form of harmonization. And perhaps our posts can assist you as you examine each account once more:

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What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Reading Your Bible

March 21, 2018 By Peter Krol

John Piper addresses the question of desire: What do we do when we don’t feel like reading the Bible? After reflecting on the prayer of Psalm 119:36 (“Incline my heart to your testimonies”), he writes:

Over the years in my pastoral ministry, many people have complained to me that they do not have motivation to read the Bible. They have a sense of duty that they should, but the desire is not there. It is remarkable how many of those people feel that the absence of the desire is the last nail in the coffin of joyful meditation on God’s word.

When I ask them to describe to me what they are doing about it, they look at me as if I had misunderstood the problem. What can you do about the absence of desire, they wonder. “It’s not a matter of doing. It’s a matter of feeling,” they protest. The problem with this response is that these folks have not just lost desire for God’s word, but they have lost sight of the sovereign power of God, who gives that desire. They are acting like practical atheists. They have adopted a kind of fatalism that ignores the way the psalmist prays.

Evidently, the psalmist too felt this terrible tendency to drift away from the word of God. Evidently, he too knew the cooling of desire and the tendency of his heart to incline more to other things — especially money. Otherwise why would he have cried out, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain”? He is pleading with God to give him desire for the word. He knows that ultimately God is sovereign over the desires of the heart. So, he calls on God to cause what he cannot make happen on his own. This is the answer to fatalism. This is the answer to acting like an atheist — as if there were no God who rules the heart, and can restore what we have lost.

Repent. Pray. Trust God to give what we cannot drum up ourselves. Then act as though we expect him to answer. This is great advice.

Check it out!

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Is All of God’s Word for All of God’s People All of the Time?

March 19, 2018 By Ryan Higginbottom

Jill Wellington (2008), public domain

While recently listening to Ezekiel 16, I was amazed at the language in the Bible. It’s scandalous! The words “whore,” “whoring,” and “prostitute” appear a combined 21 times in this one chapter.

I thought immediately of my inquisitive children. What would they ask if they were listening? Should I allow them to read or listen to Ezekiel?

Reading the Bible With Children

God has given parents the privilege of teaching their children the Bible. At times this will look like formal instruction, but much more often it will look like conversation. Around the table, in the car, while washing the dishes—God intends for us to talk about him with our children during the normal routines of life (see Deut 6:1–9).

In the Old Testament, the words of God were part of family and cultural life. Scripture was proclaimed at the three annual Jewish feasts (see Deuteronomy 16 and Leviticus 23) and it was expected that children would ask their parents about their religious practices and history (Exodus 12:24–27).

Yes, there are some topics in the Bible that may seem heady or unseemly. But parents can create a loving atmosphere in which families can discuss any matter. When children can ask their parents questions without shame or embarrassment, they are less likely to seek out immature, inaccurate, or ungodly answers from their peers.

All the Bible

Some portions of the Bible are more relevant for us at certain times. Whether we need encouragement, rebuke, instruction, or hope, we can always find what we need in God’s word.

But we are to give our attention to all of God’s word without censorship. Paul calls this the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). We can have confidence that God knows what he’s doing, and he’s set the same Scriptures before us whether we’re four or ninety-four.

So when you read the Bible with your family, don’t skip over any chapters. Read through books consecutively. Encourage your children to listen and ask questions. Plant those trees, give them water and sunlight, and prepare to see them grow.

Prepare Yourself

When talking to children about difficult parts of the Bible, we need to pay attention to the Bible’s tone. The authors of Scripture show great care and restraint when discussing delicate and private matters.

We should show this same restraint. Providing too many details or focusing too much on these topics can end up being provocative. We must handle sensitive material with wisdom and maturity.

In addition to communicating what is true, our goal is to shape our children’s hearts. We must make beautiful what the Bible says is beautiful, and we must show as ugly those things the Bible says are ugly.

An Example: Prostitution

To return to the beginning, how should we talk about prostitution with our children?

To discuss prostitution, we must discuss marriage. In particular, we must discuss the sexual relationship within marriage. The Bible describes this relationship within marriage as beautiful and glorious. Yet pursuing this relationship outside of marriage is dangerous and sinful.

So, how do we answer a child’s question about a prostitute? A prostitute is a person who will pretend to be married to you if you pay them money. Married people hug each other and kiss and touch each other in private places. This is wonderful and glorious when people do this with their wife or husband. But it is terrible and sinful when people do this outside of a marriage.

Many thanks to Peter Krol for his correspondence and help in putting this article together.

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