Knowable Word - Bible study help

One-to-One Bible Reading

August 28, 2013 By Peter Krol

When we talk about “Bible study,” we usually refer to one of these two things: small group discussion or personal time with God. People study the Bible alone, or they study it in gaggles. But David Helm, in his short but wonderful book One-to-One Bible Reading, offers another option–that of studying the Bible with someone one-on-one.

It only makes sense. One-on-one meetings are more common, more personal, more interactive, and more individually tailored than any other type of meeting. One-on-one meetings can produce intimate friendship and vigorous dialogue. Most people are used to them and take part in them regularly with friends, neighbors, and coworkers. But many people don’t think of reading the Bible in such settings.

As the book states, “The Bible really is a book you can read and understand–including in a one-to-one context. You don’t need someone else to tell you what the Bible is saying. You can simply sit down with a friend and read it together, and hear God speak.”

In the US, we’re used to saying “one-on-one” rather than “one-to-one,” but don’t let that difference turn you off to this book. I highly recommend it.

Helm references a survey conducted by Ed Stetzer where people were asked whether they would be willing to study the Bible if a friend asked them to. For respondents age 30 and above, 42% said yes. Among 20-somethings, 61% said yes. Among these younger generations, people show greater interest in reading and discussing the Scriptures with people they know. This fact provides a great opportunity.

Is there someone you’ve been reaching, whom you’d love to introduce to Christ? Have you tried inviting them to church, but they haven’t been interested? Perhaps you could ask this person to meet over coffee for a few weeks to read and discuss the book of Romans.

Do you know a new believer in your congregation who hasn’t made many friends yet? Would she benefit from a low-pressure situation where she can discuss the Bible and learn to understand it better?

Maybe you serve in a particular role in your church. Can you think of someone you could train to help out or take over? If so, could you pass on the biblical principles that drive you in your decisions? Can you train the person not only to do the job but also to think biblically about it?

Helm shows how one-on-one Bible study works with both Christians and non-Christians, of any maturity. And he goes on to explain how to do it. He walks through meeting dynamics and sample discussion questions. He does it all in 75 pages and a few appendices.

It won’t take long to read, but this book will increase your confidence that you can teach God’s word to others. Check it out!

Disclaimer: The link above is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, you’ll support our site at no extra cost to yourself.

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Change, Part 3: Wisdom Comes Out the Fingertips

August 26, 2013 By Peter Krol

Wisdom comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips. This week, we explore the last step in the chain.

Put away from you crooked speech,
And put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
And your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
Then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
Turn your foot away from evil (Prov. 4:24-27).

Hans Kylberg (2007), Creative Commons

The last step in the formula takes place when wisdom moves from the heart and out through our fingertips. These verses speak of “speech,” “talk” (Prov. 4:24), “eyes,” “forward,” “gaze” (Prov. 4:25), “ponder,” “path,” “feet,” “ways” (Prov. 4:26), “right,” “left,” and “foot” (Prov. 4:27). Solomon clearly has in mind everything we do, so I’ll use the image of “fingertips,” out of which seep our everyday choices.

Once wisdom changes who we are, it inevitably affects everything we do. As we listen to wisdom and seek it out, we must consider both how it can sink in more deeply (the heart) and how it can shape us more broadly (the fingertips). What would it look like for you to request help with your money, marriage, singleness, career path, parenting, cooking, hospitality, leadership potential, education, job performance, spiritual life, outreach, eating habits, hobbies, Bible study skills, love life, communication, decision-making process, and vision for life? In which other areas would you like to grow in wisdom? Where are you stuck in difficult situations or bad patterns? Remember: Wisdom has to come in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips.

It doesn’t matter what candidates for change you have in mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new skill to develop or an old habit to break. It doesn’t matter if there’s exquisite joy or agonizing pain. It doesn’t matter if your history is one of failure or of success.

What matters is that God wants you to change for the better, and he’s throwing the full weight of his resources behind the change movement. Jesus rose from the grave so he could make all things new. If you fear the Lord, you have much reason to hope for the best.

One of my children often used to say “I give up” when something was too hard. I say to you what I often said to that child: “That’s the one thing you must never do. Jesus didn’t give up on you. Let’s trust him, and see what he can do next.”

SNEAK PEEK:

We often struggle with the greatest shame and defeat in the realm of sexual sin. Many people feel stuck there, so in Proverbs 5, 6, and 7, Solomon provides a mini-series on wise sexuality. We’ll begin the series next week by applying some Bible dynamite to calcified cultural stereotypes about sexuality.

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Change, Part 2: Wisdom Comes Through the Heart

August 19, 2013 By Peter Krol

Wisdom comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips. This week, we explore the second step in the chain.

Let them not escape from your sight;
Keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
And healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
For from it flow the springs of life (Prov. 4:21-23).

Bill Ward (2009), Creative Commons

We find the second part of the formula in verses 21-23. When we plug in to God’s wisdom, and it enters our lives through the ears, we need to connect it to the motherboard. If we bypass the processor and run everything right off RAM, it has no longevity. The moment we power the computer down, we lose our data. We must keep the words within our hearts (Prov. 4:21) and keep our hearts with all vigilance (Prov. 4:23).

For the non-technical folk out there, what I just wrote means that when we hear wisdom, it won’t produce change in us until it affects who we are. “The heart” is one of the chief biblical images for our inner selves: thoughts, beliefs, emotions, character, desires, dreams, fears, and conscience.[1] “Heart” in the Old Testament might be what you got if you combined all the following modern-day terms: mind, will, heart, and conscience.

The Bible says that the heart is the command center from which we manage our lives. When we keep the wise words of life in our hearts (Prov. 4:21), they get passed on to the rest of the flesh (Prov. 4:22) because from the heart flow the springs of life (Prov. 4:23).

Any attempt to change that does not pass through the heart is therefore shallow and temporary. I can learn skills by rote, but I haven’t really changed if they haven’t changed who I am.

For example, if I study for a test, pass it, and quickly forget the material, I haven’t really learned it (it hasn’t hit my heart). If a child wrongs another child, is forced by an adult to apologize and does so sarcastically, we wouldn’t label it remorse. When a man tells his wife he loves her, but covertly keeps a mistress, we have reason to question whether his love is true. If a needy person requests charity from a church, the leaders are right to help relieve the immediate burden while also exploring whether the person could make different choices to avoid having the same need again.

The main point is that wisdom gets us unstuck and changes us by changing who we are.

[1] The other common image is “kidneys” as in Job 16:13, Psalm 139:13, Rev 2:23, etc.

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Teach Bible Study to a 6-Year-Old

August 16, 2013 By Peter Krol

I love Ender’s Game, a sci-fi story about 6-to-10-year-old children being trained through games to fight adult wars. After the novel’s first printing, author Orson Scott Card received complaints from readers contending that the children in the story were too “mature.” In fact, a school’s guidance counselor argued that Card’s depiction was “hopelessly unrealistic. [Children] just don’t talk like that. They don’t think like that.”

In the Introduction to the novel’s revised version, Card reflects on the accusation:

This may indeed be part of the reason why it was so important to me…to write a story in which gifted children are trained to fight in adult wars. Because never in my entire childhood did I feel like a child. I felt like a person all along–the same person I am today. I never felt that I spoke childishly. I never felt that my emotions and desires were somehow less real than adult emotions and desires. And in writing Ender’s Game, I forced the audience to experience the lives of these children from that perspective–the perspective in which their feelings and decisions are just as real and important as any adult’s.

The nasty side of myself wanted to answer that guidance counselor by saying, The only reason you don’t think gifted children talk this way is because they know better than to talk this way in front of you. But the truer answer is that Ender’s Game asserts the personhood of children.

Now while I fundamentally disagree with Card’s Mormon theology, I think he’s on to something in his views of children and their capacity for mature thinking and feeling. Jesus was more ready for children than his disciples were (Matt 19:13-15), and we should be ready, too.

Age 6 is a great time for children to begin learning serious Bible study skills. They can pick up the basics when they’re even younger, but now is the time to build strong foundations in preparation for their adult lives. How can you make the most of this time of life?

1. Teach them how to read

The early history of literacy is a history of Bible education. People learned to read so they could read the Bible. Increasing literacy rates have brought much good to the world, especially making the Scriptures available to wide swaths of humanity.

We easily grow weary when we’re slogging away at the difference between lowercase b and d, or when it takes 45 minutes to get through a 100-word picture book.

But remember the vision. As you help your 6-year-olds practice sounding out those words time after time, you’re investing in their ability to read (and eventually study) God’s word. You’re bringing them closer to the Lord, and it’s all worth it.

2. Give them a vocabulary

At age 6, your children are ready for big concepts. Each child’s pace is different, but you should be ready to give them whatever they can handle. Don’t let your discomfort hold them back.

For example, I had to have the first “sex talk” with one of my children at age 6. I repeat: age 6! This child was already asking questions about bodies, development, and appropriate levels of touching and interaction with others. How could I withhold important truths at such teachable moments?

In the same way, 6-year-olds are often ready for weighty discussion about Bible study. They just need a good vocabulary for it.

They can usually handle the big words: observation, interpretation, and application. Work them into your regular conversation; they’ll get used to them. As you do, you’ll give the children a framework to handle these big ideas.

3. Translate the vocabulary into plain language

Don’t give them big words just to impress your friends.

Make sure you explain the terms in plain language. “Observation means listening carefully to what the Bible says.” “Interpretation is when we ask ‘why.'” “Application means becoming more like Jesus.”

Give plenty of examples. “The boy in that movie didn’t observe what his mama told him to do, did he?” “Do you see how your little sister keeps asking you ‘why’? That’s because she wants to understand the world. She wants to interpret.”

Make sure the children can explain the concepts back to you. “What does it mean to observe the Bible? How could you do it better when I read to you?” “Why does God want us to apply what he teaches us? What does God think about people who hear his word but don’t live it out?”

4. Practice it every chance you get

You need to model good observation before your children will do it themselves. They need your help to interpret the Bible and their world. They won’t get application if you say one thing but do another.

Since OIA is communication, you have the opportunity to practice it with your kids every time you communicate with them. It’s not brain surgery. So every once in a while, take a moment from the conversation to remind them of how the conversation worked.

As you do, you may be surprised by how “adult” your children’s thoughts and speech really are.

Disclaimer: The Ender’s Game link is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, you’ll end up supporting our site at no extra cost to yourself.

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Are Bible Narratives Story or History?

August 14, 2013 By Peter Krol

The 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!

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The Gospel Inspires Us to Reach Others

August 7, 2013 By Peter Krol

Faith 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!

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You Don’t Have to Reference Greek or Hebrew

August 2, 2013 By Peter Krol

Assumption #4 for this blog states:

The Bible should be translated into modern languages so modern people can know it. Many English translations faithfully capture the meaning of the original text.

Loren Kerns (2013), Creative Commons

I don’t want to get into the details of linguistics and translation, but I want to address a common misconception about Bible study. The misconception is this: to really get deep, you need to know Greek and Hebrew. Or, at the very least, you should be able to refer to it.

What do I mean by referring to it?

I’m talking about that tendency to refer to the “real” meaning of a word or phrase by making use of the Greek or Hebrew word or phrase behind it. Perhaps you’ve heard or made statements like this.

The “love” in this verse is agape love. It’s not the usual sort of philia love. It’s the selfless, sacrificial agape love.

The word behind the word “greetings” in this passage is shalom. It’s the traditional Jewish greeting, but shalom involves much more peace and wholeness than simple greetings.

I don’t really know what the author is talking about here, since I don’t know the Greek.

We can’t get to the bottom of our question because so much gets lost in translation…

These statements are simply not true. There is rarely much to be found in Greek or Hebrew that can’t be found in a careful English translation.

Now, I’m not suggesting that knowing Greek or Hebrew is worthless. I love the ancient languages, and they have enriched my understanding and love for the Scripture. I think ministers of the word should learn the original languages so they can understand how language and translation work and so better shepherd their people with the word.

But if you don’t know Greek or Hebrew, and you don’t have the opportunity to learn them, you’ll do just fine. Your Bible study would be better served by practicing good observation, interpretation, and application of the English Bible, than by spending lots of time looking up Greek and Hebrew words in lexicons.

Let me give an example.

I have on my desk the latest issue of Bible Study Magazine (Vol. 5 No. 5). The magazine is fantastic. If you still read physical magazines, you should subscribe to this one. It’s only $20/year. And I won’t get a commission if you subscribe. I really mean it – I like this magazine!

But they have a column entitled “Greek Word Study Without Greek.” It’s meant to help non-scholars do a Greek study without knowing Greek. In this article, E. Tod Twist examines Paul’s use of the word “tradition,” and he compares it with Jesus’ use of the same word. Jesus appears to disparage tradition in the Gospels (Matt 15:3, Mark 7:8), but Paul encourages it in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 3:6.

So, for those who don’t know Greek, Twist lists 5 steps to show how to study the Greek word.

Make the switch to Greek and establish a working definition
Look up the Greek word in a lexicon
Survey the usage of the word in the New Testament
Account for the different perspectives by examining context
Application–the “So What?”

In this case, the “switch” of step 1 involves getting an interlinear Bible and identifying the Greek word for “tradition” in 2 Thessalonians. Then a lexicon will define the Greek word for you (step 2). In step 3, the student uses a concordance or search engine to find all the verses that use the word.

Once the student hits step 4, he studies each passage to see how the word is used in context. At this point, Twist’s article actually hits pay dirt. His application (step 5) drives his point home:

As we study Scripture, we see that the proper response to tradition is not unthinking acceptance or rejection–it is discernment. For both Jesus and Paul, good paradosis [the Greek word for “tradition”] originates with God and leads us toward Him. Any tradition that does otherwise must be rejected.

Yes! Wonderful conclusion.

Here’s my contention: Twist didn’t need to go to the Greek to reach that conclusion. He could have skipped steps 1-2 entirely. He could have done step 3 with an English concordance or search engine. And he did steps 4 & 5 all in English anyway.

So why do we feel the need to “make the switch to Greek” in order to dig into the Scripture?

Don’t fall into the trap. The Lord provided intelligent translators to write excellent translations of the Bible in modern languages. Through those translations, you can know Jesus and have life. And the Greek word for “know” is ginosko, which means…”to know.”

But the Hebrew word for “life” is hayyim. Hang on a second while I look that one up again.

Oh.

Ok.

It means “life.” Glad we got that straightened out.

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Application & Bible Basics

July 31, 2013 By Peter Krol

Check 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.

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OIA is Communication

July 26, 2013 By Peter Krol

Adam Foster (2012), Creative Commons

You communicate with people every day. But have you ever considered how your communication works?

One person initiates. This person has something to communicate, and he or she does something communicative. But communication has not yet taken place.

At least one other person must receive the communication. This receptor perceives, comprehends, and responds. Only at the end of this process would we say communication has taken place.

Let me illustrate.

A woman gives birth to a baby. She holds the child, cares for the child, and speaks to the child. But without understanding and response from the child, there is not yet communication. We might say the woman communicates to the baby. She babbles, coos, and sighs with delight. We would not necessarily say she has communicated with the baby.

Now it’s a different story if there’s a give and take. If the woman offers bottle or breast, and the newborn starts sucking – well, now we’ve got some communication.

Here lies part of the tragedy of debilitating illness or injury. When a loved one loses the ability to communicate (through either unconsciousness or incapacity of some sort), we lose a beautiful but crucial part of the relationship.

Here’s another illustration. You’re driving down the highway, and you see a car about to merge into your lane. Being a courteous, defensive driver, you lift your foot off the gas to give space for the merger. You even flash your headlights to communicate that you’ll let the other car in. But if the car sits there unresponsive, there must have been a breakdown in communication.

Perhaps the other driver didn’t perceive your signals. Maybe he didn’t understand them. Or maybe he chose to ignore them. Whatever the case, communication didn’t happen. You go on your way, affronted by the other driver’s failure to fully appreciate your generous nature.

This two-way nature of communication highlights our need to study the Bible. God has already taken the initiative to record his word. Now we must receive it.

We must perceive God’s communication. This means paying attention to what it says and being careful not to make assumptions or import personal bias. We call this perception observation.

We must understand God’s communication. This means identifying the key points without distorting them. We call this cognition interpretation.

We must respond to God’s communication. This means changing our lives and being conformed to Christ. We call this response application.

I commend the OIA method of Bible study because it simply makes sense. Do you see how you use OIA every day? It’s how people communicate. It helps us to understand what God has communicated.

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When Bible Study Stops Short

July 19, 2013 By Peter Krol

This is a guest post by Brian Stenson, a graduate of Bloomsburg University and collegiate missionary with DiscipleMakers. You can find him on Facebook.

We know that in Bible study we must seek truth. But what happens if we stop there?

In Daniel 5, King Belshazzar shows the folly of finding truth without applying it to our lives. His story goes like this.
Belshazzar throws a great party. It’s just getting good, when a human hand appears out of nowhere and writes on the wall. King Belshazzar becomes greatly alarmed at this, just as any of us would. Since he cannot read what the hand is writing, he seeks out the best magicians, enchanters, and astrologers in his kingdom to interpret the words. None is able to, until Daniel shows up. The king hears of Daniel because of the sterling reputation he had with Belshazzar’s father. Daniel agrees to interpret the message; however, the news is not good for Belshazzar. Daniel tells him that God has numbered the days of his kingdom, that he has not measured up, and that his kingdom will be divided and given away.

David Fisher (2009), Creative Commons

At this point in the story, things aren’t so great for Belshazzar. But they can still get worse. Belshazzar immediately rewards Daniel for his efforts and makes him the third ruler in the kingdom. Then comes the punch line.

“That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed” (Dan 5:30, ESV).

What? That’s it? Why the abrupt ending? Where is the part where King Belshazzar begs God for mercy? Why doesn’t he repent for his evil ways? Ho

w could he not try to do something to stop this impending judgment?

Unfortunately, I often act just like King Belshazzar. He sought the truth. He worked hard to find the message’s meaning. But in the end, he did nothing about it. And the consequences were devastating.

I’m like Belshazzar when I study the Bible and come up with great applications, only to forget them a few hours later. I’m like Belshazzar when I read about seeking wisdom as silver and searching for it as hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:3-4) but sit back and enjoy my laziness instead. I’m like Belshazzar when I read God’s promises but fail to believe them, being satisfied instead to chase my own earthly security.

James warns of such behavior.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

Being doers of the word goes beyond finding great applications in our Bible study. Being doers of the word means intentionally living out the truths that the Bible lays before us. We absolutely must seek the truth. But we must not stop there. After all, Jesus didn’t.

Jesus didn’t listen to the Father and then quickly forget what he said. Jesus didn’t decide to do things his own way. No, Jesus obeyed the Father, even to death on a cross, because he knew we would fall short in our obedience. Because of Jesus, there’s hope. So when our Bible study stops short, let’s get back up, trusting in the perfect work of Jesus Christ, and strive to be doers of the Word.

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