Knowable Word - Bible study help

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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Big Bible Words: Holiness

July 12, 2013 By Peter Krol

How would you explain holiness in plain language?

My Holy Shirt

I have lots of shirts in my closet. To be exact, I have 11 short-sleeve shirts, 12 long-sleeve shirts, and 10 dress shirts. I’m thankful for these shirts, but they’re not all that important to me.

I don’t want to deplete brain power deciding which shirts to wear each morning. So I usually wear them in the order they hang in the closet (according to the season, of course). Occasionally, one of my daughters will choose my shirt of the day. Either way, I’m happy. A shirt adorns my back, and I’m on with my day.

There’s one shirt, however, I truly care about. It’s not the prettiest or highest quality shirt in my closet. But it’s the most important one. It’s special.

Holy Shirt

I acquired this shirt in Fort Portal, Uganda in 2008 from a country market. We were there to adopt our twin sons, and this shirt became one of our souvenirs.

I call it my Ugandan Papa shirt. It represents my fatherly love and identification with my sons’ heritage. I wear it only once or twice per year: on the anniversary of the adoption, and sometimes on the boys’ birthday. On those days, I don’t care if I’m at work, at church, or on a trip. I might be at home or around other people. But I’m wearing the shirt.

I don’t put it in the washing machine, because it might not hold up. If it needs to be ironed, we do so with meticulous gentleness.

If the shirt ever deteriorates, we’re going to have to go back to Uganda for another one.

This is my favorite shirt. It’s a special shirt.

Holiness

That’s what it means to be holy.

It doesn’t mean “good,” although biblically holy things will also be good.

It doesn’t mean “righteous,” although biblically holy things will also be righteous.

It doesn’t mean “sinless” or “sacred” or “worthy of worship.”

It means special. A holy thing is different from everything else in its category. A “holy” shirt is more special than the other shirts. A holy ground is more special than any other ground. A holy land is more special than any other land. A holy assembly is more special than any other assembly.

A holy God is special; he’s different from all the other gods. A holy Spirit is special and unlike any other spirit. A holy people is more special and unique than any other people.

Leviticus 19:1-8 explains holiness simply. “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev 19:2, ESV). What does that mean? The Lord gives examples.

Revere your father and mother. They are not ordinary, common people. They are special to you (Lev 19:3).
Keep the Sabbath. It is not like every other day. It is a special day (Lev 19:3).
Do not turn to idols. They are ordinary and not special at all (blocks of wood or stone or iron with no rescuing power). Not like the LORD your God, who is special (Lev 19:4).
Peace offerings (one type of Old Testament sacrifice – think of grilled hamburgers or lamb chops) must be eaten within two days. If an Israelite kept any leftovers, he’d be treating them like all the rest of his food. He has profaned what is holy to the LORD. He didn’t treat it as special food (Lev 19:5-8).

Profanity

The opposite of holiness is profanity. Profanity doesn’t technically mean “bad words” or “curse words.” It means “common words.” Similarly, “vulgar” used to mean “common” long before its meaning morphed into “indecent,” “crude,” or “obscene.”

Leviticus 19:8 shows that you don’t have to defile something to profane it. You merely have to ignore how special it is and treat it like everything else.

So What?

The one who called you is special, so you also must be special in all your conduct (1 Pet 1:15). God is your Father and Acquitter. Christ’s blood ransomed you. You are no ordinary person (1 Pet 1:17-21).

Neither are the others who were also ransomed. They are your brothers. They are special. Now love them and remind them of how special they are (1 Pet 1:22-25).

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Bible Study and the Cross of Christ

July 10, 2013 By Peter Krol

Melissa 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!

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Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old (Take 2)

July 5, 2013 By Peter Krol

When I wrote about how to teach Bible study to a 4-year-old, some wise guy with a PhD – who happens also to be a good friend of mine – commented that the post was more about teaching the Bible than teaching Bible study. I think all that graduate school must have paid off, because he’s on to something.

Teach us to fish!

It’s deceptively easy to hand out fish but hold back rods. Any effective ministry is in danger if it centers on the teacher. It centers on the teacher when the people keep coming back for food and don’t learn how to get it themselves. For this reason, Paul instructed leaders not only to teach but also “to equip the saints” (Eph 4:11-14).

So, although I don’t recant what I suggested in my earlier post, I would like to supplement it with further reflection on equipping the little ones to handle the word of truth rightly. These tips take the previous tips and merely make explicit what was implicit.

1. Build Familiarity with the Bible

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. We’ll never foster fat souls without increasing their biblical caloric intake. Children’s Bibles can help at times, but they must never replace God’s Knowable Word. Denying access to the Scripture itself is like serving Tofurkey for Thanksgiving. Worse, in fact; Tofurkey isn’t half bad.

By age 4, children are memorizing things like crazy. Why not give them useful stuff to memorize?

We ought to guide their journey through biblical history and wax eloquent about the many stops on the way to Jesus and beyond. Let’s also give them a map for the trip. “Today’s story is from the book of 1 Samuel. Let’s sing our Bible book song, and raise our hands when we get to 1 Samuel. ‘Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers…'”

2. Model Good Bible Study

At this age, one of the best gifts you can give your kids is the wealth of the gospel, not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thess 1:5). Let your kids see the depth of the riches of God’s love as revealed in the Bible.

As you observe the text, interpret it for the children, and apply it to their lives, you give them something worth imitating (1 Thess 1:6). As they grow and can develop their skills at handling the word themselves, they’ll feel like it’s simply what they’ve been doing their entire lives.

3. Draw Attention to Key Principles

As you go, take time to highlight not only what you say but why you’re saying it.

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “Listen, it says right in verse 32, ‘Be kind to one another.’ Did you hear that? What does God wants us to do to one another? We should always pay attention to what the Bible says” (Observation).

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “When God says, ‘Be kind to one another,’ he wants you to think of your sister more than yourself. That’s what it means to be kind. We should always try to understand what the Bible means” (Interpretation).

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “When is it hard to be kind to your sister? Do you want to keep all those toys to yourself? That will never work, will it? What did Jesus do for you? How can you be like Jesus toward your sister? We should change and make different choices because of what God says in his word” (Application).

Now, please go back and read my original tips, and consider how you can teach your 4-year-olds not only what the Bible says but also how to study it themselves.

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What You Should Know About the Bible

July 3, 2013 By Peter Krol

The 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!

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The Danger of Following Without Understanding

June 26, 2013 By Peter Krol

In 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!

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Now Accepting Guest Posts

June 21, 2013 By Peter Krol

We’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!

If you would like to write a guest post for us, please check out our guest post guidelines.

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Talk Normal!

June 19, 2013 By Peter Krol

I’ve written a series of posts on how to explain big Bible words in plain language. We should be able to explain stuff to people who don’t know the Bible!

We should also not sound like we’re from Mars when we communicate with each other.

These two guys made a beautiful parody of Christians who get stuck in a verbal ghetto. It’s funny because it’s true, and you know it.

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Write Chapter Summaries

June 14, 2013 By Peter Krol

Ed Mitchell (2007), Creative Commons

The Bible is a big book. It’s easy to get lost or tired or – honestly – bored.

Some people love digging deep. They’ll read a few verses, chew on them, pray over them, and feel closer to God as a result.

Not me.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all in favor of exploring the details. But I’m not naturally motivated that way.

I’m more of a reader. I like to read many different things. I get bored with too much of one thing.

Regardless of whether you are more of a chewer or a devourer, the Bible is still a big book. How do you keep tabs on the big picture even while processing the parts? How do you read each section in light of the whole?

I have an idea for you. This is not the only right way to do it, but it’s one tool I’ve found especially helpful.

Write Chapter Summaries

Get yourself a notebook.

On the first page, write “Genesis” at the top and the numbers 1 to 50 down the side (you’ll probably have to go on to the second page to get 50 lines).

Then, as you read Genesis, stop at the end of each chapter. Consider each chapter and write a one-line summary next to the number for that chapter.

For example:

creation of the world
creation of man & woman
fall into sin
Cain murders Abel and fathers a line of ungodly people; Seth replaces him
genealogy from Adam to Noah

And so on, down the page.

Then start a new page for Exodus. Continue through the books of the Bible until you have a summary of every chapter in the Bible.

Why are Chapter Summaries Helpful?

Although content summaries are not the same thing as the author’s main points, they still have a helpful place.

They help you to process what you’ve read.
They help you to retain what you’ve read.
They increase your familiarity with the Bible.
They record God’s marvelous works throughout history (Ps 96:3).
As you read back over the summaries, they give you a sense of how a book of the Bible unfolds.
As you read back over the summaries, they give you a sense of how the whole Bible fits together.
They document what you’re learning about the Lord.

An Example

Over the course of my life, I’ve done this exercise 3 times. Each time I gain more insight, which gives me greater delight in the Lord

I enjoy looking back over my notes to see how my understanding deepened.

For example, here are the summaries I wrote for 2 Peter in 1999:

1. God’s given everything we need –> qualities of fruitfulness; Peter direct eyewitness.

2. False teachers will rise up –> last state (betraying Christ) worse than first (not knowing Christ).

3. Remember words spoken –> day of judgment, elements burned up.

And here are the 2 Peter summaries I wrote in 2008:

1. God’s promises through the prophets will be fulfilled in Jesus & in our character.

2. False teachers deny Jesus; the Lord won’t let them get away.

3. Reminder of word of prophets & apostles; we can bank on promises to be fulfilled in the future!

These two sets are not drastically different. They simply show a maturation in my understanding. The second set is more clear and focused than the first set.

Sometimes I return to these notebooks when I study a book of the Bible. They give me a starting point from which to hone my insights and build my understanding.

Questions: How helpful have you found exercises like summarizing chapters to be? What other ideas have worked for you?

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