Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible
To celebrate our 100th post, we decided to re-design the website and give away a free ESV Study Bible.
The winner of the giveaway is JAKE SWINK. Congratulations, Jake! Send us a message with your shipping address, and we’ll send it to you right away.
Video of the main sessions from the DiscipleMakers Fall Conference is now available! The topic was Fearless: Living Confidently in the Gospel.
Dave Kieffer spoke on “Fearless: Jesus is Risen” from Luke 24:36-53
Mark Fodale spoke on “Fearless: God is with You” from Philippians 2:5-13
Dave Royes spoke on “Fearless: Heaven is Real” from 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10
May the Lord refresh you from his Knowable Word. Check it out!
Misunderstandings stink. I once got cussed out on the phone because of one.
The guy who did the cussing thought I’d scheduled an event on a certain date in order to purposely exclude him from attending. Well, he had misunderstood, and I wish he’d asked more questions before jumping to conclusions.
If he’d asked, I could have given more information (for example, I had no idea this fellow was unavailable on the proposed date, and I primarily chose the date to avoid conflicts with other events).
It is possible to misunderstand the Bible, but with careful interpretation it’s also possible to rightly understand it. God’s Word is a Knowable Word.
Interpretation is the second of three steps in the Bible study process. We’ve seen why we should interpret the Bible. We’ve seen two things that will hinder interpretation. But how do we interpret?
These three steps will help you to interpret any passage of the Bible.
If you’ve observed well, you’re ready to interpret.
Take your observations and ask questions of them. Lots of questions. Tackle those observations from every direction.
Be as inquisitive as possible. Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.
Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text. Don’t ask just any old questions. Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever. Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover. (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)
Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them. There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (explicitly or implicitly) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).
Don’t go on rabbit trails. Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say. Don’t build a whole theology from one verse. Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text. Let the rest go.
As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture. Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).
Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages. I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important). I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).
Missing the main point means misunderstanding the text. And misunderstandings stink.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll unpack each of these steps in greater detail.
Which of these steps seems most obvious to you? Which one is most difficult?
The Gospel Coalition posted Kathy Keller’s review of A Year of Biblical Womanhood, a new book by Rachel Held Evans. Since Evans presents the book as an exploration of biblical interpretation, Keller judges it on those terms. As a result, the review covers several key Bible study concepts. Check it out!
When you’re reading through Genesis, you run into some strange things. Talking snakes (Gen 3:1), twins wrestling in the womb to see who comes out first (Gen 38:28-30), and… some kind of mixed-world marriage that results in superhero children…?
[1] When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, [2] the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. [3] Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” [4] The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4 ESV)
I’ll reveal my cards early: I don’t think this passage is talking about angels marrying people, as is sometimes suggested. (Though City of Angels is a fun flick.)
So what’s really going on?
I think what usually trips people up here is that this passage comes right off the genealogy in Genesis 5. For many of us, when we hit a genealogy, our eyes glaze over and our brain only resets once we get back to the narrative. However, genealogies serve just as important a role as anything else in the narrative. They move the story forward over generations, but it’s still the same story. So, let’s go back even a little further to Genesis 4:
[17] Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. [18] To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. . . . [25] And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” [26] To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:17-18, 25-26 ESV)
These are some of the last verses just before the Genesis 5 genealogy and our Genesis 6 text. In other words, the author of Genesis wants us to notice the two separate lines forming here: the wicked line of Cain and the godly line of Seth. In between Seth fathering Enosh and the Genesis 5 genealogy, the author notes that “people began to call upon the name of the LORD.”
With that in mind, the meaning of those verses in Genesis 6 becomes clear: the sons of God are from Seth’s godly line while the daughters of men are from Cain’s wicked line. Sadly, the theme of the “godly” seeing something “attractive” and therefore taking it shows up here just as it did when Eve saw and took the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3. (Clearly not all that appears beautiful is good!) This time the death that results from this foolish attraction is far more widespread: the Flood.
(After composing the bulk of this blog entry, my fellow Knowable Word author Peter noted to me that R.C. Sproul, Jr. just covered this text not long ago. The good news is that we agree on the interpretation! So if you’d like to read more about this passage, check out his blog.)
Sharon Hoover is writing a series of blog posts on how to study the Bible, giving very specific steps to help people practice by studying the Gospel of Mark. Here’s a post on Inductive Bible Study, which is very similar to what we’re doing here at Knowable Word.
Logos Bible software can help you count repeated words, which can help you find themes in a chapter or book of the Bible.
Getting the most out of your Bible reading: tips from the American Bible Society.
Check it out!
Yesterday I wrote, “Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.” Some might wonder if there is such a thing as “incorrect interpretation.”
YES, there is.
In Luke 7:18-19, John the Baptist wanted to make sure he had the right interpretation.
In Mark 12:24-27, Jesus accused the Sadducees of having the wrong interpretation.
The Apostle Peter tells us that ignorance or instability can lead someone to distort (misinterpret) the Bible. This practice has dire consequences (2 Pet 3:15-16).
I’ve heard people speak of the Bible: “it means whatever you want it to mean.”
Although I appreciate the desire for relevance, may I propose that extreme relativism is, in fact, self-defeating? If a communication could mean anything the receiver wanted it to mean, then there could be no such thing as meaningful communication. The speaker or writer intends a certain meaning. We can agree or disagree with it, but we can’t overlook the fact that it’s there.
In other words, when someone says that it means whatever you want it to mean, a helpful and respectful response might be, “do you really mean that?”
By all means, let us work hard to figure out what it means.
Interpretation happens when we figure out why a passage says what it says. We fail to interpret well when we fail to figure out why the passage says what it says.
The chief obstacle to excellent interpretation is observation.
Of course I don’t think observation is a bad thing. I’ve already written about how we should value careful observation. (See here for a few common examples of less-than-careful observation.) Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.
However, when you study the Bible, you can’t stay in observation. It’s easy to feel like you’ve really studied the Bible, when it’s possible that all you’ve done is observe.
For example, people often go to Romans 1:18-32 to show that humanity is sinful. Excellent observation! But why does Paul go to such great lengths to show how sinful humanity is? Perhaps it’s because he wants to tighten the noose slowly and imperceptibly around the reader. “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges” (Rom 2:1, ESV).
We find another example in Philippians 4:4-9. This passage is full of beautiful sayings commonly quoted by Christians. We love to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). We find great comfort in letting our requests be made known to God, with supplication and thanksgiving (Phil 4:6).
These are good observations. But why are these verses here? The Philippian church was experiencing a serious rift between two prominent women (Phil 4:2-3). So Paul sent instructions for resolving the conflict to one of his companions in the church. Read Phil 4:4-9 in that light, and the passage comes alive.
Old Testament narratives make up one last set of examples. As we observe these stories, we might notice all kinds of characters to either imitate or avoid, but we might fail to move into interpretation. Now viewing these characters as examples is not wrong (see 1 Cor 10:11), but it’s all too easy to stop with such observation. Why are the stories there? To show us Jesus, of course (John 1:45, Luke 24:44-47). The trick each time is to figure out how.
Remember not to let familiarity get in the way of your observation. And don’t let observation get in the way of your interpretation.
It must be terribly inconvenient to run for President of the United States.
The debate last night must have required tremendous preparation. Not only do President Obama and Governor Romney have to prepare to present their own positions, each must prepare to make his opponent’s position seem foolish. Each must also prepare to respond to whatever accusations the other might bring to the floor.
And then there are all the social dynamics: moderator, attendees, cameras. Personal lives get exposed; mistakes in judgment get exploited; everything is scrutinized.
And all for one purpose: to get my vote.
But what difference will it make if one candidate wins my vote? How can I make a difference?
Here’s the beauty of how it works. By winning one person at a time, vote after vote after vote, an aspiring leader does something magical. Many individuals make up this thing we call “the people.” And when the people elect a leader, stuff changes. Policies take effect. Administrations administrate. The glorious future begins to spill into the dreary present.
What did last night’s debate teach me about Bible study? That it’s all worth it.
It’s terribly inconvenient to study the Bible. It’s not easy. It requires discipline and practice. I might not get it at first.
But, as I do it, I get better at handling the Word (2 Tim 2:15). The better I handle the Word, the better equipped I am at passing it on (2 Tim 3:16-17). The better I am at passing it on, the more likely I am to make a significant difference for God’s Kingdom.
So keep going to church, week after week. Keep reading your Bible. Keep learning how to communicate it effectively.
It will feel mundane. It will feel like hard work. But it’s how God changes the world.
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:1-2).
Do you think it’s worth it to study the Bible? What encourages you to keep doing it when it’s inconvenient or difficult?
We’ve now blogged 100 posts, and we decided to celebrate with a brand new website and a FREE ESV STUDY BIBLE (personal size). This is the best study Bible I’ve come across. Check out my Goodreads review if you don’t believe me.
We’re giving a way a free personal size ESV Study Bible
To enter the giveaway, you can place as many entries as you want, within the following guidelines. You’ll get one entry for each of the following:
We are giving away one (1) free personal size ESV Study Bible. The winner will be selected at random from all entries. Entries will be accepted until 7:30pm Eastern Time on Thursday, November 1, 2012.
The winner will be posted on this site by November 5, 2012. The winner will have until November 19 to contact us with his or her shipping address for the free Bible.
We take no responsibility for any comments that fail to survive our spam filtering software. Please make sure you don’t comment using an email address like KVUSGAVSYXP2@yahoo.com.
Thank you for helping us spread the word about how to study God’s Knowable Word!
